Saturday 16 November 2013

Service and Americanism

i've lamented for over 12 years now, that our when the president of the US went to see the smouldering remains of the twin towers and hundreds of dead Americans, he told us to go shopping.  i'd hoped he would have told us to serve each other.  something like:
... so we will not let this attack instill fear into our people. 
terrorism is simply a psychological WMD.   
where fear is, faith cannot exist.   
America is a nation of people who believe in a more perfect union, in peace, and in equality.   
so, i implore every American, dedicate yourself to giving at least 4 hours a week in service to your community.  there is work for all of us to do, its time we set about doing it and show these heathens that we are a civilized, peaceful nation. a place, that many of us believe is destined to be the place on Earth that ushers in a peaceful world, the bulk of us crave.
i challenge every American to sacrifice 10% of their time, talents, and any financial gains to help these victims and then end this violence.  we will NOT fight this blood-thirsty clan of egomaniacal selfish rich kids, with any new taxes.  this must be a war of the people.   
these terrorists are stateless actors.  they are driven by a lust for power and a greed that is unparalleled.  we cannot fight this battle like any other battle.  since it is a psychological agent, the "infection" (terror) is planted in our minds.  the only way to keep that from taking over for each one of us to do what we can to make this country a more perfect union. 
we had a hotly contested presidential election and the country is notably divided.  we will not win this divided.  tonight i'm announcing my intention to create a bi-partisan commission to identify what went wrong with our intelligence community to let this happen, who are these people and how to do we get them, and more importantly how we can unite.  for we must unite or we risk losing what so many who went before gave their lives to protect: the land of the free and the home of the brave. 
let's have dinners, prayer breakfasts, and service weekends now.  and while we are at it, let's create a national strategy to lead the world to peace.  peace is possible, and it is time that those who claim to worship a "Prince for Peace" to stand up and behave like it. 
please, sit down tonight with loved ones and identify what you can do to bring peace and restoration to this country.   
over the course of the following months, we will be listening sessions with various sectors of society to identify how we might partner to usher peace more boldly forward. 
we will stand together.  that is my promise to you.  i was elected to a divided country, but we can unite with compassion towards each other.  because when we stand together, we cannot be beaten. we waste the lives of these humble Americans if we don't. and it will be to our own peril. 
instead, we will reach out in love to each other and weave a net of safety and peace.
instead
12 years later:
  • suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death  for Americans 25-34 years old
  • 3rd leading cause of death for 10-24 year olds
  • 4th leading cause of death for Americans 35-54
  • gun violence is up, mass murder rampages are up
  • even with the massacre of school children american's won't give up their own WMD's
  • "being American" is defined by a list of negative attributes:
    • fat
    • loud
    • selfish
    • entitled
    • bullish
    • gluttonous
    • stupid
stories like this one below can help remind us what it really means to be American.  

we can do better than we are.  isn't it about time?

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