To What Are You Loyal, as an American?

Sunrise in America, A New Day Coming!

You see my kind of loyalty was loyalty to one's country, not to its institutions or its office-holders. The country is the real thing, the substantial thing, the eternal thing; it is the thing to watch over, and care for, and be loyal to; institutions are extraneous, they are its mere clothing, and clothing can wear out, become ragged, cease to be comfortable, cease to protect the body from winter, disease, and death. To be loyal to rags, to shout for rags, to worship rags, to die for rags--that is a loyalty of unreason, it is pure animal;

Mark Twain 

Publisher's note:  I would like to see 2014 host a new type of political attitude in the USA.  A new 'dawn' of enlightenment.  One not beholden to political party or agenda, but a loyalty to our nation.  Not a loyalty that wishes to "shut down" our nation, but a loyalty that wishes to "preserve and protect" our nation and our people.  

Our political "right" and "left" wings, have managed to grid lock the nation, because of their misplaced concept of loyalty.  "The country" (you and I, make it up) are sick and tired of stubborn, loud, reactionary radicalism, that has divided our nation, our states, our communities, our friendships and even our families. It threatens to destroy our nation, our country. That hurts you and me.

 I am proud of the United States of America, proud of our paid servants, proud of our agencies that provide security, support and stabilization for our nation. The "wing nuts" are opposed to, even fearful of our very own people, who work for "us" the people. It is time we embrace one another as a "united people" (some would call it the United States) and re discover how to live and work together in harmony, for progress. Division only destroys and tears down.  

I appoint you to be a "builder upper", not a negative voice of destruction and anger which would tear down all that our forefathers worked so hard for. Positive ideas of creativity, progress and building should be our political rhetoric, and the ideas of negative division, destructive criticism, should be exposed and shamed. Those dark negative ideas and voices are  destructive to our nation and therefore, a form of treason.  

Let us move forward, grow, build, and make our nation better. Be loyal to the essence of who we are…don't distort our good essence to promote small minded destructive agendas.  If you wrap yourself in a flag, remember what it means. If you hold high a Bible, remember it's ethical commands of love, encouragement, sustenance, peace, and encouragement to all.   Ben Boothe, Sr., Publisher