Missing former American pride

 

I must address the assassination attempt last weekend on former President Donald Trump. Thank God the shooter wasn’t successful.

I regret the loss of life of Corey Comperatore and pray for his family. I pray for those injured to have a speedy recovery. I pray for our nation and that we will return to the Godly principles upon which this nation was founded.

I wrote this week’s column before the shooting, but the topic is relative to not only our Independence Day, but also the events of last weekend.

Saturday morning, as I read last week’s CCN, many columns/letters caught my attention because of the messages. They were Mrs. Johnson, Sean of the South, Pastor Bass, Paul DeMarco, and Mrs. Hardy (letter to the editor). If you missed them, I encourage you to find and read them.

Now to my original column. I hope everyone had a great Independence Day. As I thought about our Independence Day, I couldn’t help but think back, all the way back, to when I was a child.

I remembered watching parades, patriotic movies and television shows celebrating American greatness. Movies about American heroes, our fight for independence, our willingness to help others, and, not least of all; our nation’s willingness to stand and fight to show the world we would not be overcome, we were proud and that freedom was sacred. I remembered newscasters covering many events celebrating America’s independence and national patriotism. I remembered images of our founding fathers in store windows and people wearing patriotic costumes like Uncle Sam.

I thought about hot dogs, hamburgers and homemade ice cream. I thought about July Fourth camping trips and time spent on Lake Martin or backwoods’ creeks in our area. I thought about all the flags cities, towns and businesses displayed the July Fourth week. I thought about all the good times people seemed to have and the pride our citizens shared in our nation.

That made me start “channel surfing” through the now unlimited television channels on satellite and the internet, looking for old patriotic movies. When that failed, I searched for newer movies that highlighted America’s accomplishments and pride in our nation. Movies that showed Americans coming together with a self-determination arising from an undeniable pride to overcome insurmountable odds and adversity. I didn’t find much and settled for a couple of episodes of “Hogan’s Heroes.”

Then I started wondering why we have slipped to a point where it is “not cool” to be patriotic and be proud we are fortunate enough to be an American. I thought about how things used to be.

I can remember each year, we would go to school to meet our teacher, get our “school list” of school supplies, attend assembly, and get an introduction to the coming school year. We always had an assembly for students, parents and faculty, usually in the auditorium or gymnasium.

The program always began with everyone standing for our national anthem and then coming to attention with hand over heart to recite the “Pledge of Allegiance.” That was followed by prayer (yes, prayer) and more patriotic songs.

Some songs had serious connotations; others were more upbeat and just made you feel good. The staples were “God Bless America,” “This Land is Your Land,” “America the Beautiful,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” “You’re a Grand Ole Flag,” “America (My Country tis of Thee),” and others. Everyone believed in what they were singing. Also, everyone stood as a sign of respect to our nation, our flag and, I believe, pride in our nation and ourselves. Everyone eagerly displayed that pride in their actions, and that display was highly encouraged.

Times have changed. A June 2021 IPSOS poll found that 84% of baby boomers, 71% of Gen Xers, 52% of Millennials, and 58% of Gen Zers said they were proud to be an American. The poll also found that only one in eight Americans believed America was at its greatest. However, one in five (20%) said America had never been great.

A Gallup Poll conducted in June 2023 showed that 67% of Americans were proud of our nation. The poll also showed that pride in our nation peaked following the 9/11 terrorists’ attacks. The Gallup Poll found that 15% of Americans were either only slightly proud or not proud at all of America.

The Gallup Poll did not differentiate between the generations as did the IPSOS poll, but did differentiate between political parties. The Gallup Poll showed that 59% of Republicans, 34% of Democrats and 36% of Independents reported being extremely proud to be an American.

I am not saying today we do not have patriots or proud Americans. However, I see many people who scale back on their celebration or display of American pride from fear they might offend someone who might not think America is all that great. I also see elected leaders and others who bash our nation, object to prayer in our schools, reject the founding principles upon which we were founded, and strive to stir up dissent and animosity. It is a shame the box in which we have placed ourselves.

So, how can we get out of this box? We must elect leaders who truly believe in American traditional values, are God-fearing and not afraid to show it, and are more concerned about serving the people who elected them than about their next term or lining their pockets.

We must elect leaders with values more closely aligned with our values. A few years ago, I heard a candidate say, “When you go in to vote, you cannot place your values (referring to religious values) on the table, go in and vote, and then pick up your values as you leave the facility.” There is a lot of meat in that statement.

No candidate’s values are going to exactly align and meet every standard we each set; however, we owe it to ourselves and our nation to learn the truth about the candidates who are running. We can’t rely on the national news media and must be weary of local news outlets because we now have more news commentators than we do reporters. And, please don’t confuse a reporter or commentator with a columnist.

In a nut shell, a “reporter” gathers facts from multiple sources (including opposite viewpoints) then offers that information in a balanced view to let the viewer decide. A commentator offers his/her opinion. A columnist, like a commentator, offers his/her point of view on the subject.

Christa is “The Coosa County News’” reporter. I write a column. This column offers my opinion or interpretation about whatever. It is, simply put, my thoughts. Although I attempt to provide balanced information such as citing multiple polls that you can check, this column expresses my point of view.

I recommend you watch more than one news channel and observe how the same story is being reported and read multiple points of view. If given the opportunity, attend political rallies and ask candidates questions. Learn as much as possible about the candidates before election day.

Never take a commentator’s comments as the gospel. Be careful not to accept society’s values as Godly values. Analyze and verify information. Take the columnist’s comments for what they are; simply his/her opinion – or maybe – his/her simple opinion. Hopefully, however, that columnist’s opinion will give you some “food for thought” and make you reflect on the point.

Until next month; stay safe and pray that God will bless our great United States of America.