Why can’t we have America back? Why is that so hard to do, Lady Liberty?"

de Mary MacElveen

A small boy visits the Statue of Liberty while on a class trip. The weather is perfect with not a cloud in the sky. This child looks up to Lady Liberty in awe knowing how many passed her by in order to become citizens of this grand republic. He has the image in his mind of how many of our country’s ancestors came to our shores only to be welcomed by Lady Liberty ... he feels the spirit of freedom as he gazes upon her.

At one point, the boy feels a drop of water fall from Lady Liberty’s face.

Astonished, he looks closer only to see that Lady Liberty is crying. He then looks to see if anyone is around since he does not want anyone to notice in fear of standing out, so that he can then ask of Lady Liberty: Why is she crying? It seems that they are alone.

The small boy looks around and first asks her: "Where did everyone go?"

With that, Lady Liberty says to this him: "Do not be alarmed, but they are close by, but I felt the need to speak with you and you alone" He is simply amazed that she would single him out to in order to have a conversation with.

The small boy asks: "Well why me?"

Lady Liberty then says: "The spirit of freedom lives within us all and it connects us in ways that you may not be able to understand right now." She then goes onto say: "I have been checking up on you from time to time especially when you ask important questions in your class room or with other adults."

He is simply amazed.
"Do you remember the time you were sent to the principle’s office for asking in your history class: Why did Bush lie and send so many off to die in Iraq?" He shakes their head affirming this situation.

"Lady Liberty, I do remember that, and I was angry that I was punished! But you have not answered my question of why me?"

"Sit down since we need to talk further and I will explain why I chose you"

Still nervous not wanting anyone to see them speaking he sits down... "Remember, we are alone for a while, so please relax." He takes a deep breath, relaxes and smiles up at Lady Liberty, proud in knowing she had selected him. "I choose different people from time to time so that they can keep the spirit of freedom going forward and with that freedom the truth must be told to all. You challenged your teacher in front of others to tell you the truth and, while you were punished, patriots are often punished for daring to ask the most important questions."

"I have seen the spirit of dissent where everyone has the right to question authority been turned into an unpatriotic act and we cannot allow that."

The small boy begins to cry. "I felt extremely hurt that day since I have always loved my country. I felt it wrong that someone could punish me for questioning the actions of this country." With his fists clenched he shouted at Lady Liberty: "This is my country too and I should have the right to state my mind and ask important questions!"

With that, he gets up and starts pacing back and forth and continues to speak with Lady Liberty. He then looks up: "Lady Liberty, these teachers teach us of how this country was formed ... yet they forget the very words of our framers. I seem to remember Patrick Henry stating: ’Give me liberty or give me death’."

He points to the mainland and shouts back in the direction of those going about their daily lives: "Why do you stand for this man you call president being allowed to listen in on your phone calls or read your emails? You are forgetting about the liberties this country were founded on when you do not question authority."

Lady Liberty smiles down at him as he launches his barbs against those who have forgotten how this country came to be...

He notices a cement block and stands upon it as if it were his soap box, but uses it as his bully pulpit. He shouts out: "America you say that you are the home of the free and the brave, yet you choose to be cowards. Ben Franklin stated to all of us, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" ... "Why are you forgetting that, America?!"

Lady Liberty takes a deep breath, knowing she selected the right boy, then challenges him: "Well what do you say to those as this country fights the war on terror as Bush uses that argument to prove why we need to usurp the laws and liberties of this nation?" He looks up at her: "If by giving up on our very liberties and freedoms, it tells the world, that the terrorists have won." She asks: "Well what would you have us do? Let me hear what you have to say."

He looks back at the mainland of America from Liberty Island and says: "You protect our very freedoms by following the rule of law and that is the ONLY way that the rest of the world will respect us." He looks her directly in the eye and angrily says: "I see this man, Bush traveling around the globe and he is met with throngs of people who absolutely despise him for what he has done, not only to our nation, but the world, and I ask myself: how can Americans support this man?"

The boy shouts again in an angry tone: "America, where is your pride in our country?!" He raises his fist towards the mainland and states: "Patriot blood was spilled in order to form this more perfect union and you must never forget that!"

Sitting down, he cries profusely ... tears welling in his face as if filling a bucket: "Lady Liberty, I want to have pride in my country, but I see the acts of my government as being deplorable. I have read accounts where we have tortured people and that is NOT the American way of supporting freedom. Whatever happened to cruel and unusual punishment, Lady Liberty?"

She reaches down to touch and console him ... he looks tearfully into her eyes as they meet face to face and asks: "Why can’t we have that America back, you know the ones our framers set forth? Why is that so hard to do, Lady Liberty?" She then gazes into his eyes and says: "Why not make this your mission?"

The boy composes himself as he remembers Hurricane Katrina where so many of this nation’s poor were all but forgotten and then gets up again and shouts back to main land America: "Have you forgotten what my new friend Lady Liberty has always stood for?" She then smiles back at him as he says: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

He takes out a picture from his back pack and hands it to Lady Liberty ... he gazes upon her and says: "This is Ethel Freeman who was photographed dead in a wheel chair that I found on the Internet and wondered just how can my government forget about people like her? I heard where some countries offered us aid such as Venezuela and Cuba and Bush acting like a tyrant said no. How can he do this to his own citizens, Lady Liberty? This is just plain wrong if you ask me."

She shakes her head in the affirmative.

"You know, Lady Liberty, in a time of crisis, we have to put politics aside in order to meet the needs of those who are hurting and where people die." He then states: "We are always wondering in our time of need where other nations are and if they will help us and both Venezuela and Cuba came to our aid and we said no!"

As minutes go by, which seemed like hours, she says to him: "Well our time is almost over and your fellow students will be returning and what have you learned?" He dusts himself off, straightens out his clothes and says: "I must always speak the truth, question authority no matter what the consequences are." She reaches down to him, but this time her face is filled with tears of joy: "You have learned your lesson well my son and you must carry on the spirit of our conversation that we had today."

As he walks away to rejoin his class, Lady Liberty smiles at him and says: "What a great President he shall make someday!"

Mary MacElveen
mary@vheadline.com

Author’s note: I selected a young boy as the central figure of this allegory, not because I think that only men should be president, but to keep one constant image in mind.

http://www.vheadline.com/MacElveen