America

[Adam868]

As most of you know, I love to write...so today I just sat down for an hour and wrote and wrote and wrote. I wrote about America, the country I love...here it is, hope you like it:

 

The land of the free, the home of the brave. A country whose freedom was brought about 230 years ago when a document was signed that would grant the United States of America a new hope, a new dream, a new love. From sea to shining sea does that hope of freedom exist, that dream of a new adventure, and that love of country. Wars upon wars where the red, white, and blue have shone brightly above the mountain top. Where the Gettysburg address was read by President Lincoln proclaiming the freedom of man. Where the Declaration of Independence was signed giving us life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Where the Constitution gave us a right to freedom of speech. Where President Kennedy informed us “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”. Where President Roosevelt told us that “There is nothing to fear but fear itself”. America isn’t only a country of political and military greats, it’s a country where we have taken the freedoms of our founding fathers and built upon them. Where we can turn on our television sets and see anything from a sitcom, to a game show, to a golf tournament, to the news. Where we can drive to McDonald’s and grab a cheeseburger and fries in less than 3 minutes. Where we can stand on the steps of the Capitol building and hold a sign protesting any cause we believe in. Where we can get a proper education and pursue our dreams by going to college and living our dreams. Where we can go to a baseball game, by some peanuts and cracker jacks and watch our favorite player hit a homerun. Where we can go on vacations to national landmarks like the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and Mount Rushmore. Where we call in to our local radio station and be the right caller to win 1 million dollars. Instead of hopping on a horse to travel 250 miles to see your best friend, you can fly from New York City to Florida in two hours. Instead of writing a letter with a feathered pen that would probably take 20 days to get where it needs to be, you can send an email in less than a minute. Instead of striking up a match to see your dimly lighted room, you can hit a light switch and see perfectly. Freedom is not an easy thing to obtain, it has cost us a countless million number of lives, and it will cost that forever more. So many of our own heroes have fallen bravely, giving their life up for a cause that is greater than words and greater than we will ever know. Now especially at a time in our country’s history where we are split evenly down the middle about war, abortion, and other key issues; freedom and love for one another is a cause we need to strive harder for. Why is it so hard to come together? Is it because we are so radically split and so firm in our beliefs that we can’t bend at all or even listen to another point of view? Or is it because we have become plain stubborn and know that what we believe is the only right way. Whatever the case is, take a step today to make yourself a better person. Don’t throw a cigarette out your car window; help the cashier bag next time you go to a grocery store; make it your civic duty to help at least one person every day; stop rushing to work everyday fearing you’re going to be late, plan your day out; volunteer and give to those less fortunate than yourself; and most of all next time you see a service man or woman, shake their hand and tell them how much you appreciate their sacrifice. Make it your duty to give back to the country that has done nothing but give to you you’re whole life. In school you would pledge allegiance to that flag every morning, but did you stop to think what you were saying? Or did you just say the words because you memorized them and knew you were required to recite those same old lines every morning. That flag stands for what we have accomplished as the United States of America, and boy have we accomplished a lot. More then we will ever know. You’re just one person, one person who can make a difference in the future of America. What we do today will affect what this country does tomorrow. That flag stood above the bullets firing during the American Revolution. That flag stood when women received the right to vote. That flag stood when our country suffered the Great Depression. That flag stood when we were attacked at Pearl Harbor. That flag stood when we stormed the beaches of Normandy. That flag stood when we sent our first man to the moon. That flag stood when the Challenger space shuttle exploded minutes after takeoff. That flag stood above the rubble of the World Trade Towers when we all came together mourning the loss of our loved ones. That flag still stands on many homes around our country. Don’t let it fall, because no matter how hard you try that flag will always stand higher and higher than ever before. May God bless you, and may he continue to bless the United States of America.

[catwomanrrr]

A lot of people out there are not very happy about America right now.

 

But I am not one of them. I love America. I love my country. My life would not be the same if I were not living here in America. My family came here to America a while ago, to seek freedom from oppression and war, to be in a place where we could grow physically and spiritually, to be in a place where opportunities were endless, and to be in a place where could dream the largest dreams and have the greatest chances of making those dreams come true.

 

Everybody may be divided in opinions, ideals, viewpoints, and faiths, but I say that no matter what, human beings are insatiable: nothing will EVER satisfy everybody. For the time being, I feel happy where I am. Out of the 299,000,000 Americans, there are so many great people who are making great, positive differences in our world today.

 

Thank you Adam for sharing your prose. I personally enjoyed reading it, and I commend you for being proud to be an American!

 

Truly, GOD BLESS AMERICA!

[Adam868]

Thank you so much Joy for your lovely response, thank you for being a proud American as well!

[mazceline]

well i dont care what country we are all from as we are from the same planet, all humans, all should be free to live, without war without stuggles, god bless the world, and maybe one day we will all live in harmony together as one,

Britain joined in with america against war, i just hope that we can all live happy one day without the pedudices, and an=ger, and i could be talking complete rubbish, but id like us all to be one

Edited July 6, 2006 at 02:23 PM by mazceline

[catwomanrrr]

God bless our World

[Célinefull]

American pride doesn't quite translate to Australia, the origins of our two countries are similar but slightly different. Both were started by Britain, seeking to in some way exploit or utilise the natural resources of both continents. At least America became a place for idealists and people seeking freedoms (even though their 'freedoms' were to deny others their's) which is something to be proud about.

 

However, I find it hard to be proud of celebrating something that started a) as a place for British prisoners and for people to make money out of. That's just me though I guess.

[celinedionsfan]

I, too, am proud to be an American. Yet, at the same time I am deeply saddened by how little progress we have made in achieving those ideals which were first espoused in Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence ... those ideals for which thousands gave their lives in a Civil War that could have ultimately destroyed this Union and ended forever the hope that a people could rule themselves without either a monarchy or a dictatorship. Adam pointed out many technological advances which other countries also have. And other countries also have sporting events and national landmarks. That is not what makes our country unique. Our Constituion, our form of government, which was untested at its inception and which has survived for well over two hundred years, our Bill of rights, is what gave us a unique place in the world. As someone who holds a Bachelor of Arts in History with a concentration in Early American Political History, the Constitution is of particular interest to me. The Bill of Rights was added after the Constitution was ratified to appease those who believed the Constitution did not go far enough in protecting the rights of the citizens. The argument against the need for a Bill of Rights was that the Constitution could not be used to take away rights. The powers granted to the government were limited by what the government could NOT do. Yet the Bill of Rights had to be ammended to grant and protect those rights which should have already been guaranteed. And still we are struggling with issues of equality, of ammending the Constitution to define a specific issue which, in reality, is an issue which falls under the jurisdiction of the individual states. Were it in my power, I would make Original Meanings by Jack Rakove mandatory reading because he gives one of the most insightful explanations about the debate over how the Constitution is intended to be interpreted. Our country is extremely divisive which is nothing new, but certainly creates some problems in getting things accomplished from a political standpoint. The Framers of the Constuttion attempted to create a government which could not be dominated by one particualr group. The need for consensus by a majority as well as the system of "checks and balances" was created so that the legislators would enact laws and make decisions based on what was best for the majority of the citizens. Certainly not everyone will always approve of every decision, but the object was not to create a Utopian Society, but rather a more centrist form of government as opposed to an extremist form. We have, on more than one occasion, seen what can happen when one group has too much power and how the balance can be tilted. However, we have only ourselves to blame for those instances because we, as voters, have the ability to change our government on a regular basis. Sorry for the lengthy post, but this is something that really is one of my passions. Edited July 7, 2006 at 08:44 AM by celinedionsfan

[mazceline]

too many words for me

[Adam868]

Very well written celinedionsfan

[celinedionsfan]

Thank you, Adam. And allow me to introduce myself, my name is Patty. Edited July 7, 2006 at 03:46 PM by celinedionsfan