Pride, Respect, and Loyalty

I don’t care how many protests there are or how many statues are torn down, the history of this country stands as is. It’s our legacy…good or bad. It’s our history…good or bad.

The people represented by those statues fought for what they believed in and what they felt was right. This is no different than any American today.

There is hope that everyone learns from their mistakes. This country was started by the skin of it’s teeth, mistakes were made, wars were won, and wars were lost. Some of those wars didn’t involve weapons.

Let’s start with pride. Remember when you were in high school and the pride you felt for your school and the sports teams? It was pride that brought you to those Friday night football games. Why? Because you thought your school team was the best. There was also cross-country, basketball, baseball, tennis and golf leagues, and more. Those who didn’t participate generally followed their favorite teams out of pride.

Then there was Spirit Week…the week prior to the big Homecoming game and dance. The daily events leading up to the big day were exciting and fun. We showed our pride.

Supporting our country, a citizens right to freedom of speech, and our police departments that do their best for our communities should be shown our support and pride. That doesn’t mean there aren’t a few bad apples and they should be dealt with in a fair and legal manor.

I was raised to respect anyone older than myself, and to never discuss salary, religion or political affiliations with anyone. If I had my way, it would still be that way.

My parents didn’t argue with family or friends about any of these things because you weren’t privy to your neighbors political views. They were entitled to support who they wanted just as my parents did.

We didn’t destroy other peoples property, mouth off to police officers, or talk back to our teachers and clergy. We showed respect. And yes, respect is earned. I can tell you that had we been disrespectful to a neighbor, police officer, teacher, bus driver, mailman, or anyone else we came into contact with, we would have been punished.

If you aren’t loyal to your country, family, or friends, you will fall for anything. We don’t have to like the decisions of our politicians but they must be heard and respected. They were voted for by the majority.

When Donald Trump was running for president, I remember many celebrities and non-celebrities say that if he becomes president, they are going to leave the country. Guess what? They’re all still here. The celebrities have the means to move out of the country but I guess they were just using their celebrity status to sway their fans into voting with them. They do not know loyalty.

Forty plus years ago I worked for a small company and was earning $1.65 per hour. Some of the other employees were disgruntled and decided to get a union shop started. At that point I didn’t know anything about unions.

So I did the next best thing. I asked my elders for their opinions on unions. Only one answer this many years later stands out in my head…’if you don’t like where you work, quit’.

At this point many years later, I still agree with this (my opinion) and suggest that anyone who does not have pride, respect and loyalty for the United States of America should get the fuck out.

You do NOT have to agree with our president or laws or practices but by God, you’re going to have to go along to get along. If you can’t do that, don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

I love this country. I have pride in this country. I have respect for this country. I am loyal to this country.

God Bless America!