I grow more convinced every day, there can be no discussion. I have tried, seen others try, and watched as conversations just degrade into arguments and in the end, name calling. This makes me nervous as that is what usually precipitates violence. When all avenues of talk have been exhausted, violence begins. At best the conclusion becomes, irreconcilable differences. Isn't that what they say when a marriage disintegrates? There is no more talking, no more compromise, indeed no compassion or empathy. Nope, it's over. It is that I am seeing today with far too many people on social media. I'm even guilty of that, having walked away because I no longer feel it worth the effort. And so I turn a deaf ear. And believe me that isn't an easy thing for me to do. Whether that is a good or bad quality I'll leave to others to decide, opinions vary widely.
I wonder how so many Americans have wound up so far apart. Yes I know, the current narrative is it is a black and white thing, with other groups, minorities and issues thrown in the mix. I look beyond that and see Americans fighting one another, fighting over the values that are America. How is it so many Americans are so willing to abandon the principles that made America what she is? It seems to me those traditional values are now being discarded as outdated, old fashioned, ideas. No longer are we to take pride in America, to hold her banner high, to be an example to the world. What I hear now is we should all be ashamed of our past, ashamed of our ancestors, and ashamed to be Americans. Just how did this happen?
Did this decline begin after WW2? Just five years after that war, the war that secured freedom for many countries, the Korean conflict began. Yes it was called a police action, it wasn't a war. The politicians didn't want to declare that as such, yet young men were being killed, young American men. There was unrest and protests. Then we had the Vietnam War, a protracted conflict costing thousands of lives. The troops returning from that were vilified in the public eye, called baby killers and literally spit at. Americans were divided on both of those wars. All the history since that time has been divided into American and Un-American. I have always been on the side of America, even when America was not perfect. It's called loyalty. I am not now, nor will I ever be, ready to surrender America.
We fought a revolution to establish this country. We fought each other to keep this Union. And now it appears we will have to fight again to keep it. This time it is a political battle plain and simple. The left vs the right. It's a clash of ideology. It's really not that much different than the revolution, that too was a struggle of politics and ideology. Taxation without representation is tyranny! Today I'm saying giving my tax money away to those that aren't Americans without my representation is also tyranny. Give me liberty or give me death. Today I see those that infringe upon my liberty by the imposition of permits, licenses, ordinances, regulations, and laws designed to circumvent the very principles outlined in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. There are those that pervert those documents to gain favor with the electorate! It's all about getting the vote, not about America.
What event could possibly unify us once again? We had a brief spurt of that when the twin towers were attacked. For a time we all stood as Americans, united against terror and those that would use that as a tool. Sadly that has disappeared, forgotten relegated to history. That was only 19 years ago, yet there are many today that couldn't tell you very much about it. In fact we have a representative in Congress that described that as, " somebody did something" and that person remains in Congress to this day! Imagine, if you will , a representative in the Continental Congress saying that about the Boston massacre. Yeah, somebody did something. I wonder, what's it gonna take? This is a precarious time in American history. What's it gonna take for Americans, all Americans to unite once again? Benjamin Franklin expressed it best when he said, " A Republic, if you can but keep it. " And that is what is at the heart of all this political turmoil, the Republic. It's not a Democracy at its' core. It's not mob rule, not rule by sheer numbers, by force, no it is rule by representatives of the people. We the people! We need to elect those representatives that reflect our values, not the ones we feel will fulfill our wish list. The people are the heart and soul of a Republic. We should examine both of them closely. We shouldn't be turning to the government with our cries for help, the government should the child of the people, we are the parents!
I wonder how so many Americans have wound up so far apart. Yes I know, the current narrative is it is a black and white thing, with other groups, minorities and issues thrown in the mix. I look beyond that and see Americans fighting one another, fighting over the values that are America. How is it so many Americans are so willing to abandon the principles that made America what she is? It seems to me those traditional values are now being discarded as outdated, old fashioned, ideas. No longer are we to take pride in America, to hold her banner high, to be an example to the world. What I hear now is we should all be ashamed of our past, ashamed of our ancestors, and ashamed to be Americans. Just how did this happen?
Did this decline begin after WW2? Just five years after that war, the war that secured freedom for many countries, the Korean conflict began. Yes it was called a police action, it wasn't a war. The politicians didn't want to declare that as such, yet young men were being killed, young American men. There was unrest and protests. Then we had the Vietnam War, a protracted conflict costing thousands of lives. The troops returning from that were vilified in the public eye, called baby killers and literally spit at. Americans were divided on both of those wars. All the history since that time has been divided into American and Un-American. I have always been on the side of America, even when America was not perfect. It's called loyalty. I am not now, nor will I ever be, ready to surrender America.
We fought a revolution to establish this country. We fought each other to keep this Union. And now it appears we will have to fight again to keep it. This time it is a political battle plain and simple. The left vs the right. It's a clash of ideology. It's really not that much different than the revolution, that too was a struggle of politics and ideology. Taxation without representation is tyranny! Today I'm saying giving my tax money away to those that aren't Americans without my representation is also tyranny. Give me liberty or give me death. Today I see those that infringe upon my liberty by the imposition of permits, licenses, ordinances, regulations, and laws designed to circumvent the very principles outlined in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. There are those that pervert those documents to gain favor with the electorate! It's all about getting the vote, not about America.
What event could possibly unify us once again? We had a brief spurt of that when the twin towers were attacked. For a time we all stood as Americans, united against terror and those that would use that as a tool. Sadly that has disappeared, forgotten relegated to history. That was only 19 years ago, yet there are many today that couldn't tell you very much about it. In fact we have a representative in Congress that described that as, " somebody did something" and that person remains in Congress to this day! Imagine, if you will , a representative in the Continental Congress saying that about the Boston massacre. Yeah, somebody did something. I wonder, what's it gonna take? This is a precarious time in American history. What's it gonna take for Americans, all Americans to unite once again? Benjamin Franklin expressed it best when he said, " A Republic, if you can but keep it. " And that is what is at the heart of all this political turmoil, the Republic. It's not a Democracy at its' core. It's not mob rule, not rule by sheer numbers, by force, no it is rule by representatives of the people. We the people! We need to elect those representatives that reflect our values, not the ones we feel will fulfill our wish list. The people are the heart and soul of a Republic. We should examine both of them closely. We shouldn't be turning to the government with our cries for help, the government should the child of the people, we are the parents!
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