Sele kusondele unyaka ukusukela nge-11 kaSeptemba, kodwa iiflegi zihlala. Bahombisa iimpahla zethu, iimoto nezindlu zethu, ukuze babonise umoya ofanayo kwilizwe elisemngciphekweni nelisengozini. Amagosa kaBush adlala ngezi mvakalelo, egxininisa ukuba ama-patriots okwenene awabuzi.
Umhobe kaBush wokuthandโ izwe, kaLee Greenwood, othi โGod Sikelela i-USA,โ wabhalwa ngenene ngexesha leMfazwe yoMlomo, ngo-1985. UReagan wawenza umxholo wephulo lakhe lo gama abacebisi bakhe babexhasa amadoda afana no-Osama bin Laden kunye neNicaragua Contras njengabachasi ubuKomanisi. "abalweli benkululeko." Ingoma ngoku ivuselwe umlo omtsha, ngokuchasene neentshaba ezingabonakaliyo, esixelelwa ukuba zingahlala ubomi bethu bonke. UGreenwood wakhwela kwingqushu yeWorld Trade Center ukuze ayiculele abasebenzi bohlangulo. Nge-11 kaSeptemba wazisa icwecwe lakhe elineminyaka eli-10 ubudala, elithi "American Patriot," emva kwiitshathi. Kwaye uvoto lwamva nje lwe-AOL lubeka "uThixo sikelela i-USA" ngaphezu kwazo zonke ezinye iingoma zokuthand' izwe, kuquka "uThixo sikelela iMelika" kunye "ne-Star-Spangled Banner." Ingoma kaGreenwood iqala ngelahlekoโโUkuba ngomso zonke izinto bezimkile, bendiza kusebenza ubomi bam bonke/ Kwaye bekufuneka ndiqale phantsi nabantwana bam nomfazi wam.โ Emva koko amanxeba ayanyamalala ngaphambi kokuba avakalelwe: โNdingabulela iinkwenkwezi zam ezinethamsanqa ngokuhlala apha namhlanje/ Kuba iflegi isamele inkululeko kwaye ayinakuyithatha loo nto.โ
Iinkampani zinokudenda abasebenzi ngamawaka, ngelixa ii-CEO zabo zithatha ngaphezulu. Singaphelela esitratweni abantwana bekhala, amatyala engahlawulwanga, kwaye umhlala-phantsi wethu utshiswe nguEnron kunye neWorldCom. Kodwa ezi ziziphazamiso nje phakathi kweentsikelelo ezikhulula yonke ilahleko enokwenzeka, emanyanisa izityebi namahlwempu. Njengoko inguqulelo isuka kwivayolini kunye nelungu lecawa ukuya kumngcelele womkhosi, uGreenwood uphinda athi, โNdiyazingca ngokuba ngumMelika, apho ubuncinci ndiyazi ukuba ndikhululekile/ Kwaye andisayi kuwalibala amadoda afayo awanikelayo. lilungelo lam elo.โ Masibahlonele abo, njengamajoni eMfazwe Yehlabathi II, awayesilwa kwiimfazwe ezazingenayo enye indlela. Sinokusebenzisa umoya wabo wokuzincama ngexesha apho ukubawa kudla ngokucinezela uluntu. Kanti ke ukuxabisa abo bopha umhlaba wemveli akusiniki lubabalo lukhethekileyo phezu kwabemi bamanye amazwe. Kwaye ngenxa yokuba uGreenwood engathethi nto malunga nento enokufunwa yinkululeko kuthi, iba libinzana nje elingenanto lentsikelelo nantoni na esiyenzayo, nokuba izenzo zethu zisivuselela kangakanani na eso sono sakudala amaGrike asibiza ngokuba likratshi. Kufuneka sichane, kuba uThixo uyayithanda iMelika.
Sasiyikhusela inkululeko, ngokwalo mbono, xa sixhasa oozwilakhe abafana noAugusto Pinochet, uFerdinand Marcos, uShah waseIran, uSaddam Hussein, kunye nokulandelelana koozwilakhe basePersian Gulf abancedisayo ukuba uBin Laden ajike ngokuchasene nathi. Sasikhusela inkululeko xa ulawulo lukaBush lunika i-43 yezigidi zeedola kwiTaliban ekuqaleni konyaka ophelileyo, kwiinyanga ezimbalwa ngaphambi kwe-11 kaSeptemba. Sikhusela inkululeko xa iSebe lezoBulungisa liqesha unoposi onobubele, umfundi wemitha, okanye igcisa lentambo ukuba linike ingxelo malunga nento esiyenzayo, esiyithethayo nesiyifundayo. Xa uGreenwood ecula, โAkukho mathandabuzo ukuba ndiyawuthanda lo mhlaba. UThixo sikelela i-USA, โakakhe acebise ukuba zeziphi iimpawu zobulungisa ezinokukhulula uthando alubangayo. Utsho nje ukuba kufuneka sizingce. UGreenwood ubhale le ngoma emva kokurhoxa kwe-US eLebhanon kunye nokuhlasela kukaReagan eGrenada, ukubonisa "umoya waseMelika wokuba nebhongo." Inyuke yaya kutsho kwilizwe elinesihlanu eliphezulu, kwaye zombini iiDemocrats kunye neRiphabhlikhi zammema ukuba ayicule kwiindibano zabo. IGreenwood yabakhaba bobabini ngenxa yokucwangcisa iingxabano. Kodwa emva kokuvumela abasebenzi baseReagan ukuba basebenzise โuThixo sikelela i-USAโ ukwenza ifilim yemizuzu eyi-l8 yephulo, waqala wayicula kwiindibano zeRiphabhlikhi.
Kodwa iGreenwood ayisiyiyo yodwa ibhaladi yokuthanda ilizwe onokukhetha kuyo. Ongasekhoyo kaWaylon Jennings โiMelikaโ ifikelele kwinombolo yesithandathu kwiitshathi kunyaka othi โUThixo Sikelele i-USAโ okokuqala waphuma. Ibhalwe nguSammy Johns, le ngoma iqinisekisa uxhulumaniso kumhlaba wemveli, njengoko uJennings ephinda, โiMelika, iMelika,โ ngokuthe chu nangokuthantamisa ngokungathi kumfazi amthandayo; wandule ke avume, ngomoya ophantsi, โUndiqhelile umkhwa kum.โ Kodwa wenza iimfuno ezinzima-ukubalisa imbali yakhe njenge-Anglo yeoman "ukusuka ezantsi eTennessee," aqhubeke athi, "Kodwa bantakwethu/ Ngaba bonke bamnyama namhlophe/ Bamthubi kakhulu/ Kwaye indoda ebomvu ilungile/ Ukulindela kancinci. ukusuka kuwe/ Ukuthembisa kwaye emva koko ulandele / eMelika. "
Ukuhlonipha izithembiso zobulungisa kusinika iingxaki. Inkcubeko yethu idla ngokubanika intetho yomlomo, emva koko ibagatya ngokuthi, โSiyaxolisa. Eli likamva. Yiqhelanise nayo.โ Kodwa sinamandla ekuhlonipheni ubudlelwane obuqhelekileyo, nokuba buphakamisa imibuzo enzima. Ecaphula imibongo kaWalt โโWhitman yabaseBrooklyn abakhandi bentsimbi kunye nabashicileli, uJennings ubhiyozela โonke amadoda akha iinqwelomoya ezinkulu/ Kwaye aphila ebunzimeni nakwiintlungu.โ Kodwa ukwanika imbeko kwabo โbabengayi kulwa/ Kwimfazwe engakhange ibonakale ilungile,โ kunye nesizwe esomeleleyo ngokwaneleyo ukuze โbavumele babuyele ekhaya.โ Kanye xa kuphakanyiswa imibuzo, malunga nexesha elidlulileyo elingasacocekanga kangako. Usigweba ngokulumkileyo ngokuhlonela abo bacel' umngeni urhulumente wabo-kunye namandla kwakhona.
Kuba uGreenwood esithi kuphela ukuhlala eMelika kusenza sikhululeke, umyalezo wakhe wondla oko umbhali-mbali uChristopher Lasch wakha wakubiza ngokuba "umntu omncinci"-ngokuthand' izwe okuncitshisiweyo ekuthembiseni ukuthembeka. Ngabantu abangonelisekanga kuphela okanye ababesakuba ngabasebenzi bakwa-Enron abanokuthandabuza ukugunyazisa kwethu okona kubalulekileyo kuzwelonke. Endaweni yokudala umgangatho esinokuthi ngawo sigwebe iinkokeli zethu kwaye siziphendulele, uGreenwood ubhala itshekhi engenanto nantoni na abakhetha ukuyenza.
Ingoma kaWaylon, ngokuchaseneyo, ayikho i-manifesto yezopolitiko. Ibali nje elibhiyozela umhlaba owahlukileyo nophikisanayo awubiza ngokuba "likhaya lam elimnandi." Kodwa "iMelika" yakhe iyayihlonipha imibuzo enzima engazinzanga kwaye isibona silumkile ngokumamela abaphikisi bahlala begxothwa. Ucebisa ukuba ubukhulu bokwenyani abuqukuqeleli, njengobabalo oluzenzekelayo, ukusuka kumhlaba ogangathiweyo ngoku wekonkile yomhlaba wethu-kodwa buyazaliseka xa sikhetha olo khetho lunzima oluhlonipha uxanduva kunye noqhagamshelwano olufanayo.
Mhlawumbi eli lixesha lokuba simanyane, kodwa sisenako ukugqiba ukuba loluphi uhlobo lokuthandโ izwe esilwamkelayo. Ingoma kaGreenwood iphinda iphoswe njengombono wayo yonke iMelika. Le iculwa nguWaylon, sele ilibele ngoku, ibuza enye into. Kufuneka sizithathe njengeebhola zethu ezo zifuna uninzi lwethu.
UPaul Loeb ungumbhali woMphefumlo woMmi: Ukuphila ngokukholelwa kwiXesha lokuGxisa (iSt Martin's Press, www.soulofacitizen.org) kunye nezinye iincwadi ezintathu ezingokuzibandakanya kwabemi.
I-ZNetwork ixhaswa ngemali kuphela ngesisa sabafundi bayo.
Nikela