Nancy Quinn is a resident of Wyoming.
How much can you take away from America before it is no longer America? What did our founders envision when they removed us from an overbearing monarchy? If you say you are an American, what does that mean to you?
Are we still America when we say nothing to leaders when they call people demeaning names and accuse them of crimes without proof? Are we still America if we capture people, many of whom are citizens, and send them to jails in other countries without any legal hearing? Are we still America when we traumatize young children by removing them from their parents? Are we still America when we allow our government to kill citizens?
Are we still America if we choose not to help people in need, here and around the world? Are we still America if we no longer respect the boundaries of other countries? Are we still America if we accept our leaders calling for others to be killed if they have different viewpoints?
Are we still America if we deny journalists the right to speak their minds, however we might disagree? Are we still America if we seek to control the speech of college professors and media personalities? Are we still America if we literally forbid certain words from being used and erase our own history?
America began with the belief that we will be governed by laws, not the whims of a few.
America began with the ideal of equality and freedom for every person, not just the rich.
Read all our original documents. Remember these words from the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
It is time for every citizen and aspiring citizen to decide what America stands for and compare that to our current circumstances.
Sometime in the next few years, Americans will have a unique opportunity to reshape our country. We must decide to work together to remedy our mistakes. Let us work together to set goals that will repair the damage that has been done to our government, laws, economics and social interactions. We have the power to improve the structure of our federal government and improve our health care, our wages, our housing, our energy resources, our system of justice and environmental safety for all of us. Are you interested in term limits for all elected officials? Put that on your list. What about limiting all campaign contributions? Write it down.
Americans used to be innovative and resourceful. What happened? I believe that we still have those creative powers, but we have been intentionally distracted from really evaluating what is important. Replace the complaints and accusations with action to help heal our communities. Find a few like-minded people and work for something positive. Talk to people around you — not by text but face-to-face.
It is time to support and encourage those who are dedicated to solving problems, instead of creating problems. It is time to turn our faces to the positive job of reestablishing a country that so many fought for and died to defend. It is time to actively work at improving whatever you feel is necessary to reestablish our American identity before we aren’t America anymore.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
