I admit it. Yesterday I gave in and involved myself in the Great Facebook Politics War. About once a year I slip and break my personal vow to abstain from the over-the-top, left vs right, mud slinging fest that Facebook has become a platform for.
On the other hand, I have also vowed to be more vocal in my own personal, conservative beliefs and convictions, whether it be politics, religion, the economy, personal responsibility etc. In the past, not wanting to offend, or in order to avoid an argument, I mostly chose to refrain from expressing my own views when around people who were polar opposites in order to avoid conflict - at times a very difficult thing to do. Nowadays. I tend to respond more frequently, because I believe it's the right thing to do. (Facebook is
not the right place because it's just too easy to throw out an offensive comment or make snap, in the heat of the moment, illogical, responses.)
According to some of my friends in the USA, the bashing of each other's political views, and particularly President Trump personally, has reached near epidemic proportions. My little foray yesterday into this vicious world on Facebook seemed to confirm that, apparently, this is true. It's all out nuclear warfare. There seems to be another driving force behind this problem, besides the Facebook platform. According to my sources, millions of Americans are now actually addicted to the 24/7 news/talk show drug that has taken America by storm.
Fortunately, living in Honduras I'm not particularly exposed to this narcotic on a regular basis or it's unbalancing effect on my intelligence, but I did experience it's hallucinogenic high on a recent road trip from Maine to Honduras. The car I purchased is equipped with a
SiriusXM satellite radio whose subscription is current. Amazingly, we were able to listen to great music all the way to Siguatepeque, where reception finally began to get a bit spotty. Listening to XM for nearly 5000 miles, I was blown away with the number of 24 hour news stations and talk radio programs that exist. All day and all night long they emit a non-stop, audial drip-feed of addiction in whatever brand your particular form of bias comes in. Is it any wonder Americans are obsessed with political/social debate and that every little issue is turned into something of monumental proportion worth dying for? (I actually blame my lapse into insanity on this trip)
The reality is that this politically dissident time we are living in is an actual battlefield. Our weapons are words, phrases, slogans, satire. and cutting, but humourous gifs.
Fact: Whenever one chooses to engage in battle, there will be casualties. Words have the power to wound and to kill. For those who have strong opinions and express them, it shouldn't come as a shock when others express equally strong and opposite opinions which one may find hurtful and offensive. Battles typically are never one sided events where missiles are only hurled in one direction. If one is foolhardy enough to launch a barrage of super-charged opinions on one's favorite pet peeve of the day, be forewarned, someone is going to fire back.
Warning: War is a dangerous business should you chose to engage in it. Remaining neutral may be your only hope of escaping unscathed, and history shows that even that may not protect you.
As stated above, although I regret giving into the impulse to engage in this ridiculous war of left vs right, liberal vs conservative, Democrat vs Republican, my purpose and original point was that the bashing of the President has reached an all-time high, even surpassing the angst that surrounded President G.W. Bush...and that was horrific. In my opinion, it is approaching a level that is becoming destructive to the very fabric of our country. As citizens of the United States of America we are given the constitutional right to disagree with our government and our elected officials. I do not believe that right should be abused to the extent that it has been since President Trump was elected. The beauty of our republic is that we have available to us the means to rectify our choice in elected officials every four years. It is at the voting booth where our voices and political expression should be most vocal. The rest of the time, we should be working constructively, not destructively, together for the good of our country.
I do not believe that disrespecting the office of the president is how an American citizen should act. I disagreed with much of what President Obama did during his eight years in office, but I never disrespected him. I have called to task a number of conservatives who I heard crossing that line of free speech and disrespect when Obama was president. If that is you today, when you talk about your president, I would ask you to consider your words. You don't have to like or even respect the man, but are you disrespecting the office and your country with your rhetoric?
I have no desire to wound or inflict damage on anyone. If my post or some of the private messages that followed caused that, I am truly sorry. Although my personal opinions remain firmly in place, it doesn't mean that I don't love you. We just have radically different views on life, that's all. My invitation to all, to come and visit and see what we are accomplishing here, remains open.
Today I announce that I'm officially withdrawing from the Great Facebook Politics War. I'm going to try for permanent neutrality from this day forward. I sincerely hope I can keep my pledge this time. Please don't attempt to engage me, because I will return fire. Neutrality must be respected by both sides in order to function. I prefer peace with all men whenever possible.
I want to leave with this thought, because since yesterday it has been on my mind and the implications it holds for each of us who hold citizenship in the United States of America.
Recently, I had opportunity to speak with a person who is applying to become a US citizen about what it means to become a citizen of our country. I had never actually researched the oath that an immigrant swears to on the day they become a naturalized citizen. I did not realize it was so profound an oath. It is truly a solemn event, or at least it should be. As I read the oath, I thought about those of us that are born US citizens. If this oath applies to a naturalized person, how much more should it apply to those born into citizenship.
Take a few minutes to read and consider.
Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America
Oath
"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."
The principles embodied in the Oath are codified in Section 337(a) in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which provides that all applicants shall take an oath that incorporates the substance of the following:
- Support the Constitution;
- Renounce and abjure absolutely and entirely all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which the applicant was before a subject or citizen;
- Support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;
- Bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and
- A. Bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; or
B. Perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; or
C. Perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law.
The language of the current Oath is found in the Code of Federal Regulations Section 337.1 and is closely based upon the statutory elements in Section 337(a) of the INA.
God Bless America
In January, I located one in Wisconsin, reached an agreement with the owner to store it until spring, and rather impatiently waited for May. Mark and I flew to Maine to see friends and family and to pick up the car I had purchased to tow the boat back to Honduras. Leaving Maine, we crossed through Canada re-entering the USA in Michigan. We had a smooth, 5000 mile trip home with no problems, other than a flat tire on a mountain pass in Mexico.
The big day finally came for our maiden voyage. We chose to play it safe and begin the sailing learning curve in Lago de Yajoa, a lake about 45 minutes from us. Locating one of the few boat ramps on the lake at Honduyate, (a very nice place featuring cabins, a marina, hotel, restaurant and a place to store and launch boats), we began our first sail.
