| | |  Editorials | Opinions | November 2008 
Blessings: One Nation Under God?
 Hank A. Muffett - PVNN
For so many years we Americans have been singing God Bless America, and for just as many years I have had this uncomfortable feeling that there is something not quite right with this. It sounds more like a supplication than a confirmation that we have actually been, and are indeed, Blessed.
We allow ourselves to get caught up in the "Emperor's New Clothes" syndrome, where in the face of the truth, we follow the popular path and actually lose sight of the truth altogether.
In 1953 the Pledge of Allegiance was changed to include "Under God", "In God We Trust" has always been popular; but, just by doing this does not necessarily mean that we are "Blessed."
On election night, while watching the news that a "person of color" had been voted in to the highest office in our country, and watching Jessie Jackson in tears, I was overwhelmed; in that moment I felt such a kinship with him and realized the fact that we are as close to being equal as ever in the history of our country. He appeared to be Blessed at that moment.
Somehow over the centuries we have blinded ourselves to the unequal and inhumane treatment of fellow Americans including the Native Americans who were here in possession of the country upon our arrival; they apparently were not under the same God as the rest of us and certainly paid a high price... maybe their real estate holdings were not in their best interests, and they certainly were not "Blessed" by our God.
Looking back at the treatment of all of the people we were "superior to," those that were not allowed to participate in the American Dream, is embarrassing to say the least; slavery, segregation of churches, restaurants, rest rooms, public transportation, and absolute hatred for entire races who have endured the immoral and unfair treatment for so long.
While the Japanese gardens of San Francisco California are so beautiful, the people who nurtured the plants ended up in internment camps like the one south of Bishop California (not a pristine area) because of their threat to our country - no matter their contribution up to this point.
The people South of our borders have been tolerated, as long as they worked cheap and let us pay low prices for our farm goods, but, they are not among our "Blessed." Even people of the same color but of a different gender were allowed to have and raise children, keep a clean house, and stay in their "proper place"; no equal rights for our women of the not too distant past. Were they blessed?
I don't think so. They certainly couldn't vote to be "Blessed."
Two summers ago, I read the book "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" and had to keep looking back at the dates to make sure that it was not at least a hundred years earlier than seemed possible; there were so many things happening, not only in America, but in the World, that were showing the advancement of our civilization.
Important Musical scores, Architectural wonders, Literature, Art, Technological advances, and a time of relative refinement, and yet at the same time a major act of barbarism to pave the way for the "new Blessed American elite" was under way with an obvious clear conscience from the newcomers. That was pre-Genocide, so what did we call it then? Oh yes, Manifest Destiny; that really gave us license and clear conscience to bully our way into America and Mexican territories.
Think of all of the atrocities that have, and are, happening in other countries and our collective horror over them, and yet within our own borders it is acceptable.
The Country and Constitution were set up as a Union for all of it's inhabitants and all were to be "Treated Equal"; Freedom of Religion was included and made Church separate from the Government. It should still include Freedom from Religion as well... it is a part of our protection and civil rights to worship - or not - as we choose. Of course the "Blessed" have a hard time leaving the rest of us alone.
We no longer have the right to die with dignity because others want us to have a longer life with less than, and even horrific and painful, quality at our end. Our personal lives are under scrutiny and our bedrooms under the eye of the "blessed" while They reap the tax breaks and benefits that they deny many of we other Americans. A woman can no longer choose what is to happen to her own body... let them decide.
At the moment that I heard the announcement that Barack Obama had become the President elect of the United States of America my feeling of pride to be an American was immense; What a feeling of euphoria.
Watching the responses from around the World is very exciting, and already our reputation is climbing back a little at a time to perhaps be respected again. The call for change goes beyond economics even though money is our other God; Talk about the "Emperor's New Clothes", did you know that God's Word says "The love of money is the root of ALL evil"?
It makes me wonder if when Religious institutions use their tax-free monies to lobby for laws, or preach politics from their pulpits, making the rest of us pick up their costs, that they should pay taxes along with the rest of us. Just imagine the possible surplus instead of debt as well as the rest of us getting a break on our taxes.
It has taken many years and many different Administrations to get us where we are today. Even the issue of Immigration did not just happen, but took many years to get where it is now. I believe completely in President elect Obama as the new leader of our country. Who better to lead the country than a person with an ethnic background who knows the reality of inequality.
I trust him to fight for the rights and good life for all Americans; No Matter What. I trust him to Honor all of the diversity that is America and to fight for real equality. That is what we should expect from the Leader of our Country, and he should expect no less from us. When that happens, and when we support him with open eyes, minds and hearts - with a clear conscience - we will then be truly "Blessed."
Hank Muffett and his partner, Conrad Kostelecky moved from Portland, Oregon to Puerto Vallarta in 1992. After two seasons volunteering for the Centro Cultural Cuale and falling more and more in love with PV, they opened "La Fonda Chiles" on Olas Altas and began a twelve year run serving food to locals and tourists. After the first year they moved to Pulpito #122 where they lived and worked for eleven years. Since selling Chiles two years ago, they have been doing some of the things that were not possible while running a business - Conrad is catching up on his reading and Hank is putting together years of notes and scraps to see if they are worth putting into print. They spend the winters here and can be reached by email at hankandconrad(at)gmail.com. |
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