From Sea to Shining Sea

During our long haul on the Toll Roads of Illinois and Ohio, I often felt diminished by the number and immense size of the transport trucks that whizzed past us, hauling consumer goods from coast to coast. There was little to see along the Interstate, except for the trucks, so I began jotting down their names and the mottos emblazoned upon their cabs and containers. Names like: Cobra, Challenger, Spirit Express, and Covenant Transport. Mottos like: “We support the backbone of America,” “Don’t worry about the mule. Just load the wagon,” “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God,” and “It is not a choice. It is a child.” Another was “From Sea to Shining Sea,” and I thought about how at one time in our history that was true, but no more. Yes, heavy traffic, endless shopping malls, and one identical town after another makes me a gloomy person. So it was with great relief when we hit the wide-open spaces of Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. I could breathe again. I felt myself expand. And when I saw great flocks of migrating birds in Minnesota and herds of pronghorn antelope grazing the high plain grasses of Wyoming, lyrics of a childhood song began running through my head – Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play. And another that my Dad liked to sing, Oh give me land, lots of land under starry skies above. Don't Fence Me In. Let me ride through the wide-open country that I love. Don't Fence Me In. It reassures me to know that there still exist vast expanses of prairie, and buttes, and purple mountain majesties from sea to shining sea!

And while I wax poetic about our nation’s grandeur, I know how easily it can be lost. From the moment we hit the South Dakota border we were bombarded by huge billboards that lined Interstate 90 and marred the landscape. Reptile Gardens, Bear Country, Deadwood, casinos, theme parks of every kind, water parks, Sitting Bull Crystal Caves, McDonalds Farm. Mile after mile. We wanted to see Mount Rushmore and worried that it too would be commercialized, especially when we saw signs claiming that it would provide “A Life Changing Patriotic Experience.” Thankfully the commercialization was left outside the National Monument, and we could quietly contemplate the immensity of the undertaking, and pride in the ideals that our country was founded upon – represented by the likeness in stone of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Presidents like Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt who governed with dignity for the good of the nation and its citizens. I did not have a life changing patriotic experience; I am not a flag-waving patriot, but I do take pride in the nation we once were, and can only hope that we will find it within ourselves to return to those ideals. What kind of patriot am I? Our bumper sticker says it best: “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” The words are popularly attributed to Thomas Jefferson, but more accurately attributed to present day historian, Howard Zinn. Never before has informed dissent been more needed than today. ...P. L. Morningstar