(ed. Note:all identifying information has been purposely removed as to protect the individuals identities and privacy: their names are not germane to the bigger issues being discussed)
The United States has endured societal changes, political upheavals, governmental scandals and times of national grief, yet as a nation has never lost her fundamental identity.
Americans are no better than citizens of any other nation; there is no unique human chromosome that delineates Americans from anyone else.
What sets the American people apart is the simple fact that they are free to express themselves in a myriad of serious and comical ways under the auspices of the United States Constitution.
If time capsules were created for every generation of this nations’ history, there would be dramatic changes and yet a sense of comforting continuity.
To that end, there have been several little noticed events of the past few weeks that would merit inclusion into any manner of time capsule to demonstrate to our posterity where America as a people were at the first decade or so of the worlds third millennium.
To wit:
A federal lawsuit brought by three players who were disqualified from the 2008 Gay Softball World Series because of their perceived heterosexuality has been settled out of court. The sum was undisclosed, but part of the settlement includes getting their second-place team trophy back.
In 2008 a team was kicked out of the 2008 North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance softball world series for using non-gay ringers. The men filed the federal lawsuit against the NAGAAA last year, claiming they had been discriminated against because they were bisexual, not gay. They also said that they were subjected to embarrassing questions by a tournament committee trying to determine if they were, in fact, gay.
Two were determined to be gay, but the organization said the men were evasive or refused to answer questions about their sexuality.
The men said they weren’t given the option of stating outright that they were bisexual, even though the organization considered bisexual players to be gay for roster purposes. They and their team were disqualified. One official involved in the decision commented, “This is not a bisexual world series. This is a gay world series.”
The team was from San Francisco, and the event was in Seattle. Despite the settlement, the NAGAAA says it will continue its limit on heterosexual players.
A second news story went as follows:
A Colorado man who is serving a nearly 11-year sentence for kidnapping a newlywed Kansas couple, stealing a vehicle and fleeing from authorities in 2009, is now trying to sue that couple for breach of contract.
In his lawsuit, the 25-year-old criminal contends that after breaking into the couples Topeka-area home while fleeing police, he and the couple reached a legally binding, oral contract that they would hide him for an unspecified amount of money. The kidnapper, who is representing himself, is seeking $235,000.
"As a result of the plaintiffs breech (sic) of contract, I, the defendant suffered a gunshot to my back, which almost killed me. The hospital bills alone are in excess of $160,000, which I have no way to pay," he wrote in his civil suit filed last month in Shawnee County District Court.
In Sept. 2009, he led authorities in a chase that ended with his crashing a stolen vehicle into the couple’s yard.
He was wanted for questioning about the murder of Colorado man who had been found beaten to death in a motel earlier that month.
The couple said that they were held at knifepoint, and a neighbor told The Topeka Capital-Journal that the young couple was able to gain their kidnapper's trust "by eating Cheetos and drinking Dr. Pepper with him while watching the movie 'Patch Adams.'"
The couple was able to escape unharmed after their tormentor fell asleep only to be awakened by police. While being ordered to lie face down, a Topeka officer's rifle accidentally discharged and shot the criminal in the back.
According to a report by The Topeka Capital-Journal, the breach of contract suit was filed in response to a suit filed by the couple seeking $75,000 for home intrusion and causing emotional duress.
The couple is asking the judge to dismiss the suit.
A third news story reported as follows:
A west Georgia business owner is stirring up controversy with signs he posted on his company's trucks, for all to see as the trucks roll up and down roads, highways and interstates:
"New Company Policy: We are not hiring until Obama is gone."
"Can't afford it," explained the employer Tuesday evening. "I've got people that I want to hire now, but I just can't afford it. And I don't foresee that I'll be able to afford it unless some things change in D.C."
He said he put up the signs, and first posted pictures of the signs on his personal Facebook page, six months ago, and he said he received mostly positive reaction from people, "about 20-to-one positive."
But for some reason, one of the photos went viral on the Internet.
And the reaction has been so intense, pro and con, he's had to have his phones disconnected because of the non-stop calls, and he's had to temporarily shut down his company's website because of all the traffic crashing the system.
"The way the economy's running, and the way my business has been hampered by the economy, and the policies of the people in power, I felt that it was necessary to voice my opinion, and predict that I wouldn't be able to do any hiring," he said.
He did receive some unexpected attention not long after he put up his signs and Facebook photos. He said someone, and he thinks he knows who it was, reported him to the FBI as a threat to national security. He said the accusation filtered its way through the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and finally the Secret Service.
Agents interviewed him.
"The Secret Service left here, they were in a good mood and laughing," the company owner said. "I got the feeling they thought it was kind of ridiculous, and a waste of their time."
In a time when Americans are bombarded by the popular media outlets with news heralding political gridlock, potential financial ruin for the nation, and how polarized the American electorate seems to be as shown by ‘recent polls’, the Madison Conservative offers these three above noted news stories to bring a sense of calm and reassurance about Americas’ future.
To wit:
What other nation, ever, has allowed its courts to be used to settle questions on the appropriate level of sexual orientation one has relative to a sporting event, allowed a criminal to sue his victims for wounds incurred during an act of violence, or freely allowed one of its citizens to use his business to so publicly express his disagreement with the most powerful man on the planet?
These stories may sound absurd, comical, or overall insignificant, but they do speak directly to a people flourishing under the model of democratic self rule. They exemplify how Americans choose to use their liberties, freedoms and exert their right to a certain type of American individualism.
That fact is worthy enough to put into a time capsule for our posterity, and one we should be proud to represent to ourselves and our contemporaries around the world.
No matter your position on these news stories, they should serve as a reminder that Americas’ future, as always, is bright
We the people!
