Retraction....and apologies (long post!)

[mick mouse]

A couple of days ago, I posted an article about dogs being allowed to bite prisoners, and in that article, I stated that I was "embarrassed and ashamed" to be an american.

I was wrong.

What lead to this revelation, you may ask?

Before I explain, I would like for all reading this to note the personally identifiable "I", rather than the non-identifiable "SWIM". When a man makes a mistake, he should step up and say that HE made the mistake, rather than hide behind a quasi-legal subterfuge. Bust me on the reputation if you choose to do so, but that simple fact is that mick mouse screwed up, not "SWIM".

I started doing some thinking after placing the previous post, and that thinking lead to two days of, well, a brutally honest look at my beliefs.

I started thinking of all of the 18 and 19 year olds, as well as all of the 20 somethings that daily put their lives on the line defending some nebulous concept called "freedom" and at the end of said day, arn't even allowed to relax over a cold beer because they are under legal drinking age.

I started thinking about a group of americans who are so strong and secure in their faith that they could find it in their hearts to forgive a madman who killed their children, as the Amish recently have done.

I started thinking about the hundreds of thousands of firefighters, police officers, and medical personell who put their lives on the line on a daily basis, as the song says, "just doing what they do".

the people who throw a can of food into the food box, so others can have a hot meal, the teachers who we pay dirt, but get up every day trying to make a difference, the volunteers in our libraries, our churches, our "highway beautification program", the neighbor who comes over when you have been sick to see if you need anything, all of the people who don't have to do a damn thing, but do it anyway, and never ask for a dime.

I started thinking about all of the charities, like the red cross, united way, and all of those others that we try to avoid or only hope to see around christmas, when we throw pocket change in the bucket and try to get away without giving up the folding money.

This isn't just a recent thing, but has held true throughout the history of this country. In 1860, we did our best to kill our brothers and fathers, but when the smoke cleared, we held out our hand.

We committed one of the most heinous acts in the history of the world by dropping nuclear bombs on a country that was ready to surrender, but when the smoke cleared, we held out our hand.

We devastated cities by firebombing civilian populations (Remember Dresden or Hamburg?), but when the smoke cleared, we held out our hand.

We murdered civilians in My Lai, but then we punished those responsible.

The list goes on and on.

What I have come to realize is that, not only as americans, but as human beings as well, we hold within ourselves both the seeds of unspeakable evil as well as the potential for unimaginable greatness. I think (my opinion!) that as individual americans, we have done pretty well, all things considered. As a country, well, we could have done things better, but all in all, we still do pretty damn good.

I am still embarrassed and ashamed, but not to be an american. I am embarrassed and ashamed to have made a statement like I did in my previous post without thinking things through, but most of all, I am embarrassed and ashamed about our government and the elected leaders who could not only allow something like letting dogs bite prisoners, but don't even see a problem with it!

This brings us to the point of wondering what can be done about this and other senseless issues that our government (or any government, for that matter!) has allowed to take place.

Think about it. I did, and I have come up with something that might, just might, work. I will get my thoughts in order and post this idea shortly.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Well said....