"Hail to the Chief"

Barack Obama, giving his oath of office as
the 44th President of the United States.

No matter what your politics, faith, lifestyle, or education, this, the President's second Inaugural Speech, was given from the heart and deserves to be heard by every American.  In fact, not just Americans, but all people of the world, for President Obama articulated what America represents, what she strives to be,and the hopes for the future whereby the precepts laid out by the Founding Fathers over 200 years ago are still viable and more important than ever in the world of 2013.

The speech was beautifully spoken, beautifully written....it is a speech to rank high on the list of inspiring words that other leaders of this country have written in the history of our great land.  We must all help, not hinder!  Let our President's words inspire YOU!

"A Cappella"



This won't be a long post today.  (I know, I know.....you'll believe it when you see it!)  Really, though, I don't have a bunch of time.  Thanksgiving is only 2 days away and my to-do list has hardly been touched!  The Big Guy has been really busy doing "big stuff", but there wasn't much point in trying to get started on the cleaning until the big stuff got put away.....well, out of the way.  Anyway, 80% of my to-dos remain,  sigh!

But I digress.

This is one of the "I'll always remember" days.  November 22, 1963.  Even if you weren't born at that time, I would bet most of you would recognize that date.  The Kennedy Assassination.  I was 17, a senior in h.s., just back from lunch.  It was a perfectly ordinary day.  Thanksgiving was coming, so we were all looking forward to a couple of days off from school. 

At somewhere around 1:00 pm my world changed.  Everyone's world changed. As surely as if the earth's rotation suddenly went spinning off into space, nothing was the same.  Kennedy was a hero to the young people of that time.  He was the only President we had ever seen who didn't have grey hair!  He was young, he was good looking, he was a war hero, he was married to Jackie and had 2 adorable little kids.  He was the future.  And we believed in him.

But on that day, with the actions of Lee Harvey Oswald, our young President was gone forever and it was the end of our Camelot days.  (I will go with the conventional theory here ...the entire, whole truth of such an event, can never be known.)

It was 48 years ago today.  I remember this day, this man, this loss.  And I always wonder what our lives would be had Oswald missed! 

May you continue to rest in peace, Mr. President. 


"....ask what you can do for your country...."

"This is My Country"

All my life I have been a patriotic person.  I love the U.S.  I proudly say "This Is My Country" and believe that the founding fathers were inspired to to put together a system of government  over 200 years ago that is still functioning today.  I believe in that system and the Constitution under which we are governed.

I'm usually not much of a political kind of person....and I have gotten less so with every election.   If I had to categorize myself, it would be something like a Libertarian Democrat with some Conservative leanings.  Basically what that boils down to is that I am not tied into any one party or philosophy.  It depends on the issue.  Federally, I don't vote for a party, I vote for individuals where I am familiar with them.  On the local level, it is more hit or miss.  If I don't have a clear preference, I'll vote for the Libertarian candidate.

I'm not what you call a fully informed voter.  The reason for that is that it appears to me that no matter who wins an election, nothing much changes!  Federal candidates (i.e. President, Senate, and House) have all become nothing more than perpetual candidates always campaigning for reelection, either their own or a member of their Party.  They might throw in a little legislation from time to time if they can actually manage to get a new law written, agreed to, and enacted.  Most of their time is spent arguing with each other and looking after themselves.

Well I'm getting sick of it!  The Congress, in particular, has more problems than it fixes.  This, of course, is not original to me.  We hear about approval ratings for the President fairly frequently.  I can't recall the last time (if ever) I heard about approval ratings for Congress!   I don't approve of Congress, but no one has ever asked me, except at the voting booth. 

I would venture to say that if there are statistics rating the houses of Congress those approving of the actions of Congress must be dwindling more every day.  What is to approve of?? 

This country currently has problems at almost every turn....economic, healthcare, pollution and ecology, foreign affairs, and to top it all off we still have large numbers of our service men and women in Afghanistan where they have been attempting to rout Osama bin Laden and his followers for TEN years!  

And Congress quibbles, and bickers, and calls each other names, and accomplishes a whole lot of  nothing!!  But yet they continually campaign to protect the sweet life they have found and do not want to give up!

I received the following as an email from a friend of mine.  Read it carefully.  If it doesn't make you want to scream, I'd be very surprised.  I don't know if Buffett actually said all this.  I don't know if there is any kind of groundswell for a "Congressional Reform Act of 2011".  But there should be!
I have no idea what percentage of it is true.  But if even 10 % of it is true, then we need to get Congress fixed as a first priority.   The following is how to do that:


>    Warren Buffett, in a recent  interview with CNBC, offers one of the
>    best quotes about the debt ceiling: 
>    "I could  end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just
>     pass a  law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more
>     than 3% of  GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible
>     for  re-election
>
>     The 26th amendment (granting the  right to vote for 18
>     year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days  to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people
>     demanded it. That was in  1971...before computers, e-mail, cell  phones, etc.
>
>     Of  the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year
>     or  less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.
>
>     Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email  to
>     a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask
>     each of those to do likewise.
>
>     In three days, most  people in The United States of America will
>     have the message.  This is one idea that really should be passed around.
>
>  _*Congressional Reform Act of 2011*_>
>         1. No  Tenure / No Pension.
>
>         A Congressman collects a salary while in  office and receives no
>         pay when they are out of office.
>
>         2.  Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social
>          Security.
>
>         All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move  to the
>         Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow  into
>         the Social Security system, and Congress participates with  the
>         American people. It may not be used for any other  purpose.
>
>         3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan,  just as all
>         Americans do.
>
>         4. Congress will no longer vote  themselves a pay raise.
>         Congressional pay will rise by the lower  of CPI or 3%.
>
>         5. Congress loses their current health care  system and
>         participates in the same health care system as the  American people.
>
>         6. Congress must equally abide by all laws  they impose on the
>         American people.  They must abide by all laws  they impose on the
>         American people.
> >         7. All contracts with  past and present Congressmen are void
>         effective 1/1/12. The  American people did not make this
>         contract with Congressmen.
>
>         Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in
>          Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
>          envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their
>          term(s), then go home and back to work.
>
>         If each person  contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will
>         only take three  days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive
>         the message. Maybe  it is time.
>
>         THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!


We should be circulating this and actually getting this underway.  Sitting in a park in NYC and yelling about jobs, isn't very effective.  If we could get this into a national referendum we could vote on it and actually make an EFFECTIVE CHANGE  Asking Congress to fix themselves will NEVER happen.  But we, the voters, can make the change for them!

"This is My Country" and I want my Congress and my President to work together to make this country once again as great as it should be!  Let's get Congress off the gravy train and get them back to work....that way everybody else might be able to get back to work too!  Then together we can get our priorities back in order and fix the rest of it.



Addendum:

 I would like to see one addition.  Any individual elected to either house of Congress must pass (with a score of 80% correct or better) a written test on the Constituion of the United States before being allowed to assume their seat.  The test must be retaken any time the legislator is re-elected.  The test would be written by a panel of non-political Constitutional scholars and be updated periodically. Anyone caught cheating would lose his/her seat and become ineligible to ever run for anything again!! 

Actually ALL elected officials should be required to pass a test relating to the Constitution plus state and local legislation pertinent to their particular office.  This would include every elected individual from the President down to local dogcatchers! 

I would vote for that in a New York minute!

Congress seems to have developed complete disregard for the desires and needs of the public they are supposed to represent!  It would take a massive and unilateral coming together of all Americans to force Congress to adopt the changes or lose all subsequent elections.  But coming together in a crisis is one of the things we Americans do best!  So let's do it!!

We'll never know if we could push it through unless we try!

(Feel free to copy and share this with everyone if you agree!)

"When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain"

Does anyone else remember Kate Smith?  She was a rather large woman with a very large voice.  She had an extensive career singing for movies, radio, recordings, and she even had her own TV show in the early 50's (I think).  She introduced Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" and her performances of the song are outstanding!   Many people may not know the history of this song and Kate Smith.

God Bless America

In early 1940, Kate Smith, a fiercely patriotic American and the biggest star on radio, was deeply worried about her country.

She asked Irving Berlin if he could give her a song that would re-ignite the spirit of American patriotism and faith. He said he had a song that he had written in 1917, but never used it. He said she could have it. She sat at the piano and played it and realized how good it was. She called Mr. Berlin and told him that she couldn't take this from him for nothing. So, they agreed that any money that would be made off the song would be donated to the Boy Scouts of America.  Thanks to Kate Smith and Irving Berlin, the Scouts have received millions of dollars in royalties.

Frank Sinatra said that when Kate Smith, whom he considered the greatest singer of his age, first sang this song on the radio, a million guys got 'dust' in their eyes and had to wipe the tears the 'dust' caused.

Her success had nothing to do with her looks.  In fact, she wasn't a particularly attractive woman.  Unfortunately, dowdy is about the best word I could use to describe her look.  But oh my word, the woman could sing.  I loved hearing her voice.  It was powerful and rich and very stirring. There are many different videos and such on YouTube that show her wonderful versatility.  If you aren't familiar with her or her voice,  click on the photo above to go to YouTube. 

"When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain" was her theme song.   Whenever a certain kind of moon is visible in the sky I remember this song and the incredible Kate Smith.

(Not-so-clever segue...)

I was reminded of that song tonight.  I went out to get the mail this evening and peeking through the trees between the houses across the street, I saw the moon.  Not following the phases of the moon in any regular fashion, I have no idea if the moon is waxing or waning (not that I actually know which is which).  Either way the moon was fairly low on the horizon, not quite full, but looking like a big golden balloon hanging in the sky.  It was lovely.

It occurred to me that I have noticed the moon several times in the past few weeks.  The moon always catches my attention when it is the wonderful golden color that makes me think of melted butter.  It is my impression that that particular shade of gold is usually what happens when a full moon is just beginning to rise.

Well, I know there typically there is only one full moon per month.  Right?   So if the impression that I have gathered over the course of my life (i.e., gold comes only with full moons) is correct and if there is in fact, only one full moon per month, why have I noticed this golden color a few times over the last several weeks??
 
A golden moon low in the sky is hard to miss.  At that low angle, just above the horizon, the moon is not only golden, it seems huge!  I read somewhere a while ago, that the size of the image you see when the moon is low is actually the same size as the image you see when the moon is high.  Supposedly, the change in one's impression of the size is caused by the moon's proximity to things like trees and houses, whereas when it is in the middle of the sky there is nothing close by to change the perspective.  Does that make sense to anyone?  I don't see how that can be true, but I haven't figured out how to test it out.

Anyway, it seems a bit odd to me that I have noticed a big golden moon several times lately.  Has anyone else noticed that??  I figure that if there was something unusual going on, there would be lots of news stories and such about it and I haven't seen or heard anything, so I guess it's just me.

No matter whether it's just me or not, I sure do like looking at that big ole round yellow ball hanging in the sky.  I usually just stand there for a bit and watch it and all of a sudden I'm humming, "When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain" while I think lovely thoughts about all manner of things.

I think Kate would approve!

"Make Believe"

I wanted to clarify a bit about why I used John Lennon's "Imagine" on my 9/11 post.

 I debated a long while before posting the song. I know that it's content is controversial.  I fully expected comments arguing against the use of the song, but I really only got one. The comment came from one of my favorite blogger pals, Cass from "That Old House" http://cass-thatoldhouse.blogspot.com/ , a lovely blog that I thoroughly enjoy and look forward to. She left a comment about my post. As I told her, I'm not at all bothered by her comment, basically I agree! (You can read it in the post's comment section.) This is the reply I sent to her

Lennon was a dreamer, but a lot of people condemned him for heretical beliefs.  But this song is not a call for real change, it's a song to think about.  Just imagine....let's pretend what it would be like if.....   It's about "Make Believe."

In our very real world, none of the "imaginings"  are workable or even possible.  However, the line that has always resonated with me is "nothing to kill or die for".  Our world has been dreaming of peace since the dawn of time.  Even though many of us have become civilized, and educated, and survival is not the struggle it once was, we still (after centuries) cannot get over the concept that whatever we believe is what everyone must believe!  I'd love to live in a world where being different is no longer a crime punishable by death and destruction. But we seem eternally stuck as a species where  we, and they, are willing (perhaps even eager) to fight and die for our particular beliefs, no matter what they are.  We keep losing our young men and women because there is always something to go and fight for!  How many have died in name of a cause or belief?  How many innocent "bystanders" have died?  What seems ridiculous to me is that both sides of any conflict are fighting under the same principle:  We are right and They are wrong!  No matter who the We and They may be!!

 I like to imagine a world where there are better ways to settle differences and it's OK to believe something different than the guy sitting next to you on the subway.  I, too, love the myriad fascinations of our world and it's people and would not want to live without them.  I just wish we could stop killing each other over them!

That's the great thing about imagining, you can "Make Believe" anything even if it's not really a good idea!

"The Last Farewell" ~~ Frank Buckles, 1901-2011

He didn't seek the spotlight, but when Frank Buckles outlived every other American who'd served in World War I, he became what his biographer called "the humble patriot" and final torchbearer for the memory of that fading conflict.

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)



Buckles enlisted in World War I at 16 after lying about his age. He died Sunday on his farm in Charles Town, nearly a month after his 110th birthday. He had devoted the last years of his life to campaigning for greater recognition for his former comrades, prodding politicians to support a national memorial in Washington and working with friend and family spokesman David DeJonge on a biography.

In a May 26, 2008 file photo Frank Buckles receives an American flag during Memorial Day activities at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Mo.

The family asked that donations be made to the National World War One Legacy Project. The project is managed by the nonprofit Survivor Quest and will educate students about Buckles and WWI through a documentary and traveling educational exhibition.

"We have lost a living link to an important era in our nation's history," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki. "But we have also lost a man of quiet dignity, who dedicated his final years to ensuring the sacrifices of his fellow 'Doughboys' are appropriately commemorated."

May he Rest in Peace.

"The Last Farewell"

For some obscure reason that I can't quite pinpoint, I 've been thinking about my childhood days in a (then) very small coastal town in Florida where I lived for about 5 years back in the 1950s.  It was a lazy little, seaside town with not a whole lot of excitement.  A typical small town with friendly people, no rushing in hurly burly traffic, a slow-motion town.  It was a good town and a great place to be when I was a little girl.

Because not much happened, when things did happen, it seemed like everybody in town was there.  A case in point was the 4th of July.  Activities went on all day and into the night.  Picnics, contests, games, prizes, speeches, all capped off by a fireworks display.  But for me the best part of the day was the parade!  I marched in the parade a couple of times when I was a Brownie....well, we tried to march.  A few of us were still having trouble with left and right (hey, give us a break.  We were only in the 2nd grade at the time), so we tended to get out of step fairly often.  Pretty soon we got kind of scattered out and we had to stop and re-group and try again!  The parade route wasn't that long, only about a mile or less.  But that parade lasted for at least an hour!  (We weren't the only ones who stopped and started!)

Every club in town had a float or would march along, there were two high school bands, and the fire department drum and bugle corp, the dancing schools (there were 2 in town) each with several different age groups, there was the American Legion or VFW drill teams, some years the Lion's Club had their fun little go carts and they performed patterns as they toodled along the route.  Just about every group that was marching (or trying to) would stop at the reviewing stand, and perform something!  A dance, a close-order drill, a song, a flag team.  I'm sure you know the kind of parade I'm talking about.  Just a bunch of our citizenry expresssing their patriotic spirit and love of country.

(Okay, I'm getting way off the topic I wanted to write about!  Darn, I hate when that happens.)

The thing that the parade especially brings to mind is that I can remember there being a group of veterans of WWI.  WWI had ended 34 years before, so there were quite a few of them still living.  They mainly looked like a group of grandfathers, marching in the remnants of their uniforms, and a few in wheelchairs.  They always got a big hand!

But the biggest celebrity in our parade for at least two of those years that I recall, was one very old man riding in the back of a covertible waving to the crowd.   He was a small little man who could barely be seen. This was around 1952 and 1953, so he was somewhere in his very late 90's.   He was a (Confederate) veteran  of the Civil War!!!  Truly!

He got the biggest hand of all!  You must remember that this was a small town in the South, the Confederate South!  The Civil War was practically an on-going conflict.  "The South shall rise again!", was the mantra that about 2/3 of populace would agree with!  The band played Dixie, everybody stood up and sang along and that old man knew that he was a Hero in our town!

I never knew his name but I have no doubt he was a real veteran.  Yesterday, I looked up the "Last Survivor of the Civil War".  It was a man in Minnesota who died in 1956 at the age of 103.  So I believe our veteran was authentic.  I was impressed even back then when I was so young.  You couldn't help but be.  The whole town was very proud of having that Confederate Veteran living in our town and they accorded him his due.

WWI was 91 years ago.  Now of course, nearly all of the American veterans of WWI are gone too.  All except one.  Frank Buckles, of Charles Town, West Virginia.  He is currently 109 years old!!  He lied about his age to get in the army at age 16, served as a medic, and received several medals, including the French Legion of Honor.  Through the intervention of Ross Perot, he will be buried at Arlington National Cemetary, when the time comes for his "Last Farewell". 

I hope that Charles Town, West Virginia honors this man at its 4th of July parade as he deserves.

[Check out his story at this link:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Buckles ]

It won't be very long now, until there will be just a few survivors of WWII remaining.  The men of my father's generation are in their 80s and 90s now.  Their war was over  55 years ago.  And one day they too will all be gone.  And that "Last Farewell" will be very hard to say.

"The Star Spangled Banner"

This shows just how on top of things I am these days.  I thought today was June 13 until just a few minutes ago.  I'm sure some country somewhere celebrates June 13 for something.  However, today is June 14.  And that, my friends, is a day of celebration (of the minor variety) in the U.S.A.  If you don't know what this day commemorates, shame on you!

 Flag Day

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.

If you've never thought about these words, watch this video.  It is from 1969 (or so), but it bears repeating for every citizen!

(Remember, I'm a techno-dweeb.  I've never downloaded a video before, so I hope it works!!!)

Red Skelton In The Pledge Of Allegiance @ Yahoo! Video

The link below will tell you just about everything you ever wanted to know about the flag of the United States....and probably more than you wanted to know!  Nevertheless, anyone who loves this country believes in this flag and what it represents.   Most of us have gotten choked up at parades, or funerals, or ceremonies when the flag is displayed .

http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/misc/ourflag/flagday.htm

No matter if you think of it as Old Glory, the Stars and Stripes, the Red, White, and Blue, or "The Star-Spangled Banner"....this country has survived under this flag (or one of its ancestors) for more than 230 years keeping us FREE! 

So Happy Flag Day.  Long may she wave!!

"Teach Your Children Well"

Austin is really an interesting town.  With it being the state capital, the main campus of the University of Texas, all the music events and venues, the galleries and museums, Austin has a lot to do.  One of the best treasures of Austin is the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library on the campus of UT.   I've been there a couple of times and the Big Guy has been there more often than that. 

It is the only Presidential Library I have ever visited.  It is particularly meaningful because we lived in that turbulent time.  I was 17 when John Kennedy was assassinated and Johnson became President on Air Force I that same day.  I lived in Chicago in 1968, one of the most turbulent years in American history (Democratic Convention in Chicago, MLK assassination, Robert Kennedy assissination,  Riots, Viet Nam, Civil Rights, and so much more).  LBJ was President throughout the whole thing.  His life was interesting and his Presidency fascinating.  Going to the Library is like reliving that era.  There are TEN floors of Exhibits, history, documents, archives, traveling exhibits, research all about Lyndon B. Johnson's place in history.

The reason that we've gone so often, aside from it being a fascinating place, is that it is one of Maddie-the-Great's favorite things to do!  Go figure!!  She has loved going there since she was about six.  She is nine now and still enjoys it every time she goes.  She looks at just about every exhibit, she reads all the narratives, watches all the video clips, she asks questions, she is quiet, polite, respectful, doesn't seem to get bored, and seems to retain what she learns. 

We went again over the weekend.  It was about the fifth or sixth time M-t-G has gone.  We all enjoyed it again.  It is so large with so much to see, although much of it not open to the public, I'm not sure we've actually seen it all and we were there for three hours this time. 

Our family has always enjoyed American history and museums and the like.  Now it appears M-t-G is following that path as well.  And it is not just LBJ or Texas that intrigues her.  She is enthralled with WWII, particularly the South Pacific and Pearl Harbor. 

Just South of Austin by about 90 minutes is the town of Fredericksburg, a small community with a strong German background.  Its one of those towns that works hard to attract tourists with restaurants with really good food, craft shops, boutiques, and has been a Texas landmark destination for many years.

Johnson City and Stonewall, Texas, where LBJ was born and raised, lived, and is buried, is just up the road from Fredericksburg by about 20 miles.   Fredericksburg is the home town of U.S. Navy Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.  And so, logically enough, I guess, Fredericksburg is also home to:

The Admiral Nimitz State Historic Site in Fredericksburg is the only institution in the continental United States dedicated exclusively to telling the story of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and World War II in the Pacific Theater.

Located on a seven-acre site, the Center includes The National Museum of the Pacific War George Bush Gallery, the Japanese Garden of Peace, the History Walk of the Pacific War, the Plaza of the Presidents, the Surface Warfare Plaza, the Memorial and Victory Walls, the Veterans Walk of Honor and the Center for Pacific War Studies.

In addition to nearly 24,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space, the museum boasts an impressive display of Allied and Japanese aircraft, tanks, guns and other large artifacts made famous during the Pacific War campaigns.

The museums many fine exhibits highlight the story of early Fredericksburg, the Nimitz Family, Chester Nimitz from his birth in 1885, his early childhood in the old Nimitz Hotel, his appointment to the US Naval Academy to his role during World War II until his death in 1966.


http://www.wintertexansonline.com/nimitzmuseum.htm

We went a few weeks ago....with M-T-G.  She was thrilled!  There was a Japanese mini-sub that had been captured.  There were individual exhibits for each of the major battles and campaigns in the South Pacific....Guadacanal, Corregidor, Tarawa, New Caladonia, and of  course, Pearl Harbor.  It was wonderful. We were all amazed and impressed. If you ever have the opportunity to visit this museum, I strongly urge you to do so.  I learned a great deal that I never knew before.   It is a very moving museum filled with things and information about a war that I've heard about all my life.  (My dad spent over 5 YEARS in the South Pacific in WWII.) 

M-t-G was so excited but just like in the LBJ Library, she was quiet, respectful, and read every word!  Again we were there for a couple of hours and  didn't see it all.  We will go again someday soon.

It is important to remember the history of our world. There are lessons that need to be learned.  It is even more important to "Teach Your Children Well" about the history of the world they are inheriting. 

And sometimes, if you are very lucky and you have a really special kid, like our Maddie-the-Great,  they teach themselves!  She's some kid!

"This is My Country"

I am not a scholar, nor a teacher, nor a politician, nor anyone with any power or influence over much of anyone.  Nevertheless, I strongly believe in freedom, tolerance, reason, communication, and I know for certain that "This is My Country."  It is the "land that I love".  I am an American. 

I am the product of a good education, provided mostly in the public school system where I learned enough to know that this country has its strengths and its weaknesses.  I learned that this is a land governed by laws and traditions most of which I can support.  I know that the basis of our government is spelled out in the U.S. Constitution.  And I know that this Constitution was written by a group of individuals who were, collectively, very wise men with great vision. 

From that Constituion as well as the many amendments and laws established therefrom, I know that it is my right in this country to be free from persecution because of my religious beliefs.  I know that it is my right in this country to be protected from harm, to expect just treatment, to read a free Press.  I know that it is my duty to pay my taxes, and more importantly to express my responsible opinions through the election of individuals to serve as the lawmakers and administrators of the government which exists for the purpose of representing all our people. I know that this government and its laws support and are supported by the three branches of our government  and its enormous infrastructure that has grown from the very simple beliefs stated in the Preamble to the Constituion.  

I started to learn these concepts and began to build my beliefs starting over 50 years ago and, although modified over time, I still trust that this method of government is right for this country and its peoples.

I am a very insignificant member of our society;  a very minor Patriot who still cries at parades and becomes incensed at injustice.  I rarely engage in political debate with anyone nor do I rant and rave about what I believe about this land.  I just go on believing in the inate goodness of people and the principles upon which this country is built!

I have had the good fortune to be educated mostly by Patriots too.  Not the blind, irrational type of Patriot who argues that anyone who disagrees or disapproves is not only wrong but somehow evil.  No, my teachers were Patriots of the first order.  Men and women who recognize what history has taught, who understood not only the facts of history but also its failures.  Teachers willing to share their knowledge and insight with scores of young children to help them become responsible, rational, reasonable and realistic citizens as adults.  Teachers who, despite its failings, love this country.

I may be extraordinarily fortunate in the combination of teachers I encountered over the years, nevertheless, there are four women from whom I learned specifically about America. 

Sister Rita Therese (4-5 grade), Miss Gamoche (6 grade), Mrs.  Smears (Junior year), and Ms. Shaw (Senior year).  These four women taught me what they believed in including that love of country.  I doubt that any one of the four would look at what is happening in government and politics currently and not be concerned for the future of our country and its form of government.  I know I am.

*Where are the men and women of reason? 
*What happened to leaders with integrity, honesty, compassion, and wisdom? 
*How could so many American People have so thoroughly misjudged many of the people they then elected?? 
*Why did "me" become so much more important than "we"??   
*When did rhetoric become the driving force rather than wisdom???  *Would an Abraham Lincoln or a Thomas Jefferson even get elected today??? 
* Where is compassion, open debate, the exchange of rational ideas without insult and rancor??
* How can we teach our children the repect and love of country that we learned?

I have purposely NOT expressed my opinion on any particular issue, nor have I identified specific individuals or parties or organizations or ideologies that I support or do not support.  My concern is much more widespread.  It encompasses all levels and facets of government (and some of business too).  Where will all of the divisive, abusive, non-constructive, self-serving activities lead us to?

The Mrs. Smears I mentioned taught a class called "Problems of Democracy" in the high school I attended.  I believe all "college prep" students were required to take the course.  She was a wonderful teacher and knew more about this country and how it worked than anyone I had ever known.  I loved her class.  We had challenging and interesting discussions and different opinions were listened to and debated with participation from practically everyone.

From Mrs. Smears I learned the concept that a government cannot rule without the consent of the governed.  In essence what that means is once a government - be it monarchy, theocracy, democracy - oversteps the bounds of power, the people have a divine and/or human right to renounce said authority.  If they take no action to renounce that government, they are giving their consent to it's continuation. 

As I recall Mrs. Smears was talking about communism at the time.  Nevertheless, the concept fits all forms of government.  You may wonder how this relates to the rest of what I was saying.  The bottom-line is that once a government no longer represents the will of its people and that country's people become divided enough, angry enough, unhappy enough,  they are on the road to withdrawing their consent from their government.  That could never have happened in the country I grew up in; there was no need.  (The threat felt then was external, not internal.  Everyone worried about the dreaded communism and the Soviet Union!) At the time both the government and the people were still acting responsibly and rationally.  But now??  Well, now I'm not so sure. 

I am certainly no seer into the future.  Neither am I trying to predict that our government will topple.  I am merely asking questions that I have no answers for. 

All I know is that "this is my country" but I fear that it is no longer the country I have believed in all my life....and that worries me.