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America, A Reality Check
We are not that America
We are not unified citizens working together for a better tomorrow
We are not compassionate human beings lifting one another as we climb
We are not unselfish politicians fulfilling our promise to work for the greater good of the people
We are not the Miracle of 34th Street
We are not the humble grace of “Thanksgiving”
We are not innocence until proven guilty
We are not equality and merit
We are not the intellectual contradictions who framed the constitution
We are not a Democracy for the people
We are not rational thinking civilians using guns to protect our freedom from imperialists
We are not dreamers boldly blazing new paths and forging better tomorrows
We are not one indivisible nation under God providing liberty and justice for all
We are not the home of the brave we sing about in our Star Spangled Banner
We are not the Manifest Destiny
We are not the revisionist Americans of our history books
We are not the peaceful European explorers who vanquished the savage indigenous animals
We are this America
We are glimpses of beauty
We are flashes of hope
We are hints of greatness
But mostly,
We are the lie of Columbus
We are the savages
We are the imperialists
We are the adulterers
We are the animals
We are the rapists
We are the murderers
We are the warmongers
We are the takers of dreams
We are the enslavers of children
We are the thugs that stole the land
We are the America that was founded on 2 parts violence and 1 part idea
We are the pepper spray facial on the 99%
We are the mindless stomp of Black Friday
We are the Stand Your Ground killers of innocence
We are the dogs attacking the marchers
We are the hoses washing away hope
We are the billy clubs beating King
We are the bullets in the back of tomorrow
We are the walking contradictions pledging allegiances to justice and liberty while committing crimes against justice and liberty
We are the America that hides behind the idea of America
In isolated communities gated away from our fear
Behind our antiquated principles
Behind our flag, religion, and the God we’ve made in our likeness
We are the America who sacrifices our children at the altar like lambs, that then sheds tears
While screaming at the top of our lungs “How did we get here!”
We are the America that fails to understand time and time again;
Getting Here, to this dreadful state of horror and fear, is the one thing we did as a collective
Getting Out of Here is the one thing that we must do together
Dreams
Like most Americans, I used to worship the God of your American Dream. But today, my dreams are bigger than any constitution constructed by man. Bigger than any wish that can be bought with money. Bigger than any freedom that can be won by war or through politics. Bigger than any belief that places one man or one group of men above others. Bigger than any system that allows one man to eat gluttonously while another starves to death. Bigger than nuclear bombs and war for oil. Bigger than the profits of the oil companies and the prison industrial complex. Bigger than the injustice of justice. Bigger than the fear that prevents us from chasing our dreams. Suffice it to say, my dreams are enormous… yet possible… even probable..
Colorado and Beyond
First and foremost, my prayers go out to the families in Colorado and to every other family in the world reeling from the loss of a loved one today and everyday.
That being said, I’m done. I’m done acting shocked every time a “random” act of violence happens in the United States. Violence is a part of our history, our foundation, our culture, and every part of our American fabric. Unfortunately our unwillingness to have open and honest dialog about the American condition means that these vices (drugs, violence, educational disparities, racism, sexism, etc.) will continue to prevent us from rising to the apex of our collective potential.
We have to do better.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/20/us/colorado-theater-shooting/index.html
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