‘Best’ country in jeopardy
I would like to address Ernie Jenewein’s letter to the editor from last week. I have no feelings one way or another about Barbra Streisand and I voted for George Bush, but it is the kind of self-righteousness (or is it naivet?) that Ernie displays which in part is contributing to the moral decay of this once great and beautiful country.
Ernie feels that the United States is “the best country on planet earth.” I would say that if the Bush Administration continues down its path of destruction and if the American people do not wake up then there is not going to be any planet earth. Sadly, this destruction of our planet will happen with the help of the many American people who don’t seem to even care if we attacked Iraq based on fabricated or poorly researched ‘evidence’ of those illusive Weapons of Mass Destruction. Rent the movie “Planet of the Apes” from the 1960s with Charlton Heston and listen carefully to the dialogue and then watch the end of the movie. It has a powerful message for all of us.
Ernie also writes that we have the “most freedom.” We all witnessed how ‘free’ people are in our country to speak their opinions over the attack on Iraq when they were fired, ostracized, threatened, assaulted, and arrested for daring to have an opinion contrary to those who wage wars. We currently may have the most freedom but that is rapidly changing at the hands of the Bush Administration, John Ashcroft, and the seemingly paralyzed members of Congress. These members of Congress, who took an oath to protect the U.S. Constitution are eroding our rights by allowing the Patriot Act, Total Information Awareness program, Eschalon, and the recent FCC decision.
The attitude that the United States is “the best” is part of the reason that so many people in the world do not like us, and even hate us. Our failure to look at what we have done to cause others’ hatred for us will be our downfall. This goes for us as individuals and as a nation. Yes, this country has been greatly blessed by God and it has wonderful freedoms that many other countries do not posses. However, we need to be honest and look at what we can improve upon instead of sticking our tail feathers in the air and announcing we are better than others. Humility and inner reflection are some of the ways to thank God for those blessings.
I know many Americans don’t like to come out of their ‘lala land’ apple pie denial system and look at the truth, but willful ignorance neither helps the world or us; so let’s be honest about ourselves, shall we? Our foreign policy is a tremendous disgrace. It has brought about many of our current problems and it has caused much suffering in the world. Our so-called ‘Christian’ leaders are also pushing violence, revenge, and inciting Americans to hate.
Americans go to church in mini-skirts and halter-tops and think God is for socializing on Sundays or that church is for finding a date. Parents are locking their children in hot cars to suffer and die because they are too busy to remember where their own children are. Pornography is a $14 billion industry and the U.S. is the number one customer. Millions and millions of children have been and are currently suffering from child sexual abuse in this country and high school kids no longer play “truth or dare,” they are having oral sex parties.
Many in our society are drowning personal pain with all kinds of drugs and alcohol, and Americans are glued to mindless programs like “Jerry Springer” and the “Sopranos.” We live in a society which teaches children that in order to get what they want all they have to do is remove what is in their way by feeding them violent video games and reality TV shows which teach the young that its okay to lie, manipulate each other, and back stab in order to win money.
We accuse the leaders of other countries of committing terrible atrocities on their own people and yet our government is torturing prisoners of war and setting up death camps in other countries to “orderly dispose” of POWs who have not even been allowed a trial or legal council. We commit and allow animal mutations and torture them all in the name of science, and 60 million animals are put to death every year because of our selfishness and neglect. We drive around in our gas-guzzling SUVs, flying our flag on the roof and call that being “patriotic.” Many Americans go off to the gym, yak on the phone about nothing, or go shopping instead of doing volunteer work, writing letters for a cause, or taking any kind of action to help stop the destruction of our earth.
For those who wish to say to me “If you don’t like it then move,” I say to you that I choose to stay and peacefully fight for my country by refusing to allow the powers-that-be to destroy it, and by defending the United States Constitution. That is what it means to be patriotic, not waving your flag and cheerleading our country into bloody battles waged for power and oil.
Alethea Guthrie