Posted on 12/18/2001 3:12:07 PM PST by fivetoes
It's All My Fault
by Tom Buchanan
I am sorry America. It is my fault that our country is in the sad condition that it has been in for the past few decades. If you must blame someone in order to make yourself feel good, please feel free to blame me. And next week, or month, or year, or perhaps in yet another decade if things are still bad go ahead and blame me.
I am at fault for not taking action. I will never forget the vivid the images on television broadcast on January 20, 1981. It was a defining moment in my political stagnation. The news of the day was the Iranian Hostage Crisis. They took American’s hostage and we sat by helplessly and watched for month upon month. I remember that day because it was the inauguration of President Reagan. I remember the networks switching back and forth from the inauguration ceremonies to the hostages being boarded onto an airplane for the long awaited ride home. The message was received by Iran was ‘Don’t mess with America’. They knew that Reagan meant business and they were not going to test him. I felt assured that we were in good hands.
I went into a political coma that day and woke up nearly two decades later. I looked around and wondered who took over the America that I knew while I was busy raising children and trying to keep my financial nose above the water line. I have a myriad of excuses for not staying involved. Like most folks I was looking for someone to blame. After all, I had done nothing. I did my patriotic duty and voted in every election. It could not be my fault!
Political correctness has crept in and plagued our nation. When I first heard about it I laughed it off as a joke, a passing fad. It will never take in America, I thought. The same for zero tolerance. The taking over of our schools, turning them into education camps for the left, could never happen here in America. Yes I am guilty of not standing up and screaming. I was busy. Someone else was supposed to be protecting our liberties.
Then came many abuses brought on by numerous alphabet soup agencies of our government. I sat by, shocked, but silent. I learned as many others did to keep my mouth shut, that the government had become too powerful. I found myself using the third person, saying them or it when referring to government. After all I did not condone the abusive actions. Somehow this gave me a feeling of superiority as if I was above it all.
The major news networks all jumped on the band wagon with the left, reporting the gains of the socialists and progressive agendas with an approving gleam in their eye and I continued to soak up the garbage, hoping for a political messiah to deliver us from evil.
I woke up a few years ago, stunned and confused, wondering where to put my energies that would be of the most use in restoring the Republic. I looked around and found that many people were just as perplexed as I was. I saw folks yelling in the streets and joined their ranks. I became active in the different organizations, doing what I could to help in their cause. I found online forums. Through these efforts I have made contacts with others and educated myself to the truth.
I found that it is easy to preach to the choir as everyone agrees with you most of the time. What I found is that most folks in these organizations use, as I did, the third person when referring to the government. This is nothing more than an extension of the irresponsibility that the right deplores about the left. It has been easy to declare that ‘It’s not my fault’, someone else is to blame. It’s the government, like it is some foreign entity.
I have learned that civil rights does not equate to inalienable rights endowed by our Creator. Civil rights are granted by government. Inalienable rights, according to our Constitution are supposed to be guaranteed by our government, not subjected to ridicule and debate in congress.
One truth that I know is that as long as I place blame on someone or something else for what is wrong, I surrender to them any and all power. If they do not find the proper solution to remedy the damage I can continue to blame them and never be satisfied. Only when I come to grips with the fact that I have somehow in the past decided through my own selfish justification to not get involved with what was going on around me do I have any hope of doing something about it.
I hereby declare that the government is of the people,.by the people and for the people. It is safe for you to assume that I am part of the government, therefore I must assume responsibility for my lack of vigilance and effort in ensuring that the freedoms fought and died for by so many countless Americans will be passed on to future generations.
There’s a screen name I ain’t seen in a long while.
FReegards!
Sadly, a memorial thread.
Damn. Just damn.
Damn is Right!
Met him and a bunch of others back when, not long after I signed up. Tyranny Response Team, and yeah, still have the t-shirt.
Gun rights are a little better I guess, but look at all the ground we’ve lost since then.
Thank You ,
I’ve read His writings.
I am sorry for his passing.
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