Being An American

Black, Irish, Latino and Latina, Chinese, South American, female, male, gay, straight, transgender, bisexual, lesbian, foreign or native born – each and every one of us who lives here voluntarily is an American. Naturalized or native, still an American. Liberal, conservative, Muslim, Jewish or Christian, or simply an Atheist. What you think doesn’t matter. Who you are does matter. Do you tolerate people different from you? Or do you segregate yourself into a ghetto of your own making?

Nazi, white supremacist, you can think these things freely in America; but know that you speak hate and represent such; that creates reactions. Your action creates reaction. You are responsible for both the action and the reaction. Because you are so out of the mainstream of thought and values.

The dissonance is the trouble maker. Those holding on dearly to the dissonance and insist it be heard must be ready for the reaction. They alone cause it.

Yes you have free speech rights but you also have responsibility in the exercise of that right. If you create a danger to others by your speech, then you can expect all forms of trouble. Injury may result. Property damage may result. And yes, you are held responsible for all of it. You cannot shout ‘fire’ in a crowded theater. That is well-established law in the US. This principle has been expanded to include other common sense restrictions.

Just because you are free to think and speak with freedom doesn’t mean you are correct in any other sense. Facts, history and context are all important to what it is you say. If you are dissonant with any or all of that, then you are wrong. If you wish to live that way, fine; but learn to be isolated and shunned. Those are just the facts of life.

For the rest of  us, we learn to live lives of purpose and consequence. We tolerate you but do not celebrate you. If you are OK with that, fine.

Also, the rest of us have learned to tolerate people who we don’t understand or agree with on many levels of life. I’m gay; I don’t expect you to be gay, nor do I expect you to celebrate my being gay. I’ve learned to live with this situation; you do too, just like I have learned to live with your anti-American, hateful personality. Just don’t tread on me or my family or my property. In return we will provide you the same level of protection.

“Give me your tired, your poor, teeming masses yearning to be free…” is a deeply moving inscription on the base of the Statue of Liberty. We are a nation of immigrants. Whether born to parents who brought you here as an infant, or as the first generation born on this soil by immigrant parents, it doesn’t matter. You are an American. If you were born in the 5^th or 20^th generation of an immigrant family, such does not make you better or lesser a citizen of America.

We are Americans and that’s what counts. With that established we are all free to pursue life, liberty and happiness however we will and can. The rights and liberties of others are protected from our pursuits. We are not to damage anyone else’s rights. Getting along does count for a lot in America.

You and I have a responsibility to fulfill governance duties. We vote, we keep informed, we pay taxes, we volunteer our services, we serve on juries, and in many ways we support the operations of our governing units. We own those governing units; they do as we direct through the power of the ballot box and our relations with elected representatives. Those folks work for us, you and I. But they cannot do their jobs well in a vacuum. They need your input and help to do their jobs. So do yours.

Having said all that, understand you and I do not have the intrinsic power to pick and choose who our neighbors or fellow citizens are. We are all part of the same melting pot. The stew mixes well because of our unique differences. Learn to appreciate that.

I do appreciate it and I welcome your efforts to do the same.

Now, about voting for a simpleton bully like Trump; how could you? When did you stop reading or listening to the news? Or history?

We have work to do in this nation as we always have. The job is never done. A lot of people are hurting and they need our help. I’m hurting and need help. But each of us is required to pull our share of the workload. I’m doing mine. Are you?

August 30, 2017