America

America
Long ago when I was a young boy and life was grander than all of the woes. There were heroes and words which shined brighter than the sun, yes this was true and I believed. We all believed, and parents demanded their children walk in that light and it washed out the stains of our errors. I consumed words so glorious they invaded the cells of my soul and they were as strong arms wrapped around my heart. Words were the communication of all we knew to be, they were to be honored...not broken.

Yes, these were marvelous days and our heroes The Lone Ranger, Tom Sawyer, and Huckleberry Finn, etc. led us into the fields and ditches which surrounded our homes. Here we came to know one of our mothers...the earth, and she was glorious. From gardens in our backyard she sent us bounties of food and every day was an education of her diversity. Oh she extracted her minor payments in the form of cuts, scratches, and bruises; however our maternal mothers would assuage these events with band aids, and warm compresses, and always the hand to the forehead to assure there were no invasive viruses.

Then school days good old golden rule days. Here we came to know our third mother, and she told of an event so glorious it was hard to grasp. America with her torch of light spoke words so powerful they boggled the imagination. We owned a nation, "Government of the people, by the people, and for the people", further we were not only allowed to speak freely, and we were responsible to do so. Her Declaration taught us, "We hold this truth self evident, all people are created equal". Our enterprise, our ownership, and competition all were guaranteed...along with granting everyone the right to own a castle...our homes. The second greatest writing of man's history our Constitution, and over that we added the ultimate umbrella, "One nation under God", with its words from the only path which could take us where we all wanted to go.

Yes, and I believed. With the strength of this knowledge I walked forth to secure my place in this great melting pot. Oh how I prospered by 1973 I was sitting on the brink of great wealth, however I was broken. John, Martin, and Robert were gone, I learned of the Haymarket, John Rockefeller's use of Federal troops on American citizens, and Kent State. Dogs, fire hoses, clubs and worse, used to impede the preamble, the death of our sons in a war we could not win, and in a place we should not be. We postured, and gave Democracy for our excuse; however a large and larger portion of our citizens no longer belonged within our own system of Democracy. Welfare, poverty, and dropouts from school...all the social illnesses were unchecked, and I knew our mother "America" was not there to place her hand upon our brow and insure there were no viruses. I turned my back and walked away. Fool, 'me' I loudly claimed I had changed the world by one...for I would not participate.

1984 and then reality with the birth of my first daughter...then 1987 the birth of the second and I was doomed to mount my charger and tilt at the dragons. By this time the citizens had grown accustomed to kneeling with glances on high as though to a throne...and they beseeched please fix it. No longer did they grasp it was their responsibility, "Government of the people, by the people, for the people", was the only true hope...and they did not know. A generation lay down their flowers, for it was easier to go along to get along...than to be right. The virus won and social illness ran unchecked, the only God was Mammon.
I immersed myself in further schooling, and pressed deep into the garbage heap and there I found a thread. Following this thread I found a road, however I believe it too late. Sadness, sadness they refuse to listen, and when told they refuse to listen...they refuse to listen.

The maternal had died; the earth was tattered and spat upon. America why have you left us...mother please come home, for only you can save us.
If you but ask I shall tell you and in one generation we can heal. "Government of the people, by the people, and for the people" truly does guarantee we can do this. Silence, silence, silence and the beat goes on. Enter the reaper, social illness pandemic, and nowhere a neighborhood of respite.

Mother please; come home.

If but the right 'ONE' lends an ear and as Phoenix from the ashes arises that neighborhood and it shall be called, "The Neighborhood of First and Last Americans". The torch shall shine as the Sun and the Moon with light warm and bright yet soft and cool. The nation's social illness shall retreat from the light, its vampire nature cowering to natural levels, and those words which fuel her flame shall heal this Nation's ...tired, poor, and huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Our wretched refuse of our teaming shore. We must heal our homeless tempest-tost, and truly we shall lift our lamp beside the gold door.
Until all are included, we have failed, and we have no right telling others how to rule. Is it not time for "We the people", to take a hand and fix it all. Stand up from that kneeling pose, for those you beseech have given their souls to those who paid their bill.

Oh well seems like a good idea to me. The following article (the second article below this, in my portfolio), "Humaneomics" should make it clear this dream can be real. In one generation we can make it all it was meant to be.
K. I. Smet, with unconditional love and respect,