A journey to find what it means to be an American

  What does it mean to be an American......


  I'm proud to be an American, It is on bumper stickers, T-shirts and shouted by many but what does it really mean? As an American I see my Government bicker and argue with each other, I feel the impact of the pissing match of the  2 political parties in office and I see my Government making choices that I question over and over again.

When I ask other Americans why they are proud to be an American they say Freedom, But we are not the only free country in this world and even the word freedom seems to be just a word.... There are people who are fighting to have the same rights as others and are being bashed because of who they love. People are being thrown in jail for speaking their minds on how they feel about our poorly run government and everything from what you do or don't do in your home to your car to out in public is having a law created or abolished... Cheating on your spouse during marriage is illegal where I live yet it does not stop men and women from going outside of their marriages. But shouldn't that be a private issue... Why does the government have to tell you not to cheat on your spouse?

A law is being put forth to stop people from smoking in their cars when they have children with them yet another law is being put in place to cease smoking in public places or even in rented homes... People argue that smoking is not good, which it isn't but than again neither is drinking alcohol and driving but still alcohol is served without restriction. You can not fight to end one bad thing if you do not fight to end all bad things.... But where is the line drawn? Soda and junk food can lead to obesity, Some states are now taxing these items but shouldn't we be free to eat what we want to or better yet why tax the people who consume these foods and not tax the businesses that create them... Instead of going after the people who smoke or eat Craptastic foods, Why not go after the creators of such that produce, market and create the people who consume and use  such items? Yet the government regulates the safety of items and foods and we are constantly seeing newscasts regarding items not being safe or foods that are causing sickness....

So Tax items for consumers that are not "healthy", but say nothing to the businesses that create such Items and foods,  Make laws that tell people things they should or shouldn't do in their homes, cars and marriage but fight against some people having the same rights as the general public based on who they love...

School shootings, Instead of going to the cause of why these tragedies happen and coming together to make sure resources are provided to end the violence unto others by others we, as a society have made it into a yelling match over " I have a right to bear Arms and defend myself". Such a sad lot we are when innocent children are being murdered and the sales of guns increase and instead of joining together to end the violence we are creating violence with our verbal attacks on each other. The Government is forming a committee regarding video games instead of saying we need to look at why people feel the need to pick up a gun to resolve their anger, frustration or what is troubling them and make sure there are services and resources for them.

Cause we all know Video games, Rap music and Movies cause people to kill and losing your home or job or being bullied has nothing to do with people feeling despair and anger. 

I see people fighting on who created the earth yet few fighting to save it. What political party someone voted for seems to be important than who someone is anymore. The bible and God are used to create Hateful words and actions. Health care, education , jobs and the military are always the first  to feel the negative impact of our bickering government, We as Americans have had to make sacrifice after sacrifice and our Government is still throwing parties, enjoying expense accounts and their salary remains untouched even though their performance as leaders is poor. Performance Pay for our Government might get them to do their jobs, don't you think or perhaps we should have them work for minimum wage? 

The list goes on and on.... and yet I am made to be a traitor by questioning what it means to be an American.... Once upon a time we had leaders who put their countrymen first not in words but in actions. We as a society have come a long ways from slavery and racism to  Women rights but yet we are so far from being a society that can be proud and we either don't realize it or want to see it and I don't know which is worse.


So instead of wallowing in these feelings I will embark on a personal journey to find out what it means to be an American and I hope that this journey will show me the beauty and good that has been hidden and when someone asks me why I am proud to be an American I can answer strongly with a list of reasons. I want to fall in love with my Country.....

...When Enough is Enough...

Someone wise once said that all  it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to stand by and do nothing....


  In every country there is a group of people that cause havoc and bring destruction to those who live in it. The group of people, if we may call them that have different agendas as to why they cause the destruction they do but the result is the same...innocent people are harmed, killed and once peaceful places are now filled with violence and a stench of doom and feelings of being trapped linger in the air. The acts of these groups of people can leave people feeling helpless to an extent....How do you stand up against such evil? How does one take back what has been taken from them? How does one person make a difference or how can a small group make a difference against many who use violence to assert themselves?


If we were to look at history it shows us that there is always one person or a small group of people that have evoked change. Change does not happen overnight but gradually with one foot in front of another you eventually get where you are going. I look at my own country's history for guidance..
 Rosa Parks was a black woman who was forced to sit in the back of the bus because she was viewed as less than equal to white people. One day she sat in the front of the bus, after working a long day at work and there being no seats available to her in the place of the bus she was ordered to sit in and seats being available in the front she sat down to rest her tired feet and body. She had had enough, She was done being treated as if she was less than and in that moment she spoke up by taking a seat.  As she sat in that seat she was spat on, cursed at and knew that there would be consquences she would have to face but she sat there clothed in strength and dignity. The Civil rights Movement was a time in my country's history where ordinary people were standing up against in justice. They were standing together so there voices were heard. Many risked and lost their lives during this period in time.. and yet they did not back down. They held their heads higher and became stronger and eventually they prevailed.

Some view this period of time as a dark mark in our history, I see it as a lesson...Guidance.. and something that everyone can learn from. One event will happen and when it does those who have been silent will find their voice. Knees that once wobbled and were weak will stand strongly. People who were strangers will become united together for greater good.

I Live in an area where a group of people like to cause destruction and violence... Where at times it is un safe for my children to go out and play. Where it is un safe to be out after dark. Where bullets in alleys are a common find and gunshots pierce the night air. We can not change the lifestyle this group of people have choosen for themselves but we as a community have decided that we will not allow them to cause destruction in our neighborhood. We have taken a stand against these thugs with guns... From the city government officials to people like myself , A mother who wants better for her children. While we can not rid   our neighborhood of these menaces we have taken our neighborhood back.. and these menaces know that we will not be threatened by them and that they will not destroy our neighborhood.

One event will change things.. it will make us no longer stand by in "silence".  For my neighborhood it was the murder of a child by a stray bullet while she was outside playing. If we had not waited for that one event to gain strength maybe that little girl would be enjoying the day off from school today with the other kids in the neighborhood.  Every Country has a group of people that cause destruction.. Every city, Every neighborhood.. As someone wise once said all it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to stand by and do nothing.

What we do represents who we are..

   Someone wise once said that we give people power over us by our reactions to their actions.....



               When I was younger I remember watching the television and seeing people dragging people out of cars and beating them. I remember seeing people destroying businesses and stealing things from stores. I remember the anger and outrage in their faces. I remember the fear that was in the air. I remember the way our country was turning on one another.. the way we viewed each other differently after this...

                  A group of Police Officers had pulled over a man who had been driving drunk, The alcohol had him behaving in a manner that was not respectful. This group of Police officers choose to beat this man instead of handling the situation in a responsible manner. There were words said that should not have been said..words that were hateful. The actions of these Police Officers were wrong, The Man who was drinking and driving was wrong in his actions. What came as a result of this was destruction, Hate and death. Innocent people were murdered. Businesses were looted and destroyed. There was a hate that filled the air across our country. Outrage and anger are not bad emotions. They are feelings we feel when something happens that pulls at our heart..When we see wrong or in justice caused by others we get emotional. It is human.

               However what we do with these emotions is what matters... How we react and respond is in our control. We may not have control over other's actions but we do over our own. We choose to give someone else Power over us when we react out of anger. What is our message when we cause destruction out of anger? What is our message when we cause harm to innocent people out of anger?  There are people who will do mean spirited things against others...People who will slander others.... People who will commit acts that anger us or saddened us... How do you respond to such people? How do you take control of your emotions?

    One person's actions  are now causing devastation and destruction across the world. One person who wanted to evoke hate has done what he has set out to do. How? Because we have allowed him this power... We have given this despicable man the power he has sought. We have feed into his anger and hate. Instead of  joining together and showing this lowlife that he is wrong he is being proven right. Instead of speaking out against him and his message people are turning on each other... causing destruction and death to people who have done no wrong.

      Many may wonder why I am so outspoken on this...
               I am an American who is trying to do good in a country far away from mine. I am someone who wants to make a difference..Someone who has a love for a country that others do not see as I do. Ambassador Stevens was very much like myself... and he was murdered because why? I am not responsible for the bad choices others make. I am not the source of the slanderous things that are done from my country and neither are other Americans... It goes the same for every Country. We are only accountable for what we do. If our Country does wrong, it is not the common man who is the cause..it is the Government that is. If there are hateful people in a country who do things that breed hate it is that person who is a racist and Anti person not the Country.

               Every day we have  people that  say un-kind words to us, speak against our beliefs, speak down on what we believe in or who we  are....... Do we hurt them? No. Do we start to destroy things out of anger? No.  Do we take our anger with one person out on others? No.   There is a way to speak out against wrong. There is a way to make your voice heard. There is a way to use the anger and outrage one feels for good. But is much easier to let our emotions lead us... Much easier to cause mayhem and destruction.

Someday I hope that this will change, That we will see there are other ways and use them. When I look at my children I want the way I have lived my life to be their example for how they live theirs. I want how I have treated others to be their example. I want better for my children, just as my parents wanted for me but wanting a better world doesn't make it better does it? So what do we do? Do we just watch others do wrong or will be the ones who Do?