Are We There Yet?

[NanceGreggs]

Are We There Yet?
By Nancy Greggs

It seems that over the past six years, we have all been away from home – home being the America we grew up in, the America we loved and took pride in, the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave, the country we have been distanced from for far too long.

And now we are like anxious children, squirming in the back seat of the car, hoping we are on our way back to where we belong, anxiously asking every few minutes how much longer the journey will last.

“Are we there yet?” Are we anywhere near the place we once stood, with our hands on our hearts, pledging allegiance to a land that once actually embraced liberty and justice for all? Or are we still living in a place where we can be spied upon by our own government, where our freedoms can be eliminated by the stroke of a pen?

“Are we there yet?” Are we in sight of the American Dream, where hard work led to a better life for ourselves and our children? Or are we still in a place where the obscene greed of corporations is enabled by the very people we elected to represent us?

“Are we there yet?” If we watch out the window, will we soon see the Purple Mountains Majesty, or Amber Waves of Grain? Or will the pollution that was deemed acceptable in order to enrich the corporate bottom-line forever obscure our view?

“Are we there yet?” Are we only a few miles from again being able to speak of our country with a sense of pride, with our heads held high because we represent what is moral and right? Or are we still caught in the shame of war and torture, of secret prisons and back-room deals?

“Are we there yet?” Is that brightness up ahead the Beacon of Democracy we used to hold so high? Or is it just the illusion of light, the sparkling of lies and deceit meant to distract us from finding our way home?

“Are we there yet?” Will we finally be back where our neighbors are not our enemies, where we work together for a common purpose, where we demand the truth from those we entrust to protect our rights, our freedoms, our Constitution? Or will those who seek to divide us for their own purposes keep us from that time-honored place of reunion and shared goals?

“Are we there yet?” If we close our eyes and remember how it used to be, will we find our way back to being proud of who we are, and what we stand for? Or will we always be on this endless road, our beloved country forever just over the next hill, a place that can be seen in the distance, but never really within reach?

It’s a long journey back to where we once lived, to who we once were, to what we once held up to the rest of the world as the United States of America – a country without peer.

Yes, it’s a long journey – and we’re not there yet. But as arduous as the trip may be, it’s still worth the effort.





(For TomInTib – who has often reminded me what Drivin’ Across America is really all about.)

[babylonsister]

1. Coming or going, "are we there yet" rings true, and as a child I DO

remember that. You put it in perfect perspective. I don't know how you do it, but thank you. :hug:

[NanceGreggs]

2. I guess it's part of being an American ...

... no matter how old we may be, we turn into irate children when we've been kept away from home too long.

It's time for a few temper-tantrums in the backseat, just to remind the grown-ups who's really running things on this road trip.

:hug:

[TomInTib]

3. Hand in hand, Nance

"Are we there, yet?"

"D'rectly, son."

[Bonobo]

4. "Don't make me come back there!"

That's what my dad always yelled at me when I fidgeted in the back seat, asking that or playing silly games with my brothers.

We didn't have video games, so we used to play games like looking for people sleeping in their cars (we called them "noodnicks" for some reason) or we tried to spot license plates from different states. Silly stuff.

These days, the kids watch DVDs in their SUVs and MIni-vans or they play video games until they arrive. They never even notice the scenery or what's happening outside their windows... just play games and wait for the ride to be over. To be taken to the destination.

Unfortunately the car analogy breaks down because in a Democracy, we can't be just passengers in a card driven by a madman.

We can't be content to be driven anywhere, especially by a giggling murderer.

We have to grab the wheel. Before we crash into something.

[NanceGreggs]

6. My dad used to say the same thing ...

... which always made us laugh - picturing him climbing over the front seat to get to us, while the car was still barreling down the highway at full speed!

But you're right about not being sleepy passengers -- we have to wake up the NOODNICKS!

[Bonobo]

8. Nudnicks... I just looked it up. Yiddish of course...

nud·nik also nud·nick (ndnk)
n. Slang
An obtuse, boring, or bothersome person; a pest.


"Obtuse". Looks like it's more fitting for this political allegory than I thought!

[eridani]

5. Standard response to "Where are we?" from Dad

"Directly above the center of the earth. And we'll get there when we get there."

[ClayZ]

7. "Three more days", my dad would always say! K and R

[JeffR]

9. The truth of the best-possible-America

is that it's the journey itself, not a destination. If we move toward it, however slowly, we're already there.
:dem: