We were talking about rights today for some reason.  Regardless of who people are, they have rights.  Even if they make poor decisions.  Even if they make poor decisions intentionally.  Even if they make poor decisiosn intentionally that hurts someone.  Everyone has rights.  It's part of our freedom. 

  He told me a quote from Thomas Jefferson that, "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."  That statement sent a cold chill up my spine because it's not an easy responsibility to accept.  Not in the slightest.  To be free, we must trap ourselves into watching every circu.mstance that could take it away.  It's very much like the game of Besieged that I play every once in a while.

  A city enjoys perks from a mystical icon that it has in its possession.  However, in order to keep this mystical icon, the people of the city must always be alert of those nearby and protect it from those who could take it.  Every once in a while, a band of enemies rushes the city in hopes of capturing this mystical icon.  Your job as a citizen of the city is to protect the icon at all cost.  Eternal vigilance.  That's what it's like.  Just to enjoy freedom, you have to be careful about anything that can take it away.

  I think that's how my mom felt, when she came to America.  America means freedom, but she knew what it was like without freedom.  So she was always overly cautious.  Cautious to the point where our freedom was held intact by the prison we set up for ourselves at home.  She made sure every single door was locked, every single window was closed, and all of the first floor windows had iron bars attached to them.  This is how we enjoyed freedom, eternal vigilance.  I don't know about you, but that can wear on the nerves.  But it can't be better than being imprisoned... can it?