I was thinking…. Canary in the coal mine

I was thinking….. Sometimes it’s a good thing,  sometimes I just don’t know…

I have been fortunate in my life to grow up and live in foreign countries; and in that I have perspective many of my friends and family members  have never had, nor ever will.  It was no accident I decided to come to America (just as many have before me, many have since and many others yet, still dream of).

Those of us fortunate to have made it to this Country, know why we are here; although not perfect, this is the most sought after place on earth; for its freedom, for its opportunities, for its  generosity, for its way of life not paralleled by any other country in the World.

I doubt people clamor to move to Venezuela, or Cuba or France for the political governance of those countries… there is a reason for that… most of us know  it intuitively, we are not looking to be subservient to our representatives…. but those of us who have seen it first hand are America’s Canary in the coal mine.

I never remember a point in my lifetime, here or in any other country that  I can think of, where the air was so poisoned that family members, neighbors, friends can so easily be at odds with one another as much as since President Barack Obama has been elected.  No matter how much discourse there was during the 8 yrs of his predecessor George W. Bush, you never felt this constant assault and bad aura that permeates every thing we do or see in our daily lives!  In the course of calling ordinary citizens terrorists or other disparaging terms, the very Government we have elected to represent us is dividing us, marginalizing some, elevating others, seeping into our consciousness little by little.

It’s not politics… it’s destructive!!!

There are people who want to burry their hands in the sand to avoid dealing with it, which is exactly what promotes this abuse of Government power and name calling of those who dissent (we have seen this show before); we are living in dangerous times, and no, this is not just hyperbole, you can feel it!

But at the end of the day, I want to be part of the people who tried to do something about it; I don’t want to look back and say….

We could tell it wasn’t right…
We could tell it didn’t feel right…
We could tell it didn’t smell right….
We could tell it didn’t look right…

But we failed to do the RIGHT thing… and worse… We were afraid to even talk bout it!!!!!!!    My take is, Speak now or forever be silent!!!

I don’t know why… but I know I need to do something….

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.  Ronald Reagan Address to the annual meeting of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, (30 March 1961)