It seems that every two years politicians from both the Republican and Democrat parties declare the upcoming election will be a defining moment for America. Until now, I have never believed that. However, the elections in November 2010 will decide whether the United States will survive as a democratic republican form of government where the rights of individuals are paramount, or become a socialist form of government where the rights of the people are abolished in favor of an all-powerful government where individuals are now subjects of an elitist group.

Our forefathers experienced this type of elitist government in Europe, and they specifically rejected it in 1776 when they adopted the Declaration of Independence and in 1787 when they wrote the U.S. Constitution. This led us to create a country that for over 200 years has been the most prosperous nation on the planet and served as a shining example of liberty to the rest of the world. Yet, now it is in the process of being destroyed by so-called “progressives” who believe most Americans are too stupid to control their own destiny and must be led by those more enlightened.

So, who am I that rejects this concept? That’s simple: I am an American. Note that I am not a hyphenated American. I am not an Irish-American, an African-American or a Mexican-American. I am just an American. My family arrived in this country in 1753, and we have fought in every war since the American Revolution. My father was a Lt. Commander in the South Pacific during World War II and a wounded vet, my brother was wounded in Vietnam, and I have one son-in-law who has served two tours in Iraq. Yet, while they and their fellow soldiers, sailors, Marines and Air Force personnel risk their lives to defend the Constitution of the United States from terrorists who would destroy our nation, they have to deal with the fact that our Constitution and our freedoms are being taken away by the very people who have ordered them to fight.

We are led by a president who has never served in the military and openly shows his disdain for the limitations placed on him by the Constitution. He is backed up by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, the leaders in Congress who continue to ram through legislation that is clearly unconstitutional and limits our rights as free Americans, despite the fact that most of what they are doing is opposed by the majority of us.

I track legislation being introduced into Congress, and what I see is appalling. All 10 of the first amendments to the Constitution -- the Bill of Rights -- are under attack, if not by Congress then by left-wing federal judges and the so-called “czars” illegally appointed by Obama in violation of the Constitution.

However, when we raise our voices as a free people against what is happening, we are attacked as bigots or racists even though none of our concerns have anything to do with race, religion or ethnicity. These attacks are echoed by the so-called “mainstream” news media who no longer provide news coverage but instead have become propaganda organs for the Obama administration. In fact, a group of these left-wing news media have been exchanging e-mails about ways to get the government to shut down news organizations such as Fox News that report what is really happening.

Everyone needs to understand what is occurring. If this November we do not elect enough people who support our Constitution to the House of Representatives and Senate, the fight may be lost. The elections in 2012 may occur too late to save our republic. The bottom line is this: We must turn out the votes in November to save our freedom. If we don’t, then our freemarket economy will be destroyed, and our liberties as a free people under our Constitution will be destroyed.

Contact your friends, neighbors and family members, and let them know what is at stake this November. We owe this to our children and grandchildren.

Skipper Wallace