America, The Divided

In looking around the web this morning for my post today, I ran over to Old Sgt's Out "Post", and found his post "John Wayne, Where Are You".

I followed the link to "America, Why I Love Her", which is a tribute site to a book and album done by John Wayne with poetry by John Mitchum(brother of actor Robert Mitchum) published in 1977 .

One particular chapter from the book caught my eye, and made me wonder how "The Duke" would feel today. The Hypen, discusses the assimilation of people from all over the world into the American melting pot. One particular paragraph stands out in todays world:

Like Ireland, the Middle East has long been divided by ancient hatreds, hatreds that have no place on our shores. Religious wars and fierce idealogical conflicts should never be a part of America; people came to Her to escape religious and political persecution. Sure, we've had our problems. What family doesn't? But they haven't stopped us. The total divisiveness that has burdened many other nations hasn't caught on here. We have our disagreements, but let some other country step on our tail and they'll find out how quickly Americans become united.

Today we've gotten away from that. Divisiveness has taken over our political landscape, race relations, and general demeanor. Or so we are lead to believe by our media, which needs conflict of some sort to get ratings and increase circulation.

Even our "adult leadership", the folks in congress aren't immune from using the victim game and race card to protect themselves. Rep. Cynthia McKinney may well be charged with assaulting a Capital Police officer because she forgot her identifying pin and trying to skirt security anyway.

Instead of a little bit of humility, and recognizing she did something wrong, she's decided she's a victim, "Let me be clear. This whole incident was instigated by the inappropriate touching and stopping of me, a female black congresswoman," no, it occurred because you didn't use common sense.

I work in a secure facility. If I forget my ID badge that allows entrance I have to show another form of ID, and get an escort. Same for the Representative, had she stopped at the checkpoint, said "officer, I forgot my pin, I'm Rep. McKinney", and produced an ID, there would be no questions about her being in the building. The officer probably would have joked about how many times it happens, given her a temporary pass, and she'd have been on her way.

We also see the devisiveness in our current debate on immigration. As opposed to solutions and actual security, we have two sides of an issue dealing in hyperbole and excessive rhetoric. The politicians and media are working up a storm over what most of the country sees as a common sense issue, secure borders and documented immigration.

John Wayne would be sorely disappointed by the direction we are moving, or being lead to think we are by the media and our political leaders.

When we all tear down walls of bigotry and prejudice and live in real harmony with ourselves and others, then we'll all say "I am an American," pure and simple. And "The Hyphen" will no longer apply to any of us. When that day comes, the world can count on us for another ten thousand years, for we'll be a brighter, a stronger and an undivided America.

Those walls have to be brought down from both sides, just as the Berlin Wall was. Rep. McKinney and the illegal aliens in the country need to admit what they did was wrong, and talk about what they could have done differently. The folks who actually do stop people for "driving while black", or who refuse to admit that immigrants do bring something important to the country also need to relook at their attitudes on race issues.

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