The Right to Complain

   I can not believe the level of hatred and bigotry in this country.  While reading the business and economic news from various periodicals, I also look through the comments section per chance to find an intelligent and viable idea on how we as a Nation might proceed, to fix our woes and spur growth to create jobs.  Which are desperately needed.

   I usually find the same old blame game with some bright ideas sprinkled here and there.  But lately it's all been acrid slander spilling onto the page before me as if everybody at the party decided to vomit all at the same time.

   When did we become a Nation of complainers?  I understand the value of complaining.  Everyone needs something to complain about.  It's the natural order of things.  It helps to relieve stress when we're frustrated, angry and sometimes it's even helpful when we are bored.  You know, spices things up a bit.  But this is getting out of  control.  It's all the time.  Everyone is complaining and no one is doing anything about it.
There has to be a balance.  And the tone of complaining is astounding.  Vile, irreverent hatred coming from everywhere.

   It's often said that we have a right to complain.  If no one complained, we never would have had the American Revolution.  But to complain without action is fruitless.  By action I mean positive progressive steps forward.  Not holding our breath, stomping our feet, or even worse, do what ever it takes to get our way no matter who gets hurt.  Because I'm here to tell you,  complaining combined with negative hurtful actions is a cocktail for disaster.  I've seen the results of that for myself.  We all have.

   In the early hours of September 11th 2001 some 3000 people died in an hour and forty five minutes because of such a cocktail of closed minded hatred and selfishness.  Think about that for a minute.  1 hour and 45 minutes.  3000 mothers, fathers, sons  daughters, aunts, uncles, soldiers  firefighters, police, CEO's accountants, and janitors, gone.  For what?

   So we can cry about having to pay higher taxes?  So we can whine about who the real Americans are?  Did hundreds of thousands of families have their lives irrevocably changed so we could blame each other incessantly?

   We should be ashamed of ourselves.  If we as Americans were watching another country go through this we'd be disgusted and appalled at such childish behavior.  We should be honoring those men and women, as well as the military personnel who are fighting for us, and the ones that paid the ultimate price.

   We should be showing them that America is worth saving.  But instead we threaten Revolution and secession.  Running away from a problem never solved anything.  Working together will solve them all.

Veterans Day

   6,636 American Troops have given their all in Afghanistan and Iraq, 50,000 have been injured, 10's of thousands suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Even though winding down, experts at the Pentagon anticipate more casualties before it is all over.

   Delaware alone has lost 20 of our men and women, never to return to their families.  Not a large number when compared to the National totals I mentioned.  It may not even seem comparable to other States like California who gave 702 souls.

   But it is a significant number when you realize that day's before these brave men and  women set off to answer their Countries call, they were little more than children. Most fresh out of High School, where their biggest worries, no matter how important to them at the time, were nothing compared to the what they were about to face.

   I won't pretend to know what it must feel like for a parent to lose his or her child.  Nor can I fully imagine such a thing.  I do know that the thought of being told that very thing, haunted me for three years, until receiving news that my son was being separated from the Air Force, and that he was coming home.

   As with most of the events in my life, I considered myself very lucky.  My son is home, married and has given me and my wife two beautiful grandchildren.

  Twenty from Delaware are not home. Some of those leave children to grow up never knowing them.  Some haven't had the chance to have children.  But they all leave behind people, who loved them unconditionally.  And a grateful Nation.

   Let's honor the memory of those Brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice, by putting aside our political differences and call on our Representatives in Congress and the Senate to give returning Vets the Medical care they need to deal with the problems they will face ahead.   The effort to make a phone call or e-mail to your Representative is minuscule compared to the efforts of our Veterans.

http://veteransupportcenter.org/

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/mcapdir.aspx