Thief....Who stole...
Who stole the America I grew up in???
A favorite recirculating email for those of us over 45 reminds us of a time when we didn't need hermetically sealed aspirin and vitamin and drink bottles because no one had yet tried to poison a total stranger. It was a time when kids often went out to play in the morning and might be gone 'til suppertime, but didn't carry a cell phone and Mom felt no need to worry. If you fell from your bike or roller skates and skinned yourself up or even broke a bone, it was just an accident, your own carelessness, but it was your own fault, your own responsibility, (Now there's a concept: my fault! What has happened to teaching all people a sense of responsibility?) and the thought of suing anyone,especially the bike or skate company, never crossed anyone's mind.
But something, some philosophy or ideology, has robbed us of that responsible freedom. It has taken over gradually, stealthily, under the guise of giving freedom to everyone, of accepting everything---we've called it "political correctness" and "individual rights"---but along the way it was decided that the rights of the aggressor, the repeat attacker, even the criminal are equal or perhaps even more than equally in need of protection than those of the innocent, the "average," citizen. Our children are growing up believing that there really is no absolute right and wrong--"Anything goes"--so how does one know when and how to make a stand. Who can say what we should stand against or for? On any issue, someone will stand for the opposite side.
Where are the people who, if they saw anyone being bullied by a bigger kid or several kids, would go to the aid of the bullied one? Okay, if there haven't been many of those around for quite a while, what if the one being bullied is a friend, even a friend already defending himself? Wouldn't most of us still, if not jump into the middle, at least cover his back? Protect that friend from a second attacker from behind? This was definitely a part of my "America the beautiful" "land of the free and home of the brave."
Now, I did grow up in small town America, but as I remember it, nobody really much "hated" others, not gut-level hated. You might despise someone, never want to see that person again, but if you ever really wished harm to someone, it was a momentary thing, possibly even blurted out, but soon forgotten and never really planned or plotted. If you didn't like someone's ways or attitudes, you might just tell him so directly, but the opposing side was allowed to directly verbalize its opinions or defense too. There might be honest, if hostile, debate; then you might change your opinion, or compromise, or agree to disagree; but usually, you treated the other viewpoint with enough courtesy to listen.
I am rambling, and I am not sure how to get where I wanted to go. I wanted to say that the America I grew up in, and love to the very core of my being, is getting harder and harder for me to find.
Israel is the only democracy and America's only true ally in the mideast. Try for just a few minutes to consider an ally as a friend, or at least as a friendly personal acquaintance, one with whom you've had a positive working relationship. While this "friend" was defending herself and her own against a terrorist kidnapping by Hamas from the Gaza strip (recently returned in a gesture of peace), Hezbollah (Lebanese terrorists) attacked her from behind (her opposite border, less than 50 miles from the previous attack). She (Israel) responded with air and artillary operations in her own defense.
We have not gone to her aid. But there are people, an appalling number of American citizens, who want our President to tell Israel NOT TO DEFEND HERSELF. I don't understand!!!! It is, without question, a touchy political situation; but I cannot understand how anyone, much less lots of people, can object to Israel's defending herself, much less suggest that we ask her not to do so, but to surrender herself to annihilation.
Will it take a thief to steal America's freedom or will we simply hand it over? How far down the road might it then be, before these same whiney, politically correct "take care of us all, but don't rock the boat; and DON'T ASK ME to stand a post" American impersonators voice feelings that they would be happier and more comfortable if we didn't do any fighting here either--not even to defend ourselves. Because we don't want to offend ANYBODY, and surely, everyone ought to be able to live however he or she wants, as long as WE all keep getting what WE want.
But, in truth, it just really doesn't work that way! There is great truth and wisdom and a warning in the words of Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would trade liberty for security deserve neither liberty nor security."
A favorite recirculating email for those of us over 45 reminds us of a time when we didn't need hermetically sealed aspirin and vitamin and drink bottles because no one had yet tried to poison a total stranger. It was a time when kids often went out to play in the morning and might be gone 'til suppertime, but didn't carry a cell phone and Mom felt no need to worry. If you fell from your bike or roller skates and skinned yourself up or even broke a bone, it was just an accident, your own carelessness, but it was your own fault, your own responsibility, (Now there's a concept: my fault! What has happened to teaching all people a sense of responsibility?) and the thought of suing anyone,especially the bike or skate company, never crossed anyone's mind.
But something, some philosophy or ideology, has robbed us of that responsible freedom. It has taken over gradually, stealthily, under the guise of giving freedom to everyone, of accepting everything---we've called it "political correctness" and "individual rights"---but along the way it was decided that the rights of the aggressor, the repeat attacker, even the criminal are equal or perhaps even more than equally in need of protection than those of the innocent, the "average," citizen. Our children are growing up believing that there really is no absolute right and wrong--"Anything goes"--so how does one know when and how to make a stand. Who can say what we should stand against or for? On any issue, someone will stand for the opposite side.
Where are the people who, if they saw anyone being bullied by a bigger kid or several kids, would go to the aid of the bullied one? Okay, if there haven't been many of those around for quite a while, what if the one being bullied is a friend, even a friend already defending himself? Wouldn't most of us still, if not jump into the middle, at least cover his back? Protect that friend from a second attacker from behind? This was definitely a part of my "America the beautiful" "land of the free and home of the brave."
Now, I did grow up in small town America, but as I remember it, nobody really much "hated" others, not gut-level hated. You might despise someone, never want to see that person again, but if you ever really wished harm to someone, it was a momentary thing, possibly even blurted out, but soon forgotten and never really planned or plotted. If you didn't like someone's ways or attitudes, you might just tell him so directly, but the opposing side was allowed to directly verbalize its opinions or defense too. There might be honest, if hostile, debate; then you might change your opinion, or compromise, or agree to disagree; but usually, you treated the other viewpoint with enough courtesy to listen.
I am rambling, and I am not sure how to get where I wanted to go. I wanted to say that the America I grew up in, and love to the very core of my being, is getting harder and harder for me to find.
Israel is the only democracy and America's only true ally in the mideast. Try for just a few minutes to consider an ally as a friend, or at least as a friendly personal acquaintance, one with whom you've had a positive working relationship. While this "friend" was defending herself and her own against a terrorist kidnapping by Hamas from the Gaza strip (recently returned in a gesture of peace), Hezbollah (Lebanese terrorists) attacked her from behind (her opposite border, less than 50 miles from the previous attack). She (Israel) responded with air and artillary operations in her own defense.
We have not gone to her aid. But there are people, an appalling number of American citizens, who want our President to tell Israel NOT TO DEFEND HERSELF. I don't understand!!!! It is, without question, a touchy political situation; but I cannot understand how anyone, much less lots of people, can object to Israel's defending herself, much less suggest that we ask her not to do so, but to surrender herself to annihilation.
Will it take a thief to steal America's freedom or will we simply hand it over? How far down the road might it then be, before these same whiney, politically correct "take care of us all, but don't rock the boat; and DON'T ASK ME to stand a post" American impersonators voice feelings that they would be happier and more comfortable if we didn't do any fighting here either--not even to defend ourselves. Because we don't want to offend ANYBODY, and surely, everyone ought to be able to live however he or she wants, as long as WE all keep getting what WE want.
But, in truth, it just really doesn't work that way! There is great truth and wisdom and a warning in the words of Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would trade liberty for security deserve neither liberty nor security."
posted by sundaycynce at 6:48 PM
1 Comments:
Excellent post and view on this weeks prompt. I won't say I agree with it entirely, but I do for the most part. At the very least I can agree to disagree when necessary. Nice blog as well. I LOVE the title as I am a big fan of 'playing on words' too. Thanks for the great read.
INKcogKNEEdough(briliantdonkey)
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