Responsibillity: Take It!

I heard it again over breakfast just last week. It’s the question on so many minds: what’s happening to my country? Where is the America we used to know? The discussion generally turns to another question: who is responsible for the radical changes taking place in the fabric of our republic? The easy answer is to point to Mr. Change B. Obama and his merry band. However, I think this is too simplistic, and perhaps it even approaches the banks of denial.

I am of the opinion that the true cause of our devolution lies closer to home. For at least a couple decades I have been watching the mindset of the baby boomers work its way through our culture and in their offspring. Uber-boomer, Bill Clinton, provides a perfect example. His claim not to have had you-know-what with you-know-whom and then parsing the meaning of “is” when his bogus declamation was discovered is classic. The response of his supporters was purely sycophantic. His behavior formerly would have been called irresponsible; now it is no one’s business but his own.

Whence responsibility for one’s actions? As I write this I am enjoying some vacation time on my boat in a marina. Examples of irresponsibility abound. Loud parties continue past midnight a few feet from the berth where I am trying to sleep. Drunken sailors bounce off boats and docks as they try to return to their slips. The baseball game blares from a set of cockpit speakers blanketing the basin with the play-by-play. Boaters “exercise” their pooches in the grass next to the sign prohibiting dogs. US flags fly unattended through rain, sleet, hail or dark of night.

That last one may have flown over some heads. I feel almost alone in my efforts to show proper respect for the flag of our country. Maybe it is my Boy Scout training or my son and father of a veteran status that makes me more sensitive. Most people respond with a blank stare when asked about flag etiquette. I say if you are going to fly the flag, you are responsible to learn how to show the honor due the colors.

But why am I surprised when Presidents don’t honor their marriage vows; revelers don’t respect the rights of their neighbors; no one seems to care about the stewardship of public places. The lack of knowledge about our founding principles is abysmal. No one should be surprised that our country is slowly slouching towards Gomorrah. We’ve given up caring about so many little things (that really do matter,) it’s no wonder the big things are falling apart at the seams.