Recognition: Where's The e Pluribus Unum, Folks?
Calling Each Other Names Is Now A National Sport
By David Miranda
The only label that really counts in this country is "American". Remember our country's motto, "e pluribus unum"? It means "out of many one", not "out of many, some."
Today, it seems that name-calling is a national sport. It has created a polarized nation on many fronts. Democrats vs. Republicans. Liberals vs. Conservatives. Pro-war vs. anti-war. Pro-gay rights vs. anti gay rights. Pro-abortion vs. anti-abortion. Tree-hugging environmentalists vs. the corporate rape & pillagers. The Christian Right vs. the liberal left. Big business vs. the little guy. Even the Supreme Court has had a recent rash of 5 to 4 votes.
Watch any news program, listen to any politician or activist group, turn on talk radio, pick up a newspaper, peruse some blogs and it's relentlessly there - bitter partisanship seasoned with name calling from all sides of any issue.
If all this name calling and bickering was working, I'd say okay, but sadly all it does is create gridlock while critical problems go unresolved in the public and private sectors.
Hello out there. If everyone can just take a time out for a moment, here's a to do list we have to get done sometime soon and these things can only get done with a lot of cooperation. (Feel free to add to the list)
- The War On Terror (or whatever the politically correct term is these days). We are losing precious lives there and forking out billions. Need some accountability here and a plan that works.
- 45 million Americans, by last count, have no health care. Shameful.
- an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants are in the country today and most contribute to our economy in this land built by immigrants. Remember the "Give me your tired, poor" thing on that statue in New York harbor. Seems like we need a plan here.
- New Orleans still looks like a bomb hit all this time later. Seems a little behind schedule.
- Lobbyists still use check-book influence on Capitol Hill. Doesn't seem right.
- We have military veterans who can't get the care they so richly deserve.
This is a country of e pluribus unum. It's high time we celebrated our differences not be polarized by them.
If we're going call each other names - let it be "American".
