We the Sheeple by ~ Kenneth Rougeau
nine days after a terrorist group called al queda took credit for raising the twin towers of the world trade center and vaporizing the better part of 2792 innocent americans,, the then “President George W. Bush formally declared war on terror when he said, (on September 20th, 2001), during an address to a joint session of congress and the American people, “Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.”"
where were you?? i remember exactly where i was at that precise moment.. i was working,, waitressing at a little slice of americana in south florida that specializes in hot wings and cold beer… we turned on every tv in the place and the whole restaurant sat in obedient silence.. the hair on the back of every neck stood on end, as our collective eyes stared unwaveringly at the commander and chief of our great nation as he spoke those words…
in the days and weeks that followed,, we bought and proudly displayed the american flag,, in record numbers.. they could not be produced fast enough to satisfy the demand.. we, the american people, took our stand behind our president.. our young men and women proudly flocked to the military.. they offered themselves to go,, to fight,, to die,, to protect our great country, the united states of america..
do you remember that?? do you remember the feeling that came over you as you bought that american flag?? as you affixed it to your car?? as it waved proudly in your front yard?? as you wore it with pride, pinned it to your lapel??
last night,, as i watched the acceptance speech of our now president elect barack hussein obama,, as i watched the tears, and the joy, and the victory, and the hope, in the faces of the hundreds of thousands of people joined together to celebrate this historic victory,, i remembered the last time i felt like that..
i remembered the last time i shed tears of solidarity.. the last time i felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.. the last time my heart raced.. the last time i was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, proud to be an american……
and i wondered,, what landfill is current coursing with the red, white, and blue blood of all of those american flags that we so proudly displayed in the weeks and months following bush’s declaration of war on afghanistan?? i wondered how many jewelery boxes still housed a long forgotten flag lapel pin?? and how many of us still remember all the words to alan jackson’s, where were you? or toby keith’s, courtesy of the red white and blue ???
i wondered how a country that stood so steadfast in allegiance that fateful day in september 2001 has conveniently forgotten all about that.. i wondered how we, as a people, feel justified in blatantly adhering to the current collective mentality that allows us to now declare that the last eight years, in their entirety- have been a complete and utter political clusterfuck.. a source of shame… a nightmare… i wondered what diseased form of selective memory can we blame for us coming to believe that we never joined together with any degree of pride,, and witnessed a certain rebirth of american patriotism,, following the terrorist attacks on september 11, 2001..
so as i sit here this morning watching the sun break the horizon,, on this, a new day,, i cannot help but wonder how long it will take for us to forget what we felt last night? as we listened to president elect barack obama’s acceptence speech,, and the hair on the back of our necks,, once again, stood at attention.. as the tears burned in our collective eyes.. as our hearts ached to be one with this extremely charismatic man, that has promised to orchestrate the change that we want so much to believe will make it possible for us to save america from herself,, and allow us, perhaps for the first time in our history, to stand tall,, equal,, united,, and proud, as the great nation we were raised to believe we can be..
today as our hearts chant in unison the ever powerful catch phrase,, “Yes we can!!”,, here in my little corner of the world,, i am sadly given to wonder,,, But will we???
now that the race has been run, and the victory has been secured.. now that the fan fare has subsided and we are faced with returning to our lives,, no longer as a member of one political party or another,, but rather as individuals,, today,, as we step outside of the herd mentality,, that we have allowed to become the acceptable modus operandi in any form of human competition- will we,, as individuals,, be as willing to change,, as we were to win???
i do believe, with every fiber of my being, that we can…. but i must ask,, Will we?? Will You??
