In the family I grew up in we learned Patriotism from a very early age. At each patriotic holiday we would start our mornings off with a parade to post the flag, sing the national anthem and say the pledge of allegiance. We were taught to honor our military and to know what freedom cost. There would have never been a consideration to not vote.
I remember waiting to be old enough to cast my first vote. It was as important to me as it was to get behind the wheel of a car with my first drivers license. It was a privilege not just a right. It was my responsibility to help choose the persons who ran our government whether local, state, or nationally. There were times I wasn't as diligent as I should have been in all the elections. Like so many recently I question whether my vote even counts much at all. When I lived in California we were so far behind the rest of the nation that it seemed like the national races were over before the polls even closed there. Though I am ashamed to admit it apathy grew in me like it did in many others. I always voted, but my votes were cast only for those things that I was sure about, and I grew less sure as my apathy grew.
While the things that are important to me seem to fit into the Republican philosophy I never considered myself a die hard Republican allowing myself the freedom to vote for the person and the platform rather than just the ticket. My children were also raised to respect and love their country and have a teary eye when the National Anthem was played. Marque has made every effort possible to have a Flag Raising Ceremony in his neighborhood every 4th of July. He has been sad to see the numbers who attend decline in recent years but I hope he continues to try even if it ends up his own family are the only attendees because that worked in my family. Jimmy loves the way our constitution and government was set up by the founding fathers. He gets hungry to understand all the principles and sees clearly that it is not being honored as it should be in recent years. He is passing that love on to his kids. I remember Hailey running for a student office when she was in grade school and she grasped the idea of balanced power, and also not promising more than you can guarantee. She has shared that her government teacher in high school gets it wrong sometimes and she has to correct him when he is teaching his classroom mistaken ideas. Scott is a cop. He feels very strongly in the principles of law and government. He sees that misguided leaders can affect his safety and the safety of all of us. He also recognizes that following good laws can keep us all safer.
I'm so upset with myself that I have become a part of the SILENT majority. I remember back to the day when the majority ruled whether it was on the school ground or in government. It seems that over the years the minority has changed those rules. Now the minorities (even a minority of 1) can change things for all of us. We of the majority in the nation have let the minorities quietly change, or really not so quietly change our every day lives. All of the sudden because it offends someONE we have lost so many values that we have slipped into the abyss.
I remember how horrified we were with the embarrassment of Watergate when our President was discovered slipping into the slime of secrecy and cover up. Now that seems to be a given. We are even considering candidates that have proven time and time again that they have no problem swimming in the slime and then lying about it. I remember the shame of the PRESIDENT Clinton being unfaithful to his wife while on the job, and then being totally dishonest to all of us about his behavior. Now we are considering a candidate who has openly cheated on his wives and has boasted about his extra-marital activities.
Last night as I watched the Republican debates I was horrified at how far we have slipped into the chasm. How can we possibly be considering a Presidential ticket that includes someone who really should be in jail for her illegal, dangerous, and dishonest actions. Clearly she might be pitted against someone who is PROUD of his dishonest and treacherous actions as long as it clearly helps business, whose morality is majorly in question, and who told us all last night that HE is a leader that we will all listen to. That HE will say it and the military will do what he says, that other countries will be taken over if they don't do what HE says, and people will be tortured if they don't do what HE says.
I truly cannot imagine or stomach another Clinton in the white house. There is no way that I could believe anyone could take us down any further than Obama has, But, really, can we even think about where this country is going if Trump is elected? We will be laughed at, mocked, and HE will be mad, act like a 2 year old throwing a temper tantrum, and insist things go HIS way. Where will that lead us?
My conspiracy theory: It used to be that the crazies considered conspiracy theories, but it is now becoming quite common. Have you considered this one? Trump was democrat right? What if those that make strategic moves for the party, or maybe even the trilateral commission, decided that there was no chance whatsoever that this nation was going to vote a Democrat into the Presidency after the mess Obama put our country in. So they had to think outside the box. They called on good old Donald Trump, who would do anything to have those people in his pocket All he needed to do was to change his stripes (party) for the good of the Democratic party. His job is to go out and BE Donald Trump. He doesn't have to know anything about anything that is important to the government and the country because his job is to win the Republican ticket with crassness,crudeness, threats of leadership, dishonesty, meanness, debauchery. We would accept anything that would give us strong leadership(?)) back. His job is to win the election for Hillary Clinton. It is the only way she can win. Even I, who cannot fathom Hillary Clinton as President, was considering last night that I might have to vote for her if she is up against Donald Trump. Maybe that was the plan from the very beginning.
Ewwwww, that is disgusting and scary, but very very possible. Think about it.
