Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Proud to be an American...of Italian, English, Irish and Scandinavian descent.

This is supposed to be a blog, a look on the lighter side.  Not a political forum, or a pulpit, yet, the news these days certainly makes me want to stand on a soapbox and scream "what are you thinking people?"

What a world of contradictions we live in.  The government can draft a young man, teach him to use a gun, drop him in a foreign country and force him to shoot other people of different religions, cultures, or political ideologies.   If that same young man refused to bear arms as a conscientious objector, he was put in prison for refusing to kill along with murderers who killed others not sanctioned by our government.

Our founding fathers recognized that people have the right to bear arms.  We are still debating the finer points of what kind of arms, licensing, public discharge of weapons, keeping guns locked up for safety, carrying concealed weapons, and so on.  Now, I am deemed dangerous to the public if I carry liquids on to an airplane, but I can tote an assault rifle around the neighborhood, properly registered and licensed of course.  

Last year, over 10,000 people died in drunk driving accidents.  Marijuana is illegal.  We worry about all of those stoned people being a danger to society.  It would be interesting to find out how many acts of domestic violence take place while under the effect of alcohol. I've never known a stoner who could get up the gumption for a good fight.   Perhaps we should outlaw beer. If we outlawed wine, California would secede, I'm sure..  My father must be rolling in his grave.  He owned a bar.  Maybe open container laws should apply to Starbucks.  I am terrified of all of the SUVs I see driven by harried mothers with coffee in one hand and cell phone in the other, screaming kids in the back seat. Does that qualify as distracted driving?  

We make laws for the greater good of all.  Most of us feel more secure and are compliant with red lights, paying taxes, and not operating meth labs.  We are ready to outlaw or penalize with taxes, junk food, GMOs, and plastic grocery  bags,  

 Once again we have sparked the great debate over a woman's reproductive rights.  I find it so interesting that most people who are anti-abortion for religious reasons are also pro military.  Carry a child to term, raise them with love and ship them off to a war.  That seems tragic too.  For the record, I honor, respect and support all of those who serve, defend and protect the innocent in our country and around the world. While I am pro life, I realize that there are extenuating circumstances when a woman may have to make a difficult choice.  Let her conscience be her guide.  HIPPA laws prohibit anyone from divulging the medical information to protect patient privacy.   A woman should be granted privacy and the right to make decisions about her body.  Personally, I don't want to regulate the size of someone's family only their right to affordable, competent medical care.

Many people are up in arms about the sanctity of marriage.  My marriage, Biblical in origin was never threatened by gay people loving each other.  It tanked completely on its own.  In fact the divorce rate nationally still reflects that the majority of marriages fall apart whether religious or civil unions.  Diligent practice of our own personal faith and integrity should promote loyal marriages and happy families.  Love and loyalty are not gender specific.

In honor of Independence Day, I decided to read again the wonderful historic series by John Jakes beginning with The Bastard.  People arrived in America to pursue freedom of religion and create opportunity for their families. Many were fleeing political, religious and economic tyranny.  We would all do well to remind ourselves of the struggle, bloodshed and principles that our country was founded upon.  Perhaps an examination of our own personal family roots might give some clarity on the issues we face today.  An exploration of my family genealogy shows that I descended from some of the earliest settlers in America.  On my mother's side of the family however, we are more recent immigrants from Italy.  My great grandfather is listed in the records at Ellis Island.  My great grandmother was born on the boat coming over and had no birth certificate only a baptismal record.  We were all immigrants at one time.  Freedom and hope of a secure future still attract desperate people to this great land. 

The inscription on the Statue of Liberty reads:
Give me your tired, your poor, 
Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free, 
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, 
Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
                   Author: Emma Lazarus

And in the immortal words in the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

I am so grateful to have been born an American, even as we struggle to rectify injustice, create jobs, balance the budget, and pursue world peace.

1 comment:

Joe Carlson said...

Nice writing!