Watching the European protesters is ominous. Watching the Occupy Wall Street protesters is painful. As the images of chaos intermingle and blur, as explosives taint the sky, and policemen drag purposely limp bodies across the street, one squints to differentiate and wonders, “Are those Americans?”

American character was built on true grit and a glorious gut for liberty, wanting no strings from government dictating an individual’s destiny. Since when did Americans become whiny children screaming, “Give me liberty and give me, give me!”