As the storm of fascism erodes the foundational rock of 250 years of democracy in the United States, I ponder the fragility of "freedom." Constitutionally guaranteed rights in America are being methodically stolen from its people by the current sinister leadership. The daily news roars with painful reminders of the brutal history of many other countries, including Germany between 1933 and 1945. "Frei(hate)," a mutilation of the German word for freedom, freiheit, intertwines three patriotic themes. Repeated throughout is the traditional German soldier's lament, "Ich hatt' einen Kameraden," an anti-war song often sung at memorials. It is joined by two traditional American military memorial tunes: "Retreat," and the familiar "Taps." As the final plea for American democracy looms, a sobering funeral seems most appropriate, with an elegy for what could have been, if only the human species were as loving, wise, and compassionate as it is fearful, hateful, and destructive.