Tomorrow, millions of Iraqis will go to the polls to vote on whether or not to accept the proposed Iraq constitution. And that's no small feat. I'm eagerly awaiting the results. I feel an affinity with the Iraq people. I've been following the news and other sources closely, ever since the latest war became in inevitable. I won't say I empathize with them, because that would be an injustice to them. I've had to weather media bias, uncompromising friends, associates and strangers. They've suffered through bullets, bombs, civil war, and the disdain of the entire Middle East. It would be insulting to suggest I have any idea what they're going through.

Its been a hellish nightmare for these people. They've been under the boot of oppression for some 50 odd years. Thanks to Saddam, they've been a pariah state for over a decade. They've been beaten, murdered, crushed, and betrayed. They've been on the business end of the US Military twice. They've been gassed by Saddam and his minions. Last year, they braved every threat imaginable, and voted in the millions for their first free election in who knows how many years. I remember seeing the photo of an Iraqi woman, face showing, purple finger in the air, smiling a smile that said it all. Victory. The future was no longer just a distant, vague, dream. The future was that day. The future is today. The future is tomorrow. I wish them nothing but the best. However it turns out, it will be by their choice. Democracy is an amazing thing.

One thing that really burns me up, is what I've been hearing from various sources over the last three years. America just can't export democracy. Americans don't understand the deep tribal ties in the region. Arabs and Iraqis will never accept democracy. It can't be done. Bull. Pure 100% unadulterated bull! Who are these people to say that men, women and children are doomed to live under oppression? They haven't the ability, or the desire, or the will to live in freedom? They can't be trusted? Who are these speakers to say that humans must live under oppression, because it's somehow above them, beyond their ability, they can't do it? As for me, I really believe in the words of Thomas Jefferson. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Some may say these are just fine words, perhaps a pipe dream, just a statement. Not to me. These words mean something to me. And I believe in them. I don't believe humans need to, or deserve to be, crushed, put down, controlled for their own good. I believe every man, women and child, in this world is entitled, by right of birth, to self determination. Granted, it can hardly be said that Americans have unlimited freedoms. We have more regulations, restrictions and laws on the books than probably any other country. But you know what? I have the freedom to choose the job I have. I have the freedom to live anywhere I can afford. I have the freedom to send my child to a private school, provided I can afford it. I have the right to walk down to my local public square, and as long as I am civil, and spout off on what ever I want. I have the freedom to do this on the internet, as I'm doing now.

It has been said many times, mostly in country music songs, that freedom isn't free. And its not. The Iraqi people have been paying for it in blood, sweat and tears for decades. And now the opportunity is before them. I wish them well. I hope with all my heart they succeed. I want so bad for them to take their rightful place among the free nations of the world. I want them to have the right to tell the US to piss off, and get the hell out of their affairs. I want them to have the right to tell the same thing to the Saudi's and the Syrians. I want them to be able to tell Iran to get the hell out.

Even more than that, I want them to serve as a beacon to the rest of the Middle East, the rest of the Muslim world, and to the entire world, that people can choose freedom over tyranny. I want them to show all the naysayers, all the yes men, all the academic elites who've said they can't do it, that yes they can. Yes we can. Us simple, stupid, hairless monkeys, us common everyday ogres, us simpletons who have trouble filling out forms, have trouble navigating voice mail menus, the ones who can't parallel park, we not only deserve freedom, but its our right. They can't take it away from us. We will not be denied. Freedom is not reserved for those with sufficient education, sufficient connections, or sufficient bank statements. It's meant for all of us.

I will offer a prayer tonight, while the Iraqis vote on their future, for all the suffering and dead Iraqis, Americans, British, Ukrainians, and others who've given the ultimate sacrifice, in order that this monumental event take place. I have faith that they have not died in vain. I have faith that this endeavor will work, and our world will be a better place for it. Most of all, I have faith in my fellow humankind, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. I have faith. I believe.