As you read this, I am in the midst of a 4-month, 6,000 mile trip through 19 western states. Presently, I am in the beautiful state of Utah. I am traveling back to all the cities west of the Mississippi River where I played pro baseball.
I have been blessed to have been in all the states with the exception of Alaska. Over the years, my travels have taken me to every city in our great country with over 150,000 people. I have seen some beautiful sights along the way…many of which will mean a great deal more to me now as I revisit them.
As I travel through Our America, I cannot help but think about what’s going on in our great country. I have never written, what some would say is a political-based report, in the years I have been writing my newsletter. Yet, I cannot help myself as I witness the dismantling of our society.
When the faults and flaws of this country are added up, the virtues and good things of Norman Rockwell's America far outweigh any inadequacies and inequities. But the voices of dissent are loud and clear, proclaiming the American dream, as we have known it, is no longer good enough. The accent today is on redefining, redistributing, retrofitting what worked to make this country great.
For starters there is a word war going on, notably against white Christian conservatives. My history book says that “whites” from many corners of the globe, discovered, pioneered, settled and developed this great land…a land build on Judeo-Christian principles.
The mass media says the collective group called “white American Christians” are all wrong…nothing but a bunch of “racists?” I challenge anyone to read my book, A TOUCH OF GRAY, and call me a racist. You can see for yourself at louvickerybooks.com or Amazon.com.
Seriously, doesn’t it seem that the rights of white Americans and like thinking minorities have become completely irrelevant? A coalition of minorities: the Sharpton/Jackson black brigade, illegal aliens, a vocal few LGBTs, environmental extremists (does it make any difference without China, India and Russia in the fold?), the uninformed millennial, and the chronically unemployed—are catered to, with little regard for the mass majority who do a yeoman’s job to pay the freight for the extremists to spread their hatred.
I think if we have a common fault – and we do – we have let less than 600 people in Washington rule our lives. It’s tough to drain the swamp when it is full of alligators. Who will volunteer to pull the drain plugs?
Please don’t get me wrong. There are dedicated, patriotic people who fill offices in the Capital building. But in my estimation, they are overshadowed by those who have little respect for the past history of the country we love.
Is there a ray of sunshine in this? Yes. I believe there is. It is time for the patriots to rise and shine. But where are the patriots?
Patriotism was once a highly valued word in this country. Patriotism isn’t just standing for the National Anthem, waving a flag at a July 4th parade, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, or even pulling the lever in the voting booth. Yes, all of these things are important, but patriotism runs much deeper.
Patriotism to me is not sitting passively by while our culture, our heritage and our traditions are fundamentally being changed by a bunch of loud mouth radicals. Certainly, to be a patriot means to stand up to the actions of those who want to bring our way of life to a crippling halt. But do we step up to the plate and say “Stop!” to something we believe to be against the best interest of all Americans?
How do we restore our beloved country to its former status? We can’t do it sitting on our assets. If we do, the day may well come when we have none. Ever heard of socialism?
We may not all be created equal, but through developing and building our abilities we can become equal. Patriotism isn’t a slogan or a symbol, it is an act. It is an act designed to build up, not try to tear down. It is about objectivity and fairness.
I do not have a problem with those who believe in a different way than I do, but I do have a problem when they collectively attempt to deny me the right to my own way of thinking.
Tolerance is an element of patriotism. I may not understand, or even accept, what someone believes, but I will defend that person’s right to believe it. What I am not willing to do is to defend a forceable attempt to fundamentally overall a proven system.
Those who legally adopted this country as their own, may speak a different language. But the language they speak now is one that I understand…the language of doing the right things the right way to become citizens. That’s a patriot in my book.
Respect is a part of patriotism. There are those who express their dislike for the person in the oval office with rhetoric like I have never heard. What happened to respect for the position of President of these United States? For those of you who believe as I do, it appears we are in a minority doesn’t it?
A patriot has respect for religious freedom. While there may disagree over religion, there should be no disagreement over the free exercise of religion. The Constitution guarantees us that freedom.
Yet, people of faith are under attack across the board. Americans of all faiths need to come together and demand more respect and tolerance for their beliefs. The time is at hand to stand up to both government officials and anti-religious groups who believe they have a license to act on their own bigotry.
It is time for those among us who call ourselves patriots, to recapture the rights that we have allowed to slip away. No one ever falls into a rut, they are coaxed into it one little slip at a time.
Wishbone won’t do the job now. It will take a lot of backbone. Each of us must grasp the opportunity to be heard…to do what we can to put our country back on the right track. But we can’t wait, because later might be too late.
That’s my challenge. That’s your challenge. Are we patriots up to the task?
That’s my take…what’s yours?
Hope yall had a Happy 4th!
Lou
