"BOYS IN WHITE"
From a letter to a friend:
Consider this, McVeigh may have been crazy by our standards, but I wonder what he knew that we do not know? If you will remember, he never talked, even while he lay there looking into the eyes of the victim's relatives. He obviously thought he had done what a good soldier should have done. I only wish he had given an answer to that question, as it will haunt me until the day I die.
McVeigh was a Dessert Storm veteran, and I can't help but wonder how he came to despise the government the way he did. What could he have learned that could have turned him against his country? How many more Wacos', Ruby Ridges', Oklahoma Cites' are we going to have? Again, I wish he had given an answer! We, the American people, were so shocked to find out that a "Red Blooded American Boy," just like you or I had done such a thing. Prior to that event, we would not have even dared to think such a heinous act could have been possible. Everyone rushed to judgement in thinking the despicable act of terrorism had been committed by some "Middle Eastern" person or group of people.
Boo, you and I were raised in Franklin, Louisiana, at a time in the history of this country that can never be recaptured. We were blessed to have had the privelege of living in, what I would describe as, the most perfect town in the US, at a time when the country was still young and very innocent. I have a vivid memory of walking down Main Street, among the "Historic Live Oaks' and the 'White Lampposts,' and thinking to myself, 'gee, I am lucky I live here;" what a fantastic time to have been young and what a fantastic place to enjoy that youthful phase of our lives. We can, most assuredly, be thankful that we spent that part of our lives when we did and where we were.
Those days were so much simpler, and no person or group of people could even imagine that anything so sinister could possibly be out in the world at large. America had supposedly fought the war that was to end all wars, and as a child, I could sense the relief and optimism that was part of the post World War II atmosphere.
The A&P put their crates of fresh produce on the sidewalk every morning and cleaned off the sidewalk every evening. The Western Auto rolled out all of their brand new bicycles and lawn mowers every morning and wheeled back into the store those that remained every evening. There were no Wal-Marts to clutter the landscape, and downtown America was open for business. We knew who worked in and who owned every business in town, and it was a time when people took pride in their workmanship and made in USA was the emblem that the whole world looked up to with ultimate respect.
Goods made in America were made from material of superior quality, and when you made a purchase, you could count on having bought a product that was made to last.
Those days had real pharmacies, complete with soda-fountains, and even featured a pre -Christmas visit from Santa Clause. I can still recall sitting on Santa's lap in St. Mary Pharmacy spilling my guts as to what I wanted for Christmas; little did I know that the Santa was my very own Father.
We always had a season for "Marbles," in the fall, and the age of "Television" was just making its way into American households all over the country, "Radio" was still the most utilized media, and we dared not miss a Friday night fight. Kids don't play marbles anymore, and television is only watched ocassionally when the computer is on the blink. We don't even listen to the radio anymore, that has taken a back seat to CD Players in the automobile.
Our whole country is now comprised of corrupt career politicians who are interested in self-promotion, and they are completely out of touch with the people who elevated them to the status that they now enjoy. I don't think this is exactly what our "Founding Fathers" had in mind when framing the constitution. Right and wrong were such simple things when we were growing up, but today, politics is largely responsible for defining what is right or wrong, and profit and greed have been inserted as appropriate substitutes. It no longer matters who is swallowed up by corporate greed, the bottom line is the only thing that matters anymore. How many families have been devastated by downsizing of corporate America? How many people have been displaced from a career that once gave them a tremendous amount of self esteem? The downsizing was preceeded by hostile takeovers, mergers, and acquisitions. The bottom line is more important than satisfied and valued employees who strived to do their very best at their chosen profession. Profit is the only thing that is important anymore, and the more profit a company makes the higher it is held in esteem by the politicians they have bought.
Today, young people are sent to foreign lands to fight for what is supposed to be right. Have you ever noticed that what American politicians want is the standard that is used to measure what is right for the whole world? We are going to other countries to liberate the "oppressed people," but when that mission has been accomplished, American military presence is permantly left in place to oversee the actions of the people of the countries who were previously ruled by dictators. Those dictators have been replaced by Americans, and by the same standard, "might is right." So I must ask, has anything really changed?
We may not have had the greatest football team in the state, but we played hard every game, and we got to know who we could count on when the going got rough. We may not have won many games, but we cultivated a healthy respect for one another. We played because we loved the game, and we played because we were proud of our school, and we played because our siblings had played just before we did. They were our role models, and that is another thing that has changed today. The kids of today don't have older siblings who played the game, and I guess that is what happened to marbles too.
Downtown America has had to find creative ways to restore these boarded up areas. Historic Districts have been created and various means have been employed to preserve what has been replaced by sprawling shopping malls just outside of town. Franklin tragically lost its former Court House to a modern day version of the "Shoe-Box!" What a beautiful edifice sacrificed for a totally functional abomination. That is a perfect example of how our value system has not only been changed but totally displaced.
We grew up in the south during the '40's, '50's, and '60's, and we were there when mothers stayed home to take care of their families and fathers went to work to support those families. However, at the end of that timeframe, things began to change, and mothers were forced to go out into the workforce to help support the family unit.This is probably the most negative social change that we have lived through during our lifetime. Families were once much closer and well balanced than they are today, and the single most important factor involved is the absence of "mamma" when a child gets home after spending a day in school. This is responsible for the "Latch-Key" child generation, and this could hold the key as to why we have changed so dramatically as a society.
Now back to Iraq we have gone; is it for oil? Is it because George "Dub Yah" Bush really cares about those people's freedom? If he cares so much about people, why does your Mother in Law find it necessary to purchase her prescription medications from Canada? Why will you have to pay taxes on what little social security you will finally collect? Why does Congress not pay into social security? Did you give them the right to transfer that money into the general fund? I don't remember being asked if they could use my money. Why is it that Congress was able to vote a perk for themselves that allows them to retire with millions, free health care, and live a lifestyle that you or I can only dream of? Why is it that immigrants from other nations qualify for social security benefits when they never payed a dime into the system? Why is it that they can make laws that benefit only those privileged few? Are they better than you and I? Why are we denied disability when we are hurting? Why is it that we cannot retain much of what we presently earn? Why are we taxed so heavily?
I can ask why to thousands of issues, but I keep coming back to the government that, supposedly, we, the people, control! We have the right to bitch about the vote that we cast and the right to cast that vote, and the right to worship as we please, but do we really have any real rights that make a difference in our lifestyle? Oh yes, we still have the right to bear arms, but don't be fooled into thinking that some one or some group is not always at work trying to take that right away from you. As you and I sleep, Congress is making back room deals, in smoke filled rooms, and you can bet it is not to benefit the interests of you or I.
The environment was once something that Americans treasured and cared for with pride, but now the Secretary of the Interior recently abolished the protection of 107 million acres of federal land that had been set aside as permanent wilderness areas. This was done with the stroke of a pen late on a Friday afternoon. The Bush administration has demonstrated that it is far more interested in exploiting public lands for comercial purposes than it is in protecting these aesthetically valuable lands. Big business is the only winner in this game, and timber companies, oil and gas companies, and mining companies are jumping for joy as these sacred places are opened up for exploitation. We sent these people to Washingto to serve us, but over the years, they have enslaved the American worker, and now we work to serve them! Again, I am forced to wonder if that is the way our "Founding Fathers' planned the 'State of the Nation!"
My family has had our rights violated, here in Arkansas, by an unscrupulous "Real Estate" agent and a convicted felon to whom he purportedly sold a small amount of land that adjoins our property. The man who lived next door to us for about three years is currently incarcerated in Michigan, but the agent remains free and continues to engage in reprehensible land deals. It has always been my contention that the real estate man should not have ever been allowed to enjoy freedom once he reached the age of majority.
Once my non-chosen neighbor was, again, apprehended for counterfeiting, I reported the squalor and unsightly piles of "Air Conditioner Compressors,' 'Batteries' on the ground, 'Drums of Oil' leaking into the soil, 'Old Tires and Rims," and dozens of electrical and mechanical items left out in the open, to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. ADEQ supposedly conducted an investigation of the waste site, and without the benefit of a single soil sample or water sample, they came to the incomprehensible conclusion that, "There was no hazardous waste on that site!"
I then called in the "Environmental Protection Agency,' EPA, but they were told to 'Back Off," as the state had things under control. It goes without saying that the corruption of politics has precluded a proper investigation into the problem, and a totally inept agency in the "Natural State" was allowed to abdicate their responsibility. However, after seeing and communicating with this group of grossly incompetent individuals, I feel certain that they were quite relieved that their ignorance and apathy would not be publicly exposed.
Yes, I have been a law abiding citizen for the vast majority of my life, but I give more thought to everything today. Over the years, I have become more cynical about the way the ordinary American citizen is controlled by such a very small...out of touch... fragment of our society. Congress has too damned much power, and I don't care which party we are talking about, it is just too much!
Why would anyone spend a million dollars to get elected to a job that only pays 100 thousand dollars a year? Who contributes to the warchests of these entrenched politicians? What does their lobbying dollar buy for them? How does one gain access to the ear of an influential politician? Could it be through those dollars that were contributed prior to their election? The dollars buy access to the powers that be, and it buys their votes on issues that affect big business. However, when it comes to paying taxes, you and I are helpless, hapless, and financially embarrassed.
I once got goose bumps every time I heard the National Anthem, but today I change the channel or turn off the radio or just walk away. Am I less patriotic because of the way I feel or lack to feel? Has my country treated me as well as I have treated it? The National Anthem once meant something to me that gave rise to great visceral feelings, but today it just lets me know that ten basketball players will have shortly earned millions of dollars while school teachers, policemen and firefighters are not even able to afford to pay the price of admission. Why have our priorities gotten so out of balance? What have we done to deserve such a life?
At the end of the day, I may have earned 2 or 3 hundred dollars, but what am I allowed to keep? It really doesn't matter how much you earn if you must give it back anyway.Why is it that our government is allowed to throw our money away to every "Banana Republic" in the world? Did they bother to ask you whether or not you had anything to say about how the money is spent?
Please give some thought to what I have said, and perhaps you will not be so forgiving of the people who are so benevolent to some and so unforgiving to you and I.
....Just Thinkin....
Guy Stirling
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