Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Night Rose's First Fullfillment of her Patriotic Responsibility as a Citizen of the United States.

 Original:
Forgive me if I ramble, this is my first contact with the White House since the term of Bill Clinton when I was in Elementary school, and I'm not overly familiar with etiquette. I was just reading articles about our own citizens taking up arms against the "minor immigrants" being housed in their community. Worse yet, I saw friends on my own feed liking this action. As an American, I took Government when I was in school, and unfortunately I have found that our citizens and many of our representatives have lost sight of what America means.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

I'm afraid that the term "minor immigrants" must have confused our citizens- for surely American citizens would never turn their back on a needy child. They must think these are some petty immigrants; criminals who have no place in their own society. America would never be so callous as to look in the faces of children and say that they do not belong here, and are the problem of "someone else". Unfortunately, The Statue of Liberty only watches our eastern coast while on our western border she seems blind to her charge. As an American daughter, mother, sister, citizen; I cannot believe that our people are so blinded. The United States of America was once the land of promise- an example of enlightenment and hope for the world. Now we bicker and squabble about petty religious differences, or party agendas. We were a role model to developing countries, and now we look like an elder sibling going through their rebellion phase. The United States MUST remember their heritage. We accepted a responsibility and paraded it before the eyes of all the unfortunates of the world- she carries her torch high and proudly still. But it seems her tablet has become a guest list- and if you are not on the list then you are no longer welcome. Enough with the squabbling. Free Lady Liberty. Allow her to pass from sea to sea. If America did not want such a charge then she should not have been welcomed. Yes, there will be difficulties. There is no easy solution to this issue. But dumping helpless children on someone else's door stoop so we no longer have to figure out this difficult puzzle is irresponsible. We do not deport immigrants who marry our citizens simply for their green card and then leave them, we should not do so now to innocents who have no where else to go. My thoughts will be heavy for the remainder of this standoff, I wish I could say my conscience was clear. For the decisions that are about to be made are on the head of all America's Citizens. Whether they could truly impact them or not.

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After editing and being forced to cut 540 characters to meet 2500 character criteria:


Good evening, I was reading about our own citizens taking up arms against "minor immigrants" being sent to their state. I saw friends on my own feed liking this action. As an American, I took Government when I was in school and sadly have found that our people and many of our leaders have lost sight of what America means.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp! cries she with silent lips. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
I'm afraid that the term "minor immigrants" must have confused our citizens for surely American citizens would never turn their backs on a child. They must think these are some petty illegals; vermin who have no place in their own society. America would never be so callous as to look in the faces of children and say that they do not belong here, and are the problem of "someone else". The Lady Liberty watches our east coast while on our western border she seems blind to her charge. As an American daughter, mother, sister, citizen; I cannot believe that our people are so blinded. The United States was once the land of promise- an example of enlightenment and hope for the world. Now we bicker and squabble about petty religious differences, or party agendas. We were a role model to developing countries, now we look like an elder sibling going through their rebellious phase. The United States MUST remember her heritage. We touted a responsibility before the eyes of all the world- she carries her torch high and proudly still. But it seems her tablet has become a guest list- and if you are not on the list then you are no longer welcome. Enough with the squabbling. Free Lady Liberty. Allow her to pass from sea to sea. If America did not want such a charge then she should not have been welcomed. Yes, there will be difficulties. There is no easy solution to this. But dumping helpless children on someone else's door stoop so we no longer have to figure out this puzzle is irresponsible. We do not deport immigrants who marry our citizens simply for their green card and then leave them. We should not do so now to innocents who have no where else to go. My thoughts will be heavy for the remainder of this debate, I wish I could say my conscience was clear. For the decisions that are about to be made are on the head of all America's Citizens; whether they can impact them or not.

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Remember your duty my fellow citizens. It is a heady one that was granted to us by our forefathers. And as they shouldered it in our turn so should we. Otherwise the American People are diminished, and merely shadows of former grandeur. A country of immigrants united by liberty, brightly should our flame burn!

Sunday, July 13, 2014

The pressure before the storm


     Here they were, it was the time. All the excitement and preparation of the past months came to this moment. The gravity of the evening weighed heavily on their shoulders. This could be the big break- they could at last receive recognition for all of their hard work. At least they might gain some new followers; people who would help encourage them to keep going and creating in the future. Just so long as they escaped embarrassment. Crowds could be harsh, and this was in every way a true battle. Sure, everyone was friendly back stage but when it came down to it they were all there for the same purpose- to win. The added exposure was great but they all wanted that prize.

      The band mates exchanged what they hoped were encouraging smiles as they readied to swap sets. All their gear was hand-me-down precious. A guitar from a favorite uncle, a drum kit that Dad had beaten the heart into in his early twenties when he was sure he was going to make it huge. And the mic, a school cast-away when outdated equipment had been replaced. The sentimental value hadn't mattered to the suits- how many speeches had their teachers inspired them with through that mic? Hell, the lead sung her first solo with it. Who cared if the gear wasn't top of the line, in every piece were hopes, dreams, and passion. They made the group feel at home wherever they were.

     "You're on in two minutes, have your stuff ready!" blurted out the head of a small middle-aged man with thinning hair and an overly large headset as it appeared around the corner and then returned to wherever it had been before. They all looked at each other one more time- they were clearly anxious never having played a venue so large before. But mixed into that anxiety was an exhilaration. How many groups never made it out of the garage? This was a huge step. Suddenly the atmosphere of the room changed. They were ready. Alone they were nervous and afraid of messing up; standing on the stage in front of everyone in the spotlight. But now they were one. No one of them was facing those sweaty lights of the stage alone, or the masses beyond them. Separately they flinched under the weight of it all; but together they carried a spark. And that spark was about to light the house on fire.