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Now that the Fourth of July celebrations, fireworks, barbecues and festivities are over, I’ve been reflecting on what independence means. The holiday commemorates the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. As an immigrant, the word independence has a special meaning to me. It encompasses a much broader concept than the United States separating itself from the kings and queens of the Old World.
I was born and raised in Soviet Russia. My parents were against the communist system, but they never actively rebelled against it, because there was no point in rebelling. The state apparatus that controlled the people was powerful, and it was impossible to shake it. Instead, my mother instilled in me the idea that I could go to America someday and be free and independent. As a child, I didn’t know what America was, or why I had to leave my family and friends in Russia and flee to this unknown country. But I didn’t question my mother. I knew she wanted me to be happy.
In preparation for my new life years ahead, I started learning English in the third grade, studied hard throughout high school to get all A’s, never missed a class with the English tutor my mother hired, and eventually graduated from a top university in Moscow with a Master’s degree in English and French.
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Former Soviet and United States flags (iStock)
Life in Soviet Russia was very regimented, as if it followed a carefully written script. The script was written by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. They always knew what to do and what not to do. The government told them.
The state owned everything, so it had complete control over the individual. There was no private property. The government owned all the apartments, so the government told you where to live, and you had to wait years to get an apartment. So people lived in communal apartments. The government also told you where to work after college. The government also told you what to think, because all media was controlled by the state. And you instinctively knew what you could and couldn’t say in public, because you would be punished for speaking your mind or criticizing the government.
Rebecca Koffler grew up in the Soviet Union. (Rebecca Koffler)
How could the state do this in the USSR? Everything, or almost everything, was free or nearly free, except for food and clothing, which were not plentiful. The state took care of its citizens. All you had to do was follow all the rules – so many that every time you got out of bed in the morning you broke some law or another. In short, the state wanted its citizens to be dependent, not independent.
After graduating from college, I moved to the United States as my mother wanted. I became an American citizen in 1995. What impressed me most about it was how free and independent Americans were at that time. No one told them what to do, what to think, what to say, or where to work.
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Statue of Liberty, New York City (Fox News Photo/Joshua Cummins)
As an American, you carve your own path. I quickly learned to embrace this independence and freedom of action. It was this sense of freedom that led me to join the U.S. intelligence community after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. I wanted to serve my adopted country and protect it from foreign threats.
Alarmingly, in recent years I have observed an erosion of the independence that is so deeply rooted in the American psyche and culture. Big government, big tech, and big media are eroding our independence.
As in Soviet Russia, the ruling elite now tell us what car we should drive (electric even if we can’t afford it), what size soda we should drink, and what kind of meat we should eat (lab-grown meat is preferred).
Meanwhile, big tech companies and big media, too often in collusion with big government, are shaping the way Americans think by censoring free speech. Conservative, especially religious, voices are silenced while left-leaning voices that toe the party line are amplified.
America needs to take a deep breath, or it will soon be in danger of becoming a Soviet-style totalitarian state. (Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images)
When it comes to the presidential election, even some privileged “journalists” want to take away our independence. Many were “surprised” when President Biden’s severe physical and cognitive disabilities were fully revealed and could no longer be hidden during the CNN presidential debate. Some in the left-wing media, who for years have maintained that the president is not unwell but is perfectly healthy, are now calling for an alternative candidate.
America needs to take a deep breath, or it could soon find itself on the brink of becoming a Soviet-style totalitarian state. Nomenklatura like Biden and former President Obama famously professed a desire to “fundamentally transform” our country, but they seem hell-bent on taking away many of our freedoms.
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Supporters of the Russian Communist Party attend a ceremony marking the 68th anniversary of the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin on March 5, 2021, at Red Square in Moscow. (REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina)
As Americans watch helplessly as our government allows murderers, rapists, terrorists and foreign agents into our beautiful country under the guise of human rights, we must now decide whether our rights as Americans are at risk.
With just months to go until the presidential election, the big question is: Will Americans defend their independence, or accept the slow decline of our country, which is beginning to resemble parts of Russia or China, with government control over every aspect of life? The time to decide is now.
To read more articles by Rebecca Kofler click here
