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??
November 5th, 2008 at 11:09 am
I was thinking of you, too, last night, given that discussion we had awhile ago. You raise interesting points here, and I come at them from two angles.
The first is that you are correct in being cynical toward our rah rah attitude that quickly dissipates. So many of the problems in this country and the world are relatively easy to fix. They simply require us, the people, making an effort. We rarely do. Foreign oil and high gas prices? Conserve and use alternatives. We don’t want to put ourselves behind it. Electing honest politicians? We do not demand that they be honest and we rarely hold them accountable. The list goes on and on and extends to everything. If we genuinely tried, perhaps the stars would be our limit. So, much of the malaise of our nation is due to our own lack of effort and involvement. We are at fault.
However, the other side of the coin is that September 12, 2001, was a golden opportunity to change things. The nation was prepared to rally and even sacrifice. Nothing was asked of us (excluding the families in mourning and eventually the soldiers who would die in a half-fought war and then an unjust, fake war). Had we had a leader on September 12, 2001, would the mood of the population have been harnassed and put to really effecting change. Who knows. We were never able to see because the man in the role of potential leader was not even remotely up to the task. Had we had President Obama then maybe the tragic events of September 11, 2001 could have been stepping stones to a better place. And that is why I am so joyed today.
Now will Obama be as good as we want him to be AND will we let him be so?
November 5th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
interesting post… yes, we are fickle and impatient. but there’s more to patriotism than flag waving. it requires sacrifice, and unlike the greatest generation before us, we gave up, lost interest - and failed to hold the national leadership accountable when the chosen approach to fight the war on terror failed.
no one could argue with the need to fight that war. unfortunately, the chosen approach has created more terrorists than it eliminated.
i, too, am cynical… can the people of the US commit to anything longer than a year? we demand instant results, and that is simply unreasonable…
November 5th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
The phrase “Yes we can!” will fade as fast as it came. The gleeful hopes of the poor and underpriveledged who voted because they were promised that someone would “spread the wealth” will find themselves still poor and underpriveledged in 4 years, even in 8 years their situation will not have changed. They too will realize the empty ring of the politicians bull horn. How can you believe a rich politician when he says he will “spread the wealth”? Will he start by giving away part of his paycheck? I sincerely doubt it since last year he gave away less than 1% of his current family income to charity. So the song remains the same, the gap between the haves and have nots will continue to widen. In four years, we will have completely forgotten about these slogans which put peope into power and will develop new ones to raise the emotions of our stupified public. I have to agree with daisyfae, our video game instant gratisfaction mentality will continue to drive poor decision making on all levels. If the President has an approval rating of 28% and Congress has an approval rating of 17%, what does that say? To me the entire government to include both sides of the aisle have a complete disconnect. Maybe they should all be fired at once and a whole new different group brought in. Or maybe we should slip into a dogmatic socialistic society where we only think we are providing for all people, while the politician continues to live high on public funding. Will we be better off in 4 years………nope.
November 5th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I believe we can.
November 5th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
I’ve little doubt but what the majority of Americans remember where they were and what they were doing those terrible first moments we watched in horror at the destruction of the Twin Towers, knowing later that almost three thousand men, women and children were died due to bin Ladin, a product of Saudi Arabia and living in Afghanistan. I wonder, how many of those same Americans remember what they were doing when Bush launched his “Shock and Awe” night of horror and destruction on the citizens of Iraq, a country that had absolutely nothing to do with the destruction of the Twin Towers and the lives lost?
November 5th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
totally understand that because my mom is sick. but she did tell me not to worry about her (even though i do) and to focus on school. but how can i make it all about her when she wont even follow the advice she gives me? i cant go to school if she wont call the loan people because the loan is in her name and i know she doesnt want me living with her if i dont go to school. making it about her doesnt work with my mom because even if i focus all my energy on her, she’ll still find some way of being mad at me. its a loose loose situation.
November 5th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
You under estimate the American people. They were terrified, they trusted, but were let down. When something’s bleeding you need to fix it. People change when it hurts too bad not too! I have faith in the American people… I hate when my Canadian daughter is shunned because they think she is an American in London. I weep tears of joy for this change, I’m not alone. Things are a mess, it will take time…but at least there’s hope, not only for you, but for the world too!
I remember exactly where I was, my only brother was stuck in Toronto because the planes were grounded…..I was frightened the instant I heart the word…” evildoers”….. Everyone must have been in shock not to notice something was amiss with that administration!
November 5th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
There’s so much riding on this…..more hope than ever before……and hope makes things happen.
November 5th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Very interesting post. To compare Sept.11/01 to last night. I am in no position to comment about American politics, being that I am Canadian but I do feel that the time was ripe for change. There are 2 things that I would like to say, the first being that things are never as they seem to be…especially in politics and I feel sorry for John McCain. I listened to his speech last night truly a very class act and a true American Hero…Someone who is living proof of what America stands for. I’m not saying I agree with his politics, I’m just saying that there should be more like him involved in the political arena.
November 5th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
I don’t know if things will change or not, but I do know one thing. Obama has inspired me to be the best I can be and I vow to make better choices for my family and to seek the changes that will make us a more successful family. Yes, we can …
November 5th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Wow Pais. . . what a great challenge for us all. Although I felt the feelings of solidarity after 2001, I never understood why we went to Iraq - I could not equate 911 with Iraq - and I was bewildered that so many American people were bamboozled by fear. I believe the fear factor is finally wearing off - I could not imagine another 4 years of that fear factor; as so many people seem to be influenced by it. I believe that Obama is sincere in his effort to bring people together. Fear is a negative emotion that seldom brings forth clarity or truth until devestation occurs. The opposite of fear is courage - and it is courage that I see Obama instilling - thus its effect will be engraved in the hearts of those who embrace it. Yours is a great challenge - especially for those who elected Obama based soley on fear and not on courage that we can become a better people. When we make decisions out of fear rather than courage, the decision is not really imbedded in our hearts permantly - it is fake. Dr. King was very sucessful in reaching the hearts of people through courage, not fear - I feel Obama has the same ability.
November 5th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Yes we can… yes we will!
November 5th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
This is an interesting discussion. Daisyfae’s comment really struck a chord with me. I think that society is almost entombed in a culture of self-gratification and it prevents us from following through on things that mean something to us. You see it time and time again, not just in politics but in things like giving aid to charity. When a celebrity talks about famine in Africa and there is a big concert we all get involved and talk about how awful it is but in a few weeks time we have forgotten about it.
There is a danger we will let apathy set in and that Obama’s lustre might wear off but I do feel there is a shift. The economic downturn has opened the eyes of many people who were caught in that bubble of unreality that access to ‘easy credit’ gave them. I think the state of the economy has frightened a lot of people more than the threat of terrorism ever could because despite terrorism also being frightening, for most people a terrorist attack remains conceptual, but foreclosure on their mortgage can be stark and real.
I was encouraged by the number of people who turned out to vote. I think that is proof above all that people have a commitment to change and that they are prepared to make the effort to assist Obama in setting things right. Of course, whether I am right or not remains to be seen. But I have hope.
November 5th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Hi
I do not believe that humans can sustain the intensity felt with say an Obama victory or the devastation of the twin Towers on 9/11. The extreme high or the extreme low just is not possible to maintain. Real day to day living gets in the way- and maybe that’s a good thing. We do have to tend to the business of taking care of ourselves and/or our families. The secret again is to find a healthy balance.
D.
November 5th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
I definitely have hope. Do I think the change we need will take place overnight? Obviously not. But I am so incredibly relieved that are chances are - I believe - now far greater than had the election had another outcome.
Its so interesting that you likened the feel of last night to the solidarity after 911, because on a local station here in Chicago they interviewed Oprah, who was waiting in Grant Park for Obama’s speech. She said the exact same thing.
No, the heightened vibe won’t last, but I really do have a gut feeling that things will shift for the better more quickly and significantly than most of us dare to dream.
November 5th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
paisley,
It’s not a matter of can, but will. Can we change? Of course we can. Too often we do not. If folks were long term altruistics, there would be no smokers, no alcoholics, not drug abusers, no child abusers, etcetera, etcetera. The minutea of everyday life obscures the big picture. We live and want in the now. Looking down the road, sustaining our hope will take sacrafice, dedication; like saving money, using little if any credit, putting off ’til one can afford things. We elected a president who promised to do everything for us. Hell why should we try to help ourselves if the gov’t wants to give us every thing and solve all our problems for us.
Let me remind you that not every one was watching the tv with glee last night; 59,000,000 people saw and voted their hopes in John McCain. They saw a better future in his promises. In times of crisis we can come together for the short term, but history tells us that modern generations have not sustained those feelings over the long term.
George W. Bush made a statement when he first ran for the presidency: I’m a uniter not a divider. Eight years later he proved himself right; eveyone in the country hated him. He indeed was able to unite America over the long haul.
I remember exactly where I was on Nov. 22 1963, and Apr. 4th 1968, and June 5th 1968, and Sept 11, 2001. I remember the day I stepped off the plane in DaNang Republic of South Vietnam in 1964. I remember opening my first savings account, The day I got married, and the day each of my children were born. On each of those occassions I was confronted with the reality of what America is: The land of opportunity, not the land of the handout.
For me Geo. W. Bush was an embarrassment, but he was elected; twice, by Americans.
Every election comes with hope and choice, oh yes; and RESPONSIBILITY !
REL
The Obama presidency has the opportunity, the citizens have the choice, to reignite this republic. Will we? I can only hope!
rel
November 5th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
In the Tao te Ching, Lao Tzu says, “Patriotism is born out of chaos.” I felt the solidarity like you describe after 911, but later, when the Iraq War started, it became dangerous to voice anti-war beliefs. Anyone against the war was called “unpatriotic.” To me, Bush squandered our desire as a people to bond together in a common goal by lying to us, and by engaging in a wrongful war.
Now that Barack is elected, I’m proud to be an American again. He WILL listen to our voices– he already has. I volunteered at his local campaign headquarters in my town, and it was beautiful to see how people of all different racial, economic, and religious backgrounds came together for a common purpose. He is a great orator, and an inspirational statesman, one for the ages.
November 5th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
I remember thinking, actually thinking - who is Bush really going after and why? As someone said, it’s like Dick Cheney going
quail hunting and shooting his friend - check your aim. Cynical is a dress that just doesn’t fall well on me. I believe we can
make a change - however this change must begin with a circumspect desire to eliminate all negativity in thought, words and
action. Having worked in the World Trade Center at the time, luckily on a lower floor, it takes much to impress me, and frankly
Bush did not, cowboy persona and all.
November 6th, 2008 at 5:55 am
I know we can, I believe with my heart that we will, I just hope that when the changes (whatever they may be) occur that the approximately 50% of us who felt this change was exactly what we needed remember that we wanted it as well as remembe the happiness and unity that was felt the night of the 4th.
November 6th, 2008 at 6:28 am
I was running ductwork at the Sheriif’s office. Right next to where I was working was a waiting room of sorts for children. It was vacant at first until someone ran in and turned on the TV exclaiming everyone needed to see this, that a plane had hit one of the towers. We watched in horror as the second hit and everyone know at that point they were not accidents.
I, for one, did not feel unified. I am not one to fall to blind patriotic fervor.
I honestly do not see unification now. I see allot of talking heads espousing the need to work together for a better tomorrow blah blah blah. How often are we to hear the deluge of politicos talking of working together and unificaiton and such yet the proof is in the pudding and there is a continually growing chasm in this country.
November 6th, 2008 at 7:14 am
I for one will do whatever it takes. And I just LOVE when the president says MY name! (his daughter has my name)
xxoo
November 6th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I was teaching preschool on that day, and since the children were so young, we only turned the radio on low and listened with one ear to the speaker. It was so strange and sad. And I do think the world was behind us in our grief and mourning until Bush messed that up. And I will do my best to be a positive force for change in our world, and I believe “we can” also. I have hope. I respect Obama and McCain, but the pendulum had to swing back some. Bush was too much. I am pleased with where I hope we are headed, if we all work together. Yes, we are fickle and greedy in this country. I hope people are ready to make some “different” sacrifices.
November 11th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I couldn’t become a resident of South Carolina in time to vote and knew I had to vote in New York. We cried–a lot–and thought about everything that had been done in the name of New York and 9/11.
We rejoiced. A lot. Ran to the streets with bottles of champagne giving glasses to everybody.
We realized that we needed that night to heal. All my friends felt a thousand pounds lighter the next day and out of our collective depression
We’ll never know if 9/11 would have happened under another president. we do know that much that happened or didn’t after wouldn’t have
Fantastic post
And Obama might just be the president to unify us–for that’s what we need as much or truly more than the three thousand messes we’re in because of Bush