They’re deep-belly-laughing at the Home of Those Who Once Were Brave, but who now tremble at the chance somebody’s lip-gloss might explode. They’re making wisecracks about the Land of Those Who Have Forgotten How Easily Freedom is Given Away.

I have no doubt there are people who don’t like America and want to hurt Americans. But we are being made into fools by our own government and our own rules.

Living is harmful. Get over it. If you live long enough, you die.

What happens when they explode a poodle? How about a baby?

What are you — you, personally — willing to give up to feel safe?

Americans have suffered the past 200-odd years to remain free. Think of the American journey’s powerful images — everything from starving at Valley Forge to raising the flag at Iwo Jima. Then consider the brave freedom of Americans going through four hours of security-check for a two-hour flight, divesting themselves of shoes, lip-gloss, and other dangerous devices, just because some yayhoos who don’t like themselves try to blow up an airplane.

Doesn’t anyone remember how to handle the schoolyard bully? Ignore him. Quit talking about him. Quit giving him front-page coverage and 24-a-day attention. They’re willing to die for their cause.

We must also be willing to die — which is laughable, considering we don’t have gumption enough to return our grocery carts.

We do the “terrorist’s” work for them, because we are afraid. We allow our government to take away our freedom to move, to freely question authority, and our freedom to determine what we are willing to risk.

Freedom is always given up in exchange for “safety.” Just imagine what people will give up to protect their poor, darling children from possible harm.

The “bad guys” say our national character is gutless and spindly. They know this for a variety of reasons ranging from how we ignore old people to how we fail to return our grocery carts. They laugh as we willingly fall on our own sword.

We are marching into a cage. Whether or not that cage is well-intentioned is another question — but it is a cage nonetheless.

Did countless brave individuals over the years risk all so a bunch of spineless nincompoops could stand in line to hand over their lip-gloss? No.

What are you — you, personally — willing to give up to feel safe? And what would you — you, personally — be willing to risk to regain freedom for your children?

Countless brave individuals did not fight, bleed, and die to secure spinelessness for nincompoops. They gave their all for you and I so we could be free.

They did it for the people.