Stunned By #WalkAway Campaign

A few days ago my sister suggested I look into a new Facebook group.

And me being me, that's exactly what I did.

HOLY BUCKETS!

At that time there were about 58,000 members of that group.

Now there are well over 112,000 with that number climbing rapidly.

So.

What's the big deal about this group? What's it all about?

A guy called Brandon Straka started the whole thing a while back. He walked away from an ideology that has become NOT what it maybe once was.

The group is a place where people can tell their own 'walk-away' stories. It's a place where people can offer their support to those who are walking away, and tell their own stories.

And BOY are people doing just that!!

Here's the link:

#WalkAway Campaign

What are people walking away from, and why?

Partly it's about those who are walking away from the democrat political party - each Story is different but there's a common thread: decent people are sick and tired of being treated indecently. Partly it's about that same theme carried over into whatever arena a person finds applicable to their life. Politics is a key focus of course, but the theme of just plain being decent to one another, showing kindness and even just common courtesy is such an inherent part of the whole that a visit to the group feels very much like walking into a group hug.

I can't explain it adequately and recommend that you go spend some time there yourself.

If you want to join the group, please be aware that they screen everyone first so it might take a while depending on how many folks are 'in line' ahead of you. But you can certainly go visit!

Because of the rapidity with which this is growing, it's gotten some attention. The purpose of the group might also have something to do with that. This is a mid-term election year and the 2018 results matter to a lot of people who might not really want word to spread like wildfire that people are walking away from the democratic party by the thousands, tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands.

So.

We've been labeled Russian Bots.

Talk about de-humanizing a large group of individuals!

You would not believe the diversity to be found in that group. Everyone is there, believe me! But, other than being a part of their introduction stories, none of that matters. The thing that seems to matter most to Everyone in that group is that we all love the United States of America and want to be able to say so, openly and proudly. With dignity and respect.

The stories and responses might shock you. They might make you weep. They will most assuredly make your day better, your heart lighter, and your Hope for the Future stronger.

This is one powerful group, I'll tell you that right up front.

It isn't just the 'traditional' Silent Majority finding its Voice but many and many members have been a less traditional Silenced Minority.

The effect the individual stories have on a person is ... high impact might be the term I'm looking for.

The effect of the whole, that's what is going to stun you.

Go.

Read.

Watch.

Remember not so long ago I was talking about that 'thing' that showed up during the 2017 natural disasters hitting us again and again and again with no end in sight?

Yeah.

That.

People stepping up and helping people and nobody checking which hyphen went with who.

That was the real AMERICA showing up full force in a time of need.

Guess what.

You can meet that AMERICA up close and personal.

Go.

Read.

Watch.

 #WalkAway Campaign

2018 July 4 : Proud to Be an American - Why Shouldn't I Be?!

I have a feeling it would help if both 'sides' didn't feel as though the other 'side' is making our nation not be what we want it to be.

It's like I'm hearing the same thing from everyone: I'd be a lot prouder of my country if only 'they' would say, do, be what I want them to!

Most of us, I think, are nice law-abiding citizens who would never harm another unless in defense of self, family, home, business ... yet we're letting the yiping and griping of a few (and yes, the violence of an even smaller few) make us look sideways at each other all the time.

Sure there are differences, and some of them are major - but even so we, especially on this day of all days, are Americans. Each and all, whether we happen to agree with each other or not, whether we approve of anybody else's choices or not ... those have been, are, and will always be ... BUT above and beyond them, through them, under them, over them, around them one thing STILL binds us together.

This is OUR NATION.

For too long we've felt as though we were supposed to be apologizing for that. Why should we EVER not be proud of our nation, of our oh so diverse culture, of our selves?

If we define ourselves, our nation, by who happens to be in Washington at the moment, we're missing the entire message this nation was founded to offer to the world.

We the People OWN our nation.

WE do.

ALL of us.

Equally.

ONE Nation Indivisible (and for a hefty hunk of us, yes Under God belongs in there too but you don't have to agree with us on that, it's OK - the same Constitution still protects all of us).

If we were all the same my God what a boring thing it would be.

I don't suppose anyone has realized that from the get-go there have been 'opposing sides', that this nation was designed by people who were on 'opposing sides' and that they designed it to force both of those 'opposing sides' (or more than both at times but we'll go with two for now) to be as smart, as creative, as ambitious, as determined, as strong as possible ... which just happens to keep the whole kit and caboodle balanced and in accord with the design.

Not being proud to be an American because of what someone else thinks or says or does makes NO sense.

Differences matter and they need to be addressed; they also help to build a strong balanced nation once they're hammered out with nobody 'losing' and nobody 'winning' everything.

You think everyone was in agreement back in 1776?

Think again.

It took some doing, if the Federalist Papers and other historical stuff are any indication, but in the end a powerful nation was forged, partly BECAUSE of those disagreements.

And that nation BELONGS TO ALL OF WE THE PEOPLE.

In case you missed it a minute ago:

Equally.

ONE nation INDIVISIBLE.

E Pluribus Unum ring any bells with anybody?

On this day of all days, it behooves us to think about that for a second or two.

The extremists on both sides are never going to see eye to eye.

So what?

The rest of us sure can.

So on this day, if on no other, BE Proud To Be An AMERICAN.

And deny NO other American citizen that same right, that same privilege, that same gift from our early folk.

WARNING: PATRIOTIC POST Patriotism versus Nationalism Renegade's Perspective

ATTN: posted an episode of America Versus.
July 4 at 9:44 AM ·
Americans should know the important difference between patriotism and nationalism.

America Versus

America Vs. America: Patriotism 

The above is a facebook post I found on a friend's timeline.

The video attempts to outline the differences between their definition of Patriotism and their definition of Nationalism.

Now, 'Nationalism' is a term I've heard used only relatively recently.

The first time I heard it was in conjunction with the term 'Populism' (aka Popular Sovereignty) in an extremely negative context (disparaging, to be polite about it) regarding the increasingly apparent stirrings among the European Nations starting a very few years ago. That's a whole separate issue (see below) and has to do with the European Union.

I just wanted to establish up front that this new term (and its connotations) does have a 'history' of sorts, albeit a rather short history.

The video emphasizes something that's been an obvious component of our nation from its conception: dissenting views that have, do, and can lead to our nation getting closer to the original goals and purposes our Constitution sets forth (and played a critical role in the writing of said Constitution in the first place, which they neglected to mention). That I personally have to raise my brows at a couple of their 'examples' is moot. These are the Hero Patriots of the video - and as I've said, my brow rises at associating a couple of their choices with that role although others I agree with. Why they would select these to set apart from the rest of the equally valuable Patriots of all our eras I have no idea, but according to them being a Patriot is a good thing and especially being a dissenting Patriot apparently. Unless your dissenting is different from theirs, of course.

Nationalism, on the other hand, is a bad thing because, according to their definition, Nationalists are apparently exclusivist and suffer from some kind of Superiority Complex. At least that's what I got out of the video thing.

Here's my comment in response :



Interesting.

Patriotism has been with us from forever.

To me it means a bone-deep dedication to one's country and what it stands for. It means respect for and appreciation of the fundamental premises laid out in our Constitution and our Laws, the backbone of what makes us our own collective self and no other - and pride in that nation along with being ready willing and able to make it as close as possible to what it was designed to be.

Nationalism is apparently a new term coined by I don't know whom.

I would frankly associate it more with Europe than the USA at the moment, as the nations over there struggle to regain their own 'independent nations in charge of their own laws' status.

If I were to assign a definition, it would be closer to that, I think. The assertion that we as a nation are exactly that: a clearly defined nation to be proud of with a history unique to us.

No connotations; just a simple statement of fact.

But that's just me and I'm not the one assigning meanings to words.

I love my nation not because it's 'better than' any other but because it's MINE. My legacy to protect and to preserve to the best of my ability for the generations who follow.

And yes I'm proud to be an American and love my country, warts and all. NOBODY is even trying to deny the warts for pity's sake, or claiming 'superiority' over any other nation.

In some ways, sure the USA has worked hard to develop her strengths, and we might be better AT some things than others are.

They're equally better AT other things than WE are.

ALL nations have strengths and weaknesses, just like all people do.

Where is this narrative coming from?!

Holy cow.



That's where my facebook comment stops. I don't come out and say so but the question about where the narrative originates is rhetorical.

Maybe it's because I've lately been paying closer attention to Europe than has been my wont for most of my life (writing books that include historic times means research, which leads to current events and how past and present fit together - plus making friends whose lives are deeply impacted by both history and current events) but yes I have been paying some attention.

That I should have started paying attention thirty years ago is becoming clear, but as a lot of other people are also currently kicking themselves for not paying close enough attention thirty years ago I'm not going to beat myself up over it too awfully much. Thirty years ago I was about to give birth to my third daughter.

In short, from my perspective (it's the only one I've got, as yours is the only one you've got and we're both fully entitled to them) the EU started out as a not too bad idea: a grouping of nations to promote the economic prosperity of all.

Then it morphed.

The impression I've gotten is : "If you want to reap the promised rewards you have to agree to do this, that, and the other thing."

Still sounds fairly reasonable.

Then came : "You have to change the laws of your nations to fit our rules."

Then : "You have to do as we say or else."

And : "We want to build an army and you have to pay for it whilst minimizing or eliminating your own. You won't need your military; we'll take care of all that for you."

And : "Cultural diversity is good for you; here, add all these different people to your populations."

Then : "Oh good! Europe is becoming one big nation instead of many individual ones! Here are lots and lots more people to add to your populations, you'll be SO GLAD to have them! Long live the United States of Europe."

Then : "What do you mean, there's a culture clash? There's supposed to be only one European Culture, didn't you know that? Here, you need more people to take care of. Oh, and we have to raise your membership dues."

And:  "What do you mean you can't afford things any more? Pay up!"

 More recently : "What's this! The Peoples of the different Nations are thinking they can be their own uniquely individual selves! They think want their own Nations back, to make their own Laws, to control their own borders, to choose for themselves!?! Can't be having THAT! Those aren't Nations any more; they're subject States and had better toe our line!"

And so the term 'Nationalist' all of a sudden sprang into the vocabulary, to label the folks who thought they might be able to think for themselves and to make choices regarding their own nations.

Again, this is just mine own perspective.

At the same time all of that stuff has been going on over in Europe, there's been an apparently organized push here in the United States to be more a part of the world at large and less our own independent nation. Sometimes subtle, sometimes overt, the theme has been clear to those whose hindsight is better than their foresight. 

Let's make a deal with our North American neighbors, show unity with them. Never mind that our money is now going into the pockets of other nations. Let's give a lot of our money to these other nations; they need it more than we do. Let's share and share alike. Never mind that we're the ones doing all the sharing but nobody is sharing back with us. Better yet, let's just focus on a bunch of other things like which bathroom people are supposed to use. Nobody will notice anything else as long as we keep their minds occupied with baloney, and at each other's throats over other kinds of baloney. And, while nobody's really paying attention, let's bring in a bunch of others; it will balance things out ...

Yada yada.

I'm not going to go into detail about all of it because frankly I'm fed up with it - so are a lot of other people when it comes to that.

Fed up people who FINALLY (better late than never) noticed a thing or two or three are why a non-politician, one who cannot be bought, one who loves his nation as much as we do, is now the President of the United States of America.

Bottom line is:

I hear the label 'Nationalist' applied to American Citizens in that same derogatory tone I heard it applied to the Peoples of Europe and my hackles rise.

Just sayin'.

Can anyone be so stupid as to skip a step or two or three here and go straight to calling people Nationalists, or is it that those steps have to be skipped because they're not going to work with our President, who evidently has not been as slow on the uptake as I have been? In my own defense, he's been out and about in our world a lot more than I have, and is also a lot smarter in general than I am.

Unlike the Nations of Europe, the United States of America does not have to 'get our nation back' because we've still got it.

What we DO have to do is hang onto it.

Patriotism is something almost all of America can identify with.

Nationalism does not even belong in the American vocabulary as far as I'm concerned. It's but another of those meaningless '-ism' words thrown at us with malicious intent.

"I'm proud to be a Patriot, but call me a Nationalist and I might have to load my pen with that other kind of ink," is what one of our fictional Characters (named Renegade) might have to say in this situation.

THIS. Memorial Day is a Day for Grief and Gratitude

As we honor our fallen, it's impossible not to remember 

what they lived, fought, and died for.

THIS is what it's all about, what it has been all about from the beginning.

Faith

Family

Friends

Freedom

Future

The United States of America

Feel free to read on if you choose, but the above pretty much says everything that's in my heart on this day.

Add THIS to the mix:

I pledge allegiance

to the Flag

of the United States of America

and to the Republic

for which it stands - 

one nation under God

indivisible

with liberty and justice for all.

If you can say the above, and mean it heart and soul, you are welcome here.

This next bit is for the Illegals among us, and for We the People of the United States of America.

We are not 'out to get you' unless you are out to do harm to us or anyone else within our borders, including each other. 

We realize that for the most part you were sold a bill of goods by some charlatans using you as a puppet population. 

Please know that We the People of the United States of America were NOT behind that. 

Please know that one of the reasons we've now chosen an entirely new and different administration for our nation is the result of at last seeing and recognizing what has been going on behind our backs and in front of our faces for a long time, including the lies told to you and the injustice perpetrated on you as well as on us.

No, we did not invite you to come here illegally. Somebody did, but it was not We the People of the United States of America. You, and we, have been used by the same charlatans.

We want you to know that the 'innocent' among you are NOT the babies we want thrown out with the proverbial (and in this case SWAMPY) bathwater.

The bad seed, yes. We want them gone from among us all, including you the 'innocent'.

No, you are not entirely 'innocent' because you broke our law by coming here illegally. For that yes, a penalty must be paid. 

But, once paid, let that be the end of it. Work here, live happy lives here, contribute to our culture and our society here, earn your way the same as the rest of us - and you will find your way to the welcome we were not expecting to extend but which we will extend if you do your part too. 

That Flag up there, that Pledge of Allegiance - they mean something. 

They represent what our families came to this continent to build for us, the Legacy they lived, fought, and died to protect and to preserve. 

And so I say to you: One day your own families will be able to say the same, if YOU give them the chance. 

Our families did not sneak - there is no pride to be taken in ancestors who snuck in through the back door instead of using the front one. 

Give your descendants pride in you. Fix what you have broken so they can live with pride instead of shame. 

You took a big risk in coming here. 

Take another, for the sake of your generations to come - the ones who will be proud Americans who know the meaning of that Flag, that Pledge, with their whole hearts and souls because you choose now to give them a gift. It's the same gift we Americans all share: a common Legacy.

For me, having Faith means not only Faith in the Creator, but in the Creation as well. In us, in you. Because my Faith has three parts I myself think that those three parts are important: Justice, Mercy, Peace - in that order.

Many of you have already paid a steep price to the charlatans who lied to you. They encouraged you to break our law and they are guilty. But you went along with it. Another price, a penalty, must be paid. Mostly by them, but also by you as you are also culpable. 

That's the Justice part, and Justice must come first.

Mercy can only come after Justice has been served.

Then, and only then, will there be a chance for Peace.

To my fellow Americans who might not agree with me on this particular issue I say:

It's all a matter of perspective.

To those who would welcome all and sundry, including the bad apples, I say a very blunt NO.

Period.

To those who would remove all and sundry, including the 'innocent', I say an equally blunt NO.

We can and we will find our Balance here, friends.

All things considered, our good neighbors wish us no harm. The bad neighbors, those who DO wish us harm, will be sent back home. 

We in the United States are among the fortunate of the world. Although we have had, now have, and will have charlatans among us, we have also a Legacy of which we can be proud, a Legacy that gives us the tools we need to do what we have to do when we have to do it.

I refer of course to our Constitution and our Bill of Rights.

We cannot blame those less fortunate for wanting to share in what we take for granted. 

We can and we do blame them for making rotten choices if they break our law in their quest to share the Legacy our own families have lived, fought, and died for. 

Hence Justice before Mercy.

But our ultimate goal is PEACE. 

Without Mercy there will come no PEACE.

God Bless the USA!

Something You Might Or Might Not Want To Hear

note: I have no idea why this blog isn't posting any of the photo images these past months :( 

A few years ago it would never have occurred to me that what you are about to read might possibly be anything that anyone would need to be reminded of, let alone be something that some people may not have even heard of. It’s not new news; it’s not a new take on anything; it’s not unique in any way – at least until these past few years … the growing up years of our young adults. 

Below you’ll find excerpts from three separate blog posts. Together they say something you might or might not want to hear.

this is an image of the Constitution of the United States of America, which isn't showing up

1)  We are governed not by any one sitting president, not by any single current congress, not even by our courts. 

We are governed by the Constitution of the United States of America which grants sovereign rights to the PEOPLE of the United States. It is We the People of the United States of America who wield the final authority. We are not just saying 'NO' to corruption in our government; we are also saying 'NO' to those who have for too long been disregarding the fundamental premise of our form of government. 

  

these are images of a flying Bald Eagle and a standing American Bison

2)  Both the National Bird of the United States and our (apparently soon-to-be) National Animal/Mammal - the Bald Eagle and the American Bison - were both around for that last big ELE (Extinction Level Event, almost 13,000 years ago) - and somehow survived.

In much more recent years, both were on the verge of extinction (again) and both were 'brought back' from that verge by the collective will of the American People.

That we as a people, once we recognized what we had done, were doing, did what we had to do to correct ourselves ... something about that is reassuring, gives me hope.

God Bless America

Indivisible

3)  … I refer you to the stars that grace the Flag of the United States of America. Yes I know they represent each and all of the States of our Nation. They can also represent the forging of this Nation, one made up of many. You notice that each of those stars is the same size; each is equal to all of the others. The fact that Texas and Alaska are far bigger than Rhode Island and Delaware is entirely moot. They share equal status, and our Flag needs ALL of her stars in order to be complete. Not a single one of those stars carries a label but together they, and the stripes of red and white that flank them, represent one nation. One. Recognizing and respecting individuality in NO way diminishes what that means but enhances it.

this is an image of a flying dove carrying an olive branch

All of the above having been said, here’s what I want to remind you of:

First, regardless of who is in the White House, regardless of who fills the Seats of Congress in Washington DC, even regardless of who sits the benches of our courtrooms, the United States of America’s Constitution and Bill of Rights are what govern us.

Administrations come and administrations go, one after another after another. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights cannot be changed, only added to by the collective Will of the People via amendments (which are not easily achieved).

Second, we as a people have made mistakes. That we have, and do, and will come to recognize our mistakes, speaks well of us. That we have, and do, and will take steps to correct our mistakes speaks even louder.

Bringing back the Bald Eagle and the American Bison from the brink … how many of our younger folk even realize what that means? How many care? I would venture to say  :  few – very few – too few. Yet it is symbolic, and perhaps therein lies the issue at the moment. It is symbolic of something we as a people did RIGHT. These days, everyone’s focusing on other symbols, interpreting them in ways that are twisted.

Third, connected to second (and to first when it comes right down to it) the individual groups that make up our larger population have been, are, and will be collectively We the People of the United States of America.

That’s a statement of fact folks, not a recommendation.

There was a time, brought to mind by recent events, when mistakes were made by more than one ‘faction’. The effect was not pretty. The result was a still-united nation, albeit a wounded one.

The three points merge.

Today we can, if we look, see what has come of ‘that time’ which is of course our own Civil War, something that I hear some people threatening again. We will not go there, people. We will not.

For those who think perhaps it is a viable option, think again.

You have only to look to our southern states of Texas and Louisiana, right now, in August of 2017, to see the incontrovertible conclusion of that war. In the midst of horror and pain We the People, once divided and again threatened with division, are oblivious to the factors that once divided us. Watch, and listen. You can’t help but see what I’m talking about. There is no South any more; there is no North. There is no Urban; there is no Rural. There is no Rich; there is no Poor. There is only ONE People of the United States.

What you will see, if you care to look, is the United States of America, full-blown and just doing what it does – pulling together in a time of crisis. Addressing with steadfast resolution (a cliché I know but here it fits so yes I’m going to use it) those who would use the hurt of others for their own ends – the looters are being arrested; the politicizers are being shouted down or ignored; the price gougers are being documented and will be dealt with; the haters are being called out and shown up for what they are.

So, contrary to what ‘current events’ in the form of riots and protests and the destruction of symbols of our past successes and the haters might want us to believe, our nation as a whole is actually reaffirming what we have needed to be reminded of: we are ONE nation, indivisible. Made up of many and many different folks, this is true, but nevertheless ONE.

In our ‘crisis mode’ nobody cares about anything that doesn’t matter. Nobody cares about who someone is sleeping with; nobody cares about skin tones; nobody cares about how big someone’s house is or how fancy their vehicle is; nobody cares about who anybody else voted for; nobody cares when or how or under what circumstances anybody else’s ancestors came to these shores. Nobody cares about what anybody else ‘identifies as’ – because at the moment the only ‘identity’ anybody has is ‘American’.

Part of me weeps that it has had to take a Powerful Act of Nature to bring home to us what should have been recognized and celebrated all along. Instead, we’ve had divisiveness shoved down our throats for so long that we were starting to believe in it, even while choking on the very thought of it.

So y’all haters can just sit down and shut up now. We do accept that even you are a part of us. You are the part of each and all of us that we know we have inside, the dark ugly part that we fight to subdue and overcome. You are in the dark corners of our internal ‘gardens’, where we put the rotting detritus that we don’t want to see. You are there, and we are not denying it – but just as we nurture and care for the beauty and productivity of our own selves and our nation and set the detritus aside in a dark corner, so too will we set you aside. You need no nurturing; natural processes will decay you until you become again something we can use to further nurture the beauty and productivity. In the meantime, we do not want you front and center – not of our own selves and not of our nation.

Going back to our points …

The laws that govern us as American citizens forbid harm to any, for any reason.

We the People of the United States of America have been making a mistake; we can and will take steps to correct ourselves.

We cannot, and do not, and will not deny the value and importance of any part of our collective population. We might have to put you haters in a corner for a while, but in so doing we are but protecting the beauty and productivity while you’re decaying enough to become again nurturers of said beauty and productivity.

Just as, at the moment, Houston and other places are addressing the weeds (haters) in their sodden garden while caring for the beauty so too will the United States as a whole.

So you can either go to the corner on your own or we can put you there. Your choice.

Frankly, it would be a great deal more pleasant if you choose to become a part of the beauty right away, for you and for the rest of us. I can’t imagine it would be at all pleasant to find myself rotting and decaying for as long as it takes to become fertilizer. You can skip that step. Pay the piper (can’t skip this step, sorry), be forgiven, and ‘come on home’ – if you want.

It took many of our folk a real long time to make that happen, but … look to Texas and Louisiana right now. Look to We the People of the United States of America as we respond to the needs of our own. Look to the various States kicking in and getting the job done. Look to our Federal Government doing its part.

Tell me you don’t want to be a part of that; tell me you’d rather be rotting in a dark corner instead. Go ahead; try to convince me; give it your best shot; tell me why you’d prefer divisiveness over unity. Your chances of convincing me are slim to none, and slim isn’t really in the running, but here’s your chance to try.

My words to you are: come home – just come home to the America who already accepts you and loves you enough to put you in a corner when need be. You don’t have to stay in that dark rotting corner. Your place is here in the beauty and productivity of this oh so precious nation that we all call Home.

Justice

+Mercy

=Peace

Integration vs Segregation: Role Reversal In Progress?

Something has been nagging at the back of my mind for a while now, presenting me with a sense of unease because I couldn't quite identify what exactly was bothering me, couldn't get a handle on it enough to figure out what was behind it.

My mind kept going back to a time in my life when I was in college (for the third or fourth time as Life kept interfering with my education). One of my jobs was Recording Secretary for the Standing Committees of Student Government, the allocating committees that were assigned budgets and had to dispense funds to cover the different needs of our university population.

When a brand new committee was formed in the second half of the eighties, I kept records of its meetings. At the time it was called the MAC - Multicultural Awareness Committee - soon changed to Multicultural Activities Committee. I was asked, and accepted, a dual role: Recording Secretary and full member.

The population of our university wasn't huge at the time, maybe ten thousand, but the variety of folks was more than you might expect in an upper mid-western environment. The groups who organized themselves into Student Organizations came to the MAC for help in funding their activities and events. The principle goals of the Student Organizations were two-fold: first to offer support and friendship to their memberships; second to reach out to the larger university community to share the unique cultures of the different organizations. Some groups were large; others not so much. Even so, each and all shared those common goals.

The thing that sticks in my mind about those days is that the different organizations seemed to be simply wanting to share what made them unique, to present to the community of which they were a part information about the wider-than-expected diversity encapsulated within the sphere of our university environment.

I thought then and believe still that each and all of us have an inherent need to be understood and to be accepted as an integral part of a greater whole. I thought then and believe still that this nation, the United States of America, epitomizes that concept. We were doing our best in our own small way to exemplify that.

Quietly and generally without a whole lot of fanfare, we celebrated the inclusion of those of us who were maybe in some ways a mite different from the majority of the community we shared. It was informational, and fun, and I think it helped all of to grow as we learned from each other.

A couple of decades before my (too brief) time on the MAC, things had been different. We had among us those who remembered those times all too well. They remembered segregation, had battled with all that they had in them to bring it to an end.

I think that what has made the United States strong enough to have survived has been un underlying powerful belief that the forging of the strength of this nation lies not in her diversity per se but in the one-ness that makes the sum of the whole much greater than the parts.

There are any number of instructional articles and videos about the making of steel. There are any number of uses said steel can be put to.

That's sort of how I view our nation. We are forging something that will stand the test of time here.

To do it requires many different components put to many uses in many ways. It requires the integration of the many into the whole. Each standing apart cannot become what is needed. By the same token, the whole will not be indeed what it needs to be if any of the components are left out.

And so ... for a time the vision was to forge a new way, incorporating all of the parts necessary to make the whole as strong as it needs to be.

Have we lost that vision?

Because just lately it's come to me what has been nagging at me for so long.

I see and hear an entirely different version of our vision, and yes it bothers me.

Are the various parts now struggling to return to segregation, leaving the strength of an integrated whole? Do any of you recall the old catch-phrase 'separate but equal'? Seems to me that didn't work out all that well. Separation is not exactly much of a sign of equality, if you ask me. Yet it seems factions are developing that desire separation, and equality is left in the dust ... or the ashes ... take your pick.

You know, just because one group is smaller in size doesn't make it less vital to the forging of the whole. If you took it out of the mix, the result would be different all right - probably not nearly as strong. Try leaving one 'minor' ingredient out of a recipe once. It might still be okay but it surely won't be what it was supposed to be. The same goes for forging steel and just about everything else - including nations.

So really. Those who seem to be trying to 'set themselves apart' ... stop it. Just stop it. We are all just as important as each other, no more and no less. We will not become less than we are as a nation, and this re-segregation is not going to work.

In closing (I heard that sigh of relief) I refer you to the stars that grace the Flag of the United States of America. Yes I know they represent each and all of the States of our Nation. They can also represent the forging of this Nation, one made up of many. You notice that each of those stars is the same size; each is equal to all of the others. The fact that Texas and Alaska are far bigger than Rhode Island and Delaware is entirely moot. They share equal status, and our Flag needs ALL of her stars to be complete. Not a single one of those stars carries a label but together they, and the stripes of red and white that flank them, represent one nation. One. Recognizing and respecting individuality in NO way diminishes what that means but enhances it.

God Bless America

Indivisible