Someone recently said that
"America is not just a place, not just a powerful nation, it's an idea." I concur and add that it's a damn good idea; or at least it was.
The "idea" of this nation was created with wisdom, caution, and just intentions. America was built of experience abroad. Mistakes that were taught our founders at great expense as they fled their home lands, and these trials, tribulations, and soul breaking pains are what formed the American idea.
America is an idea that like the latest musical craze is supposed to be contagious.
Instead, our great ideal for a balanced democratic society of the people, for the people, and by the people has been hijacked by a particular class of people and turned into a virus on this Earth. I venture some might say a plague?
The idea, our great ideal, is dying. Everyday, with each and every political maneuver based in greed, veiled in power, and hidden behind faith; America comes one step closer to becoming a member of the global axis or evil that We The People are supposed to fear.
We have abandoned the idea of freedom, the creed of democracy, and the beliefs of equality for hate, fear, and ignorance. Our American arrogance is blinding and becoming more firmly entrenched in the cycle of the "left-behind."
"With liberty and justice for all."
In that clogged and corroded vein of freedom we have declared war on ourselves. Freedom and equality in America are ideals on life support. They are reserved for a very select few. Those in the fiscal majority earn the freedom offered in America on this day. Those in the majority opinion of faith are the ones granted equality in America on this day.
We used to protect those underrepresented. The Senate and its structure speak to this base concept of our America; a place where the big and the small states have equal say in the goings on of this nation. Now, instead of protecting the marginalized, we cast a judgmental glare, as if to say "Who let you in?"
Our addled minds can't grasp our history. We don't know who we are as Americans. We just claim not to be "them." We demand that immigrants, illegal or otherwise speak "our language." "If they want to come to our country, then they should have speak our language." Ignorant of our own individual roots, we demand standards of others that our like ancestors wouldn't have been able to rise too. We kill America a bit more with every ignorant claim.
Christians are mad a Jews, Jews at Christians. Atheists don't understand the faithful. We were a well founded melting pot that was forged to ignore such faith-based labels. Not until the 50's did some ill-informed politician advance the need to place God in our national heritage, thereby adding a nail in the coffin to the idea of America. We were a nation to be blind of faith. We all knew of God, but had to fore refused to show allegiance to any particular one. Faithless in God was the wisdom of our political system. Failful in the American ideal was our salvation. History had taught us at our founding that state run religion only lead to hate, death, and isolation from the main of the society. The idea of America was strong, and then "Under God" came along to weaken and divide us.
We are a nation of ignorance and hatred. We are tragically misguided in our beliefs. We are threatened by those who are different. Our ideal and its intentions though pure were never perfect. They still aren't, but one would think we would better understand and embrace the idea of America as we grow in time and experience. The reality is so much sadder than this hope.
Americans are killing America. The ideas of "freedom," "choice," and the individual "pursuit of happiness" are disappearing with the ignorant and hate filled rhetoric of every biased preacher, each power hungry politician, and all the money grubbing media whores. This nation and the powerful idea of America is under siege, and the majority are too far behind at this point to even realize it.
They have forgotten the face of their fathers. They have ignored the struggles, trials, and tribulations of their ancestors. American blood splashed on the ground to protect our Constitution seems now but like so much red mud. Something to be stepped over so as to not soil our feet, rather than respect and righteously elevate to heroic proportions for America.
They have chosen the lower path; the path now chosen most often. They have decided that rather than fight for all they would like to fight against all. In thier collective greed and arrogance, they have given in and given up America to hate, greed, and base stupidity.
In 2005, the idea of America was shredded by a President who spied on his own, and lied about it to the nation. In 2005, the idea of America was defamed by so-called Constitutional changes that excluded gay Americans from 1,049 of their birthrights. In 2005, the idea of America was drowned by hurricanes. In 2005, the idea of America was killed along will 2000+ of her own fighting men and women in a war based on lies. In 2005, the American ideal was hobbled by the fight for so-called "intelligent design." 2005 was a bad year for America.
2006 offers America a glimmer of hope. 2006 could be the year that our politicians learn why the founders created "checks and balances." It could be the year we start focusing on our own problems, rather than trying to control the domestic issues of our neighbors. Perhaps '06 will be the year we come back to the lead where human rights are concerned? One can hope we will move forward in 2006. Progression would be nice this year, when we have traveled so far in reverse in such a short time.
I believe in America. I believe in our future. I believe in the idea.
It's the American people that scare me.