What does it mean when we say "America"?
In addition to the blogs I have followed for a while now, I have been reading more good ones lately.
Political Morsels and Other Droppings , A Time for Change, Musings of a Wandering Elf, True Blue Texan, and Willpen's World are great. These fine Americans are talking about the important issues in our culture. Issues where consensus is no easy thing.
It has started me thinking about what it means when we say "America". It's a term loaded with idealism and history and not all of it great.
There are a lot of folks who flung the Un-American-Monkey-Poo at each other this election cycle. Some are still trying it with the ridiculous tripe about Obama's birth certificate.
I recently called the Hawaii Department of Health I got so fed up with all the internet broo-haha; they don't just hand out birth certificates like Halloween candy. The poor fellow I talked to sounded exhausted and although he was very kind, I could tell I wasn't the first person calling with such inquiries (or even the 151,441st, given the tenacity of these kooks).
So, what does "America" mean?
We are THE social experiment that is the culmination of almost 3,000 years of Western history. People seem to think ancient Greece was the cradle of Democracy. To a certain extent, it was. But it had slaves, had a barbaric legal system in some cases (think Plato and hemlock; ideas could get you killed), and there were no rights for the ladies (except for a precious few and even they were sequestered like Vestal Virgins).
If I really stop to think about it, is the America of today so very far removed? We have a class of working poor in this country that have been falling through the cracks for several decades now. If you want a sad quick read about this, Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickle and Dimed is an excellent first-hand report about this huge group of Americans. They may not officially be known as slaves, but they indeed live, work, and die like they are.
As far as the legal system, I still can't figure out who it works for in America. I know there are many good attorneys and judges out there. However, I cannot help but feel sorry for them in a system where they are over-burdened with frivolous law-suits, ethics aren't always black and white, prisons are bursting at the seams, and innocent (and in many cases mentally ill or handicapped) people get put to death.
And women. Well, women in AMERICA are still fighting to keep the basic right to control whether or not they become pregnant or stay pregnant. I wish it were called pregnancy control-- birth control is jumping the gun 9 months way too early.
Perhaps the best thing about America is that it is hard to define-- it means something personal to each of us. Kind of like the religion thing. Or the gender thing. Or the sexual orientation thing. Or the thing we think of as freedom. 'Person'-al being the operative notion here.
I named this blog November Fifth for two reasons. First, November 5th, 2008 was the first day of a post-Bush 43 America. Second, I named it for Guy Fawkes. V for Vendetta is an excellent movie; if you haven't seen it, you should. You can't kill ideas like freedom or justice or hope. They live in the people who fight for them and for every one who falls defending these ideals, three more rise to take their place.
America is wounded; it's broken and yes, I still love it and believe in it.
Like Hemingway said, "The world breaks everyone, and afterwards many are strong at the broken places". As Americans we have entered a time when we begin the work to heal our country. The voices of irrationality will not drown out the voices of reason and civility. America will heal at the broken places, and afterward we will ALL be stronger for it.
Happy New Year; may it be the best one yet for each and every one of us here at home and everywhere on Mother Earth.
