WHAT IS THE GLUE THAT BINDS A COUNTRY?

Every successful country needs some “glue” to hold it together. In my opinion, some very useful “glues” are pride, heroes, faith, safety, tradition and love. There are more, but I think these will suffice for now.

There are things happening recently that are not healthy. These ‘glues” are being attacked in many ways. Politicians demeaning the U.S., protestors defacing or tearing statues down, churches being burned or enduring sex scandals, the George Floyd riots (I know it’s woke to call them protests- but when they result in 25 deaths and millions of dollars in damages I think “protest” is not an accurate label) or people showing pride in the country being dismissed as uninformed are some examples I’ve seen of the growing challenges to our country’s survival.

I don’t have a problem with people challenging things we have done wrong as a country. It is impossible to improve if flaws are never recognized. I do get concerned when the critical facts are not balanced with the positive truths that also exist. I have voiced my concern in earlier blogs about one sided coverage of stories that do not educate the reader, but, rather, indoctrinate.

Thoughts, symbols, words, books, songs etcetera can bind a nation, together. Those same things can, at times, destroy unity and cause gaps between certain groups to grow. The confederate flag is an example of a symbol that can both connect and divide. One group views it as a symbol of the South to be venerated while others are repulsed by it and see only a symbol of slavery or white supremacy. A point I find interesting is that when people point to love of the Confederate Flag, they purposely avoid mentioning that some of those people love the South, but are not against Blacks. They paint with a broad brush falling into the fallacy that states- If you like the history of the South and the Civil War South was racist, then you must be racist. They deem our country as “systemically racist” while refusing to recognize all the successful Blacks in the country including Barack Obama who was elected to our country’s top office two times. They don’t ask the obvious question, “How did a Black man get elected to the top office of the land two times if that country is racist?

I don’t like the idea of the one sided arguments that the media is allowing some politicians and activists to use to the detriment of our country. Detractors are quick to point out that some minorities are statistically below the success rates of whites. Samuel Clemons (Mark Twain) is quoted as saying, “There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.” to make the point that numbers can, and often are, used to mislead.

Could there be other factors that lead to lower success rate among minorities? Single parent homes perhaps? Which are more prevalent in minority communities. In the arguments pushing the flawed concept of “White privilege” this is seldom brought into the discussion. I believe it’s not brought in because it debunks the lie of “White privilege.” Another question, seldom asked, is how do some minority individuals excel if the system is designed to hold them down? If we are a society that hates Blacks how did we let Oprah slip by? Who gave her her first job in broadcasting? Why did millions of racist viewers support her?

I submit it is necessary to know our true history in order to love our country. With this being said I should add that it is equally important to know about the “warts” of our heritage so we can study them and steer away from repeating those mistakes. Yes we allowed slavery in our infancy as a country. But, while it was an acceptable practice worldwide, we abolished it and many of our young men died in our bloodiest war, the war that ended that “that peculiar institution.”

What could be the danger in tearing down statues honoring Columbus, Washington, Lincoln, Robert E. Lee etc.? I think the dangers are numerous. If there comes a time to fight to protect our land- which I suspect is not far off- who wants to fight for a land that has no history, or worse yet, has a shameful history?

Every hero I know of was also seriously flawed. Columbus discovered the “New World”- but he was for slavery, his discovery of the “New World” brought diseases that killed many of the natives and he used torture as a method of interrogation when he was governor of Hispaniola. Washington owned slaves- but also risked his life and fortune to bring us freedom. A NOTE: At the time of Columbus and Washington slavery existed in every country and torture was an accepted tool for interrogations from the year 500 to the end of the 15th Century-Columbus died in 1506. Jim Thorpe was a Native American war hero- who was also an alcoholic. John F. Kennedy was a successful and loved president- but he was also known to be a womanizer. What does this mean? It means that every human being is flawed, but some rise above those flaws and do something that changes the world for the better; and if we don’t acknowledge and honor those people not only will they be lost to oblivion, but we will become a rudderless ship with no set direction.

In our current climate this will probably be viewed as a “racist statement” but it needs to be said; America was founded by, mostly, white settlers. These settlers risked life and fortune to explore, fight for freedom and found a successful nation dedicated to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I don’t believe this country, or that statement is racist in any way, it is merely stating a fact. 

Martin Luther King said, “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” I think we were very close to accomplishing that but we are now going a new direction in which our “leaders” are trying to bring critical race theory into our schools to teach “White privilege” and other unproven racist theories. Why do I call CRT racist? Because it judges whites by the color of their skin rather than who they are individually. It teaches that whites are inherently racist and must fight to overcome that flaw. It also suggests that whites that claim they are not racist are actually proving they are racist by their denials- What’s that called, a catch 22?

I believe the founders of our country were geniuses who came up with a great template, out of which a near perfect country grew. They were all successful in their own way and risked their lives and liberty to rebel against an oppressive government. They worked as patriots to create a country run by people elected to work for the people for a short time and then return to their farms or other jobs when another elected volunteer would take their place. 

What do you think holds our country together, if anything?

When did we stop respecting our solders and police? Was it Viet Nam? Was it before that? Was it when Colin Kaepernick took a knee and the media called him a hero? Was it when Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown in Ferguson Missouri? (Is everyone aware that the Brown shooting was deemed justifiable after Black witnesses testified that he was the aggressor and ignored numerous lawful orders while beating Officer Wilson causing serious injuries?) Does it matter when? 

I think respect for our armed forces and police are glues that hold our country together. There have been wars, murders, rapes and all kinds of crime in humanity since the beginning of history. This will not stop by wishing for it to end or eliminating out right to bear arms. If our whole country were to disarm (Which is an impossibility) in the hope that all murder and violent crime will  stop those with violent intent would still act. The big would attack the little, those not big enough to overpower their victim would use knives, clubs tree branches, poison or whatever they could find just like they did for the many centuries prior to the first gun. Cain did not kill Able with a gun! 

Did the “Defund The Police” movement begin when the justice department investigation found that the facts supported Officer Wilson’s statements that he feared for his life when Michael Brown reached into his squad and attempted to beat and disarm him, but added a secondary finding of “systemic racism?” Did we stop respecting the police when politicians joined in the chant of “Defund the police” and much of the news media (Sports teams and coverage included) sided with the anti-police rants of Black Lives Matter? Well at any rate any country that would even consider defunding their police is, in that way, ungluing itself. Don’t you agree?

Sports events are losing viewership. Baseball and football have always been my two favorite sports, both for playing and for viewing. I had boycotted football for 3 years after Kaepernick took a knee and I could not watch a football game without the announcers dwelling on what a hero he was, or “the problem of systemic racism in policing.” Was that ever proven? I was a police officer for 35 years and saw no evidence of it. Of course what would I know compared to a football announcer who’s heard stories? 

Remember when people who fought police or disobeyed lawful commands were seen as the problem? Ahhh, the good old days!

Baseball was my true love. I kept watching that while boycotting football. Baseball soon caught up though. BLM insignia’s behind the mounds turned my stomach as a police officer whose profession was targeted by them? Moving the All Star Game to a state that has more restrictive voting laws (Colorado) after Georgia improved (That’s not a misprint- it’s an opinion) their voting requirements was the last slap in the face for me. I have not watched a baseball game all year.

While I’m writing of voter laws I just wanted to comment on the irony that the party that is saying voter ID laws are restrictive and racist is now asking for Vaccine ID’s or passports- Did I miss something? Are those polar opposite stances really being taken by the same politicians? That’s another glue that’s been removed. Sporting events were an escape- work was tough, I’m fighting with the wife, I had a recent death in the family… “I just want to watch the game and relax.” Oh well, now I can watch the game and learn how bad my country is.

I’ve heard that history books are not the same as when I went to school. Students are taught that the U.S. is oppressive and responsible for much of the problems in the world- we should tell all the people coming here illegally about this, maybe they will turn around and we won’t have the big problem at the South border. That’s just less glue holding the country together. Oh well.

I hope I’ve given you some new things to think about without keeping you up at night.

As always please comment and share with your friends.

Thanks for reading, Phil.