Remember free speech?

Paula Albaugh of Leesburg, Virginia, is the latest person to have uninvited government visitors--in this case, members of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. Albaugh's 11-year-old son, Yiahai Asido, was accused by deputies of making anti-American and violent statements in school.

This dangerous American, school officials said, when assigned to write a letter to U.S. Marines, told his teacher "I wish all Americans were dead and that American soldiers should die." Yiahai denies that wished death upon anyone, and that his actual statement was that the Marines "might as well die, as much as I care." Sounds like an 11-year-old to me, but when you have an Israeli father and a funny name, well...you know the drill.

The investigators questioned Albaugh for two hours, even mentioning a German friend who had stayed with the family, and wondered whether that friend sympathized with the Taliban.

I wonder how many families the deputies visited whose children said they hated African Americans or gays.

Meanwhile, in Denver, there will be a recall election for an Estes Park Trustee who refuses to say the Pledge of Allegiance at Town Board meetings. Councilman David Habecker objects to the "under God" phrase in the pledge, and now it is very likely that he will be kicked off of the council.

Remember what happened to Congressman Jim McDermott when he refused to say the Pledge last year? Instead of being respected for not wanting to say a loyalty pledge, or for not wanting to merge church and state in a loyalty pledge, McDermott was chewed out by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Unfortunately, McDermott aplogized instead of showing Pelosi his ass and telling her pledge that.

This is America now. If they haven't knocked on your door yet, don't fool yourself--they will.