Posted by
TrueBlueAmerican on Thursday, July 02, 2009 8:57:57 AM
It was much simpler back when I was a kid. Perhaps, all adults feel that way. Now that Obama has begun his campaign on changing America, to suit his image, maybe a reminder about what is at stake is appropriate. The country is changing so quickly that at times it seems that if I blink my eyes, America will disappear. Fourth of July is coming up and it breaks my heart to see the shape America is in.
To paraphrase a line from Mrs. First Lady, for the first time in my life, I'm ashamed of America and afraid of my government. I've seen the bumper stickers for years, I love my country, but fear my government. I understood how powerful a government could become but never thought it would happen here. We are the country that proved that citizens could speak up against their government and demand accountability without destroying the system. The Press has always been the champions of the common folk with their words of neutrality which demanded that our government listen to the voices of the people first. Yet, here it is 2009 and I wonder how much longer will I be able to have freedom of speech and thought. How long will it be before someone comes to my door, takes my computer and takes away my voice? Will the media have the courage to acknowledge that if the voice of the people are silenced, their voices will be silenced? I pray that will never happen. It is the cornerstone of our Republic.
Watergate broke when I was in fourth grade. President Nixon taught me one very important lesson: Presidents are not perfect. What was Nixon's crime? It was not clear to me as a child. As an adult, I look back, scratch my head and think, he left office because he agreed to cover-up a break in at Watergate. Nixon's closest advisors were indicted and convicted of list of crimes, including wiretapping, and lying to the FBI. It is a shame that the President surrounded himself with these advisors, and there was a sense that thee were lines that even the President couldn't cross. It's called taking the blame for the actions of others. When Nixon resigned it was a move that was good for the country. I wonder now would our current President, if facing the same situation as Nixon, would do the same? When President Ford took the oath of office. The impression that that left on me was profound. A president could leave office because of a scandal and a peaceful transition could take place. No one would ever be King in America. This is a good thing.
Politics in America is never perfect and always surprising. When a Georgian Governor won the seat of the Presidency in 1977, virtually an unknown candidate, it was hoped that America could finally move past Watergate. President Carter's image in the beginning was one of good country charm. He was a man of faith, moral values and an all around good guy who would shape up the White House, which had been tainted by the Republicans. The only problem was, Carter's vision for our country lead us to high inflation rates, high unemployment and a gas crisis. However, the biggest, dumbest and boneheaded act of his administration came during the Iranian Hostage Crisis. Under President Carter's leadership, the world saw America as weak, arrogant and dangerously incompetent. It took President Reagan's election to office and eight years to rebuild the damaged image of America around the world. It was not important anymore to be liked, it was more important to be respected.
In High School, the main theme that teachers taught me was that our President was old, stupid and a war-monger. What did I know? I agreed with them because my mind was mush. However, why was it that I felt safer in the 80's? Maybe because I witnessed historic events that at one point I was told would never, ever happen. Remember the Berlin Wall? As a student in High School I was taught that communism won and the United States lost. The Berlin Wall was a testament to that fact and would never be removed because of Communism's strength. Yet, the Berlin Wall came down, the Cold War came to an end and there was freedom in Poland of all places. Who would have thought this could ever happen? I can think of three courageous people who were the axis of greatness during the 80's who made this possible. Ronnie, Maggie and Pope John Paul II. An unlikely trio to be sure, but their place in history is solidified. All three recognized the dignity of every human being and the desire of every human heart to be free.
In almost thirty years, we have come so far. President Obama said it himself on the campaign trails, he is not like the guys on the American bills. He made this statement with racial undertones, because he is African-American. I agree with him, he is not like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln or Andrew Jackson. This has nothing to do with the color of his skin. It has more to do with the fact that he is cut from a political idealism that is very foreign to America and her history. Obama's political agenda is in line with socialism, marxism and communism. In the past year, he has done more to change the face of American than any other President in history. He states that he is a citizen of the World, and that scares me on so many levels. If he is a citizen of the world, where does America rank with him? If he does not believe in the exceptional gift called America, what then does he believe in? If America is a Muslim country, why is it that our laws are based on the Judeo-Christian beliefs and not Sharia law? If America is racist, backwards and has committed all the evils in the world, how is it that America gave him the opportunity to become President?
This Fourth of July, I will remember all the brave young men and women who sacrificed their lives so that I can live in a country that is free. There is a new battlefield now and it is close to home. In their honor, I will take up the fight for freedom and push back the forces that threaten the greatness of this country. If I reman silent, I will have contributed to the demise of America. I can not have that on my conscience.