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| If you will notice this one dollar bill with George Washington, our father and general, is not backed by gold or silver, but by faith in the United States of America |
Notebook Writer: Sound Off One Two
Is 'Money' at the root of America's downfall?
Dear Folks,
Preface:
I've come to find out in writing this piece out of the blew looking at a scary graphic of Hurricane Sandy bearing down on our nation's capital, where I had just been and barely survived. (I might as well be at The Ritz in Cleveland rather than Union Station in DC, except for McDonald's where I totally lucked out and got a second Big Mac for one cent. Being rather busted nearing the end of the month in this great soggy depression in the USA, this two Big Macs maybe $3.71 (a good guess as i don't save Big Mac receipts kept me from starting on Amtrak's Silver Meteor to Florida.)
The train ride thanks to some great folks from all over creation and a super friendly and professional Amtrak staff made the 24 hour ride from Cleveland to Jacksonville a fun trip with coffee and cigarette breaks coming in the nick of time. And, this time I did not like my brothers before me get thrown off the train for no reason into the abyss of North Charleston, South Carolina where it costs $30 to look at a cap driver once you get past the city police. See my first of a series of stories on 'ridin' and rollin' on Amtrak'
aka Wetlands to Badlands Tour 2012-3: Beat Poetry Music of Mike Marcellino
Choo Choo Amtrak....Part One 'Ridin' and Rollin' Amtrak
They don't call "money" the "root of all
evil" for nothing.
"Money" has become persuasive lifestyle in American society
and our "gold rush" mentality and excessive quest to possess material
things.
Texas businessman Ross Perot
recently warned that the USA is at risk for "disaster" and
"takeover" due to the federal government's 'alcoholic' like
spending and 16 trillion debt. Perot ran as a third party
presidential candidate in 1992 and 1996.
Well, wish it were just that simple but on the other hand, the American
people are asleep at the switch in electing federal representatives that
perpetuate the decline of America.
In spite of his piles of money, Perot failed in his bid for
president. In 1992, an independent group
of Cleveland, Ohio Vietnam veterans started Veterans for Clinton, the Vietnam
draft dodger along with George W. Bush.
We met up with Bill's Arkansas boys across northern Ohio, even caught by
Australian television, joined with union workers, women and peace an
environmental activists and helped sweep Clinton into the White House for eight
years of prosperity, progress and lack of wars.
A handful of veterans sitting on a Cleveland curb literally
energized Clinton's campaign in Ohio and across the country. He won the veteran vote, Ohio and counties
never won before by a Democrat.
You ask, what's your point Mike? The point is I was there on the curb and
that anything is possible if Americans take action to make our country 'all it
can be' (I'm an Army veteran of Vietnam).
Clinton did emphasize veterans who have served and
sacrificed for their country, not just in the elections but all year long. That's rare.
He never thanked us formally, but I guess we didn't want his
'thanks" but his actions. When I
met for coffee in the Map Room of the White House in the bitter winter of
1992-3, I remember writing notes on some white slips of paper and said to
President Clinton and those dozen or so grass roots folks and senior political
aides. I simply asked him to test all he
does on whether it will strengthen the American family. He did a pretty good job.
Frontline produces some of the best, most accurate and fair
news coverage in the world. The
influence of 'Money' on our freedom is the greatest challenge of our time. I invite you to watch along with me and swap
notes on the future of the United States of America.
Note: this column by journalist Mike Marcellino was written in response to a graphic of Hurricane Sandy about to give a left hook into the nation's East Coast, perhaps centered on our capital, Washington, D.C, the house of emptiness. Mike just arrived in St. Augustine Beach, Florida after leaving by train just in time, from the District of Columbia, where he could not get a ride to the Vietnam Memorial, not even from Congress or the Office of the President or Vice President. More about Mike's DC Road Trip coming soon on his Notebook Writer Blog.
Take care,
Mike
PS: Be great to hear from some of you folks about what's doing on in our country and where we're headed.
