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OUR SHAME

Our nation is said to be the greatest in all of history. We are the most powerful and richest nation on the earth, yet we should not be proud, but rather ashamed.

Our beloved country was founded primarily on the foundation of the idea that people ought to be free, and that they all had the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We are all guaranteed individual freedoms by the Bill of Rights, those first ten precious ammendments to the constitution of The United States, but alas many do not enjoy the prosperity, both social and material, which is their birthright as Americans!

 

We as citizens of the United States should feel deep and hurtful shame because of the reality that many in our country do not enjoy that which should be theirs.

Many of our citizens are disenfranchised as a result of racial hatred which can not be the subject of legislation, while many are denied a chance to succeed economically due to lack of education and subtle and unseen acts which are directed against members of minorities. As a nation we seem to be indifferent to the rights and needs of these people who, like us rightly claim the birthright that we enjoy every day.

Members of minorities are not safe in their person in many areas all across this nation because they are gay, hispanic, black, oriental, elderly, women, or because they have taken a stand for or against such devisive issues as abortion, gay rights, or other causes which are the subject of intense disagreement and/or debate. This phenomena is referred to frequently as "hate crimes", and the incidence of such crimes is skyrocketing at a truly alarming rate. Our leaders offer high-minded talk about legislation to deal with these problems, but that is not the answer! Legislation, no matter how well-intentioned, and no matter how harsh can not cure the disease that lurks and threatens our citizens because it lies within the hearts and minds of many people.

Who are these people and how did they come to believe that they have the right to claim the roles of judge, jury, and execution with respect to other citizens with whom they disagree socially, politically, or theologically??

They are just plain ordinary citizens who have been taught that in certain cases, right makes might. All Americans enjoy freedom of religion, guaranteed by The Bill of Rights, but some fail to realize that it is this very freedom which sometimes fosters and promotes intolerance and leads ultimately to violence. Certain movements within the so called "christian church" have attacked homosexuality with such vigor that they have created within their followers a doctrine of persecution much like that which flourished within the church in the 1300's where those who did not agree with the church leadership were tortured and many burned at the stake.

There are those in our country who, although they would immediately decry the deeds of The Third Reich, against the Jewish people of Europe, believe it is permissable to perpetuate the same kind of hatred and intolerance against citizens of color in our nation.

Our nation should indeed be ashamed! We have so much and yet we do not appreciate our heritage enough to be committed to the ideals upon which it was founded, and upon which it has stood for more than two centuries. No law or group of laws, no policemen, no judge, and no prison can cure our ills. The cure must come from within the hearts and minds of all Americans. It must become the personal passion of every citizen! Without this, we are doomed and deserve to suffer the same fate as The Roman Empire which decayed within and fell, not to a conquering army, but upon the sword of it's own evil!

We must be ashamed and sensitve to the needs of our nation which stands at the crossroads of future success or failure. Our children and future generations, yet unborn, deserve the blessings of the " American Dream". The challenge is clear to all of us that we must improve our nation from within the hearts of all of us, or surely we will perish as a nation!


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