There hasn’t been much on my mind over the past several weeks beside the oil spill and the law passed in Arizona. My heart went out when the flotilla was attacked, but nothing hits home like the events occurring at home. I just keep expecting to get on my computer, read the latest news and see these atrocities evaporate into a bad dream-but it’s never that way.
I don’t know when it was I began caring about my country. I know that I found my patriotism in the backseat of a taxi cab in Panama one day, when I realized that pretending I wasn’t American was not in my best interest anymore.
After traveling alone through foreign countries I learned it was better to be anything but American. French, Italian, Spanish-anything but American. Americans had somehow lost the sheen we once wore so brightly-and in some places I went it was even considered dangerous to be American.
The great election of 2008 was certainly my awakening to all things politics. I had distantly paid attention in the past, but made judgments from my own common sense. Kerry’s wife hated him so why would I vote for him, and blah blah. When I first saw Obama I was in Costa Rica and had just arrived in Heredia. It was late and so I wasn’t about to go far.
Instead of venturing out I watched the Democratic debate on television-and I disliked Obama immediately. He was all politician “I,” “when I am president…” The only person who stood out to me was Biden when he told the others to stop lying about how quick they would pull us out of war. “Come on now let’s be honest, we cannot pull out of the war,” he said and I smiled.
After Obama nominated Biden I too fell under the Obama spell and decided that he certainly was better over the brash and idiotic Palin that the Republicans had given us to muse over. She was the epitome of what Americans fall for-the old beauty queen who dresses well. It made me nauseous just to think the Republicans thought we were stupid enough to parade such a wanna-be Barbie doll in front of us. But they did and still do.
My summer day job allows me the freedom to read online throughout the day, and my heart only grows heavier and heavier. It seems everyone intends to shift the blame of the spill in someone else’s direction instead of solving the problem. It seems that Arizona continues changing its language enough so the new law “definitely” won’t be stereotyping anyone…hah. It seems Americans have forgotten how to stand up for what they believe in.
It blows my mind how the American people have responded to Obama since he came into office. Whether you like him or not he has tackled huge issues within the first part of his presidency. Yet he still carries the blame and now Americans don’t find him emotional enough when it comes to the oil spill. Critics and journalists alike continually ask where the Obama went that campaigned so boldly yet they have no clue what it is that he has to grapple with every day. They expect him to be a magician or God-and wipe all our worries away.
He inherited a corrupt nation in severe debt, at the core of its economic recession and in dire need of a complete make-over in almost every way. Who is anyone to say he isn’t standing up when that is what he does every day.
The truth is that for a little while I too was upset with how Obama handled the oil spill-but what I realized is that in my Hollywood American mind I was wanting him to placate the situation, rub my head and tell me everything is going to be all right. This is NOT his job. He is the president and has more than one thing to take care of. Not only that, but honestly-what the hell can he do? Show up? Look good, talk to “normal” people, affected people-will that make it go away or is that just the kind of politic’ing BS that we really hate so much?
My country looks like a train wreck right now and it’s scaring the crap out of me. We are living through one of the greatest human tragedies ever, our nation only seeks to tear at its representation for not providing the “quick fix” we have come to depend on, human lives (whether legal or illegal) are being treated like dogs on your neighbor’s property, and everyone has their finger on someone else….
It makes me tired and it makes me angry. Where is America when we need it? Why can’t America pull together, rely on one another? Our situation becomes worse with every passing day at home and on a national level-we are weakening beyond repair.
So what are we gonna do? Shifting the blame hasn’t worked…maybe we can actually try to fix it ourselves…