Dear America,

There is a strange phenomenon happening over this last week, just about to the day since I blogged about the iconic newspaper arriving on the doorsteps of America, I started getting one -- for free. I haven't ordered it. My neighbor downstairs is still getting theirs so it's not a case of false identity. I'm just getting one.



Given the expense, the inability to normally have the time to sit down and read it, and the wasting of trees for the sin of newsprint (yes, ecology is a good thing), I haven't felt the need to have a subscription. But now that I'm out of work and leisurely going about my mornings, it is rather decadent to sit and peruse it's pages. I mean, I still get a lot of news off the Internet and TV, but these last few days have reminded me of a love lost.



Reading a letter to the Editor, or the editorial page itself; catching local brouhaha over city budgets, water shortages and lawsuits is rather fun. I've spent so much attention on the national scope, I'm beginning to recognize that my loyalties have been a little more macro-minded than usual.



Before embarking on my daily journey of commentary in reverence to my Dear America, I know there was a great part of me so stuck in my little world, my only concern was how things would affect me and my girl. I only looked at my issues, my challenges, my joys, my family.



Oh I always knew the actions of our government were important; and have always enjoyed the political banter between parties and held almost a masochistic love for election controversy and the American democratic process. I especially enjoyed the era of hanging chads and the state of Florida getting far more attention than it deserved. But its all in good. clean fun right.



But this return of the local paper to my door is an eye opener.

I know I'm a lucky girl. I live in Southern California; can you say sunny days and surf 3 miles away, oh my goodness. Certainly, we have our share of traffic and issues, as in any metropolitan area, but we recognize and revel in the trade off. Those of us sharing SoCal live and work and play in a part of the world people come to vacation every day.

Occasionally, when walking on the beach with my girl I try to have her understand how lucky she is to be growing up here. There are people who never get a chance to have their toes hit the sand ever in their life! Its the simple blessings that I want to build up in the mind of my little monkey; I want her to find appreciation for not just the privilege to have a cell phone, but also the beauty that surrounds her and a birthright by location that many would envy.

As her mother I also have a responsibility to raise her to be independent, kind to others, respect her elders and teachers (even the liberal yahoos), love her neighbor as herself, pick up trash found on the beach and everywhere, pray with God, be responsible for homework and ultimately grow a career, be involved with her community and especially have her understand she is part of a much larger world...while it is her duty to find her place in it and share it peacefully with others. That is my job as her mother. (Of course food, clothing and roof over her head comes with the territory.)

Yes our own little world may be all that's important to us in any moment of the day, but our local communities need our undivided attention sometimes, as well as our federal government. It takes effort to be a good citizen, to find a way to carve out a life amidst the competition and choices we have available to us. It is hard work and requires each one of us due diligence and a firm foundation planted in sound beliefs and moral standards in order to succeed.

Our life, large or small, doesn't work without it.

You may think I'm wrong. But if you disagree, tell me then, how would it look in a society where there lived no moral codes to be found, no promotion of Self-Reliance under the framework of the Constitution or Bill of Rights to uphold, in a life that reveres only selfishness of oneself over and above any God? How would it look?

It comes down to this, our ability to individually and successfully self govern is the true issue at hand, not health care or bail outs or stimulus. It is returning to self-reliance and being responsible citizens who understand the high stakes of the loss in our country of our duty to self govern. Most Americans see that now.

Obamacare awakened a sleeping giant. The giant was lost in the woods for awhile, captured by the rays of light shining through the trees, perhaps lost dipping its toes in the tide getting mesmerized by the dancing diamonds on the water, or maybe just lost and part of the millions who walk the hustle and bustle of daily strife just consumed by the thought of whats for dinner tonight.

Yes, sometimes it takes a catastrophe or overriding fear to awaken people. For just as Rahm Emmanuel has duly noted that a foreboding situation creates the perfect opportunity for government to act (or take advantage of) its power, so too come the actions of real citizens realizing the American Dream is worth every effort to keep, uphold and prosper -- even if its against the tide.

Make it a Good Day, G


PS With my newspaper I also get the comics! Today's Hagar the Horrible is yelling, "what's for dinner, Helga?" When she responds with "you're not getting any dinner after what you did".. While Hagar sits in his chair thinking in the big balloon above his head "I thought it was a husband's inalienable right to get dinner!"

PS2 Think about what is a right vs what is a privilege vs what is simply the right thing to do.

PS3 I know I said I was going to start women's health issues today, but I just wasn't feeling it...maybe tomorrow.