Why can't Americans stand up like our Founders did?

Where has that spirit of liberty gone? Where has the sustained fire and passion for Democracy gone? In this clip from HBO's magnificent miniseries John Adams, the president of the Continental Congress reads off King George III 's letter of disdain to the members calling them traitors and vowing to have them hanged for disserting their allegiance to the crown. Yet, did they cower? No, they stood up to the first King George, stared him down, and beat his empire with a passionate group of farmers, doctors and the like. Citizens just like you and me who stood up and gave their lives and all they had because this country and freedom were more important than the fear and apprehension of the future and the feigned stature of a King.

Yet today, we sit and cower waiting for a subservient Congress to do what it will never do in upholding its oath... Impeach the second King George with the same spirit that birthed this nation. We wait for them to stand up and face down the same threats and usurpations that brought these Founding Fathers to Philadelphia and dare to call ourselves free while allowing it to continue. I watch clips like this and weep for what we have become. Fearful, distracted, comfortable enablers who talk about the crimes and misdemeanors of these people but who don't on the whole seem to have the guts to do what is necessary to preserve the Declaration of Independence these men put everything they had on the line to sign.

And now, our elections are nothing more than popularity contests wrapped up in dollar bills. Words, promises, platitudes and jockeying to be the "most powerful" ruler in the world, when what we originally set out to do was to be a free country that was benevolent to all, not a money hungry empire maker. We have become that which that Declaration spoke out against.

So why is it that we Americans for all of our talk really cannot stand up as our Founders did? Are we on the whole truly too distracted to care? Or is that even a viable excuse anymore?Voting alone will not bring it back. One person will not bring it back. One election will not bring it back. Personally, I would love to see a new Continental Congress meet in Philadelphia to put the ineffective one we have on notice that if they don't do their job we have many here who will.