THE AMERICAN JOB? BE A GOOD CITIZEN

The American job comes with a Mission Statement, Code of Conduct, and Job Description.

Talk to people who came to America after WWII and hear their citizenship story.

They came from bombed out nations to find a new life.

They came for the American job and learned the job of being an American along the way.

The Golden Rule and Ten Commandments they might have heard in church, of from parents, but World War Two challenged the faith of more than a few.

At least in their new country they had a chance to learn new things, to start over.

To learn the American job.

Those born raised here aren’t always up on their job responsibilities. This serves as a reminder.

What is the job description, code of conduct, and mission statement for the American job?

Albert Einstein arrived before WWII from Germany.

Unlike anyone else, he showed up with an All-Star resume.

He’s published five papers that changed science and earned him a Nobel Prize.

This was a man determined to change his world, our world, and worlds beyond.

No one asks new arrival in America to match Einstein.

He became a citizen in 1940. Did he have good intentions?

Natural born Americans don’t take the citizenship test.

For those interested in their pass-ability, this is a practice test.

If that was too hard, try this one.

Passing a test is one thing, understanding the American job another.

So what is the American job?

Mission Statement:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

History fans will see this as part of the Declaration of Independence.

Unalienable Rights like Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness must have sounded like heaven to the masses arriving from war torn nations.

There’s nothing about sit down and shut up. No mention of do what you’re told and shut up. So far so good.

Who doesn’t like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Sign me up for that mission. How about you?

Code Of Conduct for the American job.

Do you practice The Constitution? It seems like a lot to do.

Create a more perfect Union with justice and tranquility and blessings?

Sounds too good to be true, like a Promise Land, but here we are.

If you’re doing your American job and others aren’t, then what?

Refer to the job description?

While if feels like the first two documents cover most everything, there’s more.

American job description:

THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.

Yes, it’s the Bill of Rights, your bill of rights to make sure you do the American job right, and that America does you right.

If you’re not satisfied with the American job, you have several options. One is voting, another is protesting.

Showing up in another state with an armed militia and squatting on federal land is not a vote or a protest.

In other words, it’s not part of the American job.

You can’t work it out with shorthand document only you understand.

Use the full text, especially on #2.

Look, promoting a dumbed-down document is as weak as presenting a doctored Bible.

The Word is The Word, not the words you choose on your own.

Portland displays the Bill of Right rain or shine, night and day. You’ll find it at the Japanese Memorial on Water Front Park.

Or here:

It’s pretty small print, shadows, hard to read.

#2 needs some highlighters.

Does this help?

If you read news about the Second Amendment, it’s pretty clear, though the part about “well regulated” is rarely mentioned.

Oregon’s problems on the east side near the town of Burns don’t feel like people are doing their best work on the American job.

Out here in the west we’re looking pretty wild and wooly, which is great, but keep a perspective.

When you show up with weapons to keep the peace; when you ‘free’ public property but frighten the public; when you neglect your primary responsibilities, you’re not doing the American job.

New Americans see Oregon action and think, ‘why not?’

That’s not good for anybody. Just ask Albert Einstein.

You don’t have to be a genius to do the American job.