WARNING: I AM VIOLATING MY OWN RULE THAT HATRED WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
Before I finish looking backwards, I have to look around. I'm seeing "peace officers" being shot, judges going to jail, people trying to blow our airplanes out of the sky, and I wonder why. I have lots of time to wonder and study.
Yesterday I had a two-hour lunch with a Kenyan gentleman who shared his plight with me. He has three children ages 11 to 15 who speak English, French and their native tongue. They came to this country in search of a better life, but unfortunately they ended up in Costa Mesa. The teachers ridicule his children for speaking English with an accent yet teach the Hispanic students in Spanish because our school system does not require students to be bilingual.
Three Black Kenyans who speak multiple languages including English are spat at, ridiculed and harassed on a daily basis by many Hispanic students who only speak Spanish, and our system not only allows it but suspends the Kenyan students when they complain. I suggested that he move his children to another school. Where he is from he does not have that luxury, but here in America, he is free to choose. His eyes lit up in astonishment at this mere suggestion. I gave him my permission to be free.
I love my country, but sometimes I feel as though my country does not love me, so I wonder why?
Why do I love my country? I look at the history of this country and I know that I have given much more than I have received. I know that I had to fight like hell to force this country to accept my gifts and fight even harder for the few gifts I have received in return. How does that make me any different from every other good American? In my opinion, the great Americans are the ones that gave all to this country, the ones who laid down their lives so that my son can walk free. Who am I to demand anything from this country? The land provides me with food, the lakes provide me with water, the woods provide me with logs for lumber to make shelter. If anything, I owe this country much for what it has given me.
Why do I love my country? I know my country hates me. They hate my Black skin, my kinky hair, my Black husband, and my Black son. They hate my Black parents, my Black siblings, my Black friends and my Black enemies. They hate me when I am ignorant but hate me even more when I am educated. They hate me when I am weak but hate me even more when I am strong. They hate me when I am unarmed but really hate me when I am armed.
They hate me. Why do I love my country? I love this country because despite their hatred towards me and people who look like me, this country demands that I get educated, demands that I am given equal opportunity, demands that I be protected from predators, allows me to participate freely in its political process and its institution, gives me access to quality medical care, and defends my right to complain about how poorly I am treated. Despite their hatred for me, this country does more for me than countries that love their citizenry. That is why I love this country that hates me.
I don't love my country blindly the way I used to when I was young; it's a mature love and deep admiration than only comes once you get to know a country. I still believe in the idea of America so I continue to fight for my country.
God Bless America.
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My thinking is that America and Americans want everyone to be like us. That seems to be where this country has been going for awhile. Some people don't want to be like us. We force the issue. They get pissed. Follow the logic here...?
ReplyDeleteThere are presently 550,000 terror suspects in the U.S. database. If you believe that the majority of people are silent about their beliefs, then this list of 550,000 people must be a small percentage of those who truly wish America harm, and "some people" is actually quite a few people.
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