Time for a Gut Check, America!

As I mentioned before I had decided this blog was going to be no-more. However in the 4 short weeks that I have been home, there have been no less than 3 mass-killings in America. I went to Afghanistan to defend America there so we do not have to defend against foreign threats here at home. However it seems pretty damn clear to me that our biggest threat right now is ourselves.

It is time for a gut check, America!

There will be time for a debate about "gun control" laws. Though I believe there is a place for guns in America and still keep our homes and schools safe, we cannot run around like the wild wild west. This is not the time and place for that debate.

Regardless of your political affiliation or opinions, the events in Wisconsin, Oregon and Connecticut (and Colorado back in the summer) should tear at your heart. It is not the America that I love, and I am sure it is not the one that you love either. In the last 240 years we have grown to become the greatest country in the history of the world.

That is not an opinion. It is a fact. There was no "French or Italian dream...there has only been an "American Dream."

However we are in a dangerous place right now. Not since the 1960's have Americans argued with each other at such a dramatic pitch on issues across the board. Healthcare, guns, money, marriage...you name it, we're fighting about it right now

We must be better than this. We're a country of more than 300 million people. We are fighting because we are all different. That does not mean we cannot find a way to achieve a mutual benefit. We are never going to keep everyone happy. However we should always strive to keep everyone safe. How do we do this? I have some ideas, and i'm sure you do too. But we're not going to be able to take care of ourselves until we learn to work together.

So throw away your isolated opinions as a republican or democrat. They don't mean anything right now. All that matters is that you start thinking like an American. Start using that creative, positive spirit that made this country great and we will once again be in a position where we can all be proud of ourselves. There is no shame in engaging in quality debate, but there is a lot of shame in not working together to make this country a better place.

Get your shit together because we're the laughing stock of the world right now. WE THE PEOPLE comprise the land of the free and the home of the brave. Let's be brave enough to cross the aisle and get stuff done.

Until next time...Chris

P.S.

On July 15, 1979 President Jimmy Carter delivered a speech that summed up what he called a "Crisis of Confidence." What he spoke about then echos almost exactly to the feelings I have about America today. Here is the full text of that speech if you are interested.

Our people are losing that faith, not only in government itself but in the ability as citizens to serve as the ultimate rulers and shapers of our democracy. As a people we know our past and we are proud of it. Our progress has been part of the living history of America, even the world. We always believed that we were part of a great movement of humanity itself called democracy, involved in the search for freedom, and that belief has always strengthened us in our purpose. But just as we are losing our confidence in the future, we are also beginning to close the door on our past.