Proud to be an American!!!

I went to Disney World over the summer and while at the World Showcase I went to the American Celebration show. Listening and observing reenactments of some of the most important times in the history of our great country welled up the emotions in me several times.

Unfortunately the next day while I was at MGM 4 F-14 flew directly over the park in formation and towards the Magic Kingdom. Everyone paused and watched the jets fly over, looked at each other nervously for a few seconds, and continued on with their day. I guess the uneasy feelings will be with us for a while.

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We will never forget.

Non Coaster Related-

At School today, we stopped what we were doing at 9:11 A.M. and listened to a speach over the intercom, then we all said the Pledge of Allegiance. What makes me mad was some little punk girl (she dressed punk) was yelling "BOO!" during the Pledge. But at the same time, I felt proud to be an American, because we all have our freedom of speach. Another thing that makes me Proud to be an American, is my brother. He is a U.S. Marine. He is an Aviation Electronic, and if we goto war with Iraq, guess where he is going.

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Rob

"Some people spend an entire LIFETIME wondering if they made a DIFFERENCE. The MARINES don't have that problem." -President Reagan 1985

Not park related, but I still get choked up some times when Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" is on the radio. It happened to me when they would play it during Dessert Shield and Dessert Storm and it still happens today. Also, Alan Jackson's "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning," and Toby Keith's new song "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue" make me proud to be an American.

Just to see how Americans came together September 11. Neighbors that didn't talk much, old friends that were out of touch, just every one of every race coming together as one.

I remember Christmas shopping last year and Alan Jackson's song came on the radio, I started crying so bad that I almost had to pull over to the side of the road. I just thought about all of those families that were not going to have a very merry Christmas because they had lost someone that they loved.

The Winter Olympics also made me very proud to be an American. I watched as much of it as I could and taped what I couldn't so I would not miss anything. I watched just about all of it.

July Fourth celebrations, Memorial Day celebrations, Community days, fireworks after a ball game. You name it. We just have so much in this country. I am so thankful to have been born in The United States of America.

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The worst day at Cedar Point is better than the best day at work.

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ALF is cool said:

What makes me mad was some little punk girl (she dressed punk) was yelling "BOO!" during the Pledge.

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The way she was dressed had nothing to do with it, but quite frankly I'm not surprised by the apathy of anyone under 30 anymore. There's no reason that any of us should just subscribe to blind patriotism because we owe it to our country. The problem is that as soon as you suggest that, people start telling you, "If you don't like it leave," which is lazy thinking.

Stop and think... if you just accepted the country for what it is and loved it just because it was the right thing to do, would it have evolved over the last 200 years to become what it is? Of course not. Women wouldn't vote, black people would still be picking cotton and we'd drive cars that get four mile per gallon. The hell raisers are the ones who have made this country great, not the people who accept the status quo.

People have demonstrated over the last year the need to press on, rebuild and heal in the face of a tragedy so great that you can't help be proud of our citizens and the common bond that it gives us. However, it's time to start asking the harder questions.

Our civil liberties are in danger in the name of (false) security. Our government detains people for months on end without trial or charges just because they're foreign citizens. We play favorites in foreign policy where it benefits us. Kids shoot up schools. Murder rates are up while overall crime is down. Schools can't pay teachers enough to work in crumbling buildings. Drugs permeate youth culture. Baby boomers slam "kids today" for being disenchanted with the world they left them.

There are a lot of reasons to be unhappy with our country when you lack adult perspective. Hell, even when you do have that perspective it can be hard. The difference is that adults at least have more power to try and do something about it and create change.

If people started listening to teenagers and started understanding their fear and anxiety of where we're headed, instead of writing it off as "teen angst," perhaps we'd be a lot more on track.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"Let's stop saying 'don't quote me,' because if no one quotes you, you probably haven't said a thing worth saying." - Dogma, KMFDM