I am proud to be an American, southern born and raised, I am proud.  My ancestors proudly fought in the revolutionary war against imperial rule of Britain.  More of my family fought in the divisive war of northern aggression, of which freeing of the slaves was a by-product.  Slavery was never right under any circumstances and I know of no one living in this country or holding United States citizenship overseas that ever owned a slave. 

African tribal chiefs owned slaves, the Japanese owned slaves, the Chinese owned slaves and the list goes on and on.  The civil war was not necessary to end slavery on this continent.  Economics of the day would have eventually led to the demise of the institution of slavery.  One hundred fifty years after the civil war there is not one alive that was ever a slave in this country so stop acting like it. 

Monuments proudly stand in every corner of the world.  The monuments honoring Confederate leaders and soldiers are no less a part of our history than statues to George Washington and other white or black American heroes.  It is repulsive to see grown men and women on television weeping and shedding tears over something as inanimate as a statue.  Grow up it can’t hurt you.  The Statue of Liberty is nothing more or less than a monument to the ideals upon which this country was molded.  Monuments tell a story, good or bad.  Julius Caesar and Napoleon both have many monuments yet these individuals did bad things as well as good things.  Will we tear down the statue of George Washington Carver or Martin Luther King? 

For fifty years our education system has been attempting to rewrite history.  Now we stand on the precipice of accomplishment of this feat.  The education our young people are now receiving from kindergarten to college and post graduate is being shaped with ideas and feelings that are in no way our history or part of our constitution.  There are many that feel as I do and if the destruction and altering of history continues, there will be ramifications.  You must know your true history so as not to repeat the bad parts. 

There are civil wars raging in Venezuela and Syria today.  In the near future, if the hate and violence being expressed, by the left, continues, there could very well be another one here.  White lives matter as much as black, brown, and yellow or any other color.  I am white but I am not a supremist.  I am white but I am not a racist, although many of you are pushing me that way.  Give me the respect I have worked for and I will give you respect if you earn it and don’t try to extort it through protests, riots and threats. 

No matter what statement our president makes, it will be manipulated for the benefit of special interests.  Get over it.  You have nothing to protest, you should be thankful for all you have been given and ungraciously accepted.  It is not all about the individual, it is about our country.  If the LGBTQ group can stand and scream their lifestyle is none of my business, then quit throwing it in my face and using it as a crutch to gain attention and notoriety. 

Forty-one of the fifty-six individuals that signed the declaration of independence were slave owners, but that does not diminish the power and strength of the document.  Americans, black and white, need to live under the umbrella of our constitution or leave this country that has protected you. 

I am very concerned.  Have we gone too far?  Is our country dying and we just don’t realize it.  If our spineless Congress doesn’t wake up and change directions immediately, it will be too late to change.  Unless judges can judge and not be biased orators for enforcement of their beliefs, we are a lost society.  If Americans refuse to honor the office of President of the United States anarchy will prevail.  The main stream media is manipulating the people and causing this disrespect and urging unrest. 

Please become involved and do all any one person can do to calm America.  Take part in the election process and become educated on every issue and each person seeking office.  The constitution grants us the right to own and bear arms.  If you are not presently armed, become so.  There may be a time in the very near future your very survival will depend on being armed and knowing how to use them. 

I may be wrong, but I’m still right…..

The thoughts and ideas expressed above are exclusively those of Jack Straley.  We may agree, and that’s fine, or we may disagree, that’s okay too.  My sole purpose is to encourage others to think, study, and become involved. Exercise your freedom and above all, when presented the opportunity, please vote.