THINGS MY BRAIN MISSES

Okay, so it's not a brain--it's cauliflower. But don't you remember when you were a kid and this gnarled cabbage subbed nicely for a brain in those Halloween pranks and games? Oh . . . life was so very sweet and simple then.

I miss simple. I miss uncomplicated and innocent.

I miss the old Jon and Kate, when they were real, and struggling to make soup instead of headlines.

I miss shows where the parents were steadfast and loving and the kids could mess up and know that Father really did know best, and the mother would always be there for them.

I miss quietness--when you could step outside or go for a drive without work or telemarketers being able to cyber-stalk you 24/7. back then, you weren't off-line, you were simply "not home."

I miss big family dinners with chaotic conversations shooting across tangled arms reaching for mashed potatoes slathered in real butter. Those were the days.

I miss the days when "left" and "right" indicated the correct shoe or mitten, not policies and ideologies.

I miss the old news philosophy, when you didn't have to weigh and measure every word to find the tipping point of the truth.

And I miss my old America, that place of dreams and ambition, where freedom rang out loud and clear like a clarion bell to every nation, every people. Imperfect though she was, she was the last, best hope of earth. I miss her.

She misses us.

I can still control some things--turn off the computer, click the phone shut. I can bring my loved ones home and slather the butter on thick for a day or two. And I can bring back my sweet old America. Well, we can.

Write a letter to your congressman, post an opinion on a newspaper's blog, call a TV network and comment on the quality of their coverage. Do you think ABC is correct in their plan to provide free air-time for President Obama's federalized health-care pitch without a rebuttal? Do you like America's stance on the Iranian election? Do you enjoy being part-owner of an auto corporation? Then tell someone. Tell someone!

I'm flying my flag every day now. I'm stepping up bolder and louder. Let's all do something patriotic today. every day. . .

Let freedom ring. Let freedom ring! Let freedom RING!