I Will Be That American I've Been Waiting For - It's Now, Or Truly Maybe Never

I am tired of it all. It feels now like this country, what is important to us and what has always helped us to stand above in the world has been under assault for decades.

And then, yes, it has. It’s only picked up pace in the past two years. That we didn’t fight earlier, correct what we knew was wrong, that has allowed it to all get so much worse.

I am tired of it. I know others are as well.

Yet, that is exactly what they – those who wish to forever change and transform this country, make it into something, increasingly, we do not recognize – that is what they are counting on.



So, with the spirit of America in your heart, with the love of freedom as your energy, I hope all who prize what is at stake will reach down within and rejuvenate, revive.

Many Americans are used to hoping for the best, still not used to getting involved to ensure that the best happens. Now, we must. I, for one, resolve to be that American I have been waiting for, knowing I must. If each of us does just that, we are unstoppable.

It is important to understand that that does not have to mean much more than simply incorporating your concerns into the interactions you have in everyday life. Share your concerns with others, tell them what you know. You are a walking source of information, a fountain of knowledge best shared. Do not assume others know what you know. Engage them in conversation. Educate and inform. Be for them that American they may be waiting for, need now more than ever.



Just last evening I was talking on the phone with my mother. She said she planned to go today to vote early. My mother has endured versions of my rants my entire life. Still, she maintains her sanity. And they’ve picked up steam in the last few years.

Still, she was planning to vote to re-elect her current congressman, Heath Shuler, because of an ad in which he claimed his opponent wanted a national 23% sales tax. It is a claim being made by a number of Democrats across the country, playing on their opponent’s support of the ‘Fair Tax’. Anyone remotely familiar with the Fair Tax knows it would be a REPLACEMENT of all other federal taxes, and meant to more ‘fairly’ capture tax revenue from all citizens based on consumption. It would eliminate tax loopholes, the ability for special interests to impact tax policy and much, much more. There are surely cons for such a plan and honest debate is legitimate. But misrepresenting it simply as a 23% national sales tax is disingenuous and a purposeful distortion. A lie.

That simple discussion, talking about issues, as we do, changed her vote, resulted in my letters to the editor of every publication in Western North Carolina to highlight Shuler’s misrepresentation of the facts and at least a few – as I understand a cousin was following suit – votes for his opponent. Shuler is one of those supposed “Blue Dog” Democrats, moderate, or maybe even Conservative. We’ve seen in the last year that these people do not exist.

The next few weeks are very important. They are perhaps as important as any such period in your life for impacting the future we desire for this country.

I am tired, but I will continue to speak out at all reasonable opportunities. The volume will increase, just in case others nearby might be waiting for an American just like myself.