One America: Another View
There's so much to be fixed, we don't even know where to start. I went to a baseball game this evening and watched representatives from at least eight different nations go at each other for nine glorious innings. The home team lost, but they still shook hands with their opponents and congratulated them on a game well played before they left the field. Fans of all shapes, sizes, colors and cultures bonded together by a common appreciation of the game cheered each other on in a variety of languages as we left the stadium, promising that tomorrow would be a better day.
I rode public transportation home and sat next to a man who spoke no
English. His son and grandson seated ahead of me were chattering away
in fluent English. As the train filled he sat staring straight ahead,
watching the conversation between generations but obviously not
comprehending much of it.
Thugs, gangsters, the folks you are scared of for good reason entered
the car. The little boy watched in awe as they stopped pushing their
way through the crowd and stopped to greet his father. The father
introduced his beaming child to a man with more teardrop tattoos than
teeth. At the end of the greeting, but before anything else could be
said, Grandpa's arm shot out and grabbed his grandsons shoulder, turning
the boy around in his seat, away from trouble. Grandpa lessened his
grip ever so slightly on the boys shoulder and asked him a question
about A's outfielder and first baseman, Nick Swisher. I am not fluent
enough to translate the question, but from the look on the boys face I
can tell you who his favorite baseball player is.
I had been thinking about the article I had just written about English
as the national language, and that fluency in the national language should be
required of every citizen. I was still thinking about it as I passed the police tape lining the stairway out of the BART station. Cops were loitering around, an ambulance at the top of the stairs in no hurry. As I drove past the flashing lights it hit me, people like Grandpa who publicly exhibit the family values we pretend to value so much are not what we should worried about.
Come election time "family values" are touted on both sides relentlessly, but they have become more of a smoke screen to hide the real issues behind. Somehow in our Paris Hilton headline dominated country we've lost that. There are bigger issues that should be debated. Issues that are swept under the carpet. Health care. Domestic violence. Employment. Crime. Unemployment. Corporate greed, gas prices. The welfare of the average American citizen, to not just breathe "free", but to raise our children in a safe productive environment.
Patriotism is a love of ones' country. For many, happiness is seeing your children grow up safe. The promise of a better life, not just for ourselves but for our grandchildren's grandchildren as well. Simple truths that are the cornerstone of the American dream. A dream that we as American's all share, not just with each other but with the rest of the world. But it is a goal that comes at a price and that is only obtainable when we put aside or differences and work together and help each other in times of need. How can we justify blindly letting a war be waged abroad, spending billions of dollars while a major American city, completely destroyed by a natural disaster waits to be rebuilt? How is it that less than two years later, we have stopped talking about it and the horrific conditions that continue to exist in the region as a result? American citizens starve on our city streets every night. Veterans of the last great American war, Vietnam, go uncared for and Paris Hilton's rash from the fear of confinement is the lead story on Fox News.
"If you create a big enough distraction, you can sneak an elephant onto
the stage and the audience will never notice." - Penn and Teller.
We have been distracted by the elephant long enough. There are bigger issues
out there than what language American families speak in their homes.
Despite our differences, average citizens are all paying the same obscene
price for a gallon of gas or milk. It's time to stop blaming each other
and start communicating with each other. Watching the old man on the train, I remembered a similar moment I shared with my grandfather. The words were different but the lessons he was trying to pass on were the same. Perhaps someday after the levees in New Orleans have been repaired and peace restored by soldiers returning from the Middle East, our children can sit side by side at the ballpark, munching on peanuts and hotdogs, communicating their contentment without saying a word.
Kyle Pesonen - Staff Writer | E-mail Comments on this article.
The American Inquisition:
The Spanish Inquisition came about because the Catholic Church grew too powerful and excesses followed from that power. I see a lot of parallels between the Spanish Inquisition and how the United States is acting in its foreign policy practices of today.
The United States is the 800 lb. gorilla in the world today. We have the strongest economy, strongest military and biggest attitude of pretty much everyone else on the face of the planet and, with this administration, we have gotten into the very bad habit of throwing our weight around as we see fit. If we can replace the current administration with one less determined to prove that the American (and Republican/Democratic Party) way is the only right way I believe our relationship with the rest of the world will improve considerably.
Afghanistan was and is a "good war" and that situation would probably have been over by now if we hadn't diverted our attention and resources by also getting involved in the "bad war" in Iraq.
The world is a much smaller and much more dangerous place than it used to be and no matter how big, strong and determined we may be as a country, we cannot afford to try and go it alone in dealing with the world's problems.
As President, one of my first goals would be to work towards repairing our standing with the rest of the world.
Al Qaeda is a world problem, not just a problem of the United States or of democracies. As a world problem, Al Qaeda needs to be dealt with by the world together, not the United States going it alone (most of the time).
Don't get me wrong, the United Nations is mainly a bureaucracy that is truly incapable of solving any real problems (look at Sudan, Rwanda, etc to see how ineffective they can be), but if we as a nation work to build a true coalition before moving then the results are always a lot better for us and the world as a whole. Remember how high our standing in the rest of the world was after the first gulf war. Where is our standing now with the world community? As was recently stated by columnist Tom Hennessy, "Instead of viewing the terrorists as an enemy to be defeated through military action, see them as part of an international criminal conspiracy to be dismantled and destroyed by international police action."
We do need a coalition police force. We do not need the US to be the world's policeman. For one thing, most other countries resent it and, second, we aren't very good at it. We are in places we shouldn't be and not in places we should be, so let's not be anywhere unless we are asked and there is a compelling reason for us to be there. If a dictator in Africa is allowing people to hack the arms off of each other, then maybe we have a moral obligation (not the right) to do something to stop it. Beyond that, we shouldn't be spending all of our money stationing our soldiers all over the world. "Walk softly and carry a big stick" was excellent advice. I propose that we stick to that advice by greatly reducing our presence overseas and focusing our attention on the defense and security of our own country.
Iraq:
The current debate concerning Iraq is very polarizing and seems to settle on two choices: stay or leave. However, once again from the same column by Tom Hennessy comes this advice, "The choice is not simply to stay or leave. There is a middle course: terminate the combat mission, offer advice, training, material support and economic assistance as long as there appears to be a viable Iraqi government, launch a diplomatic effort to keep the violence in Iraq from destabilizing the region. In the end, the Iraqis will decide their fate. We cannot do so."
The Direction of Our Foreign Policy under My Administration:
The above seems like very good advice for all of our foreign relations now and in the future. We didn't destroy Russia and communism, the Russians decided to give it up themselves. We didn't tear down the wall in Germany, the Germans did that. We didn't save Vietnam from Communism, but the Vietnamese have become one of the most dynamic "free" market economies in the Southeast Asia region. We may have played a part in helping them make those decisions, but the fact is that they had to do it themselves.
Everyone and every country have a different personality and that means they try to solve problems in a different way. Doesn't mean they are wrong, just different and, who knows, by working together we may find out someone else has a better solution to the problem.
A major tenent of our foreign policy, therefore, has to be somewhat similar to that of an advisor who says, "Well, that isn't how I'd approach it, but if you're going to do it at least let me give you some advice and support." Then be there to offer support and advice if needed. I think the US might be pleasantly surprised at how well the rest of the world does without us trying to tell them how to do everything our way. The rest of the world would probably appreciate it as well and we will get along with them a whole lot better as a result.
Frank McEnulty - Independent Candidate for President | E-mail Comments on this article. | Visit the campaign website today.
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