America is in trouble! - Hope is a tattered flag

Hope is a tattered flag and a dream of time.
Hope is a heartspun word, the rainbow, the shadblow in white
The evening star inviolable over the coal mines,
The shimmer of northern lights across a bitter winter night,
The blue hills beyond the smoke of the steel works,
The birds who go on singing to their mates in peace, war, peace,
The ten-cent crocus bulb blooming in a used-car salesroom,
The horseshoe over the door, the luckpiece in the pocket,
The kiss and the comforting laugh and resolve—
Hope is an echo, hope ties itself yonder, yonder.
The spring grass showing itself where least expected,
The rolling fluff of white clouds on a changeable sky,
The broadcast of strings from Japan, bells from Moscow,
Of the voice of the prime minister of Sweden carried
Across the sea in behalf of a world family of nations
And children singing chorals of the Christ child
And Bach being broadcast from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
And tall skyscrapers practically empty of tenants
And the hands of strong men groping for handholds
And the Salvation Army singing God loves us….

Carl Sandburg

America is in trouble!

When citizens who question public officials and their proposed policies are called "un-American" or a "mob," as a method of squelching their legitimate concerns, the freedoms that we have long enjoyed are in danger.

The following link is to an interesting article. It explains a strategy that uses demonization and personal attacks on anyone who questions the policies of those in power.
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/17/george-w-bush-by-proxy-syndrome/?feat=home_top5_read

Anyone who has stood up at a "Town Hall" meeting and questioned the wisdom, need, or financial viability of socialized health care has been labeled as a Nazi or a racist. This troubles me. When free Americans are denigrated for asking serious questions of our government officials, then the whole idea of free speech comes under attack. People who have questioned the proposed socialized health care plan have been called "angry mobs" and "un-American." I offer as examples, the following:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGRUx2b0ArM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaC-uMzvKKM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvwzTMHpNPc&feature=related
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/08/unamerican-attacks-cant-derail-health-care-debate-.html

The following is a sad, but probably true commentary that ought to be covered in all world history classes:

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

Our nation is undergoing many changes, some of which are being imposed on us by those who think that government is the solution to all of our problems. I'll leave it for you to decide. Personally, I hope and pray that things will change, but not in the vague way that "Hope and Change" were sold to 52% of the voters last November. Just think, if 3.5% had understood what they were actually voting for, things might have turned out differently.