America is Missing!

How pathetic my first blog is a rant. But here goes...
This 4th of July should have been glorious but it only served as a reminder that the country my father and his father before him fought so hard to serve and protect SUCKS! It's not the country per say, but the American people in general. We are a rude, selfish, self righteous, holier than thou, singularly minded bunch of people (enough adjectives for you? There are more I could use!). Here is an example of what I mean... my parents own a small spread in Texas, across from their land and home is a fireworks stand on a neighbors land, the request (my parents and their other neighbors are polite so it was first a request) was to please not have people park on their land because as we know Texas is having some flooding issues and people parking on their property would tear it up. My parents have worked hard to make that land nice and trust me it looks like a park! They had to put up barriers to keep people from parking on the land, my dad is retired and in poor health, he doesn't need to put up barriers to keep disrespectful people off his property! The Sheriff was called multiple times by other near by land owners because their property was being torn up as well. Doesn't a Sheriff have better things to do than chase inconsiderate jerks off people's property? What a waste of tax dollars because no one has common courtesy and manners anymore. What happened to asking for permission to park here or there? Why not park in the parking lot of the VFW and walk the freaken ten feet to the fireworks stand? Are we really that lazy? What we get instead is one of the drivers telling a neighbor they didn't care if they tore up the land or got a ticket they would just pay it because it was no big deal. What? Are you serious? Disrespecting someones home is "no big deal?" I'm sorry but I busted my butt clearing that land too! I hauled away rocks and trees, I raked debris and you are going to tell me all that work doesn't matter to you because it is not yours? You pompous... (several expletives come to mind but I prefer to let my morals rule over my mouth, so feel free to insert your own expletives if you so choose) jerk! Meanwhile, the lady (and I use that term very loosely) at the fireworks stand gave my mom the finger when she came home from work, we assume because of all the visits from the Sheriff. What happened to this country? I mean really... what happened to common courtesy, manners and respect??? Where did they go? Why are they missing? What happened to the great and wonderful American people? Wake up folks! America is missing and we need to find her and bring her back!
We have perverts coming out of the woodwork, road rage, idiots on cell phones who obviously can't have a private conversation, drivers who cut you off in traffic because they can't get behind you because they have to be first! Why does everyone have to be first? It is physically impossible people! Not everyone can be first all the time at the same time! No one says "excuse me" or "pardon me" and what happened to "please," thank you" and "may I" no one uses those terms any more either. Do not just stand there and look at me like I am stupid if you need to pass by because I am so very sorry but my ESP is off line today! I can't read your mind! I don't know if I would even want to! For all I know you are staring at the same can of soup I am. Open up your mouth and say "excuse me, I need by please"or "pardon me, may I cut through" and for the love of God use your manners and say "please!"
That whole pay it forward thing works; try it! I let a lady who had two or three items to my ten go ahead of me. She asked if it was really ok!? Why wouldn't it be? Of course it is. Are we really so insensitive to those around us? Are we truly that callous? Or is it that we think we are so much more important and so is our time that we cannot and will not do something nice for someone? Or wait a minute, maybe it's that need to be FIRST! Me first, me first!!!! I want to be first!!! What are we, a bunch of three year olds?
I do it all the time, let someone ahead of me, I love to see people's reaction to someone being nice! Don't tell anyone but I have even had it returned, where someone let me go ahead of them. I do it in traffic too! I must be insane. I did it driving through Chicago! I was flipped off by the guy behind me (was that his IQ?) and the guy I let in front of me looked like he had just witnessed Jesus turn water into wine! I also like to say "please" and "thank you" to EVERYONE, I guess that makes me certifiable!
The janitorial staff where I attended college... I knew a bunch of them by name and most by face, said "Hi" to everyone I saw every time I saw them, why you ask? Because they are people too and they deserve my respect. Plus I am an extrovert. Same with the cafeteria staff. I also use my manners when I order fast food, does that shock you? "May I please have a..." etc not "Yeah, gimme..." They treat me the way I treat them. Crazy thing is I used to be embarrassed when my mom did this, she was polite and respectful, talked to people, I could have died! I hope my kids get embarrassed too. If more people would stop putting themselves first and try and put others before them we might have America back and she won't be missing any more! Trust me I'd love to have my kids go somewhere and not hear another child their age cussing like a sailor (it's just a figure of speech I don't need sailors posting back!). for example we go out on Fridays with a big group of people, one couple in the group have a 4 year old who calls everyone a "pecker head." Why? Because that is what his dad calls him! Hello? Anyone home? Do you really call your child that? What are you teaching him? It is children like him that are going to grow up and become jerks that tear up peoples property because they have no respect for themselves, others or others belongings!
I'd also love to have my kids go any where and not worry some freak with a fetish for children might snatch them away. I hate having to scare my daughter with the reality that the streets of America are not safe and anything could happen. Right now she can't play in the front yard because of the construction work going on in our neighborhood. The workers fly through our streets as if they are NASCAR or Indy drivers. Their mouths are flying too, f-this and f-that... to me that shows a limited vocabulary or pure laziness in trying to find a proper word, not to mention just plain ignorance. Although I must note I was outside today maybe one minute when I hear the roofers at the house next to us cussing up a storm and the supervisor on the ground as soon as he saw me must have said something because all of a sudden I hear from the guys on the roof "Sorry Ma'am! Didn't realize you were there." Of course I thanked them for the apology; they showed me respect and I could do the same. The majority of the construction workers do not respect our neighborhood and probably do not respect their own.
I have been to most of the fifty states and been to several countries because my father was military. My husband is from Europe and became a citizen at an early age, he is the son of an American military man as well. I know disrespect, selfishness, indifference, rudeness as well as utter disdain. I also know respect, politeness, tolerance, temperance and common courtesy. I also know it is my choice to act the way I want to, I choose to respect myself and others, I choose to be a good old fashioned proper American citizen. It should never be an embarrassment to say "I'm an American." I would hope it never will be. My wish for this country I love is that we Americans begin to take responsibility for our actions and become a mannerly and once again well respected country. Start small, try being polite to a neighbor, branch out and show respect to a service person, smile at a stranger, be courteous, let someone ahead of you in line at the grocery store or in traffic, then branch out some more! Your kids (that includes your nieces and nephews if you don't have kids) are watching you; what kind of America do you want to leave behind for them?