Reflecting

by: Lia

Working this last semester with the topic of “Being an American,” has been a lot better then I initially anticipated. As I mentioned in my first post, I was less then thrilled when the class chose this topic.

There is a lot that can be, and has been, covered under the umbrella of “Being an American.” Good, bad, and everything in between. It’s important to open up avenues where dialogue among citizens can occur. It’s important that we listen to differing opinions, realizing we might not have all the information necessary to make an informed decision. As United States citizens we need to not only learn to critically analyze the workings of our government, but appreciate the freedoms and privileges we have.

As the saying goes, “with privilege comes responsibility.” We must be good stewards of our gifts and use them not for selfish gain, but to better the world around us. Yes, I said world. It’s not just about America and making us happy, but it’s about providing for those around the world that may be less fortunate then ourselves. That doesn’t mean taking over a country and enforcing our rules and power, but giving others the tools and provisions necessary to live a full and healthy life.

This semester as given me the opportunity to look at the world around me and realize that every thing I do, or don’t do, has an impact on others. I must be informed of the actions of my government and take the necessary steps to ensure that we are all being treated fairly. No more us and them mentality. As I think I’ve mentioned before, we are all part of the human race and we need to start acting like it.

Prison

by: Lia

It’s interesting that here in America we so willingly lock people away in prison for crimes that they committed instead of spending less money to get them the help they need.

Let’s take someone with a mental disorder for example. Their mental disorder might not be enough to send them to a psychiatric hospital, but it’s enough to make them unable to function properly in society. According to Mental Health America, “An estimated 54 million Americans suffer from some form of mental disorder in a given year.” Yet, with treatment, “many people with mental illness return to a productive and fulfilling life.”

What about drug addicts and dealers? When they are locked in prison for their crime, do they at least get substance abuse counseling? To me, that would be the most logical step. Only 1 out of 10 drug offenders actually get the counseling they need.

Most drug abusers that go into prison end up abusing drugs there as well. When they get out of prison they do what their body has trained them to do, they use again, and then get put back in prison. It’s a vicious cycle.

In the mean time we are spending all this money to keep them in prison, when it would cost less to give them the treatment needed. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, it costs $23,000 each year to keep just one prisoner in prison.

Prayer

And now we come to the end... It's been quite the semester. I have learned quite a lot about our society, and have formed relationships with some of its newest members. I am now about to step out of the bubble of my private Christian liberal arts school, and into the world of the rich and the poor, the homeless and the mansion-dwellers, the hungry and the over-fed, the successful, the hopeful, the well-established... and the failures, the hopeless, and the immigrants. I will graduate from a hugely expensive university with little but a tiny scrap of paper to show for it (which society tells me that I need), and the learning which that paper represents (which is of much more value. Priceless, in fact).
America, to me, means consumerism, a house in the suburbs, and a life in the rat race. It also means exploitation of the 3rd world, atrocities carried out in the name of democracy, and a military force larger than that of the rest of the world combined. Sorry for the judgment and cynicism. I realize that other countries would probably be no better if they had as much power as we... All of that to say; I think the best way to end this series of blogs is with a prayer.

May God lead us away from arrogance and hypocrisy and towards humility. May God give us the strength to give up our greed and spread the wealth to those who truly need it. May America give up the idolatry of Nationalism and instead seek the God of Truth who shows up in the faces of our brothers and sisters all over the world. May we move away from individualism and toward community, building relationships of love with those we used to ignore or despise. May we pull away from our television sets long enough to recognize and respond to the ill-effects of the non-committal sex and mindless violence with which our culture is unhealthily saturated. May we be a people who seek justice for the poor and helpless. May we learn to love laughter and peace. May we lead the way in laying down our weapons (or turning them into farm equipment). May my skepticism be proven wrong.
Amen.

A Final Word

Wow, I cannot believe our semester is already coming to a close. Tomorrow marks the last week of classes and with that, comes the conclusion of another school year. This has been a very interesting semester spent analyzing America, American culture, and what it means to be an American. I find it fascinating how all of my classmates and I were shaped throughout this process. Getting ideas from events around us, and bouncing ideas off one another, I have learned much about this great country we live in.

We have explored issues regarding mass media, health, beauty, nationalism, food, family, and different artistic expressions and values of America.

It is interesting to see how my personal ideas on America have changed or strengthened. Throughout this semester I have tried to remain as optimistic about America as I can. I love the country that I live in and feel so blessed to have the freedoms and advantages that I do. However, my eyes were opened about the negative sides of America. Caitlin Blestcher's project on the American Dream was saddening. So many people, including young elementary school children, had negative interpretations of what the American Dream was or how it is played out within their own lives. Many of their reactions were hard to read. Her project will be available for viewing with the launch of our website on Friday, April 23, at 6:00 pm (PST).

Also, my blog post on Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution was sad as well. These children (and adults) are exposed to so many unhealthy foods and eating habits, it is no wonder our nation is becoming more and more obese.

Hopefully this experience has been eye opening for you as well. Maybe you learned something. Maybe your beliefs or attitudes have shifted after following our blog posts and projects. Maybe none of this happened. But I know for me at least, it has.

And although we have our negative aspects in this country, I still believe America is an amazing country with many wonderful qualities.

Feeding America

by Sarah

There's an awfully lot of talk these days about the food we consume in America. Many are thinking about where their food comes from. The movie Food Inc., a documentary about the meat industry in America dives deeper into this issue and the injustice involved.

In addition to problems of injustice and exploitation, believe it or not, hunger is a problem in America. Usually starving orphans in Africa come to mind when I think of hunger. But hunger isn't constrained within the African continent. There is a website dedicated to Feeding America and the stories of those helped in America by this organization.

It's important to recognize that food isn't just food. It's attached to faces. The faces that plant, grow, harvest,  buy and sell the food. Those who aren't paid fair wages and those who are. The hungry homeless woman on the street and the starving child in Africa. Don't get lost in the food and forget about the faces.

Beauty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

The link posted above is for a commercial from Dove's Real Beauty campaign. This specific piece is called "Dove Evolution."

Isn't it fascinating how media affects us and our perception of beauty? As I was scrolling through the blog, I saw a post by my classmate, Lia Thompson (http://j22010.blogspot.com/2010/03/obsession-with-beauty.html), and wanted to piggy back off her ideas.

When did the media determine who or what is beautiful? Who gets to make that judgement call? Granted many people look to celebrities and stars to see what is in fashion or what could be deemed as "acceptable" or "appropriate." Many times what celebrities wear or how they act is copied by their fans.

But what if their lifestyle habits, fashion sense, or language is awful?

America seems to be a culture that is highly, highly influenced by the media and the messages it brings us. Maybe it is due to our country's large dependence on mass media outlets. It is heartbreaking to me to see little boys and girls dressed in what my opinion is "inappropriate." It is horrible to hear that to someone, beauty is the size of their waist or their chest. Or even, that beauty is what the opposite sex things of someone.

Is that really what our society has taught people?

Beauty is not dependent on what others think of us, but rather, what we think of ourselves.

I believe the most beautiful people are confident, happy, and have a clear understanding of who they are.

Sure it is nice to get compliments here and there. But I think the key to being beautiful and happy, is just to be oneself. That means, NOT modeling ourselves after the people on TV shows, the radio, movies, or in magazines. We were each made to be us, not someone else.

It's time to live like that.

"Need"

by: Lia

What we think we “need” in America is absolutely absurd. We “need” a two-story house with 3 rooms, 2 bathrooms, a Jacuzzi tub, a large kitchen, a flat screen LCD television, two cars, at least 50 different outfits, and 100 shoes, junk food, and the list goes on and on.

In most countries they would be thrilled to have a place with four walls and a roof; who cares about windows or a door. Clean water is a luxury they can’t afford. They bathe themselves in toxic rivers filled with human excrement. Yet, somehow these impoverished countries seem to be a lot happier and grateful for what they do have.

It’s sad that we have to go without before we appreciate what we had. I am blessed that I grew up with very little money, always wondering if this would be the month we had to be out of our home. I am very simple and grateful for every little thing I have been given. That’s why it is hard for me to see people living in the U.S. with so much money and hoarding it for themselves. and wasting it convincing themselves that they “need” all this frivolous stuff.

WOW!!

by: Robert

I was able to see and understand the third piece better than the others for one simple reason, I didn't have to read and then try to watch the performance. I am thankful and appreciate the opportunity to come here tonight. I found myself lost in the 2nd half, enjoying every bit of it. I watched in fascination, completely engrossed in the musical style. My impression of Trouble in Tahiti is the story of life in America.

We become so enveloped in our work and take for granted what is safest to us, our home and families. Rushed out the door, trying to make a living or pursue our dreams, we forget to thank our spouses and connect with our children. Take a moment and let them know how much we appreciate them, what they do for us, and find a common interest again. Unfortunately, we live in a society that is not warm to that idea anymore, it's disheartening.

I truly enjoyed sitting here, watching my first opera. Seeing is believing and there is something magical about witnessing a terrific performance. I can only judge this by my experiences in theatre, to state it simply- I was not disappointed. I can say that I hope find a way to come back and see another. I enjoyed this!!

Thank you!!!

Pharmaceutical Drugs

by: Lia

What is it with the United States and pharmaceutical drugs?

Anyone who has to purchase pharmaceutical drugs knows how expensive they are. According to the 2002 Drug Industry Profits American citizens pay hundreds of billions of dollars every year on pharmaceutical drugs. While citizens loose more and more money as prescription drug prices increase, pharmaceutical companies get richer and richer.

Our government also gets rich off the drug industry. Since 1999, the drug industry has given more than 45 million dollars in political contributions, and it's spent hundreds of millions more on an army of more than 600 lobbyists to work its will on Capitol Hill.

I’m sure you’ve seen the drug commercials on television that show people living horrible lives until they take the magic pill and life is wonderful. Then at the end they quickly spout off the long list of negative side effects some includes internal bleeding and even death! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYwljWbg2Vs&feature=related
 

There are so many different natural remedies out there that have been used for centuries that don’t have the horrible side effects that synthetic drugs have, but the pharmaceutical companies wouldn’t want you to believe natural remedies are credible, because then they’d loose out on your money.

Broken Mirrors

One of the reasons that it is so important for people of different cultures to interact with one another is that different cultures capture different pieces of truth. When you learn to see yourself and your own culture through the eyes of someone from another culture, it's like looking in a broken mirror. The other culture reflects certain fragments of truth back to you that you wouldn't see otherwise. Meanwhile, you hold other pieces of the mirror, and you reflect your own truth back to them. Together, the two cultures hold a much more complete reflection of the true picture than they do apart. For example, in Latino culture, a huge emphasis is placed on family, or community. In White America, our old people get carted away to nursing homes while our kids are raised on television and our adults are sucked up into the rat-race. Latinos are much less likely to let that happen. They sacrifice a heck of a lot to make sure that the family stays intact, which is why you see huge extended families living together much of the time. Kids don't worry too much about getting out of the house. Instead, they stay home and take care of their parents and grandparents. However, American Individualism does have it's merits. In White America, a kid can be whatever they want to be without worrying about family honor or anything like that. That level of freedom is not found as much in more community-oriented societies. So... community is important, but so is the individual. Truth is a very nuanced sort of thing, and is seldom a matter of "either-or." It is almost always a matter of "both-and." Which is why we need each other... all of us hold a different piece of the mirror.

Collect $200 as You Pass Go

They say that everything is bigger in America...including the price tags.

I don't know exactly who "they" are but usually this phrase is meant for the portions of food, the size of the people or the extravagance of our homes, wardrobes, cars, etc.

Many people come to America with their personalized version of the "American Dream" in mind. The stereotypical "Dream" involves a spouse, two children, maybe a dog or cat, a home with a picket fence and a car. However all of this caters around the idea of being successful, and therefore, by being able to maintain a job or career.

It is pricy to live in America. Think about the "Dream" in terms of finances. It will cost money for two people to get married--the wedding, the honeymoon, the car insurance, the health insurance, the food, the clothes, the necessities, etc. Next, consider being able to afford two children--clothes, food, diapers, doctors bills, etc., then add in house payments--including monthly payments plus any upkeep charges that may accrue; the car--car payments, repairs, insurance; the pets--hospital bills/shots, food, upkeep, etc.

It is expensive to live in America.

I am absolutely NOT saying do not follow your version of the American Dream. I can't wait to get married (54 days!) and have my own home and family. All these things are dreams of mine coming true.

But what I am saying is that Americans love money. We love it so much that we even spend more than we have. According to the U.S. National Debt Clock (http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/) America is in debt $12,588,333,731,873.82 as of March 14, 2010 at 3:23:19 GMT.

Whoa.

I get stressed out thinking about how I am going to pay off my school loans! I am glad I am not in a position of figuring out how America is going to come up with over $12 trillion dollars. Eek!

I guess that just means, be conscious next time you want the third cup of coffee or that really nice pair of shoes.

Because you know what they say, money doesn't grow on trees...

Daffodils, Roses, and Baby's Breath

by Sarah

Have you ever thought about the role of flowers in America? We give each other roses and baby's breath for Valentine's Day, mixed flowers for sickness, deaths and funerals, roses and lilies for weddings, and the list could go on.

Also, flowers signify seasons of life and give messages. Daffodils announce that spring is here. Flowers from a special someone pronounce love and fondness. Weddings are a huge arena for flowers. I've seen flowers on aisle ways, in bouquets, in vases, in petals on the floor, mixed in with candles, and even on cakes!

So why do we use so many flowers? Is it because we don't like to use our words? Or do they say something more powerful then words?

Next time you go to the store and see the giant floral display, think about what those flower means in our culture, our country and the role they play in our lives.

Butterflies in My Stomach

Ever eaten snails? Guinea pig? Llama? Chicken feet? If you haven't, you are missing out. For some reason, we Americans have problems with certain foods that other people find delicious. Some animals are too cute for us to eat, like rabbits. Others are too much like family members (dogs, cats, etc). Others gross us out (bugs). Then of course, there's the ones we don't have the heart to eat, like sheep. All in all, we have a pretty limited diet.

Then there's the vegetarians..... I like vegetarians, don't get me wrong. I'm practically one myself, but vegetarians are just about unheard of in other countries (India being a major exception). Meat is just too big a part of hospitality in most of the world for it to be let go. Truth is, it would be a lot easier to feed the global population if we were all vegetarians (raising meat is a very inefficient use of land), but there would also be a lot of yummy dishes we wouldn't be able to eat. Like guinea pig. MmmmMm.

Kill, Kill, Kill!

by: Lia

I finally watched Bowling for Columbine the other day, and let me say, I was quite disturbed.  The topic wasn’t really anything new to me, it just brought up a lot of emotions.

The movie addressed the school shooting that occurred at Columbine High School where two teenage boys came to school with guns and shot a whole bunch of students. Many students were severely injured and some were even killed.

At one point in the movie it went through many different wars the United States was involved in and showed people that had died because of the United States’ involvement. This is the list that I copied down:

• 1953: U.S. overthrows Prime Minister Mossadeq of Iran. U.S. installs Shah as dictator.

• 1954: U.S. overthrows democratically-elected President Arbenz of Guatemala. 200,000 civilians killed.

• 1963: U.S. backs assassination of South Vienamese President Diem.

• 1963-1975: American military kills 4 million people in Southeast Asia.

• September 11, 1973: U.S. stages coup in Chile, Democratically-elected President Salvador Allende assassinated. Dictator Augusto Pinochet installed. 5,000 Chileans murdered.

• 1977: U.S. backs military rulers in El Salvador. 70,000 Salvadorans and four American nuns killed.

• 1980's: U.S. trains Osama bin Laden and fellow terrorists to kill Soviets. CIA gives them $3 billion.

• 1981: Reagan administration trains and funds "contras." 30,000 Nicaraguans die.

• 1982: U.S. provides billions in aid to Saddam Hussein for weapons to kill Iranians.

• 1983: White House secretly gives Iran weapons to kill Iraqis.

• 1989: CIA agent Manuel Noriega (also serving as President of Panama) disobeys orders from Washington. U.S. invades Panama and removes Noriega. 3,000 Panamanian civilian casualties.

• 1990: Iraq invades Kuwait with weapons from U.S.

• 1991: U.S. enters Iraq. Bush reinstates dictator of Kuwait.

• 1998: Clinton bombs "weapons factory" in Sudan. Factory turns out to be making aspirin.

• 1991 to present (?): American planes bomb Iraq on a weekly basis. U.N. estimates 500,000 Iraqi children die from bombing and sanctions.

• 2000-2001: U.S. gives Taliban-ruled Afghanistan $245 million in "aid."

• Sept. 11, 2001: Osama bin Laden uses his expert CIA training to murder 3,000 people.

How much money would we have saved from the deficit if we hadn't been so gung-ho about war and funding other groups to be better at killing more people?

We teach Americans that it's okay to go to other countries and massacre everyone, because they are "bad," but then we turn around and think we can punish people here for murdering someone. We don’t understand when teenagers come to a school and kill people. How does that make sense? How can't people see that it's the same thing?

I go between being saddened to enraged that people could be so heartless and cruel with no remorse, just killing and somehow justifying it!

No matter where we come from we are all human beginnings with lives, and families, and hopes, and dreams, and fears. How can we justify killing another person, no matter where they came from or what they did?

It hurts me to think that we are capable of such horrific things, then rationalizing the killing, that is unless it’s someone here in the U.S. killings another U.S. citizen. Why are our lives somehow more important than those in other countries?

Throughout the Winter Olympics, I watched seldomly not paying much attention to medal counts or how any of the United States athletes were doing until I saw the men’s hockey team beat Canada. It caught my attention and instantly threw me in the mix, trying to catch each game with hopes of a gold medal. The men survived and advanced to the gold medal game, setting up a rematch with Canada.

They said the only way the American team could win would be to use a rope-a-dope game plan, which they used masterfully in the previous meeting. I sat on the edge of my seat watching the gold medal game in men’s hockey between the US and Canada. For about the first 10 minutes, I was impressed at how hard both sides were playing.

My heart started to sink just a little as the Americans trailed 0-1 halfway through the first period.

Trailing 2-1 late in the 3rd period, the American team pulled their goalie leaving the empty net. Skating 6 on 5 and running out of time, they tied the game at 2, with 24.4 seconds left. I jumped in excitement, feeling gold was once again possible.

It was for not as Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal for the Canadians. The same Sidney Crosby I cheered endlessly for not that long ago as a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins in their chase of the Stanley Cup.

Friendships are a bond for life just as our competitive sides remain inside us. Look at Lindsey Vonn and Maria Riesch, great friends and in the games competitive to the end. Respect is earned, won and paid. The “Night Train” went on to win gold in the men’s four-man bobsled. This was to be Steve Holcomb’s final chance to topple Andre Lange of Germany. Enemies in their sleds, Holcomb’s times proved winning of not only gold but also respect from the man he has chased for years. Each celebrated on the podium with great smiles towards each other.

As a fan of hockey and sports in general, something we can each take away from the games is a fierce competitive nature in all we do while recognizing our competitors as friends and neighbors. We as Americans, have a responsibility to reach out to one another, across the aisle and extend our hands to others in the world.

Dichotomy

by: Lia

As a whole Americans seem to be pro-war when it comes to fighting for freedom and that type of thing. After 9/11 when the Iraqi war began you would see people not only flying their American flags, but bumper stickers, t-shirts, and more with “Support the Troops” were everywhere.

The United States government has gotten us into a lot of wars with, and sometimes without, the support of the American people. With a government and a nation being pro-war and about the troops, why are veterans just disregarded?

Let’s get this straight, I’d be hard pressed to think of an instance that war and killing another human being was necessary or appropriate.

I am saying that regardless if you support war, the people fighting it are human beings that come back with great needs. If you do support the troops, then you should support them even after they have fought the war.

Why are there so many veterans (WWII, Vietnam, Iraq) out on the street, drug addicted, and/or with mental illnesses? If we were treating them with half the respect we gave them while they were fighting, perhaps this wouldn’t be the case.

I don’t support war, but I do support the people that have to fight them, even when the fighting has ceased.

Presentation = Success

by Sarah

This week I was working on a website for my parent's church. I found E-zekiel.com, a church website building program, to be quite the frustrating experience.

After loudly expressing my feelings on the matter to a roommate, I got to thinking about a) What exactly I didn't like about it and b) What a website needs to be successful and c) How presentation in America is everything.

So then,

a) The program is not intuitive or easy to navigate. There are invisible buttons, that do not appear until you scroll over them. Cool effect if you have an artsy website, but not helpful for the technically challenged church goer who was elected manager of the website.

b) In order for a website to be successful it has to have (at least):
- The facts - when, where, what
- Identity - who are these people and what are they about
- Professionalism - is the website clean, well organized, and interesting

c) Today, if you are a company, church or individual wanting business, advertisement, or just to get information out there - Presentation is EVERYTHING. Especially web presentation.

As I was explaining this to my mother, it hit me that this is an American thing. Our culture is driven by presentation. Why else do we have designer brands? Ridiculously priced sports cars? Jewelry stores up the wazoo? And web-building programs (however unintuitive they are) for churches?

But it's not just presentation. You could have a pretty terrible website that presents your business, church or yourself and still not get anymore business or attendants than before. Quality is important.

I would even go so far to say that the quality of the presentation determines the success. It is not longer satisfactory to just have a website - now it has to be cutting-edge, well-done, classy even.

All this to say, all you web designers out there, buff up on your skills, because the presentation of websites is taking the stage in American success.

The Mystery of Vijontest

by: Mason

Howie Mandel. My parents remember him from St Elsewhere, and I remember him from reruns of Bobby's World. You might remember him from NBC's version of Deal or No Deal too. He also did some voice acting for Muppet Babies, which re-ran on Cartoon Network against stiff opposition from Rugrats. No offense Howie, but the production values on Muppet Babies were just too off-putting compared to Rugrats in all its lump-headed glory.

But that's not what I'm here to talk about. At 7:37 AM on February 6th, 2010, Mr. Mandel (via Twitter) gave us this description of America: Vijontest. Howie, what does this mean?
I've tried saying it repeatedly with different accents etc, like Mad Gab, spelling it backwards, tsetnojiv, even rearranging the letters (vest joint?). No luck. So I'm going into this blind.

Now I shall endeavor to find a definition of this word.

Possibility #1: A Canadian insult.
As we all know, via Wikipedia, Howie Mandel is Canadian. He currently lives in Los Angeles, but that's only because that's where the show business is. There are tons of Canadians who have made it big in America, and we love them! But I have a sneaking suspicion that they aren't as fond of us as we are of them.

Possibility #2: A Dutch insult.
As we all know, via Wikipedia, Howie Mandel hosted the American and Canadian versions of Deal or No Deal. And, according to Wikipedia, Deal or No Deal is of Dutch origin. The Netherlands is an extremely progressive area, and Vijontest is obviously a Dutch insult, criticizing us for being so conservative. Or at least slow on the uptake.

That's all I have. What do you think Vijontest means?

Do we NEED it? or WANT it?

by: Jenny

There are many things I love in life. I love God. I love country music, stepping on pine cones and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I have a fiancé who I love very much, and the best friends and family a girl could ask for.

I love that I am free. I love that in America, we are free. I love the privileges that we have here and the ability to be or become whoever we would like. I love the opportunities of America.

Sadly, I think a lot of people (myself included) can take these freedoms and privileges for granted. Maybe not all the time, but at least occasionally.

One example is our (Americans) use of media.

First, can you imagine this? Ask yourself, "How many times have I checked my cell phone, email, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or Myspace today? This week? This month?"

Now imagine living life without those forms of media, like in some countries.

As whole, America revolves around media and Americans seemingly, are obsessed with media consumption.

But that isn't the only thing some Americans take for granted.

What about clean water or water at all?

What about food?

What about clothes?

A roof over our heads?

A bike?

A car?

A new wardrobe?

Shoes?

There are so many people in the world that do not have any of these things.

As an RA I had to spend a week backpacking in Sisters, Oregon. With no cell phone. No Internet. No TV. No bathroom. Over the week, I learned to really appreciate these things.

Especially indoor plumbing.

We are so blessed in America to have so much, but this is something so many people seem to take for granted. What if we were a country with barely any clean water? What if we were in a country that we were only able to live off a dollar a day? Could we do this? Could we give up these luxuries? Could we possibly imagine passing up the daily coffee or not buying those jeans that you already have three pairs of?

I challenge you, Americans, to think of this next time you are at the store. Next time you see something that you absolutely "CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!" Because honestly, you can.

Give to others.

Serve others.

We have the power and the resources to do so.

It just takes one to cause a change that has the power to affect millions worldwide.

Use the freedoms and privileges guaranteed to us through the Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence.

Stand up for what you believe in.

Stand up for things you deem as unfair or unjust.

Stand up and speak for those without a voice.

America, we have so much--sometimes too much. It is time to give a little back both domestically and internationally.

Would America still be America without War?

by: Sarah

I'm driving through town and I see an American flag at half mast. Why? The word on the street is that a soldier died today. Someone local. There is a sense of mourning and heaviness in those words. Even if I didn't know him, I feel this loss.

How many bumper stickers have you seen on the topic of war. Cafepress has 38,800 war related bumper stickers for sale. When was the last time you bought a newspaper that didn't have at least one article on the topic of war? Google "Support our troops merchandise" This is making money. One website even has a "Patriotic Gazebo Decorating Kit"

What would happen if ever our country wasn't at war? There is so much time and money spent on war endeavors from the national level to little jelly bracelets saying, "Support our Troops". Where would all that money go? What would we do with all that time and energy? Is war at the heart of America?

John Lennon sang "All we are saying, is give peace a chance" . But what if we actually did? Brush aside all those doubts of if that could ever happen and think about it for a moment. We have such a momentum on the topic of war. What if that topic no longer existed. What would we talk about? Write about? Make bracelets and gazebo decorating kits about?

Would we need to redefine "America"? What would you say?