Short-sighted Buffoonery

Today I saw an article stating “several artists” have pulled out of performing at America’s 250th celebration, and I gotta say that news just bummed me out.

I’m not bummed because I was going to attend said celebration.  Honestly, I don’t even know where it’s being held, or when.  I’d imagine it’s on Independence Day somewhere in D.C., but I haven’t looked into it.  The artists mentioned by name – Morris Day and the Time and Young MC – aren’t anyone I’d go to see anyway. (I do actually really like MD and the Time’s music, but I’m in the wrong demographic to attend one of their shows I’m afraid).  And with this news I’m sure there will be more jumping on (or off, as the case may be) the bandwagon due to some sort of imagined “protest”.  I don’t know who is on the lineup, and that’s not what this is about anyway.

No, what steams my beans is that a lot of people these days equate America to Donald Trump, and that if you support America, you are thereby a Trump supporter and therefore you are a Nazi or a fascist or a pedo-apologist or whatever slur these half-wits are slinging these days.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I do not like Donald Trump.  I did not ever vote for Donald Trump.  I will, quite frankly, be glad when he’s served his term and we no longer have to live in the shadow of “orange man bad”. But here’s the thing – every single president we’ve had in my lifetime has been a disappointment at the very least.  They’ve all done questionable things, some very shady and/or outright illegal and in some instances unconstitutional things.  This is in no way unique to Trump.  But never before have the masses, and especially not the privileged class, essentially turned their backs on our country due to whomever was sitting in the Oval Office.  As a teen, I hated Ronald Reagan and his cozy relationship with the “Moral Majority” kooks, not to mention his outright, blatant lies about the whole Iran/Contra crimes.  Then his successor GHW Bush came along, and he was worse.  I thought Clinton was gonna be great, but it turned out he was a lying degenerate AND he unleashed that harpie Hillary on us, to add insult to injury.  Bush Jr. was an imbecile with daddy issues, whose lies led us into a 2 DECADE war, for no justifiable reason, and cost thousands upon thousands of lives, untold billions in treasure, and left lasting wounds upon thousands of service personnel and their families.  I personally know a few of those soldiers, and their lives were torn to SHREDS over that middle east bullshizz, and for what?!?  Then along comes Obama. I will freely, and regretfully admit, that I bought Obama’s schtick, hook, line and sinker.  The first time around.  As much as ol’ Billy Clinton disappointed me, I felt utterly betrayed by Obama and could not in good conscience vote for him in his second term.  My list of grievances toward him is long and quite frankly I do firmly believe he and his wife set back racial relations in this country by decades.  When Trump got elected the first time, I generally thought the American public had lost their flippin’ minds. (Though, in full transparency, even though I didn’t vote for him, I did appreciate the “thumb in the eye” his election gave to “The Establishment”. It was LONG overdue.) He came across as a clown, and a charlatan.  Then the wheels really came off with the ascension of Sleepy Joe Biden.  His residency was an absolute embarrassment to the office, which undoubtedly set the stage for Trump 2.0.  And we can all see how that’s going… And let’s be honest, the players on deck for the next round???  May God have mercy on us…

To be perfectly clear, I have nothing but scorn and loathing for our administrative state, but I love America.  I love the American people.  I’m proud of many things we’ve done as a nation, despite some of the ugly things done along the way.  I do believe the good outweighs the bad.  I still believe in the promise of America, what our founding fathers envisioned for their descendants.  I also believe we’ve lost our way.  But no philanderers, no charlatans, no two-faced, war mongering bastards are going to make me hate my home.  I may not respect the man in the office, but I will alway respect the office.  A country is its people, its culture, its values.  Not its politicians.  Politicians, by and large, are narcissistic parasites and should be treated as such.

I can distinctly remember our country’s Bicentennial in 1976.  It was very young, and it was a long time ago, but it left a lasting impression on me.  It brought our country together.  It was a time of celebration and pride in what our forefathers had built.  It didn’t matter what color your skin was, it didn’t matter where you or your parents had come from, it didn’t matter WHO WAS PRESIDENT at the time!  No, ALL that mattered was that we were Americans in America celebrating 200 years of our homeland’s existence.

Oh, how all that promise, all that hope and determination for a better life has deteriorated in the last 50 years!  This, my friends, is what the whole “diversity is our strength” yahoos have wrought upon our country.  Are we stronger as a country now than we were 50 years ago?  No, no we are not.  Has the plethora of hyphens forced upon our people made us more united as a people?  No, they have divided us, further and further away from United, with each passing year.  Growing up in California, I had friends from all over the world, in every size, shape, color and denomination you can imagine, but you know what we ALL were?  American.  Not African-American, not Japanese-American, not Mexican-American or Filipino/ Greek/Tongan/Irish/English-American, just American.  And even as kids, we knew, KNEW that we were lucky to be here.  That our founding was special, it was different.  It was unlike anything the world had ever seen, and there was no other country in the world that had what we had.  We were GRATEFUL to be in America. And it showed.  It felt good.  We were all rooting for the same team.  We were brethren.

So for me, hearing that some fortunate souls, who have been blessed with fortune and fame, who have achieved their lofty, special station in life, right here in the good ol’ USA are turning their backs to the same country that GAVE them that status, that gave them the opportunity to grab that brass ring, well…it makes me more than a little angry, and very, very sad. 

Yes, life in America can be hard.  It can be unfair.  It can seem like the odds are stacked against you sometimes.  But it also holds immense beauty.  There are opportunities for anyone that has the guts to step up to the plate and take a swing.  There is kindness and empathy and a neverending desire to innovate and to make the world a better place.  Our country, our beloved America, is a bountiful place, and should be revered and cherished. 

If you turn your back on all that because you don’t like the guy currently sitting in the big chair, or worse, because you are afraid of what the Internet might have to say about you supporting and celebrating your own country, then I’m sorry for you.  That is a sad, pathetic excuse for an American. 

This coming Independence Day marks 250 years of the greatest experiment in human civilization ever seen, and you are fortunate to be part of it.  Show some respect for your ancestors, show some appreciation for the opportunity you have, show some gratitude.  If you can’t find something to be proud of as an American, then you aren’t truly an American.  I’ve had enough of the celebrity pouting and hissy fits.  They should be thanking their lucky stars they get to perform or make art for a living, rather than working double shifts at the local factory, or waiting tables or worse.  You were given an opportunity to celebrate your COUNTRY you morons, you weren’t asked to celebrate a single man you most likely disagree with. 

For the screeching weasels out there, yes I am proud to be an American and feel extraordinarily lucky to have this country as my home.  Nothing you say or do will ever convince me otherwise.  If you and your ilk would shut yer yaps for a minute, maybe try to be a productive citizen instead of tearing down everything that hurts your feelings, you might come to find there is plenty to celebrate in our lands.

Ok, that’s enough for tonight.  I really try to not rant and rave here, but I’m just sick to death of all the anti-American nonsense being spewed at us left and right, .  We will survive Trump.  We will survive the next idiot that takes his place.  We’re American, that’s what we do. Against all odds, we prevail.  Stand up and be proud, your future will be better for it.

Thanks for stopping by.