247 Years After Declaring Independence We Have Become A Nation Of Cowards 

 

On this date two hundred forty seven years ago, 56 men in Philadelphia signed their name on a document declaring independence as a separate nation from Great Britain. In doing so they knew that they were guaranteeing that they would be hung for treason if the ragtag army recently thrown together with limited funding did not defeat the greatest military empire in world history.

Every person who signed the Declaration of Independence was well off, and could have gone on living comfortably under British rule. But they signed it anyway, because liberty and principles meant more to them than anything. They didn’t want to live in a country ruled by tyranny, where civilians didn’t have individual freedoms and God given rights.

This scene from the HBO series John Adams is one of the greatest scenes in television history, perfectly depicting the mood of the men in the room when it was made official. The 30 seconds of silence at the end as they sat there contemplating the madness of what they just did is chilling.

This could never happen today because we’ve become way too comfortable in our material possessions and way of life, and we’re unwilling to have it interrupted in any way. We are willing to trade our freedoms and liberties in a heartbeat if it means not losing a paycheck, or becoming socially ostracized. Thank God the people living in this country 247 years ago were not this cowardly, because if it happened today there would be no revolution. King George would have Parliament write stimulus checks to the colonists to shut them up and keep them in line. That’s literally all it took to get the entire nation to go along with a complete shut down of our entire society, the restriction of our freedoms, and the acceptance of an experimental vaccine being forced into our bodies.

I thought of this today because the John O’Keefe murder investigation reminded me how cowardly American citizens have become.

Every single person on the Canton Police Department knows what happened in that house, but they remain silent.

Brian “Lucky” Loughran knows that John O’Keefe’s body was not on the front lawn of 34 Fairview Road when he plowed it that morning, and he knows what he saw when he went by later. Yet he remains silent.

Steve Scanlon sought out David Yannetti on the day Karen Read was charged to give him information that John O’Keefe being inside 34 Fairview Road. Yet he remains silent.

Everyone working for DA Michael Morrissey’s knows that Karen Read did not kill John O’Keefe, and that Jennifer McCabe and Brian Albert know who did. Yet they remain silent.

Sarah Levinson and Julie Nagel, were in the house when O’Keefe was murdered and have information that can shed light on what happened. Yet they remained silent for over a year until Michael Proctor reached out to them.

Ryan Nagel, and the two other passengers in Ryan Nagel’s truck know that John O’Keefe was not inside Karen Read’s vehicle, and his body was not on the ground outside the vehicle. They could be screaming loudly about this, yet they remain silent.

Paul O’Keefe lost his sister to cancer 10 years ago, and then lost his brother last year. He has survived unspeakable tragedy, and has full access to information showing him that the people he sits with in court murdered his brother. Yet he remains silent.

Medical Examiner Irini Scordi-Bello knew immediately by looking at John’s body that he did not die from being backed into by a Lexus. Yet she remains silent.

Kerry Roberts knows that John O’Keefe’s body was visible as she drove towards 34 Fairview Road and saw him lying on the ground dying. Yet she remains silent.

Judge Beverly Cannone knows from her years of experience that the defendant in her courtroom is innocent, and that she has the power to grant motions that will prove that. Yet she choose not to.

I won’t fault Michael Proctor, Michael Morrissey, Brian Higgins, or any Alberts or McCabes for their silence, since they are either criminals themselves, or are protecting family members from what could be life imprisonment. They are pure evil and would never be expected to voluntarily incriminate themselves.

But what’s everyone else’s excuse?

Canton Police officers are scared of the wrath of Helena Rafferty, or believe they might lose their job.

Cowards.

Lucky Loughran doesn’t want to be disliked by the remaining Alberts in Canton he’s known for so long. 

Coward.

Steve Scanlon wanted to be involved until he had to put his name on it and testify against his old friend Brian Albert.

Coward.

Adam Lally wants to prove to Michael Morrissey that he’s a loyal soldier.

Coward.

David Traub wants to keep his job regurgitating press releases for Michael Morrissey until he can retire and live out his days collecting a pension.

Coward.

Sarah Levinson doesn’t want to lose her job as a nurse and get the same treatment that Tom Beatty’s children get in Canton.

Coward.

Julie Nagel doesn’t want to implicate her boyfriend’s father.

Coward.

Ryan Nagel and the two other people in the truck want to move on with their lives quietly and away from media scrutiny.

Cowards.

Paul O’Keefe doesn’t want to think about what happened to his brother because it’s too horrific, and he’s driven entirely by hatred for Karen Read. He has the power to completely change the narrative by expressing displeasure with the way the Norfolk County DA’s Office has handled his brother’s murder investigation, but it’s easier for him to get drunk and go to Celtics games instead. So he remains silent and pretends Karen Read did this.

Coward.

Irini Scordi-Bello doesn’t want to stir the pot, and especially doesn’t want her expertise as a ME coming into question.

Coward.

Kerry Roberts sends her kids to school in Canton, plans on living there for a long time, and would rather please the people who live in her community than doing the right thing.

Coward.

Judge Cannone’s ego and hatred for Alan Jackson prevent her from exercising the power that she has to exonerate an innocent defendant, despite spending years as a court appointed defense attorney.

Coward.

All of these people are cowards, and they represent the vast majority of people living in this country today. They’ve become so comfortable with the nice things that they have that they’re willing to allow tyranny to happen right in front of their eyes as long as their lives are not disrupted in anyway. They’re willing to remain silent as an innocent woman is charged with a crime that they KNOW she did not commit. They’re willing to remain silent as corrupt criminal put her into a box for the rest of her life. They’d rather keep their mouth shuts and accept that they live in a country ruled by tyrants, who deprive free people like Karen Read of their freedom and liberty, as long as it’s not happening to them. In doing so they voluntarily are surrendering their own rights and liberties to speak the truth, because if they don’t keep their mouth shut they “might lose their job.”

How will Sarah Levinson survive if she doesn’t get invited to CF McCarthy’s by Cailtlin Albert’s friends?

How will David Traub survive if he loses his job and has to find new employment?

How will Lucky Lougran survive if he doesn’t get a discount at D&E Pizza?

How will Steve Scanlon survive if his golfing buddies think he’s a rat?

How will Kerry Roberts survive if her kids don’t get invited to the prom?

How will Canton Police Officers survive if they have to start over in a new police department that isn’t run by criminals?

I get why people are scared of the social consequences of being truly free. I wrote anonymously on this blog for years because I was afraid I’d lose my job as a teacher, and afraid that people I’d written about would try to hurt me or my family.

But at some people free people need to remind the world that they are free. I reached the point where I WANTED people to know that it was me, for the same reason John Hancock and Sam Adams wanted King George to see their names on that document. I feel more free than I ever have as a result, despite not knowing what my future holds as I did when I was a teacher.

If you aren’t living free then you dishonor the 56 men who signed their own death warrant 247 years ago, and you don’t deserve to live in a country this great.