Below is a piece that wrote in response to the prompt:
Write a 2-4 page essay in which you tackle an issue of importance to you, and in which you take a stance and let your emotions show.
I want to write the disclaimer now, that I could just as easily written a piece on being an Oklahoma girl in New England (it would have been just as pointed and "emotional" as this one), however, I was inspired by a message from a friend (Stephanie). She called to share the slogan of a self-made cardboard sign located in the back window of a truck she saw on the road in Norman. So, here it is:
I know your type. You live in cities on the Coasts, in California or Massachusetts. You ride the subways or the trolleys and talk down to people like me, true patriots, who support the American dream, who patron American auto-manufacturers like Ford or Chevrolet. You say my diesel-run pickup truck pollutes the air, destroys the planet. Well, your tree-hugging, anti-God, new-aged hippy shit is what’s wrong with this country. The United States of America was founded on life, on the pursuit of happiness, on liberty. But it’s your kind who wants to eliminate our founding father’s values from the American identity. As far as I’m concerned, pacifists are the parasites of freedom.
I have received countless like-minded lectures as soon as I mention my political affiliations within my home-state of Oklahoma. While historically held at the local and state level by Democrats, Oklahoma is considered solidly “red” in contemporary politics. The state – that’s name means “land of the red man” – seems appropriately titled, though the Native American “red” man is no longer the man in power there. The white man, born and bred in the heartland of America, is the man who now personifies the state’s name. Oklahoma is the land of the “red,” the land of the conservative Republican.
When our family moved to Oklahoma, 17 years ago, my mother was horrified that her children would grow up in a place where cowboy boots and hats were normal, everyday attire. Yet, if I were in her place, I would have been much more concerned about the conservative values of Bible Belt politics.
I was always known among classmates and teachers as the outspoken liberal who never flinched at political opposition. I was the minority because I cared about recycling and universal healthcare; I was labeled “crazy communist” because I supported social security and a women’s right to choose; I was called feminazi because I did not hate Hilary Clinton. I was different from the status quo, and I did not care. I was proud offer an opposing view, to participate in truly democratic dialogue.
My friends – usually guys, because high school boys tend to tease – loved planting Bush/Cheney signs in my front yard during the 2000 Presidential election; they regularly gave me Soviet memorabilia as birthday gag-gifts. I took all communist allusions in stride and laughed at the jokes. Yet, as we have moved into a wartime existence, as soldiers continue to die in Iraq, I have been met with much more pointed and hostile criticism for my progressive political views. Apparently, believing in peace is unpatriotic, un-American. To all my critics, I would like to respond:
I am an American. I am a Christian. I am a boot-wearing, cheep-beer drinking, cowboy-loving Oklahoma girl. I adore Willie Nelson and Kenny Chesney. I swoon for a charming twang. I prefer pickups – Ford F-150s – and barbeque. I eat ranch dressing on nearly everything. I am as country, as middle-America, as red-blooded as all of you. I love my nation, and therefore, I want the security of peace.
I believe that national security is more than big guns and overpowering military might. With the $2.6 billion that Oklahomans will pay to help fund the war in Iraq, 369 new elementary schools could be built to educate our youth, 736,954 people could receive health care, or 67,354 public safety officers could be added protection for our communities. Why do we not consider education, healthcare and safe streets investments in security? Why do the only security initiatives of this Administration include the deaths of hundreds of thousands Iraqi citizens and over 2,000 American soldiers? Do I truly threaten our liberty by asking these questions?
You say that criticism of this war will hurt the moral of the mission; therefore, I must hate our troops. Actually, I have close friends in every one of the four armed service branches that make up the United States Military. I love my friends; I support their choices; I hold a deep respect for all of those who are willing to give their lives for our country. How can support for our troops include sending them to an unnecessary death? This is not a noble cause – though I am not sure that war, itself, can ever be noble except in cause. How can the act of taking human life be glorified as an act in and of itself? It cannot. There must always be a glorified, noble purpose that overshadows the atrocities that are inevitable in war. 2,038 United States soldiers have died in Iraq, one of whom graduated from my high school the year before me. So tell me, what is in Iraq that is worthy of such a sacrifice? WMDs? bin Laden? Al-Qaeda? None were there. So why are we? I believe that the best way to support our troops means limiting their exposure to unnecessary warfare, to the possibility of death. Does my love for our soldiers and their lives really translate to hate?
You say that I am the parasite of freedom, well maybe I am. If my desire for economic and social justice for Americans is leechlike, if desiring our soldiers actually come home from Iraq is Anti-American, if working for a higher quality of life for all Americans is parasitic, then, yes, I am a parasite. I am a parasite that hopes to suck the blood of inequality, injustice, and irresponsibility from the political psyche of the White House. I am a parasite that will drain the freedom to break international laws and public trust by misusing the American name for fruitless whims. I accept the challenge to hold the President accountable for true national security, so, yes, call me a parasite if that is what you want to do. Let us, however, be certain: never say that I do not love my country or my fellow-human being; never claim that peace is anti-solider; never announce that I am against America, simply because I am not with you. We can disagree, we can argue, but we can never disrespect the other. Once we take away the ability to engage in thoughtful, democratic dialogue, then we will cease to be America. I cannot ignore my conscience, just as neither one of us can turn our backs on our beloved country. We both, you and I, desire what is best for our nation. I, however, believe that we will only truly be alive, free, and happy if we are living in peace.
The Fabs and Jman and Jerry
