My 8/28 Experience and The Return of American Exceptionalism
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past two years, you would have noticed that this country is not exactly in the best shape of its 234 year old life. It’s not like it happened over night either, this was in fact a long time coming. Unfortunately many didn’t see the slow burn, and many still don’t see that the fire is now engulfing us all. I for one felt inconsolable the day after November 4, 2008. Not the exact day this country’s downfall began, but certainly when things went from bad to abysmal at the speed of light. It was a perfect storm, an economic downturn precipitated by a housing bubble (all government initiated of course), Americans chomping at the bit for entitlements, and a society who had lost all integrity, foresight, and ability to reason. They were sold a bill of goods based on two words- “Hope and Change.” Perhaps if approximately 70% of the country hadn’t of lost their ability to think for themselves, take the time and effort to actually find out who Barack Hussein Obama was, rather than taking his Reagan style rhetoric at face-value, we would not be in this mess today, perhaps maybe not though. You see there has been a steady breakdown of all things American for the past 60 years. Let me clarify what I mean when I say American- the connotation of the word “American” in the first half of the 20th century was synonymous with words such as: magnanimous, industrious, tenacious, honorable, humble, loyal, family-oriented, and above all else God-fearing. It wasn’t until last year that anyone in the media was able to pinpoint exactly what went wrong in this country, that man was Glenn Beck. I have said it before and I will say it again, this movement has never been about one person. Beck will even tell you himself this is not about him, this is about someone in the media who was willing to speak when no one else would. Glenn Beck has merely been the man carrying the torch leading the way. I credit him with bringing us together, but really this movement has been about Americans sacrificing their time and energy to turn this country’s fate around.
Which brings me to this past weekend’s Restoring Honor Rally in DC, otherwise referred to as 8/28. Needless to say this country is undergoing a collective suffering, and for most Americans this means not making frivolous expenditures. Traveling to DC is quite expensive. From hotels, to cab fare, to lousy over-priced food, mustering the funds to get to our nation’s capital for a rally was quite a sacrifice for many of the people that decided to go. I was able to attend the 9/12 rally last year, and much like last year, I immediately started finding congenial, warm-hearted, patriotic Americans as soon as I got on the plane. Without trying to be overly schmaltzy, you could see the excitement and the glimmer of hope in the eyes of people who were on their way to attend something that was not only bigger than themselves, but truly a defining moment in this Nation’s history. Freedom has never been so close to slipping from our hands, and luckily people are not letting it go without a fight.
I knew this event was going to be huge when I saw not only the number of people on the metro, but the diversity of people in attendance. You really could not generalize this crowd. I saw families, old people, teenagers, college kids, hipster looking kids, disabled people, veterans, Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Jewish (proudly wearing their Yamakas), the only common denominator might have been how polite everyone was despite the horrendous conditions on the metro (the largest crowd the metro authority has ever seen). The months leading up to this event were mired with rumors that it was going to be a truly dangerous atmosphere, as Black Panthers had made several threats to make an appearance. Luckily they were all bark and no bite, and didn’t even show up to the rally. Once we finally made our way onto the grass leading up to the memorial, I was awe struck by the number of people in attendance. So many in fact that nearly all the areas where viewing the stage was possible were filled to the brim. As luck or fate would have it, we had to find a place to sit right up by the memorial, behind the stage. It was frustrating to say the very least, as I could not hear a darn thing (there were no speakers pointed in our direction). So for the first hour or so I tried my best to listen as Alveda King and Sarah Palin spoke, and then finally Beck himself, who always speaks loudly. From what I could hear, I knew immediately that Beck was keeping his word, this was not in fact a political rally; it was a revival of sorts.
About half way through the speeches, I could hear some rumblings going on to the left of where we were positioned. I looked over to see a group of people carrying a large banner that had a picture of Glenn Beck and Martin Luther King with the words, “Dream” pointing to King, and “Nightmare” pointing to Beck. Of course I had to get a closer look at what this was all about. As I approached the people holding the banner, I saw a television camera pointed right at the people who were going up to them. The people were ostensibly young (I would say college age, give or take a few years). I immediately tried to jump into the debate with two girls. One immediately began to question me, “How old are you?” “Why are you here?” “Why did HE have to have this on THIS day?” To which I answered “None of your business. I am here because I am not happy with the direction this country is going in, which is collectivist. And what do you mean by THIS day? Alveda King is here herself, this isn’t even about race, this is about Americans coming together to champion individualism and a return to what made this country great (I am paraphrasing myself here).” Immediately the one girl began to scream that I was a judgmental bigot, while the other continued to ask me where I worked, and what exactly collectivism was. I said to her, “That is the ideology to which your Dear Leader is following, a means of redistributing the wealth, an equaling of the social classes.” I got a laugh, a blank stare, a few more cries of you’re a “BIGOT”, and finally I said, “Just look it up on Wikipedia”, to which I got a thundering laugh out of all of the blissfully ignorant indoctrinated drones. Look kiddies, if you don’t even know what collectivism is, I wouldn’t balk at someone trying to tell you to look it up at a place where most of you probably ascertain your information for your thesis’ on basket weaving. Needless to say I wasn’t getting anywhere, but these kids need to know that they know nothing, their ignorance and arrogance are stunning, and above all else dangerous (btw Alinsky loved you guys, you are “useful idiots”). I finally ended up debating with two other girls who were a bit more reasonable. One very reasonable in fact, probably because she wasn’t a blithering idiot who was so certain that she knew all the answers even though she had absolutely nothing to back up her argument (ie girl one and two of this narrative). While she argued that healthcare was a “human right”, she did concede that Universal Healthcare might not be the best option. I liked this girl, I like that she had the ability to leave the circle jerk groupthink and hear the other side out. THIS gives me hope. Bottom line, I think this sort of debate is very necessary. If we are ever to turn this around, we have to try to get these outliers who haven’t been given all the facts, because they can’t see past the Gospel according to Arianna Huffington. The youth is crucial, re-enforcing the idea that we must first think for ourselves rather than lap up whatever is fed to us in the University system is crucial. This will be the only way to turn this around, smashing the chains of systemic groupthink.
I want to close my narrative on this truly remarkable day in American history with my thoughts on why I think this battle to restore America can be won. Now more than ever the family unit, the strong stable environment where productive citizens are born and raised, is being threatened by the powers that be. Big Brother and the blanket of collectivism, is promising to take care of your child from cradle to grave. The only way to provide them with the arsenal to fend off the onslaught of a system which seeks to rob their creativity, break their individual spirit, and turn them into a servant for the masses, is to be there yourself from cradle to, well adulthood. You instill them with the value system that made this country the best country in human history. Don’t leave it up to anyone else to provide this basis. I looked around at 8/28, tearfully, and saw this. I saw families with their children, excited to be a part of this historic day. Fathers with sons, mothers with daughters, grandparents with grandkids, it felt like the “old days”. I concur Mr. Beck, you put God, the individual spirit he gave us, and the framework of the family back into the equation, we can and we will turn this thing around.
- Sharon's blog
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