GARYTALK.COM – From time to time, we reach back into some earlier commentary made a few years ago and republish it here. The following is from a blog I wrote on December 12, 2012, during the years our United States President was Barack Obama. It was written by me at the time in response to something someone posted on Facebook that was shared often by other Facebook members. The original message that was shared prompted me to write about it on a Google Blog I had started in January of 2011. My article was called “A Country of Many Religions and A Few Arrogant Attitudes”. Here is what I wrote:
” A letter to President Barack Obama is being circulated on the internet from a 95-year-old who served in the military for 23 years before, during, and after World War II. While I admire him for his service to our country, I disagree with his impression that President Obama needs his advice in this case.
The retired military veteran takes issue with President Obama traveling to other countries and making statements like, ” We’re no longer a Christian nation”, and, ” America is arrogant”. It is a well-written opinion, and, based on his military experience and background from 90+ years on Earth, it’s somewhat understandable how he may have come to the conclusions he did, but he’s wrong.
It’s easy to take comments out of context and make them seem terrible, but, in this instance, it’s hard to see why they’re objectionable unless you look at them from a contrary point of view.
The fact is, literally, the United States IS not JUST a Christian nation. There are dozens of religions practiced in this country every day, some of which have little to do with Christianity. This is due to United States residents, immigrants and citizens alike, having the freedom to believe what they want and to follow the religious path that they, individually, wish to follow. Freedom of Religion is part of what this country is all about, therefore, we are not a Christian nation. We are a multi-religion nation.
President Obama’s statement about America being arrogant is simply stating the facts. People who live in other countries probably do think of the United States of America as being arrogant. That’s because there are far too many elected officials and statesman in this country who have given that impression over the years.
This country, as a whole, is largely arrogant in it’s thinking about the rest of the world. With all of the nonsense ideas thought, spoken, and acted upon, by some in the government and outspoken individuals that we have a right to invade, intervene, and police other countries, because they’re not doing it right, how can anyone in another country not help but believe, that we, as a country, are “arrogant”? We can easily be perceived to be arrogant by people in another county, just as some in this country see others as arrogant.
The retired U.S. Navy Master Chief also disagrees with President Obama’s statement after 9/11, in which the disgruntled man says President Obama said, ”America hasn’t lived up to her ideals.”
The plain fact is, even though there have been many strides made to live up to some ideals, there are still prejudices by parts of the population and government representatives that make it difficult to imagine anyone believes we have lived up to all of our ideals, completely. Try as we might to follow laws that enforce our ideals as a nation, some individuals keep the turmoil going. It seems to be human nature for some people to buck what is the correct and fair path to take.
In addition, the unhappy man faults First Lady Michelle Obama for saying “America is mean-spirited”.
To be truthful, some of the people in the United States of America have been and are “mean-spirited”. They have the “bah, humbug” attitude that allows them to think they have a right to be mean-spirited. They are the ones who don’t even acknowledge to themselves, or worse yet, they don’t have the ability to know, that they are being mean-spirited in their attitudes toward others of a different color, immigrant status, economic standing, nationality, or religious beliefs, etc. They don’t even like it if you give them the “wrong” Christmas present.
We are all human beings, trying to get through life the best way we can, just like the writer of the letter to President Obama. Underneath it all, we, as a people, are just like everyone else, even like the letter writer: Some are trying to get along with everyone else, and, ironically, some are also mean-spirited, biased and with prejudices, as well. However, just because some of us are “different”, doesn’t make any of us bad people to hate just because we are what or who we are.
The writer of the letter to President Obama has a right to believe, write, and say what he wishes. He also is welcome to send his advice to the President of the United States, but, in this case, he may have gotten worked up about something that doesn’t require imparting his advice.
It seems to me, the letter writer has a different interpretation of the facts, which gives him a distorted view of what President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have been doing and saying. More than half of the people of the United States agree with what President Obama says and does in performing his duties. President Obama’s re-election and the polling since proves that to be true.
It’s too bad some people can’t see the other side of the coin, without reading into it, ideas limited by their own outlook on life, tainting the true situation. Just as coins have two sides, there often can be two different interpretations of what is said or done by all of us, including President Obama and the First Lady. The key is to look at the subject at hand with an open mind.”
GaryWords by GabbyGary at Garytalk.com
