America the Beautiful

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The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, collectively known as the Charters of Freedom are the foundation on which the United States is built on. These documents cemented America as the greatest nation in the world… period.

My name is Tarik Akleh, founder of American Dude Company, first generation proud American. Well before I was born, my parents who are both Palestinian Christians, decided to pick up their things and travel halfway across the world to a foreign country known as “the land of opportunity”. They took this leap of faith because they needed to create a better life for themselves and the family they intended on having – they knew their best chances were to come to America. They took the necessary steps, made it here legally and began their lives together – in a foreign world where the language spoken was all but unknown to them.

Once here, they began the process to obtain their citizenships and working minimum wage jobs at an electric cable manufacturing company. They dedicated themselves to their work to accelerate advancement so that they can make and save more money. They saved enough to start their own business that they worked on weekends at flea markets while maintaining their jobs. They did this until their business could support them and their first child, then left their jobs and focused on the business fulltime. Ultimately, they ended up with three children (me being the middle child), a successful business, and their citizenship which made them proud Americans.

There are millions of stories just like this – all of them having one thing in common, that it could only happen in America. My parents fostered in my brother, my sister, and me the value of this nation. They did not shelter us from this culture that deviated so much from the one they came from. Instead, they instilled their values in us and allowed us to absorb what this new culture had to teach us. They embraced America and all it had to offer… my brother, my sister, and I are grateful to our parents for this.

Today I am seeing a different sentiment towards America. Politicians, the media, big tech, academia, and Hollywood are vilifying America and those that stand behind it. If your voice does not comply then it will be silenced. Cancel culture has taken prominence, and if you speak out with a differing opinion than the "mob", they will seek to cancel you, destroy your livelihood, and make sure you never can find work again.

This has nothing to do with political leanings, it has to do with being an American. It is not okay to infringe on anyone’s First Amendment right because what is being said now does not align with your ideals. This allows a precedent to be set today that will bite you in the ass tomorrow. Censorship is the antithesis of what America is built upon, and it is occurring everyday in its many forms – whether outright or by the threat of being cancelled... destroying fellow Americans' lives because they do not share the same views, and I am disgusted.

Our Second Amendment is under attack as well, they will not stop until we are disarmed – so we must stop them with our voices and our votes. The time for standing idly by and hoping things will fall in line are over. There are no stipulations in the Second Amendment, it is clear in its intent and meaning, “…shall not be infringed” means just that… SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED. We must make our voices heard, support the politicians that will protect our right to bear arms and call out those that seek to take our rights away.

Our country, our soldiers and our veterans have done so much for us – basic freedoms and opportunities that we have become so accustomed to that we often forget to appreciate. America is now in need of our help; let us all protect her as she does us.