America Derailed
Rights organizations have historically been a blessing to life as we know it today. While they did not necessarily reflect the ideology of every person in this great country, their purpose was for progression and prosperity of the nation as a whole. Women’s rights, abolishment of slavery, equal opportunity employment and to a good degree, affirmative action have all been for positive change to move our country forward. Now we are stuck in a gravy bowl of economic turmoil and some of these new found organizations are just adding flour.
Studying history of the 40’s and 50’s has me longing for that era when America was strong and her citizens were proud. Sure there were oppositions, but generally Americans were about America, right or wrong, those of that era stood by one another. No doubt this was a product of those who trudged through the Great Depression. Those folks were tough and resilient, no cry babies allowed. I wholeheartedly admire the perseverance of Americans during the Dust Bowl. Listening to the stories of that generation I conclude that they didn’t sue the government or whine about poor me. They supported their families any way they could, even migrating to find work, and what little they had they were thankful.
Today we are in a similar situation, unemployment continues to rise, foreclosures are reaching record highs, businesses big and small are collapsing and the government is deeply in debt. So what are some of us doing about it? Whining, moaning, groaning and tying up federal courts and wasting federal and state government money with lawsuits and protests. Meantime the media is more concerned about what dog the President will pick rather than reporting how we will pay for these bailouts aside from the printing press.
We have nut job churches protesting military funerals tying up local police and the funds required to have them on duty. The America hating city of Berkeley is busy producing legislation for noise and parking permits so loony activists Code Pink can protest in front of the Marine Corps recruiting office virtually blocking the entrance. Our government works hard to protect corporate crooks and their rackets. And the latest and greatest is the infamous Michael Newdow who filed a lawsuit to remove “under God” from our pledge of allegiance and now filed another suit to force President elect Obama from uttering the words “so help me God”.
The only upside to our perilous situation is that most of these organizations rely on public donations to thrive, so without jobs and monies we can only hope for these unnecessary groups to falter. The ties that bind us are rapidly unraveling. We could learn a lot from two of the greatest sing/songwriters of our time, Woody Guthrie and Merle Haggard. While being opposite on political views, their songs reflect unity for America.
Comment by Ohg Rea Tone on 19 January 2009:
There have always been loony fringe organizations. The KKK was most powerful in the 1920’s and 1930’s – for instance. The irony of America is that in order to preserve the values of this great union as defined by the founding fathers,we sometimes have to challenge the values of those presently in charge.
Fortunately for us, the founding fathers gave us tools to challenge the government. Everyone has a right to sue – that right is fundamental to America. And defendants have the right to a trial by jury. It does seem that some pretty frivolous lawsuits bubble to the surface. We cannot dismantle a system of justice that generally works pretty well because a few attempt to use that system for their frivolous pursuits.
The Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, is an example of free speech gone berserk. Fortunately, our courts have ruled against those nut cases.
The protection of corporate crooks results from attempts to take power away from the Government by deregulating corporate activity – this is often done under the disguise of capitalism. We have a civilized society because we have a system of laws – when we remove the law we create opportunities for criminal behavior to flourish.
My parents grew up during the great depression and my father was 18 when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor – he joined the army and was gone until late 1945. When I as my surviving mother about those times she says things like, “You cannot imagine the depth of the poverty.” Then she just shakes her head.
There have always been whiners – and there always will be. They would complain if we offered them some cheese to go with their whine. They would gripe if we hung them with a new rope or buried them with a new shovel. Some people are never happy – and unfortunately they are the people who seem to get the most attention.
Nostalgia is just not what it used to be. We long for the days of Ozzie and Harriet, but those days are ahead of us, not behind us.
You mention Woody Guthrie – a dust bowl immigrant to California. Woody Guthrie was turned away at the California border because he had no money. Americans were fighting Americans for the right to have a job.
You mention Michael Newdow’s law suits. I am not familiar with him – but he has the right to petition, or sue, based on his grievance. And the courts have a right to tell him to stick his problem in his ear. And I hope they do – but everyone has rights – that is what makes America so great. The fact that loony individuals abuse those rights do not make the values of America wrong – this reality only makes the loonies seem more loony.
I am rambling. Thanks for a good post – I suspect that your frustration is well reflected in a population that is tired of nonsense and would like to see our energy focused on real problems, rather than on worrying about whether Obama is a Christian or a Muslim.
Comment by Cole James on 20 January 2009:
I will probably never fully understand the plight of the Great Depression. I’m sure I have not gotten the Paul Harvey version of that era just bits and pieces I’ve picked up. My frustration stems from an economic point, the government has no money to waste and these law suits and protests just tie up funds we don’t have. The wacko’s can be wacky all they want, but it’s half-time, America needs to regroup and certainly does not need the burden of their wacky ideals.