The Emerald Rose

I tend to venture into the political too often, in fact way to often, according to my wife and friends, but I can’t help it,…I CARE!

As a kid growing up in Boston, Massachusetts if you are more than two days old you’ve met a politician(they still love to kiss the babies up there,..you know?). Forget Little League, Pop Warner Football, life in a big city is all about the body politico. Everyone knew someone, and everyone of them knew a politician, all you need do is ask and you could be steered to “a firend” who could “pull a few strings”, but those were the “good” career politicians, they were the “Robin Hoods” of city life,…but despite all the shenanigans and ‘deals’ that went down they were relatively likeable people. Between 8 and 12 years old you were working every saturday distributing flyers and leaflets to mailboxes all over the city. Four or five of us would show up at a corner, a guy would pick us up and off we’d go to a different part of the city. We’d be given ample flyers and instructed to “start at this house and put one in every mailbox ( actually illegal as the Post Office frowns on anyone but them putting anything in a mailbox, regardless of race, creed, or Democrat or Republican!),and go all the way down the street, Jimmy you on the right side of the street, Tom you on the left. I’ll be back to pick you up in an hour and we’ll be going to the 12th ward next.” At the end of the day, about four hours or so, you got a couple of brand new dollar bills and a candy bar with the admonition to remember to tell your folks to vote for whomever because he looked after everyone like family.

The only time you ever  really saw “The Candidate” was on a grainy black and white 9″  TV or in the Annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in South Boston (gotta give ’em credit they were out and visible) I think it had long been a tradition that they all go to a big restaurant in “Southie” (South Boston) called Dorgan’s, in the morning of March 17th, have a big “roast” (not the food type, but the comedy type) and then roll out onto the street to “grip ‘n grin” for a few hours with their constituents during the traditional Boston Evacuation Day Parade, i.e. “St. Paddy’s Day”.

There was a clear line between “us and them”. While they granted favors, and did do good things, to a degree, you would get your mouth washed out with soap,and a good beating, if you ever told your folks you wanted to be a politician when you grew up,….but looks like not enough parents used enough soap, or “thrashings” from the sounds of our currently elected dear “Washington Wizards”.

We have a President (Obama) who is borderline delusional, thinking HE is the government, and only HE knows what’s right, and HE is going to make it happen by commanding it. On the other hand you’ve got the other folks down there who don’t trust each other let alone the great “Grand Pubar” and the WE of “We the people,..” just have to sit and wait until November of 2016 to change things,…….maybe. Sometimes it’s just a collective apathy saying “I don’t really give a damn who’s up there,…no one can fix that mess” and we all muddle forward for another four years.

But as a “fully vested” Senior Citizen now one of my biggest regrets is that I “checked out” of politics at age 12, aside from going to the polls and voting after that. But do I REALLY know who I’m voting for, or more importantly

WHAT

I’m voting for! I became a cynic, of the first degree!!

Don’t bribe me with rhetoric and promises of things that can never be, or lies that hurt me and my family. Just be an American and do what we expect of you,…defend our country, bow to no one, apologize to no one, but above all be HONEST with us,…don’t try, as the vernacular says, and”play” us.

Here’s a good question,…ask yourself before you doze off tonight ,…and wonder what went wrong tomorrow morning , “Are you a “receiptient” or an AMERICAN! Make a difference, take your idea and run with it!!! That’s what’s America is about!

Whether it is starting a small business venture, or deciding that “enough is enough”, and run for a local office and TRY and make a difference,…..DO SOMETHING!!!

I served my country in the US Navy, did my best, and rose through the ranks and was literally YEARS ahead of my peers in promotions, recognition, and PRIDE in what I did for my country,…..it was my duty, as an American we have to remember why we are free,…because MANY others spilled their blood for us, that we could say what we want, rise above preconceived notions, and become the literally “flesh and blood” of being an American.

So where did we fail?

It’s easy,….WE LET THE SYSTEM RUN US,…instead of the reverse.

GET OFF YOUR BUTT AMERICA,…before you are back in the shackles and chains from 1775, of the clowns in Washington.

We are better than that,….we are AMERICANS!!

-30-

Tom Corcoran