Allegiance

I pledge allegiance to the flag

Of the United States of America

And to the republic for which it stands

One nation

Under God

Indivisible

With liberty and justice for all.

                There are too many people saying our nation is falling. When the people still can say what they think without being detained, incarcerated, imprisoned or put to death—disappearing forever…When we still reach out with compassion to help our brothers and sisters, our friends and neighbors and, yes, strangers who have less than we have, I have a hard time believing the American Spirit has been strangled and mangled to death.

                For a lot of my years people have underestimated me. What I learned from that is that I have the element of surprise on my side. Who thought I would ever go to college? I wasn’t from higher society, the daughter of a doctor or a lawyer. I wasn’t an athlete. My high school guidance counselor didn’t pay attention to anything I was doing until my senior year. THEN he said I couldn’t graduate with my class because I had too many majors and not enough minors. Really? Yes. Really. I did graduate with my class. I got a minor in science and I worked a job half-days through the Cooperative Office Education curriculum. Not too shabby for the daughter of a laborer who only went to the eighth grade.

                Who knew, with a high school diploma and the freshman English series at Kent State Salem, I would build a journalism career beginning in radio news (WSOM-AM600), a weekly newspaper (Lisbon Lantern), the Morning Journal (seven days a week), a weekly called Canfield News, community/social editor at Salem News and even publisher of my own weekly (Lisbon Messenger which didn’t fail. I suspended pressing because of family priorities.)

                Who knew I would go back to Kent State and complete a BA in two years (requiring 18 credit hours per semester for four semesters) as I raced against the clock to graduate before Dad died so he could see one of his children graduate from college. (He died six weeks before I graduated.) Even I did not know I would graduate with distinction and honors. And while I worked on that degree I never missed writing one weekly article for Family Recovery Center. Yes. Not too shabby at all, this Yankee woman.

                I remember walking into one of my college classes. The discussion was about patriotism and patriarchy. I said I was a patriot—I love my homeland. I am so grateful for the life I have here.

                The professor said, “Perhaps by the end of the semester we can make you a human again.” This same professor who verbally ran down the America I love spoke with his heavy accent. He came to America, an Arab from Morocco, for what reason? (Go ahead…speculate.) One of the remarks he made spoke of “sleeper cells” throughout the United States who wait to be instructed to activate. They live here, enjoying our good life, and wait for instruction to kill us.

                I don’t know what is ahead for our nation—or our world. I remember a song…”Eve of Destruction” by Barry McGuire.

I know the American Spirit is alive and well. I know when the time to stand together arises our people will stand shoulder to shoulder.

                The world beyond our borders wants what we have. They envy us. They hate us. But they will do anything to come here. They will do anything to take what we have. And if we let them take what is ours, maybe we deserve whatever happens. I don’t believe our people, true Americans, will let them. They underestimate us. We have the element of surprise on our side, should we decide to use it.