posted January 09, 2008 03:16 PM              

If I say that I think we should look at something..then I demonstrate that I HAVE looked into it..those that disagree with me, will eventually either knock it off, shut up and let me say my piece..or call me names, like "leftist" or "right wing" or "radical" or "woolly-brained" or "bleeding heart" or Jew or Fa--ot or Ni---r or Communist or some crazy thing other than "brother." They just might..wait and see.

No one's asking them to change their minds. No one's trying to convince them of anything.

They could go to their graves thinking as they do, and as an American, I couldn't be happier for them.

My right is to speak my mind, and my expectation is only to express it.

We can all agree that if we all wanted to get in a big cage match we could accomplish that.

Afterward, the mighty champion of ideas could hold his belt up, and we would all bow down and worship his way of thinking. Or something like that.

I love this country. What are we doing to it? Where is our society? Where is our culture? What is this land of 300 million rats in a 15 gallon aquarium?

This country was founded on a radical idea: that people could govern themselves. The question is, how does that happen?

I like the fact that (if our Constitution weren't constantly being reinterpreted more and more restrictively) these people, from various backgrounds, some rich, some poor in material goods, but screaming FIRE in spirit, all came together to do something noble and brave. It was the way a young me was inspired by that courageous effort, that led me to join the military even though I oppose war very strongly.

I appreciate the great effort it took to come together, and answer the question:

"How do we keep ourselves from dominating one another, haves over the have nots, have nots over the haves..conservatives over the more liberally minded and visey versey. How do we keep the crazy nutbags in the loops so that the injection of new ideas remains without the lunacy taking over?

How do we make sure that everything that is possible when good people come together, happens freely, by the hand of God or Providence..Fate or Freewill...how do we ensure that all of these possibilities have a breeding ground where they might be received in good spirit, and flourish?

And they tried. Lord knows they couldn't have IMAGINED how selfish, conniving, immature and isolated we'd be as a society by the time their noble effort became this twisted word game that we call the legal system.

Abolish what is wrong. Keep what is right. It is wrong to destroy freedoms permanently that belong to all generations. That includes freedom to enjoy the same resources that we have, did and do. That includes the freedom to NOT have your guns taken from you if some future iteration of our government should become too dictatorial.

I have been from one end of this country to the other. I love the beautiful valleys and rolling hills of Vermont and the red mesas of Arizona. The multi-environmental fun ride that is California, and the plain, but smarter than us living of farm folk throughout the Midwest.

I love our, BAR-B-Q (both N.C and K.C. style) I love our Pizza (Chicago, New York and YES you heard me right Champaign-Urbana (best pizza in the world Garcia Brother's..my word on it.))

I love the fact that we are supposed to have this little space called our property where we can howl to the Moon if we want to. I wish it were bigger. I understand if it's not.

I love our poetry, our cartoons, our movies. I love our food and damn if loving our desserts and snack foods didn't make me diabetic. I love pot roast, and Thanksgiving and our obsession with festivals.

I love the fact that we love our Mothers. (Not so happy about the fact that calling yours a "B----" is a growing trend.)

I love our history, especially everything before the 20th century. It started going downhill after that. WWII was the culmination of an American society that lived by the principals of community. That community is all but dead. A ghost of it arose around September of 2001. Just a spectre really..

I love our outsider artists and our insider traders and our Old West and our New Wave and....well..

I just wanted to let everyone know...that I LOVE AMERICA.

Our society as it stands, and its governing bodies...suck. Our passion for arguing is the main thing thats tearing this country apart.

While we argue, some idiots are in the laboratory of our legal system f---ing things up even more.

We need to come to grips with that if we're ever going to get things back on track again.

As far as America goes..who could give up on her? Not me. That's why I'll keep on trying.

"Shut up. Americans don't think like that."

"With all due respect, brother. I think like that..and I'M an American."

posted January 11, 2008 01:38 PM            

quote:

---

I have been from one end of this country to the other. I love the beautiful valleys and rolling hills of Vermont and the red mesas of Arizona. The multi-environmental fun ride that is California, and the plain, but smarter than us living of farm folk throughout the Midwest.

I love our, BAR-B-Q (both N.C and K.C. style) I love our Pizza (Chicago, New York and YES you heard me right Champaign-Urbana (best pizza in the world Garcia Brother's..my word on it.))

I love the fact that we are supposed to have this little space called our property where we can howl to the Moon if we want to. I wish it were bigger. I understand if it's not.

I love our poetry, our cartoons, our movies. I love our food and damn if loving our desserts and snack foods didn't make me diabetic. I love pot roast, and Thanksgiving and our obsession with festivals.

I love the fact that we love our Mothers. (Not so happy about the fact that calling yours a "B----" is a growing trend.)

I love our history, especially everything before the 20th century. It started going downhill after that. WWII was the culmination of an American society that lived by the principals of community. That community is all but dead. A ghost of it arose around September of 2001. Just a spectre really..

I love our outsider artists and our insider traders and our Old West and our New Wave and....well..

I just wanted to let everyone know...that I LOVE AMERICA.

Our society as it stands, and its governing bodies...suck. Our passion for arguing is the main thing thats tearing this country apart.

While we argue, some idiots are in the laboratory of our legal system f---ing things up even more.

We need to come to grips with that if we're ever going to get things back on track again.

As far as America goes..who could give up on her? Not me. That's why I'll keep on trying.

"Shut up. Americans don't think like that."

"With all due respect, brother. I think like that..and I'M an American."....daf

---

There are lots of scenic views in other nations.

Lots of good music, food, art and culture.

Absent from the things you say you love about America is the concept of rule by law..and not by man, the economic system..free market capitalism and constitutional government which has turned over power freely and on time for more than 230 years. The longest surviving continuous government in the world.

posted January 11, 2008 03:08 PM              

He told me of some beloved mechanism called America and wove a glorious tapestry of words which spoke of the mighty power of such mechanisms.

"The faceless, soulless savior of humanity will be words and policies. That is what makes America great!"

Who could help but smile at the way he'd convinced himself with the words he'd spoken many times, but never really listened to very carefully before?

He got a hug as I thanked him for the advice, which was then promptly forgotten in favor of the other lesson he'd taught me that day.

posted January 12, 2008 11:13 AM            

BTW, far be it from me to attempt convincing those who see only the empty glass of anything whatsoever.

posted January 15, 2008 02:47 PM              

(For those of you who don't recognize the phrase "potluck" it is traditionally a community event where people get together to share their favorite food dishes and each others' company.)

Everyone getting together and sharing the best of what they have to eat, and say, and do...that's America!

People working TOGETHER as INDIVIDUALS to do great things..United We Stand. Divided We Fall. THAT'S America. Division is for the birds (and for sociopathic control freaks.)