Thoughts on Patriotism

When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his, "I Have A Dream," speech, I don't think that the world would have forseen that nearly five decades later we would have our first elected African-American President of the United States of America.  For many people especially minorities this was seen as a huge victory, and a renewed sense of better days to come.  What people didn't realize that the President would face an extensive amount of resistance and opposition not only from his colleauges but also from many Americans.  It is amazing to see  how much hate is spread through social networking sights such as Facebook.  It seems like we as an American people have forgotten what is means to be great.  We have forgotten about the blood that has been spilt so that we can have all of the freedoms that we all enjoy.  As an American I am proud to say that I have four vetrans in my family.  Two of them fought on foreign soil so that we could be free.  The two vetrans in my life who served during times of war and put their lives on the line make me proud to be an American. 
So lets fast forward to 2013 and think about what is happening.  We have men and women fighting in a war that seems to never end.  The body count is steadily rising on both sides of the spectrum.  Men and women are coming home and many suffer because of the things that they have heard and seen.  While our military continues to fight the fight on foreign soil the battle rages on here on the homefront.  It seems as if everyone is feeling the need to find a bandwagon to jump on even if they have no idea what is going on.  Gor example HealthCare Reform.  I am an American who struggles, and if it wasn't for family then I would be sleeping on the streets.  Because of HealthCare Reform I am able to have some medical coverage so that I can have a primary care doctor, and the medication that I need so that my seizures do not happen.  My parents have been there when I have had seizures, and they have done what they needed to do so that I would not injure myself.  My mother has made the ultimate sacrifice and payed a medical debt that I would have nevr been able to afford.  I hope that one day I can have the ability to pay her back in full.  She did not have to do what she did, but I am eternally grateful for her.  I remember hearing my father say how helpless he felt while I was having a seizure.  He stayed by my side so that I wouldn't hurt myself.  To take away HealthCare Reform is to tell me that I don't deserve to have a primary care doctor and that I don't deserve to have the medication that keeps me from having seizures.  I want you to picture me laying on the floor having a full blown seizure.  I want you to put yourself in my fathers' shoes.  Now maybe you will get my point.  Everybody deserves Health Care, and I mean everybody.
The next issue is gun control.  First of all is our constitutional right to have and bear arms.  But where in that does it say that we have the right to own AK-47's and other assalt rifles that people are going out and filling their gun cabinets with.  Those weapons do not belong in the hands of anyone other than our military who are defending our freedoms.  Stricter gun laws need to be put in place so that things are more regulated when it comes to the buying and selling of guns.  That is all I will say on that.
As an American people we need to support the President and not bash him.  We have a country that is divided by two simple words- Democrat and Republican.  These two words have divided families.  I think that if I were to take a secret poll within my own family there would be a huge division, and I hope that were to never happen.  We as a people need to unite as one.  If you have not noticed people from other nations are pouring into this country because they want what we already have, The American Dream.  We are so blessed to be here in this great country, where we have freedoms that others can only dream about.
I am proud to be be an African-American woman.  I am the daughter of a white mother and black father.  I am proud of the heritage that I was blessed with.  Yes there who kids who did not understand why I was a different color than my mother, but I didn't care.  I am honored to say that I had the opportunity to learn about other cultures when my mom married my step-father.  I am a very culturally diversified woman.  I am proud to say that I am the grand-daughter of two vetrans who fought on foreign soil, so that I could be free.  I am so grateful for those who paved the way so that I could enjoy the freedoms that I have today.  When I bleed, I bleed red just like you.