Political Correctness or Real love for Country

If you are one that enjoys the new social medias such as Facebook and Tweeter accounts to name just two, you have seen this question asked at least a thousand times, “What were you doing on September 11, 2001?” There were many questions on this topic asked over this past week and folks were posting and re-posting these types of questions as a means to express themselves. As I looked at some of these I felt a sense of what I would call a “robotic American” response. Here in the mountains of Southeastern Kentucky we have always appreciated genuine people. Genuine people are those that say what they mean, mean what they say, are straight shooters in conversation and treat people with respect and honesty. There remains another trait of mountain people that we trace back our roots all the way to the American Revolution. We are a people that are willing to volunteer and to serve our Nation through enlisting and serving our Country in her Armed Services.
Mountain Families have always been a ready supply with their young sons who have answered the call from the Civil War to this latest 10 year undeclared war, called initially the War on Terror. Our Nation united at the experience of 9-11!
In my lifetime, this was the second experience in which I thought the United States of America and her citizens were united in her efforts and sacrifice to serve one another and mankind. In 1976 our Nation was celebrating her 200th Birthday and patriotism. Love for our country was easily seen and there was a sense of pride in where we had come from and excitement about the future of the USA. The world was not exactly a beautiful place, there were wars and rumors of wars and Palestine wasn’t paradise. For those of you who clearly remember the year here is a personal flash back, Barry Manilow wrote “I write the songs” and it went all the way to #1 on Billboard Top 100!
On 9-11 the citizens of our Nation were united because of an act of terror against our citizens like we had never before experienced. The Iranian Hostage Crisis in 1979 that involved the Ayatollah Khomenini . 55 Americans were held hostage for 444 days when the American Embassy was captured but it didn’t have the same impact. 9-11 was in the homeland and not across the seas and around the world as it seemed. The December 7, 1941 attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was an attack against our armed men and women who serve in our military forces. Unlike 9-11, which was a direct attack against our unarmed civilians, 9-11 galvanized the patriotism of our Nation which was genuine, but ten years later, for many it appears to have faded and become a “robotic America” response.
Political correctness has no place with respect to Patriotism. People should stop at the singing of the National Anthem through respect and appreciation for the bombs that did burst in the air. We should stand at allegiance and attendance in response to the passing of the colors of the United States of America because the stars and bars represent the freedom our country represents and stands for across the world when those colors fly. I am confident that we all know how to read folks and we all understand the spirit of our friends when they say things or when we observe their actions.
The United States of America is the greatest country in the world. We present freedom and democracy and even with our current economic struggles. the USA is still the greatest financial institution in the world. We are a super power no matter who we elect as the President of the United States and love for country should not be highlighted once a year or during a highlighted memorial. Love for country and appreciation for America and all she represents should be lived out in each of our lives daily. Love for our country is found in the symbols our democracy and it lives in our attitudes and commitment to her causes. Sacrifice is a part of freedom and Jesus is a great example for all of us. In Christianity He paid it all.

Until then