We the People?

This week's Blogger Idol challenge was a soapbox post.  Bloggers were encouraged to get up on that soapbox and blog about something we feel passionate about.  Ranting and raving was highly encouraged.  Bloggers were told "be completely honest and raw."  Well, being honest and raw is basically "my bag," so this wasn't a challenge.  What I chose to write about, however, is a challenge.  It's an enormous challenge that I strongly believe we all must rise to.  That challenge is putting the "United" back in U.S.A.  So, today I am standing on my soapbox for every American, and I hope you join me too.  I don't care if you're black or white, male or female, Republican or Democrat.  Rise up! Rise up! Rise up! so I can remove the question mark from this post's title.

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Unless you live the life of a hermit, and your only source of outside media is very oddly this blog, I assume that by now you are aware that a number of states have signed petitions requesting secession from the United States.  Such requests have largely been made as a result of the recent reelection of President Barack Obama. 

Texas was the first state to petition on the website We the People, and continues to hold the most signatures.  Most political analysts and pundits will tell you that such petitions are almost 100% likely to fail.  No secession will come as a result of these petitions.  More than anything, they are a symbol of disappointment and anger generated at our government. 

To add one’s signature to secession petition holds all the value of posting to your facebook status update: “America is screwed.”  What damn good does it do?  None.  It makes one look like a whiney asshole behaving with all the maturity of a toddler who has been denied his preferred toy at a department store.  Declaring that our nation is damned and you might as well go on welfare because you disagree with the popular and electoral vote is neither respectful nor intelligent. 

 

 

 

The blame and divisiveness MUST come to an end.  We are not screwed because Obama won reelection.  However, our nation could end up damning itself if many cannot learn to respond differently to his position in office.  Do you all remember singing, “This land is your land.  This land is my land”?  I still believe that.  This land was made for you and me – even though the you and me demographic has changed drastically, Mr. Bill O’Reilly. 

If you’ve been following me, you know I recently posted about the mock election in the district where I am currently employed.  I recorded that many students who expressed favor for Romney did so by sharing the cliché of “we can’t afford four more years.”  While it’s obvious I voted for Obama, I agree that we can’t afford four more years like the last. 

We can’t afford four more years of partisan political practices and treason.  It is disgusting that many of our Republican leaders readily admitted that their primary goal the past four years has been to ensure that Obama did not gain reelection.  Even in the midst of enormous economic and foreign troubles, one of the Republican Senate’s most important leaders, Mitch McConnell, told the National Journal’s Major Garret, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” Clearly, those leaders failed to attain such a goal.  Furthermore, in making politics their priority, rather than we the people, they have failed each and every one of us – Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Caucasian, Asian, African American, man, woman, child. 

Given my disgust with such practices, how can I agree with the predominantly Republican slogan that we can’t afford four more years?  It’s four more years of games playing and partisan firewalls that we can’t afford.  It’s four more years of whining and bitching that we can’t afford. It’s four more years of “well, we’re screwed” status updates that end there and never lead to any positive action that we can’t afford.

Instead of seeking secession, those states and individuals may want to try some positive action.  There must be more compromise and less complaining. How can we continue to call ourselves the United States of America when unity is so sorely lacking?

I am not asking that all conservatives become liberals or vice versa.  But we need to stop shouting and start listening to one another.  I do not blame the Republican Party alone, either.  I was also disgusted that some announcements of excitement read as “Four more years! Woo-hoo! Suck it Romney!”  That’s the kind of shit you yell to the opposing football team.  “Go Rodgers! Suck it Cutler!” is acceptable, but the former should not be accepted by any American.

What is there to celebrate right now?  Yes, Obama won reelection.  But none of us, even those who voted for Obama, will end up winning if we maintain the kind of divisive, vitriolic attitude displayed in every arena of social media.  We need to really, truly earn that title of the UNITED States and get on the same damn team.  Republicans and Democrats alike: when we suit up, we all wear red, white, and blue.  Please remember that the next time you complain about the state of our nation.