The National Anthem

Last Thursday, my co-worker was listening to the first game of the NBA Championship.  When I heard the announcement that the National Anthem was about to be sung, I walked closer to the radio.  As the first notes were played, I placed my hand over my heart.  My co-worker saw me and he, too, placed his hand over his heart.  We stood silently, hands on our hearts, listening to the National Anthem of our country.  That is not the first time I have stopped what I was doing and placed my hand over my heart when the National Anthem was sung.  I do not need to be at a sporting event or any other event, for that matter, where the National Anthem is played, to honor the playing of National Anthem.  It is enough for me just to hear the music being played on the television or the radio.

Francis Scott Key wrote the poem which became the Star Spangled Banner and our National Anthem.  He had witnessed the British attack on Fort McHenry and saw the American Flag still flying as the sun rose.
The first stanza is used as the National Anthem:

O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

  In 1986, Claire Cloninger, to celebrate the Re-dedication of the Statue of Liberty, wrote another verse:

And still we can see, as the years have gone by, 

there's a dream in our land like a flame that keeps burning. 

And the lantern of hope from the harbor still shines. 

Those who seek freedom's dream, to its light are still turning. 

Now we look to the skies and we lift up our eyes, 

for we know with the dawn we will see our flag rise.

And this is our star spangled banner unfurled 

as a sign to the free and a hope to the world.

Both stanzas speak of a country unafraid.  A country which looks forward with hope not back with fear.  A country which offers hope to the world not closed doors and borders.  A country which has accomplished so much and still has so much to accomplish.  A country that can withstand difficulty and hardship without giving up and being defeated.  A country that was nearly torn apart by a Civil War and remains united in a belief "that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Today we remain very much a country divided.  There are those who wish to deny equality to all people and place restrictions on the very principle of the right to life by suggesting that only those who can afford the basic necessities of life ought to have the basic necessities of life: food, shelter, health care.  They are the ones who shout the loudest and fight the hardest to protect the unborn only to shun the born.

But our National Anthem is louder than those voices.  Our National Anthem represents a country and a people who say: we have been tested and tried.  We have faced those who sought to destroy our government and our liberty.  We have stood together and withstood the attacks each and every time and we will again!  Our national Anthem says that we have heard this talk before in the years before the Civil War and the question has already been answered!  We have already say a loud and clear "Yes!" to continuing our democracy and our pursuit of equality.

I will place my hand on my heart whenever and wherever I hear our National Anthem because for me, it is so much more than just the words of a poem set to music.  To me, our National Anthem is what we can be!  A country and a people that never surrender!

"What has happened to a free America?"

That is the question that was part of a comment posted on a quote by President Obama that I'd posted on Facebook about the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare).  President Obama said that people's "lives are better.  This is now part of the fabric of  how we care for one another."  The person who posted the comment posed the question "What has happened to a free America?" Then stated that "Now we are being forced" to get insurance.  That kind of thinking and those questions are not new.  Quite the contrary, they have been repeated many times when citizens do not like a particular law passed by the Local, State or Federal government.

I remember when Massachusetts passed the seat belt law. Signs were placed on the side of all the interstate roads alerting motorists that they must wear seat belts in Massachusetts.  Oh how the conservative Republicans rose up in anger at being forced to wear a seat belt.  How dare the Government of Massachusetts tell anyone that they must wear a seat belt?  Apparently the right to impale one's self on a steering wheel or smash one's head into the windshield are rights that must never be taken away and always defended.  The conservatives did win that early battle and all the signs were changed from Massachusetts requires seat belts to Massachusetts strongly encourages the use of seat belts.

The same argument has also been used regarding wearing motorcycle helmets.  How dare any Government require motorcycle riders to wear helmets?  How dare any Government take away the right to crack one's head open on the pavement?

Regarding healthcare, how dare the Government take away one's right to be sick and not be able to afford to go to the doctor?  How dare any Government take away one's right to not be able to afford prescriptions?  How dare any Government take away one's right to wait until an illness becomes life-threatening and a trip to the Emergency Room becomes a necessity because there is no alternative?  No health insurance to provide a way to afford a doctor visit?

Lastly, there is the question: "What has happened to a free America?"  Absolutely nothing has happened to free America!  Nothing at all!  We still have a free America! If anyone doubts our freedom, think about the fact that we can speak out against the policies of our Local, State and National Governments without fear of reprisal.  We can speak out against our elected officials, including our President, without fear of reprisal. Not all people in all countries have that freedom.  In Cuba, China and North Korea, speaking out against the government and the countries' leaders will get one arrested and often killed.

 Go look up images of the protests that took place in Tiananmen Square in 1989.  Chinese students were killed for speaking out!  That is loss of freedom!  That is loss of life!  To suggest that Americans are not free because they have to have life-saving healthcare insurance is an insult to those who truly are not free and whose blood has been spilled in an effort to become free!

Not just about us

I recently posted on Facebook that I am voting for Hillary Clinton in 2016 because I want my four grand-nephews, ages 20 years old, 17 years old, 3 years old and 10 days old, and my 4 year old grand-niece to know that I care about them.  I also want them to know that I care about their future.  The 2016 election is not just about ensuring and protecting my generation or even my nieces and nephew's generation.  Oh no, there is so much more at stake than just what will happen in the next decade or two.  We must begin now to do all that we can do to protect and preserve our government, our Constitution, our country, our land and our planet Earth for the generations to come.

What is the legacy that we want to pass on to the those just reaching adulthood, those still enjoying their childhood, those just being born and those still to be born?  Do we want them to know that we cared enough about one another to protect the Social Service programs like Social Security, Medicare, Snap and Head Start because we know and believe that people who need help must be able to receive help?  Do we want them to know that they have good affordable healthcare coverage because we worked hard to fix the problems and refused to elect those who would destroy it?  Do we want them to understand that we took good care of those who answered our country's call to serve?  That we not only saluted our veterans and thanked them for their service, but that we also ensured they were taken care of when they returned home? That is the legacy that I want to pass on to the young members of my family and the generations to come.

What is the torch we want to pass on to them?  The torch of freedom and equality?  The torch that says although we, here and now in 2015, know we still have so many more steps to take to achieve those ideals set forth in our Declaration of Independence, we will continue moving forward?  That even though we may falter at times, we will not stop?  That even when the flame seems quite small and barely flickers, we, like the generations before us, have kept our promise and never let the flame of freedom die out?  That we stood together and stood strong against those who wanted to take our country back to a place of injustice and inequality?   That the same torch of freedom shines in the harbor of New York held by a Statue that represents all the promises seekers will find here?  The torch that welcomes, not burns with hatred and bigotry.  That is the torch I want to pass on to my young family members and the generations to come.

So I stand holding my torch and joining with Hillary Clinton and all those who stand for the present, the future and for the generations to come.  I will pass my torch to my young family members and to the future generations with great pride in and great love for them and my country!  I will tell them" We did this for you!"

to my family and friends

I love you all.  I love the United States of America.  I love our Constitution and Bill of Rights.  I love our flag.  I love our planet and all of creation.  I want to see our country continue to move forward, however slowly that may be at times, to what it can become and not slip backward to what it never was.  I don't want to see our country turn back to a time when the only people who had rights were white men.  I don't want to see our country destroy our little corner of the planet along with the creatures, trees, flowers and plants with whom we share our land.  I don't want to see our country take part in the destruction of this plant that is our home.  I know you don't either.  But there are people who do and they vote.

I want to see our country take steps to ensure the equality promised in The Declaration of Independence is extended to all people.  I don't want us to continue to use skin color, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or no religious beliefs to prevent anyone from being treated fairly and equally and receiving all the same benefits and protections under the law.  Too many people still struggle with civil rights.  As a gay woman, I am all to aware of the rights I do not share with my heterosexual family and friends.  When my partner died, I could not receive her pension because we were not married.  We registered as domestic partners in Broward County Florida.  But the company handling her pension did not recognize same sex domestic partnerships.  I know you all love me and support me.  I cannot imagine that you would vote for people who want to make it even more difficult for gay people. But there are people who do and they vote.

I want us to be proud that we are a nation of immigrants who came to this country in search of something better than what they had in their own countries.  I want us to understand that the people who are risking their lives to get here are not doing so for a handout from our government.  They would rather die trying to get to the United States than stay where they are because that is how difficult life is for them.  I want us to embrace the words of Emma Lazurus' New Colossus and with open arms shout out in a loud voice "Send them!  They will be welcome here!"  Many of us are the descendants of immigrants.  I cannot believe you would be anti immigration.  But there are people who are and they vote.

I want all of you, my family and friends, to be able to see a doctor and to be able to receive medical treatment.  I don't want to see you have to use the Emergency Room as your doctor as so many people have had to do in the past because they had no insurance and could not afford to go to the doctor.  I know our current system is not perfect, but more people have insurance now than in the past.  People with pre-existing conditions can finally get the help they need because they cannot be turned down.  The system can be fixed, but not if those who seek to destroy it and replace it with something worse are elected.  I don't think anyone's income should be the deciding factor in whether they can and should be able to get medical insurance or see a doctor.  I cannot believe that any of you would  really believe there are people who deserve to die or should die because they do not make enough money to pay high premiums for medical insurance.  I cannot believe that you think anyone should die because they are already ill and insurance companies should not have to cover them.  But there are people who do and they vote.

I want you to really think about what will happen if Social Security and Medicare end.  Do you know anyone who receives these benefits?  Do you honestly believe they should not receive any assistance?  Why not?  Do you think they should have planned better?  Saved more?  Had better jobs?  My own parents were blue collar workers and depended on Social Security and Medicare.  So will I.  Do you have enough money to survive on when you retire so that you will not need Social Security?  Do you have enough money to pay for medical insurance so you will not need Medicare?  If your answer to either of these questions is "no" then please tell me why you would ever vote for people who plan to end these programs.  Do you believe that anyone, and especially children, deserve to starve?  If you do not, then why would vote for people who will do that?  If your answer is, "Well, I'm not going to vote."  then you will let others make the choices and decisions for you.

In 2016, we will decide whether we, as a country, want to move forward together or continue to become a house even more divided.  A house where some people have rights, including the right to eat, and others do not. A house were the 1% percent thrive and have all the power rather than a house where the 100% sit together at the table to work out a way that is better for more people.  There will never be a perfect system because there will never be perfect people.  But we can become better and our country can become better if only we will join together.  I'm joining with Hillary Clinton because I know we can move our country forward!  We're not going to solve every problem.  But we can and will take steps in the right direction.

One hundred fifty years ago

On April 14, 1865 Abraham Lincoln was shot as he sat in Ford's Theater watching a play.  He died in the early morning on April 15.  The young country, which had just endured four years of war and was looking forward to peace, now had to deal with death of the President.  The man who called on his fellow citizens to dedicate themselves to ensuring "that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth" had himself perished.  The man who wanted to "bind up the nations wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations" would not be able to help his torn country reunite.

We, as a country, do not commemorate these days.  We used to celebrate Abraham Lincoln's birthday as a holiday, but then a decision was made to combine Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays into President's Day.   Perhaps it is fitting that the "father of our country" and the man responsible for saving the Union are celebrated on the same day.  So why should we recall the day Lincoln was assassinated?  Or the day he died?  Why think about Abraham Lincoln at all?

President Abraham Lincoln believed that the United States of America could not and must not be divided.  Rather than allow the southern States leave the Union, he called on the citizens of the northern States to come together and preserve the Union.  Certainly letting the States secede might have been easier than engaging in a war.  But he could not allow this "last, best hope of earth" to fail because he feared it would be the end of any chance of democratic government.  He understood the horror of a war the lasted much longer than anyone expected.  Photographs of Abraham Lincoln throughout his term as President show the toll the conflict took on him.  But he was determined to preserve the Union.

So why should we care about Abraham Lincoln?  Because he showed us what determination can do.  He was primarily self-taught with little formal education, yet his words are often included in literature books.  Despite being ridiculed and insulted, Lincoln kept moving forward.  He showed us that against all odds, we can achieve more than is expected of us.  Most important is that he cared about us, yes, us in this century.  He wanted to ensure that our country, our democracy, continued and he died for his beliefs.

Shouldn't we care enough about him to recall his assassination and death?  Shouldn't we care enough about him to dedicate ourselves to preserving our country and not allowing The United States of America to be once again torn apart by those who want to stop us from moving even one step closer to the ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence?

Truth about who receives assistance

I saw a picture of a highway with cars headed away from the photographer and north out of Florida.  When I saw the word "goodbye', I was expecting the picture to be about the annual exodus of the snowbirds.  I was wrong.  The original poster wrote about gleefully saying goodbye to all the "deadbeats who don't want to work and drug users" who would be leaving Florida to go to States where drug testing is not required to receive public assistance.  I am still stunned, though I shouldn't be, at how many people not just here in Florida, but across the country, really do believe that drug users and deadbeats are the largest group receiving public assistance.

There is a reason so many people believe this misconception about who receives public assistance.  Fox News, Right Wing television and radio personalities and the Republican Party have made this one of their biggest messages in an effort to gain support to destroy social service programs.  Painting a vivid picture of deadbeats and drug users really does have a tremendous effect on how people perceive those receiving assistance.  Would anyone really feel so angry about senior citizens on Social Security, people with disabilities or veterans receiving assistance?  Of course not, unless a person is so heartless as to really believe people deserve to starve.

Some working people also receive public assistance because they are unable to find full-time work or find a job that pays enough to feed their family.  Raising the minimum wage would certainly help.  But that is a difficult conversation to have when wealthy corporate owners are spending so much money to prevent that from happening.  There is also the impact raising the wage would have on small business owners who would struggle to meet payroll demands.  The tendency is always to focus on the big corporations as though big corporations own and operate every business.

Surely demonizing people is not the answer, yet that is what is happening.  Worse is that the lie is being endorsed by staunch, proud conservative Christians who quote from Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians that people who do not work, should not eat.  They, of course forget all about Jesus saying sell what you have and give to the poor. (Matthew 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 12:33, Luke 18:22)  There are also verses in the Old testament as well as the other verses in the New testament about feeding the poor, caring for the elderly and taking care of the sick.  All of which are conveniently ignored in an effort to destroy life saving programs.

If only people would actually take time to find out if the information they pass along is actually truthful instead of allowing their emotions to be manipulated, this country might actually move forward, rather than backward.  If only this outrage at all those drug dealers and deadbeats who refuse to work who are receiving so much public assistance, which in fact is not the millions about which conservatives rant and rave and whip people into a frenzy, was directed at those who are not paying their fair share in any type of taxes, the deficits would drop and social programs would be infused with life giving money.  Where is the outrage about this?

Where is the outrage about children who are starving/  Where is the outrage about the elderly who have to choose between eating and paying bills?  Where is the outrage about veterans living on the streets?  Where is the outrage about anyone living on the streets?  Where is the outrage about people digging in dumpsters for food?

we can not give up

Once again, the inspiration for this blog post came from a conversation with my sister.  We were talking about the influence Fox News and the right wing conservatives have on the voters.  As my sister pointed out, millions of dollars are constantly being poured in to advertising to promote a very specific message that appeals to a group of people who vote in every election.  Along with the money, there is also the problem of gerrymandering which is not a new issue but has certainly become more prevalent.  All of which seems to bode well for conservative Republicans and doom the Democrats.

But money cannot not vote.  Corporations cannot vote.  The 1% can not cast more votes than the 99%.  Yes, the corporations can try to persuade their workers and the conservative Christian preachers can often sway their parishioners.  But I still believe there are more people who oppose the policies of the Right Wing Republicans than support them.  The problem is that all those people do not always go out and vote.  The core voters in the Republican Party, the ones that will vote in every election, out-number those same voters in the Democratic Party.  Why?  The simple answer is that the Republicans are much better at getting out their message than the Democrats are at getting out their message.

The liberal groups on Facebook constantly post about what the Republicans are doing and how harmful their policies are.  But that didn't seem to matter enough to prevent Republican victories in the last election.  So what does matter?  When people choose to stay home rather than vote, they allow others to make choices for them.  Why do they choose to not vote?  Some people do not think their vote will matter, but it will, if only they would cast it.  If only they would add their votes to all the others who also believe their vote will not make a difference.

We are stronger when we stand together.  We can create change when we work together to make the change happen.  We can not and must not give up because that is what the conservatives and billionaires are counting on to happen.  They want us to believe that we are defeated.  They want us to believe that our votes do not count.  But the only way our votes will not count, the only way we will be unable to create the change we want, the change that is what our country needs, is if we stay home and do not vote!

Stand up, stand together, go to the polls, vote and with each vote we will echo the words of Abraham Lincoln "that government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from this earth."