Sunday, October 11, 2009

Random Rant

Sometimes I'm wondering if anybody is actually paying attention to the facts. Seems alotta times we get wrapped up in our emotions about a topic, and don't take the time to take a breath and pay attention to the facts and figures from a safe distance.

Ferinstince: I'm on Facebook (because I am a mindless automoton who craves any kind of tiny spotlight, that's why), and one of those useless "polls" comes up: Should "one nation, under God" be taken out of the Pledge of Allegiance, it was asking. And without hesitation I voted Yes.

My reasoning is just this: It's not part of the original verse. It was added in the 1940s, I believe, by President Roosevelt (and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on the date or the man), but the fact remains it was added. So taking it out is not commiting some kind of sacrilege, it's not revisionist-history-making, and it is certainly - by far - Not Un-American.

America SHOULD change things from time to time, in order to keep up with the times and the temperment of its people. It needs to take a fresh look at things, compare and contrast the facts to the principles we've built them upon, and review, rethink, and re-edit when needed. Hell, the Vatican did! And I'm thankful I can eat a Slim-Jim on Friday now. We do it with our currency, and not just to stay one step ahead of the counterfieters, either. How many Buffalo Head nickels you see anymore?

Point is that the term "under God" is a great thought; a heart-warming hug of safety and nostalgia that makes a lot of Americans feel all warm and snuggly. It is not "bad." It is, however, not needed. It does not make the Pledge any more or less American, Communistic, Socialistic, or Federalistic. (...is that last one even a word? Look that up and get back to me.) It simply does not accurately reflect the ideals or commitments implied by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We've got to keep in mind that this country is not made up of just You's and Me's. It's a whole lotta Them's. And that's cool. Together, we're all still Us. We just gotta remember to look at things bigger.

We, as Americans, have got to look at things in the big picture, and the big picture here is "Sometimes you don't get your way, just 'cuz you think you're right." Sometimes, even though you are a lovely person, an honest taxpayer and one helluva golfer, the thing you want most dearly in life may not be the best thing for the entire country. And that's ok. That's the way it works. Sometimes, you don't get your way. And you have to learn to live with that and move on.

Still upset by the decisions being made? Good. Means you're still paying attention. Now you're next move is writing letters, studying the concepts, researching the topics both pro and con so you can make the best possible judgments, and working the system. It is NOT just whining on Facebook or Twitter or MySpace -- if you're 12, that is -- and screaming out in your status update about your tiny little thoughts. Shut up and DO something if you don't like it. That's what America is all about: Doing something. Good, bad, indifferent. But doing something. Something that will, if you're lucky, smart, and determined enough, actually incite a change. A change for the better, maybe. A change that will turn people's heads and get them thinking. A change, perhaps, in something that many folks consider a solid, unchangeable staple of the American landscape.

Like the words in the Pledge of Allegiance.

So it seems to me that whatever side of this point you're on, you have a chance to do something about it. For it or a'gin it, you get to make a stand and hopefully be counted. Ah, I love America!

And I know there'll be backlash. A huge, tsunami wave of crap-laden backlash, sweeping my way from people I've known and not seen for thirty years. My Michigan friends, my Los Angeles colleagues, my Asian Hookers. They'll all come out of the woodwork now and tell me how wrong I am.

At least, I hope they do. That way I'll know somebody is still paying attention. Until the villagers storm my walls weilding torches and pitchforks, leave me your thoughts on the subject. I'll be here, boiling the oil in the parapits.

By the way, this was a one-draft rant, so save your barbs about my spelling and grammar. I didn't even go back to check. Thanks.

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