Ashamed to be an American

Today I am ashamed to be an American. I find my sense of shame comes in waves not unlike the way grieving for a lost loved one does. What brought on this latest depressing state of mind? It was a story I just viewed on "Sunday Morning," a show I watch regularly on Sunday mornings.

The story reported on the open and welcoming arms of our northern neighbors, Canada, for Syrian refugees. Thousands of volunteers and those with the means to help financially meet sponsored refugees at the airport and help them get established as Canadians with jobs; a place to live; and the necessities of life; until they can fend for themselves. It was the most heartwarming story I have come across in a long time and yes, it did result in my shame for my own country, the United States of America. Today I am ashamed to be an American.

I have always felt that I have a certain patriotism in my being, but today, no, it's not there. I still fly my flag on every good day but today I almost brought it in. I do not have a flag pole, so I cannot fly it at half mast. If I did I would do so. And you all know how long it would remain that way if you know me at all.

My shame is so intense today that I wonder why the Statue of Liberty which stands in New York Harbor and which stands as a beacon for those fleeing from war, depravation, and unjust regimes, is not shrouded in black drapery as a sign of mourning. Maybe we can at least fit her out with a blindfold so she won't have to watch what is happening to our country at this point in our history.

I just looked up the words to Emma Lazarus' poem, written in 1883, which is displayed on a plaque near the base of the statue. Did you ever see the complete words? Here they are:

The New Colossus

By Emma Lazarus, 1883

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

At first, Emma refused to write the poem until her friend, Cary Harrison, convinced her that immigrants would be inspired by seeing the statue welcoming them ashore.

The poem refers to the Greek god of light, Helios. The Mother of Exiles, however, is more welcoming than conquering. She welcomes all those downcast who yearn for freedom.

Didn't "America" learn anything from the treatment we gave our Japanese-Americans during WWII and all the Jewish people who were also denied entry onto our shores during that same time?

I would  like to leave you with these two questions: "How long will it be before we as "Americans" become those same tempest-tost. And how long will it be before we become "Ugly Americans" and, as such, unwelcome in other countries in the world?

For What It's Worth...

Evidently I don't have enough street cred or my readers would have listened in larger numbers to my earlier post, "A Political View from a Southender."  If you were one of the people who didn't read it at all, you will find it in the archives for December of 2016.

Let's recap a bit. I urged you all to read your history books, especially as to how the dreaded Hitler came to power. I was not the only one to make those comparisons during this election year, by the way. Well now that the damage has been done, let's move on in this discussion.

What the heck does "alternative facts" mean. These words recently came out of the mouth of chrump's White House spokeswoman and counselor, Kellyanne Conway, as she attempted to explain White House press secretary, Sean Spicer's comments about the crowds at the recent inauguration.  His estimate differed greatly from what the "evil" media reported.

I need a little help here from you English majors out there. Here's my interpretation as gleaned from my handy dandy Webster's.

alternative: The choice between possibilities; one of the possibilities to be chosen; allowing a choice; unconventional.

I vote for "unconventional"

or maybe misnomer: An inappropriate or wrong name

anomaly: Departure from the normal form, order, or rule. Something irregular or abnormal.

What do you think? All of these definitions would seem to apply here as his explanation of the size of the crowds were later found untrue. Therefore could we say that "alternative facts" is another way of saying "We have a good explanation here and damn it you better listen."

NOT.

My observation of the activities in Washington and in fact around the whole world in the past two days are that this so-called president is necessarily always going to be on the defensive for the entire time he chooses to stay in office, at least for this term of four years. My question is, "How can anything get done in our Federal Government if he has to waste all his time twittering an answer to everyone who bruises his delicate ego?"  Are there not better things he could be doing?

Maybe you don't agree with me here. That's your right and privilege under our constitution. If we want to see our country go forward in its democracy we have to get more involved. I marched in the 60s to protest some of the very things the people in these marches are protesting. When does it end? I would like to live my life as a senior citizen in peace and without the fear of losing my rights, my Medicare, my Social Security, my marriage. I don't think that's too much to ask.

Remember that Democracy understandably takes time sometimes. The wheels move slowly for a reason...so that rash decisions can be reined in; so that decency towards all citizens is the rule; that justice is given to all; that we are able to live with a roof over our heads, food in the refrigerator and hopefully find medical care when we need it.

I ask you to stay in touch with your representatives in this state and in Washington, D.C. to let them know your thoughts; what you want to see done. If you are able to, run for an office of some kind even if it is just the school board or city council. Work toward positive changes in your community, state and country. "Stronger Together" really is a good slogan to keep in mind.

If you want to see your words and thoughts in print in the hopes that someone out there will listen, write to the editor of your local newspaper. You can also reply to this blog below if you wish. Not to say that I will actually allow it to be seen here, as I am the owner and therefore the editor of this blog. Of course you are still allowed to start your own blog on the internet. Heaven forbid if the man manages to stifle free speech and free press. By all means, forward this blog to anyone you think might me interested if you wish. There is also a way to do that at the end here.

A shout out to our friend Emmet O'Meara who kept us all so well  informed during the election process via Facebook. Ya done good Emmet. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for listening.