America - photo from some online search by bing text as follows by world blues 2011 If I were asked, what

1 symbol best summarizes up America to me, from a historical philosophical slant, aside from the pride of being an American, born free, like all humanity should be, the image of the Liberty Bell comes to mind. The Liberty Bell, rang forth on our independence declarations, and shortly afterwards, cracked. It has remained cracked ever since. To me, the bell symbolizes the promise inherent to all of us in our bill of rights and our constitution. It is a bold experiment, this freedom and democracy we have. And yet, over 200 years ago, when this nation was founded, it was a foundation and an idea that ws born with a broken shell, a cracked bell, if you will. For the Union was born, with two opposite views, towards the morality of slavery. When America was born, even though "We hold these certain inaleinable rights to be self evident, that all men are created equal," what it did not say, was the little asterisks at the end of the line - you know, how a "man" was defined - back in those days, one whom owned property, or were "free". And this was a nation that less than 100 years after its birth, went to war, divided about the issue of owning other people, and using them as indentured servants - slavery. The crack in the bell, began to slowly heal, but still there, very long. It took another 50 years after the union was restored to offer women's suffrage - the right to vote to women - those whom interpret words saw the word "men" created equal, did not see the words "women" and so did not give them rights do all humanity. It was not until around the first world war that women here were constitutionally granted the right to vote..... but they did, and the crack, in my mind, healed some more, yet it is still there. It took yet another 2 to 3 generations for the next phase in the development of America to take place. As if the concept of "separate but equal", equal in name only, had any constitutional basis in reality whatsoever. People being people actually thought just if you had color, you could not sit next to them, or use the same toilet to defficate and urinate in, or to go to school together. It took the works of a non violent movement, led by many, including a young Baptist

minister, to take it to the streets, to bring to the mass American mind, the injustice of inequality, the unconstitutionality, and the affront such conceptions were to the American ideals. Yet, in the 60s, the civil rights movement made much progress, and in my mind, the crack in the liberty bell healed even more. Today, i still see a crack in that bell. Each time I hear of some bigotry about folks coming across a border, whom might look different, or talk differently than those whom themselves were not there decades ago. Each time i hear of intolerance towards those with views other than their own, or wear clothes that look different, or kiss someone other than we think they should, or refuse to support a war that has killed thousands of civilians, i see the crack widening. I hear it in our politics, i hear it on our tv or news, and i hear it in our streets as the cackle of gun violence erupts, while we simply roll over and go back to sleep. I even read it in my student's journals, the anger, the lack of understanding, the lack of tolerance, some, not all, but some have, for anyone whom was not here when they were born. With each depressing thing i hear on the news, see on tv, read on a blog, my eyes well up, and i think of the liberty bell, and i cry. I see the crack in the bell, and Amy Pond and the Doctor are not here to heal it. Only we can do so, ourselves, each one of us. Be educated about the world and those around us. Live to improve this great nation, and not tear it down. Our political, social, economic problems may bring us down, yet, we need to rise above these issues, and look elsewhere, where people have yet to shake off the chains of oppressive regimes, whose legitimacy in government ended the moment they kept all rights to themselves. America is a nation in progress. Ever since our birth, we had great ideas and asprirations, yet the reality was far from what we held as dear. yet over the past 200+ years, we have healed many wounds that hurt us, sealed those cracks, and the work continues to do so, each day, with each of us, in our hearts, to live up to the dream of America - freedom, and equality, for all. Let us not crack the bell any further, but let us work to recast it anew whole. - word up, world blues 2011