by Laurence E. MacDonald
As an American born and raised in the United States, I have long tried to pay attention to important social, economic, and political issues. What has been happening since Donald J. Trump took office as President greatly concerns me, because his behavior is completely un-American, especially with regards to the deportation of innocent people who are being forced out of the land they love.
As a child in school I learned the Pledge of Allegiance and have always thought of it as a simple and straightforward statement of what it means to be an American. Anyone who runs for office, whether it be a local, county, or state position — and more importantly an office in federal government — should be well aware of what this pledge signifies. It not only honors the flag of the United States, but it also means that all who recite the pledge must consider the importance of the words “indivisible,” “liberty,” and “justice.” This pledge is not just a bunch of words, but it signifies the basic precepts by which leaders should carry out their responsibilities.
Since the U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1787 there has been much division, especially when the Civil War caused the division of the U.S. into two separate sets of states. But now we are facing serious division again since the establishment of a federal office that has led to thousands of unlawful arrests and deportations. As brutishly maneuvered by the President and his unfit-for-office department heads, the violent actions by paid Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in cities such as Minneapolis are unprecedented and totally in violation of established immigration laws, even if many of those laws do need modification.
Recent cruel behavior by public officials, including members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in supporting the reckless confinement and deportation of non-citizens, is simply anti-American. Has there ever been a time when so many people not born in this country have been suspected of being violent criminals? And what about the incarceration of American citizens who get detained by ICE officials for insufficient reason. Why are we allowing these masked men to cause such chaos in our cities? Have we returned to the days of frontier justice?
Let us consider that the vast majority of immigrants who continue to come here from other parts of the world are not looking to rob or kill us. If you look at news headlines you can see that recent mass shootings and church burnings have mostly been caused by people who are documented citizens. How dare we allow the ruination of the lives of immigrants who have come here to pursue an education and the countless refugees who have tried to find a safer environment in which to raise their families?
Another fact to consider is that most every person in this country has foreign origins, whether they are of European, South American, Asian, or African ethnicity. We are all foreigners, with family histories in which our ancestors came here either to escape religious and/or racial bigotry or were dragged here in chains to be sold into slavery.
The patriotic song lyrics “Crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea” reflect a country of freedom for all, despite one’s skin color or religious background. Above all, our constitution clearly states that all citizens accused of wrongdoing are entitled to legal counsel and a day in court and are presumed innocent until proven otherwise. Even non-citizens who have long lived and worked here in America are entitled to a more sympathetic resolution of their immigration status.
When the phrase “Make America Great Again” started being bandied about during the 2016 election cycle, did anyone stop to think that America has always been a great example of the democratic form of government? A more worthy choice of words would have been “Make America Good Again.” In light of the events of the past ten years, I think we can all agree that we need to work much harder to make America the wonderful country that our forefathers envisioned when they sailed here as foreigners.
Many of our patriotic songs include words of praise that signify the beliefs by which America exists, such as “Sweet land of liberty” and “From ev’ry mountainside let freedom ring.” Why is it so easy to sing these words on national holidays but so hard to put them into action on all the other days of the year?
I predict that without elected officials living up to the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance and also the words they speak when they are sworn into office, this country cannot fully function as a democracy. It’s up to each and every one of us to honor these pledges. Anyone who chooses to not abide by them has no business serving in an elected position.
Let us not be bullied into believing that strong-armed tactics truly represent the democratic way. It is time for everyone to join together in finding peaceful solutions to protect the laws by which we all are governed. Considering how brutal the recent actions by perpetrators of deportation have been, there must be better ways to solve our immigration issues for the sake of our country, which hopefully will remain “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
Let us indeed have “liberty and justice for all.”
Laurence MacDonald is a retired professor from Mott Community College, where he taught Music Appreciation, Music History and Literature, and a course on his book “The Invisible Art of Film Music.” He has also authored other books on film and music, served as the music critic for the Flint Journal, and considers himself a firm believer in the Constitution.
