Thursday, October 7, 2010

All Hail....

Since when did we become such horrific people?

Over the course of the past couple days I’ve read news stories that have really shaken me to my core. To say that my patriotism has taken a couple of hard blows is putting it mildly.

Since when have the American people become so heinous?

When did we as a society say that oaths were merely empty promises that were okay to ignore?

We utter oaths to a banner. We utter oaths to the air, but if we don’t put effort behind those promises, how can we as a people say we stand for something when we obviously don’t?

A family had their home burn to the ground over the non-payment of a $75.00 fee.

Firefighters – who took an oath to place their own lives on the line to protect lives and property – shunned that oath when they decided they feared losing their jobs more than helping someone in need.

This is shocking.

This is terrible.

This is more than just heartbreaking – it’s the proverbial canary in a coal mine.

When we are so beaten that we would rather break a promise to a fellow human being than to suffer the consequences of decision we know in our hearts is wrong, we’ve lost.

We’ve lost what it means to be American – the home of free and people who are willing to help a neighbor to assure a strong democracy and the betterment of all of its citizens…

Not just those who can afford $75.00.

All hail the Great American Citizen …

… just don’t ask them to help you when you’re in need. All you’ll get is a fistful of empty promises and a swift kick in the teeth.