America, Love it or GTFO?

                When people say, “America, love it or GTFO” I laugh a little, because what they really mean is, “If you don’t share the same ideas that I have for this country, GTFO”.  And then, once I’m done with my laugh, I think to myself that these people must have failed every civics and or US government class they ever attempted to take, if they ever bothered to take one.  This type of nationalistic attitude is one that is typically found in a dictatorship or communist regime, not a so called Free Nation. Albeit, in these regimes, the individual is usually GTFOing in a body bag. This was also the same nationalistic attitude that the founding fathers were trying to free the American colonists from. There is nothing wrong with being patriotic, I was a Navy brat, A Soldier, and I am the Wife of an Airman. I am proud to be an American and now I will tell you why.

          

By U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Gary Ward

                    One of the greatest things about this country is that if you don’t like it, you have options. You can GTFO (Still waiting for Limbaugh to head to Cost Rica) or better yet, you can get off your ass and try to change it. That is actually what the founding fathers had in mind. We were given a system where every two years we get the opportunity to overthrow our government in a non-violent manner.  The founding fathers didn’t want a bunch of blind sheep following the ideals of those in power. They wanted the people to challenge those ideas and be able to do so without fear of persecution or threat of incarceration. They understood that power leads to corruption and they gave us a way to remedy that. Our constitution was drawn up as a living breathing document because the founders knew that over time things change, and you can’t hold fast to the same ideals century to century, or even decade to decade. There had to be a way to keep up with the times and to change as we as a nation changed. 

                For the most part, our country is divided into a two party system.  This system was not designed to be similar to rival schools that are only out to belittle and defeat their opponents, but instead it was designed to encourage thought, debate and open communication. People with different ideas could bring something to the table and discuss these matters to find the BEST possible solution to problems, not just an acceptable one. Just because it was your idea, doesn’t mean it was the best one.  It was not meant for lobbyists to abuse and co-opt these parties and politicians in order to get their agendas pushed ahead of the needs of the American people. It was not designed so that we could pay elected officials 6 figure salaries to call each other names and get nothing done during the day other than tell the people that their opponents are evil out of touch elitists that are hell bent on destroying this country. Then when the cameras are turned off, go to the bar together and have a great big laugh at the people’s expense. 

                Yet this is exactly what is happening. The people are content thinking that chanting 3 word slogans and blindly following the information that the corporate funded news organizations (left and right) feed them, even if the facts don’t line up with what they are being told. Instead of doing any actual research people are choosing the facts that they want now based on how they feel, not by what has been proven true or false. People are deciding the merit of a piece of legislation based solely on misinformation and biased reporting that they are getting from the media. And our Legislators do not help this by writing 3,000 page bills and wording it in a way that makes you have to read it three times just to get an idea of what the hell they are talking about. 

Voting:How American's overthrow the government!

                I don’t think that in the history of this nation, or any nation for that matter, there has ever been a time where every citizen has been completely happy with their country and how it works. It has never happened and I doubt it ever will. We all have different opinions on how things should work. And that is OK. This country is supposed to function because we bring our differences to the table, not because we defeat the oppositions ideas. Politicians are so focused on winning for their corporate masters that they forget about the people and what is best for them. And yes that needs to change. How should it change? Well that is where we all disagree. But next time someone disagrees with you about how this country should be run, the next time someone tells you that what we’ve always done isn’t working anymore, maybe instead of telling them this is America, love it or GTFO, maybe you should tell them:

This is America, love it or get off your lazy ass 
and do something about it!

Working on the AZ CD8 special election

                That is how this country was designed to work, that is what we are supposed to be doing. So quit your bitching and take action! If you don’t like something, quit putting it on Facebook or pages that have only people that agree with you. Go out and volunteer. Man a phone bank, canvass a neighborhood. This is how you multiply your vote. It doesn’t happen by spreading half true Facebook memes to your friends on the internet.  And remember that people all over the world are willing to and are dying so that maybe their children will also be able to take these same rights for granted someday.