I am proud to be a American.
A self reliant American.
An American that can provide for himself.
An American that can decide when it is time to stay,
and when it is time to go.
An American that has taken survival courses, learned to fish & hunt, learned to fight & shoot, learned to defend himself.
I am proud to be an American that doesn't need a government agency to tell me what to do, when to do it and then give me a check for doing what they say.
I am proud to be an American, who along with other hard working Americans, has paid taxes which have gone to support less fortunate people, and continue to do so during this natural disaster in the Gulf states.
I am NOT proud to be an American when I hear people and the media blame this stuff on the federal government, because as true Americans, you should not be so dependent on governmental agencies to assist you, as you should be on yourself and you neighbor.
This situation is just a telling example of what has happened to mankind in this country when the government raises people, feeds people, supports people, provides heathcare for people, tells people what and when to think, and then buries people when they pass.
Those that I hear blaming the "government" for this disaster are also complaining about the government's "slow response" to the disaster, the government's "failure" to prevent the disaster, etc. You are getting those ideas from the media. The media is telling you what to think, how to feel, how to react.
If you feel that there is not enough being done, then you go there to help, you offer your home to some displaced victims.
Do something more than bitch about it, and for God's sake, think for yourself.
I surely hope we, as a nation, take this sad chapter in our history, and learn that to be a strong nation, we MUST teach people of all economical classes to become self reliant and self sustaining. I truely hope that those who lost everything in this disaster, that are physically able, are willing to work to clean up and rebuild their homes and those of their neighbors.
The enemies of the nation now see how weak & divided we are.
They see how immoral we are, when there are those who would take advantage of this disaster by looting, raping, shooting at rescue workers, etc. They see how slow government moves, because of bureacratic red tape.
The media has done an incredible disservice to us by alleging the aftermath is the result of government not reacting because those left behind are black and poor. The Government (really, you the taxpayer) has probably been paying for many of the services these people have received. I am insulted and now refuse to watch any further coverage of this episode.
This is not the result of racial/economic prejudice.
It is the result of not teaching every American to be morally strong and self reliant.
We sit on the edge of a new beginning here, and the next step we take is critical to our future. I suggest we all come together, stop blaming the government, George Bush, the Republican or Democratic party, and instead, get people organized, get them working on clean up and rebuilding, teach people new skills, give people hope, and show the world that we can still rise to the occasion.
Instead of people standing around in a crisis yelling "help me" we can come out of this teaching people to "help themselves" and we will all be proud to be an American.
