the basic message #E282
8/22/04
"America- Land of the free, and home of the brave." Is it? What exactly are we "free" of or from? President George W. Bush frequently talks about freedom and our "way of life". Other countries aren't exactly impressed with the American way, and what do you think the average American would have to say about that? "Screw 'em" is a common viewpoint, but does the average American even consider the reality of how we think and live in the United States?
First of all, when George W. talks about freedom, he's talking about freedom on his terms. His "advance people" get an city or town prepared ahead of time before he speaks. Don't you ever wonder how he's able to get thunderous applause and cheers everywhere he goes? Anyone who isn't ready to behave themselves in the George W. crowd is invited to move over to the "protest area", which is often an area with a chain-link fence and is generally located way out of ear-shot from the podium. What about the freedom of speech of those people? If the United States has so degenerated that anyone with a differing opinion can't be in the same crowd as those who love the speaker, what does that say about our definition of freedom?
How are we brave? Is it bravery to send our young men and women to war while we sit back in our living rooms and flip past CNN when they report the body count in Iraq for the day? Being able to talk about sending troops and being ready to fight is two totally different things. I'm part of a generation that protested the war in Vietnam, and the vast majority of my friends, like myself, "dodged the bullet" and didn't have to go to Vietnam. I'll admit very quickly that I didn't want to go, and my feelings haven't changed any in 30 years. The sad thing is that many of the guys that protested the Vietnam war (now that they can't be called to duty) have become big advocates of war. Is that bravery? Who are the truly brave in America? I think people that live the in "the 'hood" that reclaim their neighborhoods from drug dealers are really brave. Think about it- regular citizens, sometimes nothing more than elderly grandmothers that get fed-up with drug dealers and thugs taking over their neighborhoods. They get organized and start informing the police of the activities of these criminals and after much persistence and dedication, the good guys often win. Keep in mind that the average drug dealer is usually armed and usually doesn't have much of a conscience. For regular citizens to risk their lives in such an endeavor speaks loud and clear: These people are brave heroes. Who else is brave? How about grandparents that end up raising their grandchildren since the parents of these children are often strung-out on drugs and/or are in jail. Is that fair? Heck no, but these folks have the dignity and honor to do the right thing rather than walk away. That's true courage, folks.
When our soldiers first started shipping out to Iraq, I heard plenty of interviews in which the soldier said something like, "I didn't join the Army to fight, I joined to get a college education." I'm serious, these folks were complaining about going to war and they're our soldiers. Please don't misunderstand, I know there are indeed plenty of brave men and women serving in the US Armed Forces, but here's the real question: If each of them could turn the clock back to the day of their induction into the service, knowing that Iraq was ahead, would they still join? We can only wonder how good our soldiers serve when they don't want to serve. It tears my heart out to see young mothers having to leave their young children to go off to war, but they knew the situation before they joined. A college education can sometimes cost everything.
I read an article today that talked about how wealthy Americans are exercising their freedom in a strange way. It seems that some rich people pay exorbitant amounts for houses, and then demolish them and build a new home. In one story, a wealthy individual paid nearly 2.5 million dollars for a home, and then had it bulldozed within 30 days. Yes, these folks have the "freedom" to do with their money whatever they please, but how does that look to people in poor countries? Again, "Screw 'em", would likely be the response from some of the rich people who choose to spend their money in selfish, self-serving ways. One CEO said, "I couldn't care less about what others think". Is it any wonder that poor nations look at us with such contempt? By the way, although I'm not wealthy, I stand guilty of overindulging in luxuries that I don't need, but I'm honestly trying to strike a balance between extremes either way. For every dollar that each of us don't spend on our own excessive comfort and give to people down on their luck, we have a nation that can truly say that we are "the land of the free, and the home of the brave". Until Americans learn some self-discipline, the slogan rings empty.