47 Fall in and of America

When I was young I was reminded of God every day. We went to church back then and when you went to school, you recited the Pledge of Alliegiance. Although my religious views have changed a bit since then, I still see God in the things around me and the people that I know.

Back then, we were taught to fear God and respect people. Now, our children are not allowed to express their views and they have no fear of retribution for negative actions. There is a lot less respect because of lax punishment and the children dont have a direction to go in. With the respect that we were taught for our Christian founded government and our leaders, we, for the most part, gave back that respect to our elders and to those who were in charge of us. For the most part, yes. There are always a few bad apples and back then, they got a little bit of corporal punishment. Lordy, lordy we cant do that ! I have talked about this kind of punishment before and I do think there is a need for it , but it needs to be weighed and measured rationally, not with a heavy hand.

One of the worst things they have done is this "politically correct" crap. Taking the Pledge out of the schools, I think, has taken a bit of honor from us. Our children were taught that our Republic was founded on fairness and the roots of a Christian religion. Our forefathers were driven for one reason or another from their homelands and settled here to express their religion in the manner they saw fit. Yes, we have the greatest diversity of people on earth here, but it was still based on the Christian religion. I think we should respect each others' views and religions, but if for 200+ yrs, this country was based on Christianity, then we should at least start the day with that small bit of respect for what it is. As adults, we chose what we want to believe and that was the result of many men's spilled blood. Millions have died to give us the right to worship how and if we want to. I may worship God as nature, you may worship the Holy Trinity, another may seek enlightenment with Buddha. That is our RIGHT. If you take away the roots, will the tree continue to grow? I think it is a small price to pay, if a few children here or there have to pause for a moment while the rest pay respect to our heritage and our forebears. Over the years, there have been a few, self-righteous, narrow-minded, cry-babys who have filed lawsuits over not wanting their children to have to mention the word "God" in their morning rituals. If you and your family are atheist, then tell your child to put their head down. Afraid they'll be traumatized if they hear the word? Tough, if they are interested when they hear this now, what will they do when they get older? Will you keep them under your fist forever? They should be able to make up their minds for what they feel is right. Worship a different deity? Is your deity not your version of "God"? Tell them why we say the pledge. Tell them about the men who died so you could worship as a Jew or Muslim or Jehovah's Witness. Tell them that it is about respect for others. Does your religion not teach respect for others? Does it tell you to generalize people and dumb them down so that everyone is the same? Maybe we should buy 7 billion gray jumpsuits, shave everyones' heads and then everyone would be happy. No differences.

Are not our differences what make life interesting? God, to me, is all about difference. Every tree, rock, animal and person is different. We or they may be the same species, but there are no 2 the same. So why would we have to smash our children all into the same mold and make everyone the same? Again, teach them why they are saying the Pledge. If you are truly a son of your deity, you will not have a problem teaching your children about diversity and paying respect to others.

A few friends have pointed to a popular talk show host and said" He's right, he makes so much sense." Well, he and others like him, DO have valid points and believe it or not, I agree with them a lot of the time, but this fellow frequently lets his own personal biases, agendas and political offiliations sway his message. Yes, I guess that's part of diversity, but respect also comes in. They frequently focus all problems and rage on the President. He is not the cause of most of these problems and he seems to be trying to fix and change some of them. He has been in office about9 months and you would think, if you listen to them, that he is the cause of a crashed economy, world hatred of us, 2 unpopular wars being lost and the price of gas being too high. Of course a republican talk show host is going to be down on a democratic President. Of course a host with wealthy, influential republican friends is going to blame a democrat for all of our ills. I think it goes back to the respect thing I mentioned. Whether you like it or not, this man is our elected leader. I am a registered republican as I have mentioned before. I vote my conscience, not my party. Whether I voted for Mr. Obama or not is irrelevant, I have accepted the country's choice and I have placed hope and confidence in the man that was chosen to lead us.

If you were doing your job, got promoted to a leadership position and were trying to make changes that YOU saw as best for the company and the employees, would you be able to perform better or worse if, at every turn, your employees did not give you a little support and confidence? I know, many times, employees do not like change unless it's theirs and they usually dont like management as a general rule. Be realistic. You know the man we chose has got ungodly hoops to jump through and our 2 party system makes it that much harder. We have created our own division. The 2 main political parties are ran almost like 2 countries at war with one another. Each hates the other because they are so entrenched in party mentality, they cant see the forest for the trees. I see many of the "younger" politicians with great ideas, but as they progress through terms in office, they become jaded and held back by the old "dinosaurs" that still have that "good 'ol boy network" mentality. Between that and the various payoffs, kickbacks and " campaign contributions", who could resist? Come to the Dark Side, young Skywalker. Something good gets done now and then to take our minds off of all the sideways, devious crap we let them pull. And above it all, now they have a scapegoat for all their frustration. "Mr. Obama, why are you trying to change our beloved country? Folks dont want universal healthcare. They dont want energy independence. They dont want their kids to further their education and have a better life than their parents do. "

So what if you didnt vote for him? So what if you dont agree with some or all of his policies? Ask yourself why? Does his name bother you? Does his skin color bother you? Does it bother you that folks that need a hand may eventually have some of the same comforts and breathing room you have? Are you afraid of change? Why can you not give the office respect, if not the man? Yes, we need to balance a lot of factors when considering a big change like healthcare or a business reform. I dont think that's the problem. I think there is a lot of personal bias being applied when people lash out at the President. He really hasnt been given the chance to screw things up, if you think about it. Some people are screaming at the top of their lungs before any policy has been enacted. Both parties tripped over themselves, running with fistfuls of cash to throw at the feet of Bush when he said he wanted money for 2 wars with the godless heathens that invaded American soil . We did topple a dictator, but people are still dying every day in that shithole and that includes our boys. They are dying in Afghanistan and we havent actually ever had Bin Laden pinpointed to a single hole, rock or building. They die and for what? A Texas oil man's misguided attempt at retribution? Yes, I want blood for what they did and have done to this country. I want that bearded freak's head on a pole, jammed into the Whitehouse lawn. There's an old saying" When a fox breaks into your henhouse, do you reward him? No, you cut off his head and hang it from a fence as a warning to other foxes" .

Give Mr. Obama the encouragement to end this quickly and justly. Send forces en masse to root out every single terrorist along the path that leads to Osama. Maybe if he hung a thousand heads on poles along the way and presented Bin Laden to us in chains or hanging from a pole you would respect him then? I dont agree with all his policies, but he seems more focused on making change at home right now than ending our wars and finding a place in the new, changing world. Maybe he's right and maybe he's wrong. You want to gripe? Great! E-mail the WhiteHouse, your congressmen, whatever it takes. Just think twice when you hear some talk show host trying to cover his own personal bias and agenda with a valid and important issue. We must balance every policy, every law that is enacted, and we must enforce them with a fair hand and educated judgement.

As I said: Teach respect for our roots, which includes God in whatever form you care to call him, teach respect for the process of government and our elected officials and temper it with rational, educated questioning, not ranting and nit-picking due to personal bias. We must think and act as one when fixing a problem while still maintaining what makes us,...us.

The Pledge of Allegiance:

The Pledge of Allegiance was written in August 1892 by the socialist minister Francis Bellamy (1855-1931). It was originally published in The Youth's Companion on September 8, 1892. Bellamy had hoped that the pledge would be used by citizens in any country.
In its original form it read:

"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

In 1923, the words, "the Flag of the United States of America" were added. At this time it read:
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

In 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words "under God," creating the 31-word pledge we say today. Bellamy's daughter objected to this alteration. Today it reads:
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Section 4 of the Flag Code states:
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.", should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute."

God keep and help us, all.