Can America Be Saved?

By Edward Campbell

We are a great nation but not because of any one group of people; rather we are great because of so much diversity!! However, lately, our diversity and openness has caused us problems. It seems our national pride has been put through the ringer, as we are under fire from all sides. Our moral compass is spinning backwards, the family unit seems to be falling apart for those that are fighting for our country, and they and their families are paying a great price!! It seems like what was considered wrong, not so long ago, is now right. Responsibility is just another word because not many want to accept it. If only the bottom line counts, and if only those who want to come and take and not give back count, then we are not going to like the final results. When the next generation comes of age there will not be much left. I know that this paints a dark picture; however, if we as a nation were to put God as a priority in our lives, things can change in a positive way!! Because after all He has given us free will. Our children are our most valuable assets. When we do not give them the love and support that they need, then we will not be able to send them out into the world prepared to do battle with an increasingly difficult and hostile world. I believe that there is a solution to every problem; however, the question is how hard are we, as a nation, willing to look?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: May 8, 2007
• ISBN: 9781467833547

Edward Campbell

I WAS BORN IN A SMALL TOWN IN ALABAMA.I AM THE SECOND OLDEST OF FIVE CHILDREN, MY MOTHER IS STILL LIVING, MY DAD PASSED AWAY WHEN I WAS A YOUNG TEENAGER. IN MY MIDDLE TWENTIES I DROVE TO OKLAHOMA GOT MARRIED MOVED TO ALASKA WITH MY WIFE AND STEPSON. ALASKA IS A WONDERFUL PLACE TO LIVE HOWEVER, IN THE WINTER TIME YOU HAVE TO DRESS WELL. AS A SINGLE MAN I GET USE MORE OF THE SKILLS THAT I LEARNED FROM BEING IN THE KITCHEN WITH MY GRANMOTHER AND ALL THAT MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME. LIFE CAN TEACH MANY THINGS IF WE WILL SIT STILL LONG ENOUGH AND LEARN TO OBSERVE BEFORE WE ACT. MY DAD SERVED IN THE MILITARY. WE WERE RAISED BY BOTH PARENTS WHO DID NOT ALLOW US TO GET BY WITH MUCH. I HAVE A REAL JOB THAT I AM VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT I AM A HEAD CUSTODIAN OF A ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. I THINK THAT IT IS ONE OF THE GREATEST JOBS IN THE WORLD TO HAVE! I ENJOY READING, IT TAKES ME TO PLACES THAT I HAVE NEVER BEEN, IT GIVES ME IDEALS. MY OTHER PASSION IS VOLLEYBALL. I AM ALSO PASSIONATE ABOUT MY COUNTRY THAT IS MY INSPIRATION FOR VENTURING OUT TO TAKE ANOTHER STEP IN WRITING. GOD HAS DONE MANY WONDERFUL THINGS IN MY LIFE BECAUSE I HAVE OPEN MY LIFE TO HIM. WE ALL HAVE SOME KIND OF GIFT THAT WE CAN USE TO HELP MAKE NOT JUST OUR LIFE BETTER, BUT THOSE THAT ARE AROUND US. THE GREAEST OF ALL THINGS IS LOVE. I SAY “HATE THAT WHICH IS EVIL LOVE THAT WHICH IS GOOD” I CONSIDER MYSELF A SIMPLE MAN I DO SIMPLE THINGS WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET. I WAS ALWAYS TOLD BY MY MOTHER “TO TREAT PEOPLE AS YOU WANT TO BE TREATED” IT DOES WORK. IN CLOSING I WOULD LIKE TO SAY NEVER LOOK DOWN ON A MAN, BUT ONLY TO PICK HIM UP.

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© 2007 Edward Campbell. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 5/2/2007

ISBN: 978-1-4343-1030-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4678-3354-7 (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America

Bloomington, Indiana

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Contents

Opening Statement

Chapter 1

America the Melting Pot

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

The Family

Chapter 4

The Time to Come Together

Chapter 5

Our Country: the Beginning

Chapter 6

The March on Washington, 1963

Chapter 7

Vietnam: Pandora’s Box?

Chapter 8

Why Come to My America?

Chapter 9

A Child Is Born, a Child Is Raised

Chapter 10

That’s My Girl—We Taught Her Well

Chapter 11

The Color of Our Heart

Chapter 12

A Word for the Scrap Heap!!!

Chapter 13

The Thin Blue Line

Chapter 14

Adopt an Angel

Chapter 15

The Sacrifices that Were Made

Chapter 16

Have You Taken Your Prozac Today?

Chapter 17

God, Can I Talk to You?

Chapter 18

Afterword

Notes

About the Author

Opening Statement

I am often reminded of how the simple and small things can mold and shape our lives. For example, when a liquid is poured into a container, it conforms to the shape of that container. We as people are poured out into life, but we have a choice to conform or not to conform, especially if this leads us down a path of destruction. So as a young child growing up in Alabama to two parents, three sisters, and a brother, my conforming came early. I am the second oldest, with an older sister ahead of me. We all learned who was in charge. My mother handled most of the discipline because my father was much older than my mom; however, he knew how to keep us in line. In most homes, it was Wait until your father gets home, but in my house, it was always, Wait until your mother gets home. I am here to tell you, we did not want to wait until Mom got home, because I learned to conform at an early age. I learned many lessons without having to fall into one of many potholes that are all along the road in life. I have hit a few of those potholes, as I am certain we all have at some point on our journey through life. We all have a picture of America from when we were little ones to when we got to be teenagers, to young adults, to wherever we are now. Many things have changed and not for the good. The things that are shaping and transforming this next generation are far from what the past generations were shaped and formed with. America is, and has been, under siege from within and without. It is going to be that way until we close our borders, pull in the welcome mat, and take inventory of who’s here. We should be sending those who do not belong here back home, especially if they are causing trouble. We have enough of our own doing that already! We the people must not fall asleep at the wheel; we must not allow those who make decisions for us to make them without us! We have to demand that they do so, or we will be standing on the outside looking in. We are a still strong nation, but if we do not stand together, we shall fall one by one. When you try to drink something that is full strength, it is very hard to take, but if you dilute it, it becomes much easier. Our adversaries know this, so if we are weaker from within, we are doomed. We are being seduced by empty-headed Hollywood types who care only about the bottom line. Our court systems are in need of repair, and organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union are running amok and tearing this country apart through the court systems. The Constitution is under attack by the same ACLU people who have a hidden agenda. Our public school systems are on life support! The ongoing religions have been infected but seem to be holding their own. We the people hold our destiny in our hands, given to us by God. We must decide: do we keep it or do we give it away by throwing away our moral compass?

Chapter 1

America the Melting Pot

We the people of the United States must take back our country, half is being sold to the highest bidder. and the rest is being given away, . We had a more secure nation not too long ago; at this point we are still very vulnerable, even with Homeland Security. Not only are we under siege from without, but we are under attack from within. It is much harder to defend ourselves from within, because some of the enemy have come in and are blending in with the rest of us. Because we are such an open society, the enemy has come in and set up shop and is now mimicking our way of life, waiting for the chance to destroy the very thing or system that has allowed them to prosper. A few generations ago immigrants came to our shores looking for a better life, and many of them found it. There were hard times, but because they wanted to make a new life for their families, they were willing to endure the hardships to have a better life. They worked hard for what was given to them, most were uneducated, and few had job skills, but that did not matter; they used all of what they knew to survive. They welcomed the new challenges. Many had new families with young ones who were in unfamiliar surroundings. Yet America welcomed them with open arms. There were plenty of opportunities in the new strong land called America if one was willing to work hard, and many did—that is what made us strong. I think it would be fair to say that most of the newcomers worked with their hands, making things such as furniture and candles. Many raised their own food. What they learned in their old countries was a great asset in this new land called America. Parents nurtured their children, and most activities centered around the family. Children worked beside their parents, and when parents were ill or grew too old to carry on the family businesses, the businesses were passed down to the same children who had worked beside their parents for years learning the business. Early Americans saw the family as the basic building block for the larger unit. In those early homes, parents took a more hands-on approach to teaching their children morals and religion. That task was not left up to the schools or anyone else. They learned about their country and its heritage and laws, but maybe most important of all, they learned that their lives did not belong to them: it was their duty to honor first God, second their country, third their family, and fourth themselves. The individual’s aspirations were second to the things JUST mentioned before. I think this was a very simple, but effective, principle. If one would think about that simple principle of not putting the individual first, then a lot could be accomplished. The self says, I want first, no matter who gets hurt, just as long as I get what we want. I daresay that most of society’s ills are because of the breakdown of the American family. I don’t think I am too far off the mark! When we get to our modern-day family unit, it looks so different from that of yesteryear. Children are scattered everywhere, from moms and dads who are no longer together, to grandparents who have already raised the first batch and are now raising the second batch and in some cases a third. I stand in amazement at all the family arrangements that have come to the forefront in the last twenty years. One week you will be with your dad and his new wife, the next week you will be back home with your mom, the week after that you will spend at your grandmother’s house. After that we have a holiday coming up, so half the day will be spent with Mom at home, then you go to Dad’s house, and if you have time, maybe your grandmother will stop by to see you—if she has time. Do parents not realize what this does to a child’s mental welfare? Does anyone get the picture? I have seen this firsthand because of what I do for a living. I am a head custodian at a elementary school see children who do not know where they are going to spend the night, or who is going to pick them up from school, or what they are going to wear the next day. I have talked to teachers from time to time over the years who say some of their students are confused and worried about their home lives, from who is picking them up and who they’re staying with to when they will get their homework done, to whether their dad will still love them as much as he does his new family. That is too much of a burden to put on a child, yet every day they carry that burden around in their little minds. I have seen the effects that the breakup of a family has on a child when their home is subdivided, when their life is subdivided. They do not sleep well because they are in a different bed each week. Their surroundings are changing, their friends are changing, and in many cases, Mom has a different boyfriend every week who may do things Mom does not know about. Maybe Dad’s new girlfriend does not like or want children, so the child does not get to see him much, and when the child does get to see him, he is always busy. The worst part is when parents fight over children and over other things, whether it’s the house, the car, or whatever. A child may feel angry and think, These two people used to love each other and that’s how I got here, but now my security blanket is gone and my stable home life is a total wreck! A lot of children’s behavior problems can be traced to broken homes.

Chapter 2

The new American family is now called families. which has a different meaning from years ago.

Family is whatever you want to call it, whatever you come home to. The original blueprint for the family was far different from what we have today. A boy meets a girl, they date, and they get to meet each other’s parents. This is the fast version of along courtship. The girl’s dad tells the young man, Son, I want you to come over next Sunday to go to church with the family.

The boy says, Yes, sir, I will.

When they come home from church, the mother asks, Would you like to stay for Sunday dinner? He says yes. The father asks the young man to say grace before they eat, and he does. After dinner the mom and daughter clean off the table as they have done many times, and the young man and the father walk into the living room with the father’s arm around the young man’s shoulders.

As they sit on the couch, the dad asks, "What kind of job do you have?

The young man says, At this point I am an assistant manager at the local department store, but I am up for a promotion.

The father says, That is wonderful news.

The young man smiles as the mother and daughter enter the room. The daughter asks the young man if he would like to drive down to the local ice cream parlor. The young man looks over at the dad as he is reminded of the conversation the two of them had when they first shook hands: "Whenever you take my daughter away from this house, she had better come back in the same condition as she left! Or