Today's society, so focused on defining, craving, achieving, protecting, and fighting for freedom and justice on a global level, still always seems to fall short. Even if the majority of Americans agree that we live in a generally free country, there will always be those who demand even more freedom. Abraham Lincoln appealed to the now famous words of the poet John Lydgate, stating succinctly, “…you cannot please all the people all the time.” Never has this phrase been truer than in these times. Because along with the people's cries for freedom and justice, they still want to maintain the right to bear arms and freedom of speech and expression. While each of these things on their own seems harmless and basic, trying to balance them all together becomes complicated and sometimes dangerous. Where is the balance found to maintain peace and protect our country? Can we really just maintain our borders and not worry about the lands beyond? In Arundhati Roy's "Come September" she recounts the atrocities of decades past, including those against the Palestinians and Japanese, to highlight the failures of war, forgetting that in America there is an innate responsibility to do whatever is necessary, including war, to maintain democracy, to guarantee freedom and justice within them and to limit the spread of injustice and tyranny in countries incapable of fighting for themselves. Roy details the suffering that the Palestinian people have endured not only to survive, but also to be recognized as a people. Providing a generalized history of Israel and Palestine, it details the ongoing conflicts and violence in pursuit of their homeland. While this is not a battle America appears to be involved in, it is quite well known that the United States gives a signal... middle of paper... that other countries influence our own. As the world evolves and grows, there will continue to be conflicts, but hopefully along the way there will be more education and everyone will learn from the mistakes of the past. One day we may be able to mutually think outside the box and avoid many conflicts altogether. Until then, the United States must maintain its democracy, ensure freedom and justice within its borders, and reach beyond those borders when necessary to prevent injustice to those countries unable to fend for themselves. Works Cited Roy, Arundhati. "Come in September." Reading the world: ideas that matter. Ed. Michael Austin. New York: Norton, 2007. 254-266. Print. Public statement by Amnesty International. AI Index: MDE 15/033/2005 (Public). News Service No.: 134. May 23 2005.