{"id":476,"date":"2020-07-06T23:00:26","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T23:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/?p=476"},"modified":"2020-07-06T23:06:22","modified_gmt":"2020-07-06T23:06:22","slug":"the-divided-states-of-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2020\/07\/06\/the-divided-states-of-america\/","title":{"rendered":"The Divided States of America"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“I pledge no allegiance to a flag in the divided states of America, and to the republic, which is destroyed, one nation, under control where individual liberties and freedoms are gone.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I\u2019ve been searching for the root of what we\u2019re seeing. I\u2019ve seen a myriad of symptoms. The anger turned to violence. The violence turned on those who represent hate. But then the violence turned on those who were instrumental in making sure we no longer have slavery, to ensure we don’t have two separate countries\u2026 people who fought FOR justice and equality. The statues of U.S. Grant and Frederick Douglas came down\u2026 this made no sense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are obviously witnessing a cultural, non-violent, civil war. The country is at least as divided as it was under Obama or any other administration, for that matter. And the symptoms are in front of us. But the root isn\u2019t. I truly think the civil unrest that hovers over our nation is due to 2 things: 1- A lack of Identity<\/strong> and 2- Unforgiveness<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identity:<\/em><\/strong> Go back and look. In the 1960\u2019s when LBJ responded to the Moynihan report by incentivizing single mothers to remain single, the welfare state as we know it began to take root. And along with the spike in fatherless homes came their end of the bargain- votes. And with those votes came more free housing and food. Which placed many people in a position to depend on the government and never lay claim to a land of their own. This is NOT relegated to a certain race, by the way. White and black people suffered from this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the\nways to tell that this is true is to listen to conversations between people who\nwere raised by people who lived in that system. They always refer to their home\nas \u201cwhere they STAY\u201d. \u201cI stay on the north side. Where do you stay?\u201d A buddy of\nmine wrote a blog on it once and I almost fell out of my chair because finally\nsomeone besides me noticed it and mentioned it. The word live <\/em>isn\u2019t\nused. Because it would refer to ownership or heritage. And there is neither\nwith those that grew up dependent on the government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more ownership you have in something, the less likely you are to want to destroy it. You feel a certain connection to that town or area. You remember the history of that area\u2026 good and bad. You revel in the good and learn from the bad. But it\u2019s your town. Your people. I submit that those of us who have a hard time understanding how someone could burn a town down, truly try to understand those that feel displaced. With no American roots. The cultural identity is a huge step in ending the misguided anger that we\u2019re seeing unfold. And it’s up to us to include those who feel displaced to help give them a sense of ownership and pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Unforgiveness:<\/em><\/strong> When you think of people that have done great things, you remember the greatness of who they were and often overlook the wrong they did. Take a biblical character, for example. Saul\/Paul. Paul wrote most of the new testament. Very possibly the largest contributor to the longest running best-selling book in the history of the world. We benefit from the teachings on marriage. On sins. On church. On friendships. We accept all of this knowing that he massacred many Christians prior to becoming a believer himself. Why? Because we know that who he WAS is not who he IS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historical\nfigures that paved the way for our country to be the greatest country in the\nworld are a bit messy. Lincoln, Grant, Jefferson, Madison, Washington\u2026 the list\ngoes on\u2026 ALL owned slaves. Hamilton bought and sold them for his father-in-law.\nBut all of these men accomplished incredible things that paved the way for us\nto have a free market system surrounded by individual protections that make us,\nby far, the best country in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when one\nmistake is made or discovered, does that discredit any good thing they ever\ndid? I hope not. I RARELY agree with this guy, but truly, Bill Mahar said it\nbest when it comes to cancel culture, \u201cWho are these perfect people that have\nnever made any mistakes?!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What we\u2019re\nseeing is an attempt to completely discredit any good thing done by someone who\nhas ever failed in their past. Unfortunately, that would include every single\nperson in the history of the world\u2026 except one. And that One taught us to forgive.\nTo look past the transgression itself and into the heart of the person and\nforgive. This coming from a man that knew He would be betrayed by His own\npeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was the\nbasis of America? The very reason for creating a new country and being willing\nto fight for this country to the death? Freedom. Freedom from a king\u2019s rule.\nFreedom from being ruled by the church. Freedom to exist and partake in\nindividual liberties without the fear of an oppressive government dictating and\nmandating your every move.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And we got there. Did they make mistakes getting there? Yes. Did America make some mistakes getting to the place we are now? Of course. But we got here. We got to a place where we are more free and more equal than ever before in our nation\u2019s history and more than any other society anywhere in the world. On the backs of humans\u2026 who made mistakes. In order to enjoy the benefits, we must forgive the mistakes, learn from the mistakes, and then we can enjoy the successes. If we keep erasing the mistakes, we\u2019ll forget the mistakes\u2026 and repeat them. We must figure out a way to return to the UNITED states of America- through identity and forgiveness…. you know what? Forget everything I just said. I actually think it’s sports. That’s why we’ve all gone nuts. We need sports back!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay Classy GP!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grainger<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“I pledge no allegiance to a flag in the divided states of America, and to the republic, which is destroyed, one nation, under control where individual liberties and freedoms are gone.” I\u2019ve been searching for the root of what we\u2019re seeing. I\u2019ve seen a myriad of symptoms. The anger turned to violence. The violence turned … <\/p>\n

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