P is for Politics

I don't write about politics. I don't want to be judged for or categorized by my political views. It never really ends well and I choose not to go there outside of my home. Until now. I can't quite get over something and don't think I can be quiet about it any longer. If you don't agree with me then stop reading. Free speech and all that.

Recently I stood in my kitchen and cried over the division in America. That's pathetic. It was when our private Catholic school called on a Sunday afternoon to let us know that we could "opt out" of our children arriving at school on time and viewing the Presidential address on education. Are you kidding me? Did anyone call my parents at home when it was time for Ronald Reagan to make a speech that would bore us out of our Jr High minds? No. It was never considered. Ever. Did we shield the recently adolescent population from George W. Bush's ridiculous grammar and ignorance on global events? Nope. They saw the whole thing on network television and replayed over and over on YouTube. Even typing this fires me up so much that I am willing to get right in the face of any right wing racist jack ass started all the hoopla. IT IS WRONG.

Will I declare myself a fully liberal Democrat who thinks Obama is the messiah? Absolutely not. You won't ever see a bumper sticker on my car promoting the change that he promises. I think believing that one man can fix an entire nation's problems is just as ignorant as thinking that if you play the lottery every week you'll eventually win. Not my thing. The odds are simply against us. Change will happen when everyone decides to take responsibility for themselves and their children. All of their children. All of the time. THAT would be a positive change. And raising a generation of gracious, well educated children would go a long way towards encouraging change in this country. And THAT is my problem.

Our kids, MY KIDS, are being brought up in a world where respect is a rare commodity. The man that WE THE PEOPLE elected to run our country deserves respect. Whether or not your Great, Great Granddaddy would roll over in his grave (yeah, I said it. I grew up in the South. I get it) to see a black man addressing the nation is irrelevant. He IS the President. He deserves our respect and support. And our children deserve to learn that an adult in a position of authority should not be disrespected. Never. Ever. Not their bus driver, their crazy aunt, the President. It doesn't matter. The person in charge is there for that moment for a reason and they are biologically required to respect and obey. The idea that they can "opt out" of that requirement is ludicrious to me. Even when their parents didn't vote for him.

I am not, nor will I ever, say that you have to agree with every single thing that comes from any leader's mouth. I certainly don't. What I can't tolerate is that there's an entire generation of Americans who are being led to believe that the democratic system is irrelevant and respect is directly linked to personal beliefs. We're not going to survive like that people. It just won't work.

Stepping off my soapbox now. Have a nice weekend