“Europe, and not England, is the parent country of America. This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe. Hither they have fled, not from the tender embraces of the mother, but from the cruelty of the monster; and it is so far true of England, that the same tyranny which drove the first emigrants from home, pursues their descendants still.” – Thomas Paine, 1776, from his pamphlet “Common Sense”.
Since before its founding, the United States of America has been and still is a patriarchal white established society, that is deeply entrenched these days in its denial of continued racism, bigotry, misogyny, and xenophobia – both historically and presently.
Since 1776, the United States of America has been and continues to be a white European nation, constitutionally founded in the anti-monarchy/anti-church ‘Era of Enlightenment’ Deist philosophy of Europe.
Since 1945, the United States of America has been becoming more and more a white Christian nation, that has been socially pushing the revisionist history of the United States as a Judeo-Christian nation that is based in the belief in an involved theistic god.
Don’t take my word for it. Take a look at the self-evident historical facts for yourself. Then ask yourself, “Do I want a theocracy representative of a few in this nation that we live in, or do I want to experience a democracy that represents all American citizens?”
America gets its chances to be a progressive nation and make world history. But, sadly, America misses these opportunities far too often – out of fear of change. The United States will only truly begin to represent its constitutionally enshrined values when white Christian males in America share their inherited privilege and power, and have a little faith in democracy by giving up their religious clinging to the ways of the past.
Sadly, the United States of America and Europe’s Britain are intimately intertwined to this very day. The United States is a British born and established American nation. What one does in folly and fear, the other follows this lead. White America needs desperately to have an honest, rational, and real discussion with itself! The future of America as a democratic nation rests upon this.
#USA #SeparationofChurchandState #BlackLivesMatter #NativeLivesMatter #NotaChristianNation #WeThePeople #EraofEnlightenment
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” It says “We the People”, not “we the people under biblical direction of the Christian god.” One is democracy based on enlightenment and reason, the other is theocracy based on fear and internalized/externalized hate.
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” (1892 to 1954)
It is a patriotic act to #takeaknee for democracy and for social justice of all of U.S. America’s legal citizens. It is time to enact a new U.S. national anthem that does not glorify the deaths of those seeking freedom from enslavement by white European Americans. Read the 3rd and 4th stanzas (verses), that are conveniently not sung these days:
“And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a Country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave*
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
O thus be it ever when freemen** shall stand
Between their lov’d home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with vict’ry and peace may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv’d us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto – “In God is our trust,”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
* – hireling and slave, specific references to those who took up Britain’s offer of freedom from U.S. slavery, if they choose to flee into asylum or into the service of Britain’s monarchy through becoming a Colonial Marine.
** – freemen, specific reference to white citizens of the United States of America.
From Defense of Fort McHenry, by Francis Scott Key, American slaveowner, 1814, after witnessing the failed attempt of the British with their Colonel Marines (freed American slaves) to capture Baltimore. In 1931, the United States officially made this poem the U.S. national anthem, and re-named it to the Star-Spangled Banner.
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Okay, now that we’ve had an honest and accurate history lesson, allow me to share one more thought …
Privilege is when you think something is not a problem because it’s not a problem to you personally. Privilege is when you think that you are right and all others are wrong, and that you have an inherent or moral right to legislate your will and beliefs upon all people – whether it oppresses them or not. But, turns out there are other people in this nation, they are – in fact! – legal citizens, and they are – definitely – entitled to the same rights granted under the United States constitution that are granted to you.
“Equality can feel like oppression. But it’s not. What you’re feeling is just the discomfort of losing a little bit of your privilege. … All this anger we see from people screaming “All Lives Matter” in response to black protesters at rallies. All this anger we see from people insisting that their “religious freedom” is being infringed because a gay couple wants to get married. All these people angry about immigrants, angry about Muslims, angry about “Happy Holidays,” angry about not being able to say bigoted things without being called a bigot … They all basically boil down to people who have grown accustomed to walking straight at other folks, and expecting them to move. So when “those people” in their path don’t move — when those people start believing that they have every bit as much right to that aisle as anyone else — it can seem like their rights are being taken away.”* Read the whole article, white European America. Change is not as bad as you think!
#whitefragility #whiteprivilege #alllivesmatter #whitelivesmatter #bluelivesmater only when #blacklivesmatter and #nativelivesmatter and we are #empoweringwomen (not legislating and oppressing their vaginas) and recognizing #equality (for all citizens) and are focused as a nation on #restorativejustice and #truthandreconciliation !
*Quote is from the article ‘When You’re Accustomed to Privilege, Equality Feels Like Oppression’ by Chris Boeskool
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-boeskool/when-youre-accustomed-to-privilege_b_9460662.html
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It is said that “Love comes naturally, but Hate is learned.”
As much as we want to believe this about us humans, it is simply not true with the human primate. I so wish that this were so, but the reality is that the ability to hate within us is more natural than our ability to love. The emotion of hate evolved in us well before the emotion of love. If it were true that love comes naturally and hate is simply learned, we wouldn’t have constant warfare, genocide, murder, and institutionalized discrimination. All of which are the predominant human set of behaviors that are demonstrably self-evident throughout human history.
If we were naturally given to love only as an animal species upon this planet, we wouldn’t have killed off our brothers and sisters human species, rendering Sapiens as the only human primate left upon the earth, and we wouldn’t have killed off into extinction, as well, so many of the larger animal species of the planet. But, hate can be a positive and beneficial emotion, when balanced with loving compassion and reasoned understanding.
So, I propose that our greatest evil as a species is not hate but, rather, indifference. Tribalistic religious, racist, and nationalist indifference towards others. Collectively as a species, as human beings, we must learn to be compassionate and understanding, to see beyond ourselves, and usurp our inherent nature as human beings with our creative intelligence. We must learn to be balanced and attentively aware of our inherent behaviors. We must learn to regulate them for the shared common good.
#LoveTrumpsHate only some of the time. Most of the time, with humans, #HateTrumpsLove. The sooner we pay attention to what we are as humans, the sooner we can become more like what we think we are.
#Tribalism #Indifference #ReligiousFundamentalism #WhiteNationalism
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“I’m one of the countless military veterans taking a knee. Do not exploit our service to silence black Americans and endorse racism. #TakeaKnee” – Charles Clymer @cmclymer
As a U.S. military veteran, I say #takeaknee until racism is honestly addressed in the United States, until all citizens regardless of skin color or place of birth are treated the same within this nation. It is an act of patriotism to do so. We are “one nation indivisible”, with a people’s constitution. The legacy of white evangelical supremacy must come to an end – if we really want to #maga.
#standfortheusflag to show support for our nation, but #takeaknee during the national anthem in support of #socialjustice. #alllivesmatter only when #truthandreconciliation matters in the United States of America. Do not worship the flag, Uncle Sam is a myth, we are not all created white #inhisimage #inhislikeness.