After dinner, I visited my usual group of websites and blogs for my daily dose of political news and comment. I noticed a big contrast between “conservative” and “liberal” leaning websites. On conservative sites, I saw positive messages of well-wishes, hope and praise, and lots of positive comments from people all over the country. On the more liberal sites, I also saw some of the same happy and uplifting comments, but most of the comments I read on these sites were negative when it came to talk of the nation and the status of the lives of the people who took the time to leave a message.
Why is that? I believe it reaffirms my opinion that in general, liberals are not positive people. They choose to view the glass as half empty, and view the world around them with skepticism, anger, despair, and just downright negativity. Sadly, many of these poor souls don’t believe (or understand) that it is them, and them alone, that make up their own destiny, and that they awake each day with a choice- to be positive, or to be negative. Don’t believe me? Take a look at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ and then tell me what you think.
Therefore, rather than be pessimistic and miserable this evening, I am going to tell you what I think is right with America. I will give you examples from my day today, as I had the opportunity to explore some of my little corner of this nation.
This morning, I woke up a few hours later than normal. My wife and I did not have our daughter with us this year for the 4th of July, and we wanted to take advantage of extra time to sleep. I woke up in my own bed, safe and comfortable. I felt safe and comfortable because I live in a wonderful country with good people who are my neighbors. We have law and order, and it is this law and order that helps keep my family safe from many of the evils in this world. I sat up in bed and said a little prayer of thanks to my God without fear of persecution or reprisal from my government.
I then walked downstairs and said good morning to my lovely wife. A few years ago, I had the good fortune to marry a wonderful woman with the grace and blessing of my God and family because I live in a nation that allows me to select my mate and allows me to marry her not just in the eyes of the State of California, but also in the eyes of my God. She smiled at me, said good morning right back, and gave me a little kiss.
The first thing I did was to hang a new American flag that I had purchased a few days before. Our old flag was just that, old, and we wanted to get a new one. We have not had a new flag in awhile. I hung the flag holder on a porch post, unfurled a new 3x5 flag (made in the U.S.A.), and proudly displayed it outside of our home. It felt great to display this banner of freedom and opportunity right next to my front door.
My wife and I then went to the store to find some fresh corn and a few other things for our barbecue this evening. The two grocery stores in my area were all sold out of corn last night, and there was to be an early morning shipment of fruits and vegetables. My wife and I were able to browse the isles at our leisure and we purchased some food we knew to be safe to eat and healthy, thanks to a government which monitors food quality and looks out for its citizens. We purchased items grown and made by people in this country who have the ability and right to choose their own profession, and to earn a living my doing whatever they choose to do.
After we got home, we decided to go to a movie. We headed to the nearest indoor mall where it was nice and cool. Despite what the liberals in this country call a “horrible” economy, there were hundreds of shoppers enjoying a day out. All who were at the mall live in a country where capitalism makes it possible for ordinary people to start and operate a business, and to make a living offering a wide variety of products and services. No person or government official tells them they cannot open a reasonable business and operate it within the parameters of the law. The mall we visited had all of its shops open and people were browsing and buying. We saw men, women and children laughing, playing, shopping, and spending time supporting our economy. My wife and I purchased about $100 worth of food, clothes, and entertainment to about 5 different stores and a restaurant. Because of this great nation, we purchased food and clothes made in this country, and ate delicious Chinese food without leaving our small town!
The citizens of our country enjoy a very high level of freedom of speech and expression, which is somewhat rare outside of our borders. As a result, my wife and I sat in the dark and comfort of the movie theatre and watched a good movie that involved the employment and hard work of many people in this country. We were not harassed for going to watch people speak about a particular viewpoint, and we were not harmed for snacking on the candy we wanted to eat, nor were we arrested and disciplined for holding hands and giving each other a kiss in the dark.
After the movie was over, we drove back to our home. Because we live in this great country, my wife and I were able to purchase a comfortable home, in a safe city, in the best county in the State, in the best State in the Union. We were able to afford this home because we are both gainfully employed. We have jobs we enjoy (for the most part!), and because we work hard, we are paid pretty well for what we do. Inside our home, we enjoy all of the basic necessities of life and many luxuries as well.
You see, unknown to the typical liberal mind, anyone who wants to try hard enough can find a job they enjoy and can perform that job to the best of their ability and be rewarded. If they work hard, persevere, and never give up, then they too can live in a home where they can relax and be comfortable. And due to innovation, talent, creativity of the citizens of this country, we have clean running water, sanitation devices, energy to light, heat, and cool the house, and energy to run all the various appliances in our home.
Awhile after we arrived home, I went to work cleaning and prepping the barbecue. My wife started to prepare the corn and boiled the bratwurst in a broth of peppers and onions. I put some charcoal on the barbecue and started them up. We then cooked our delicious corn and bratwurst and served it with some crock-pot brown sugar beans, potato salad and lemonade. After dinner we watched a little TV, thanks again to the freedom of speech. We ended our evening watching some fireworks courtesy of our city.
Overall, it was a great day, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Unfortunately, it seems many of the posters on various websites I visited this evening chose to spend the day whining and complaining about everything under the sun. It is sad, and quite honestly, pathetic! We have gone from a nation of people who work hard and persevere to people who have become lazy, and who believe things need to be handed to them. Experiencing trials and tribulations as a way to make one stronger are a thing of the past. Instead when life does not go their way, there are many people who expect others to make it up to them. They expect the government to cure all which ails them, and they expect it to be done immediately. They insist that “someone else” is to blame for their problems. “Someone else” is the reason why they don’t succeed. “Someone else” needs to take care of them.
And in their quest to pass the blame for their trials and their failures, they seem to forget the concept of inner reflection and the belief that it is the individual which ultimately succeeds because the individual refuses to believe that they are not meant to achieve their dreams and goals.
There are many Americans who truly hate America. They spend a good portion of their life arguing against the traditions and beliefs on which this country was founded. They see religion as evil. They see law and order only as a means of oppression. They view the family unit as an old and tired concept. Freedom is something that is desired, but only as long as it serves their agenda. Otherwise, freedom is a negative idea. Further, their view of what freedom is and what it means is often perverted from what our founding father’s intended it to be. They see any opposition to their viewpoints as “elitist” or “racist”, and often use these and many other derogatory terms in an attempt to label and silence the opposition. They do not believe in the individual- instead all they see is a nanny-state government.
I agree that America is not perfect. America has a history of wrongs to other nations and to individuals. Those that govern America often let their personal beliefs and opinions cloud what should be the best course of action for the country. And this is to be expected. People by nature are weak, lazy, easily impressionable, and often want what is only the best for them. As a result, the policies and procedures that are implemented by our leaders can and do take the country in the wrong direction.
But I also know what is right with America, and today I had the opportunity to witness it first hand. I hope that there were many other people who may read this who took the time to be thankful for the opportunities this great country provides for them, and for their friends and family.
To close, I wanted to post some pictures that reflect what this day is all about. I took them while chaperoning my daughter’s troop at the 2008 Girl Scout Operation Thin Mint sendoff on the U.S.S. Midway. I believe what you are about see is inspiring and reflects the hope and promise of what this country exemplifies. Happy 232 America and God bless you!
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