The Spirit That Made America

It's been a while since I embedded a music video on this blog. I had begun to depend too heavily on them for a time, and I felt uncomfortable with that, so I made a conscious decision to cease, but with the overwhelming bombardment of material from Washington these days, I once again sought the brief refuge of music, and rekindled my rebel spirit.

I was born in New York, but moved to Georgia shortly after I graduated high school. I was terrified on the way down, expecting the worst as a result of my exposure to the South from the cinematic sources I had witnessed as a youth. Once I arrived, I soon discovered that I was "home", the place I really belonged. I fit in Georgia like peas and carrots...or Forrest and Jenny.

One of my best friends was a fellow from the real country, and he was wary of me at first. Just as my premonitions of the South betrayed me, so did his of folks like me, Yankees from the North. It wasn't long before we became fast friends, though our previous prejudices lingered as a source of taunting humor, especially for an audience of locals and usually at my expense. I didn't mind, however, because I felt perfectly at ease with my friend, and wonderfully welcome.

My stay in the South was short-lived, especially in retrospect, as advancing age has that effect. Nevertheless, I still believe that it was an experience that cemented my conviction in the spirit of freedom in America. While my childhood was that of a rural Long Islander in a time when New York and Georgia were not nearly as dissimilar as today, I'm convinced --at least in theory -- that my early development may not have taken the path to where I stand today had I not escaped for a brief spell into the land of the truly-American.

With that in mind, Desert Skies struck me tonight as a poetic anthem to the spirit that made us all what we are today, despite the erosive properties being applied by politicians on a daily basis. Many of us, particularly the Tea Party members, have that same spirit embedded in our souls even more deeply that Janet Napolitano would like to embed electronic tracking chips.

I maintain my belief that most Americans would like to be "buried with [their] chaps on" even to this day. I insist that we retain that right. And I demand that our elite politicians respect that right.

If you haven't listened yet, keep these words in mind as you do. If you have already listened, then you already have an understanding of my intent. May God keep America, and may we survive the domestic attack under which we now suffer.

And may we all eventually be buried with our chaps on so that we may watch the moon hiding 'neath the desert skies. Enjoy, and God bless.

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