Opinion: Being a good American with civic pride
The political turmoil in Washington, D.C., is enough to frustrate the average American. It is easy to feel helpless while we watch the people sent there trying to rip apart the fabric that makes America great.
President Trump has made his disdain for these political shenanigans part of his rallying call to Make America Great Again.
The power-hungry members of Congress are so busy persecuting the president they don’t have time to do much else. The media are very much accomplices in these disputes, as they print what sells. Print, television and Internet postings put the spotlight on the greasy wheels that are squeaking the loudest over every perceived or suspected misstep made by the Trump Administration.
The adult supervision in the Nation’s Capital is constantly squabbling among itself. I am ashamed of the thieving bullies that are our senators and congressional representatives. While they should be the epitome of good citizenship, they seem determined to destroy patriotism and national unity.
Being a good person should be seen as the height of fashion, the Golden Rule, the perfect accessory for every occasion.
America has a long history of defending its freedom and promoting patriotism. Those who believe in these principals as we approach the third decade of the 21st Century are chided as being racist and in some way persecuting those whose religion is different from our own.
When the president placed a ban on travelers from certain Middle Eastern Muslim countries, he received heaps of criticism. It seems no matter what he does there are people eager to renounce his actions.
There should be a 10-year moratorium on all immigration, out-of-the-country visas and foreign aid.
If we rolled up the welcome mats and built a fence around the entire country, we could use the money to house the homeless, support the aged and provide support to our military veterans.
How is it that practices that have stood for decades have become so onerous that they have been abandoned.
All students’ school day began with the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance followed by roll call. I remember that friends of the Jehovah Witness faith found the daily affirmation was not in keeping with their faith. They were expected to stand quietly while the rest of the class participated in this ceremony. We learned that all religions have different practices.
The schools have abandoned cursive writing as a no-longer-necessary skill. I saw a social media post that said teachers and schools in the United Kingdom are changing to all digital clocks.
It seems students sitting for their General Certificate of Secondary Education tests and A-Level General Certificate of Education exams, the pre-university version, were finding it difficult to read analog clocks.
Since digital clocks are the computer age timepieces reading a clock face has become another confusing, superfluous skill. These are the same kids who memorize the lyrics of the 1,000s of songs they download. They learn how to advance through hundreds of levels on almost as many video games. They are stymied by the challenges of a clock face. What is next? Will the military abandon its 24-hour clock, as the math involved is too baffling?
However, young people get their feelings hurt when they perform poorly, well boo-flippin’ hoo.
Being challenged builds character. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again,” isn’t a reprimand or an attempt to destroy self-esteem. Since corporal punishment and inflicting pain is no longer permitted as a discipline, feeling bad is the only thing left to use as a chastisement.
Long days and pleasant nights, have a great weekend.
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Readers, may contact Tami Jo Nix by emailing tamijonix@gmail.com or following @TamiJoNix on Twitter.
