We Are Americans

I have made a huge effort this crazy season not to get political on this blog. After all, I know we all have our own views, and I want this blog to remain respectful. If you have ever read my profile, you will see that one of my interests is politics, and I have been pretty busy with this over the last few months. It's been difficult not to blog about it here.

My site meter says I have folks from all over the world that have at least hit this blog once. Some hit it more than that; but most of my traffic is American. I am dedicating this post to you, Americans.

I come from a loud and proud, long line of patriots that extends all the way to the founding of the Plymouth colony. Because my mom is a genealogist,I am fortunate to have copies of letters and records from my ancestors that describe life with Gov. William Bradford, Miles Standish, etc. Samuel Sturtevant was a founding member, a farmer, involved in local politics....because all politics were local back then, unless they were taking place back at the King's Court. Later the clan moved South. I actually am a direct of a former Vice President of the United States, William Rufus King of South Carolina. My mother's maiden name is King.

Fun fact (not really) he died in office from TB 45 days after taking his oath. He also had a plantation in Alabama, which is where he was buried. He was a lifelong politician, a Senator, Minister to France, graduate of the University of North Carolina. He was pro-slavery and a slave holder, as were many in those days. (No disrespect to great Grandpa, but he was obviously really wrong about that.) The Union nearly did not get formed because of the epic battle amongst the colonies on this issue. I think it was John Adams who said that because it was not resolved from the beginning, it would only be a matter of time before the issue of slavery was raised for permanent referendum. It was, and we all know how that turned out.

After his death, the family went into a state of disarray, and soon started migrating West, mostly to Texas and Arizona. Eventually to California. You may know I am a native Californian, but you probably don't know I'm second generation. We'd been there for awhile. But now I'm here, back in the South. I tell you these things because I want to reiterate that ordinary Americans were part of an extraordinary history, and we still are.

In my lifetime, there has been so much history. I could have been Forrest Gump! There were civil rights and assassinations. Two uncles served Vietnam. There were domestic terrorists and anarchists, the Zodiac killer and lots of music, drugs and sex, crazy hair and clothes. Horrid recessions and fuel rationing. Hostages at the American Embassy in Tehran. Cold War. I was pretty square until I went to college in the late '70's. I thought I knew everything and my parents knew nothing.

Eventually everything calmed on the home front, at least politically, and I naturally grew somewhat more conservative. As Margaret Thatcher said "the facts of life are conservative" this was not a sell out but a maturing and a natural progression. Unfortunately, like many Americans, it took 9/11 to make a true patriot out of me. Since then, I do not take our country for granted. I don't make excuses for irrational hatred and/or people that want to destroy us. I know there is evil in the world. I know my vote is a privilege. I know our politics are rough and our nation is imperfect as it always has been, but I also know it's produced a country of freedom and opportunity. Notice I did not say a perfect world. That does not exist on this planet in this realm, and it never will. With freedom comes great risk but freedom is what makes this country great. Opportunity is created by we the people, not the government. Rightly, the constitution has been amended to give all citizens rights, and therefore opportunity. Amending the Constitution of the United States is always a radical decision and will never be taken lightly, and therefore will never be done regularly or casually. When taking the oath of office, every four years the president-elect promises to the best of his (or her) ability to preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States. I am not here to tell Americans how to vote. I am just asking you TO vote, if you have not already. Many people have died, and sadly, likely more will in the future to give you this privilege as well as to preserve it.

We are almost done surviving another rough and tumble election cycle. And the loser is.....The Media!!! It just gets worse and worse. Most people I know who are interested in FACTS do their research on the Internet and use multiple, credible sources to form their opinions. If you take your information as a straight shot from the alphabet networks, you are not getting the truth in full. Even a recent study by Harvard confirmed this.

The outcome of this election will not be decided by the media, unless you allow yourself to be manipulated. Do not let the pollsters and the pundits intimidate your vote, even if you live in a Western state and the entire world (media) is projecting that its over. It's not over until the votes are counted. The results of this election will determined by we the people. By what is inside of us. Vote your heart, and vote your conscience. That is the only poll that counts. The one that happens in the privacy of the voting booth. Don't let anyone take that away from you.