Division, discrimination continue unabated

Where are we and where are we going? To start, we are as usual, so divided it is simply astounding that the country can function at all.

We seem to take great pleasure in dividing ourselves over issues that you would have thought to have been hammered out in wars or in the courts years ago.

Let's start with one of our first documents as a fledgling country, the Declaration of Independence. You would think that the first line "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal" would have prevented a lot of future conflicts except at the time the word "men" did not include slaves or women.

Shortly after the Declaration, came the Constitution, again one would think phrases like "insure domestic Tranquility," and "promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity" included everyone but apparently, women and slaves still did not count.

In 1863, we add another little Document to our growing stack of, shall we call them freedoms and that was the Emancipation Proclamation but in 1868, we had to add the 14th to clarify the standing of former slaves. "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." To me the phrase "All Persons" includes every living human, the catch, women are still property and former slaves just do not count. So here comes the 15th in 1870 and things start to get more specific with the words race or color. Then in 1920, we had to add the word "sex" so women could be included in our little country club. OK Now we have "all Men" "All Persons" "Race or Color" and "sex" to define who is a part of the country and all is well right? Well not quite, there are some minor laws put in place affectionately called the Jim Crow laws that flat disregard the Bill of Rights (just an oh by the way, the Good folk enjoyed using the Bible to justify the sanctity of the Crow laws).

Let's jump ahead of a lot of hatred, violence, a world war, several so-called police actions (where people in uniforms with big guns are killing each other but they are not wars) with America Love it or Leave it and What if you had a war and nobody came, and we are in the unrest of the 1960s, and the 1964 Civil Rights Act that put an end to discrimination once and for all. Not even close. Oh sure some of the non-inclusion groups at least went underground, while all of them claimed that their rights under the 1st to discriminate had been violated. I would be remiss if I didn't add to our ability to hate list, our actions against Native Americans, Irish, Jews, Italians, Chinese, Japanese, Catholics and Mormons to name a few.

Our seemingly intrinsic need to discriminate is still alive and well and continually on the lookout for new victims, so we can continue to make ourselves feel superior. Even though we are ordered not to, we still use the Bible as a club. Right now, the victim de jour is sexual orientation with all the others as a backup.

So who gets stood up against the wall next? I'm guessing left-handers - after all it's a choice isn't it. Sure they are OK on the mound but we don't want them in the shower with us, and isn't the left side of God, Satan's side?

Most of this missive has just been about our so-called God-given right to exclude from our freedoms, all those that don't look or think or feel or love just like us, now if you really want to stir the pot try to point out that the freedoms in the 1st are "not" absolute and then get your patriotism challenged by asking if the word "Militia" is overlooked in the 2nd or wonder if your right to not allow firearms in your establishment is overruled by a supposed right to carry arms?

All the while that we've been distracted chasing the rabbits of discrimination, religion and the holy gun, all things that should have been settled at least a hundred and fifty years ago, something even more sinister has taken place. Corporations became people, money became free speech, the rich can write or buy whatever law they want, our schools are becoming private, congress votes 58 times to repeal what little healthcare we have and our right to vote and enact realistic change crumbles. What was our country has been sold out from underneath us.

Where we are, is vividly clear, where we are going is apparently to a hard core Oligarchy.

The tombstone will most likely read "America, it was fun while it lasted" and the obligatory ad at the top will say brought to you by "Unregulated Capitalism."

Michael Teague is a Coeur d'Alene resident.