This is my country! Land of my birth!
This is my country! Grandest on earth! This
is my country!
Land of my birth!
This is my country! Grandest on earth!
I pledge thee my allegiance, America,
the bold,
For this is my country to have and to
hold.
What diff'rence if I hail from North or
South
Or from the East or West?
My heart is filled with love for all of
these.
I only know I swell with pride and deep
within my breast
I thrill to see Old Glory paint the
breeze.
With hand upon heart I thank the Lord
For this my native land,
For all I love is here within her gates.
My soul is rooted deeply in the soil on
which I stand,
For these are mine own United States.
This is my country! Land of my choice!
This is my country! Hear my proud voice!
I pledge thee my allegiance, America,
the bold,
For this is my country! To have and to
hold.
Written by: Don Raye, Al Jacobs
I learned this song a very long time
ago. I wasn't even a preteen.
I was so proud to be a Girl Scout. I dove into
everything there
was to offer. I earned badges left and right. I had friends.
Many
friends from all over. Daddy was in the military. We were exposed
to
everyone from everywhere.
I learned to make homemade tortillas
from my mother's friend. I
might have been 11 years old at the time. She
was from Puerto
Rico. We stayed with them while Mama ad Daddy took a short
vacation. We loved her and her family. We loved all of our friends.
We
didn't know there was such a thing as race problems or
inequality. Where we
were, everyone was the same.
I was always so proud of that song and
the National Anthem. My
heart still swells and I get teary when I hear the
National Anthem.
But, this isn't MY country. It's OUR country. It's always been
OUR
country. But, right now, everyone is acting like it's "MY"
country.
This isn't that country I knew as a
child. This isn't the acceptance
I learned as a youngster. There is so much more
violence, hate,
bigotry, division, and racism. My older eyes see it. My younger
heart is crying because of it. I've raised my children the way I knew
to raise them. We accept everyone. We love everyone. Hate takes
too much energy. Hate
takes time to teach. Divisiveness starts with
a tiny spark that can cause a
great explosion.
I look at all of the things happening
today and I can only ask why.
Why did we let our nation get like this? Why did
we teach our
children hate instead of love? Why did our world become so
selfish?
Why are we allowing the hate to spread like wildfire? Why are we not
dousing
the fire with love, patience, and understanding? Why are we
so unwilling to
compromise? Why is it only one way or the other?
The only answer I have is
SELF.
People have become lovers of self.
People have become selfish.
People have become so focused on themselves they
refuse to
acknowledge others. They refuse to see that someone else has an
idea. They refuse to see that someone might need help. They
refuse to look past a
pigment to the same beating heart. The
same color of blood. The same organs
that perform the same
purposes. One doesn't work without the other. We cannot
work
without each other. This country cannot work without all of us.
If your child wanted to date someone who
you knew had a bad
reputation, would you be apprehensive? Would you try to stop
it?
Would you ground your child? Would you react first when the kid
showed up
at the door and ask questions later? If you were a cop
who was about to arrest
someone who you knew had a huge rap
sheet, would you be apprehensive? Would you
react first and ask
questions later? I'm NOT defending the fact that people
have
died. I'm not getting into any of the statistics of race and crime,
here. You'll
not drag me into any debates about proportionality and
disproportionality. I'm
not saying anyone is right or wrong. I'm
simply saying that nothing is ever as black and white as people
selfishly want to make it.
I'm so saddened by the recent reports of
people refusing to serve
police officers. How can one summarily decide all
officers are
bad? How can you refuse service to those who have dedicated their
lives "to protect and serve" YOU? I've been a mother for a very long
time. I don't believe I have EVER punished all of my children for the
actions
of one. Even my identical twins are two distinct people who
deserve to be treated as such. My boys are not a "unit". Police
officers work for a
unit and can work as a unit. However, all are
individuals. Just as I could never paint all men with the
same brush
because one or two hurt me, all police officers cannot be painted
with the same brush as some who overreact, act too quickly or
harshly, or, are just
bad guys.
I agree that voices need to be heard. I
agree that changes need
to be made. Do you agree that change starts with you?
Nothing
ever changes with violence. Violence begets violence. If someone
comes
at me with violence, I'll protect myself as violently. If
someone comes to me willing to talk, willing to discuss, willing to
have open and honest discourse,
I'll meet halfway and further.
Organizing is amazing. When people are willing
to work, willing to
organize, big changes can happen. But, while you're working
on
your protest, take a minute to be selfless. Hand your unopened
bottle of
water to the homeless guy sitting and watching your
protest. Pick up the candy
wrapper the chick in front of you just
dropped. Clean up the city park and have
your organizational
meeting there.
I'm going to end this with this last bit
of thought. Everyone,
everywhere do yourselves and everyone around you a favor.
Turn OFF the news, close OUT your social media, disconnect
FROM the Internet
and LOOK around you. What do you see?
What do you look like? Look INSIDE you. Is it the same as what's
around you? Look back at your social media. Is it the
same as
what's inside you? Are you helping to end this division or
perpetuate
it? Are you posting all of this divisive crap? Are you
reposting half-truths
without researching them? Are you using
the same manipulated
statistics? Are you reposting the same
old tired quotes? Are you being selfish
or selfless? Do you
want this to be YOUR country? Or would you rather have
OUR
country?
To have, and to hold...
