Virgie Bell's View: To Dwell

It should surprise no one that hundreds of illegal immigrants are registered to vote in some place in Texas. As I have stated in the past, this is really about votes. To me, the most important thing in the world is the War On Terror. That is why at this juncture my vote is in the pocket of America’s mayor. De'on was shocked when I mentioned this to her after the debate with the republican candidates was finished. She said “But Mom, he’s for abortion.” I was taught as a child that you pick the party platform and go there.

I will never forget the sorrow I felt as the tragedy unfolded that September morn. Unspeakable horror and the greatest feeling of having lost something that I had treasured all my life. That was the feeling of safety and security that I had grown up with. It could be that I should have known better. I was a child growing up surrounded by the war effort. Los Angeles is a vast shipping port that was solidly entranced in the war effort. I also lived for a time in Hanford, Washington, where my Dad was involved in the Manhattan Project, a top secret mission, unknown even to the workers. At that time in my life or in anyone else's, the mushroom cloud had no meaning. Bombs were dropped and fell on targets and they made movies about these courageous protectors of our nation. Of course, the heroes were all handsome and the most beautiful women in the world were in love with them. As I dreamed of being one of these I was also in love with them, and they with me.

We had different family members and friends stop by our house on the way to shipping out. I suppose one could say that I was a romantic from the get-go. If you were a girl-child living in this part of history, it was hard to be otherwise. If you spent your childhood going to the movies in that atmosphere, it would seal the deal. So, you might say I fell in love with our military at a very young age and it has lasted all my life. Also, we were the good guys. That has never changed either.

The reading that I’ve just completed, that took me most of a year, was something that carried me through that part of history again as I relived why I loved our military. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was our beloved leader and our Congress was the scourge of the earth back then, just as it is now. If one is looking to elect a leader in any field, one has to realize that this is a field that is reserved for the tough and ruthless segment of our society. To romanticize our politicians is ridiculous. This is a hard lesson for all of us to learn. My mother and dad would have been horrified by the change in the values of the Democratic Party. I never thought to vote in my life except for that party. To say that George Bush is a great leader may stretch the truth. He is the President of my country and the Commander in Chief. He is a praying man, and the Bible instructs us to pray for our leaders, whether good or bad, for they are appointed by the Lord. I did learn long ago that I could trust in the Lord and do right and thus I could dwell in the land.

I went to school in Bell, California. I lived across the street from that school; I walked to Bell Friends Church on Sunday, crawled into clean sheets at night at home and played with playmates in play clothes that were clean each morning, so therefore, dwell was a very real thing that I never gave much thought to. Dwell. Born into life and dwell through the part of history that has been appointed to you, then to dwell forever with God in eternal bliss. But now things are different. Now it seems one has to come to terms with things we never understood when I was a child. I came to understand about class difference as a child. Mother came from a very poor background and Daddy came from the wealthy. All it really meant to me was I grew up in the middle class. I received a small miniature set of dishes from my dad’s parents, along with a gold locket. As I grew older and realized what my parents really gave me, I was amazed to find out from my mother that all my lessons were from our household budget. Who could have dreamed that I would be given every opportunity under the sun to sing, to dance, to draw and paint? To live and to love and be loved tucked in clean clothes and clean sheets and receiving nourishment from a family whom I adore to this day. I did dwell. In the midst of a World War, with our Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Now I live. To dwell is to tarry. An obsolete word in this fast pace of a modern day.

My values have not changed much. My political party has changed is about all. My world is consumed by a war that is called a War On Terror. You do not dwell in terror. You live through it somehow, but you do not tarry. I don't suppose my parents dwelt much either. They were too busy fighting a foe that was evil. It was a foe that did away with nearly an entire race. Hitler and his Nazis gassed 12,000,000 people. Japan dropped bombs on a beautiful Pacific Island where the majority of our power in the land, on the sea, and in the air was stationed. We were as unprepared for that as we were for September the Eleventh ... 9-11. Like December the seventh ... 12-07, I witnessed two days of infamy. The Congress of the USA all of the sudden got behind our President at the time and we pulled together and won as a nation. Congress has never dwelt. The President does not dwell. They lead in a power struggle that has everything to do with my living in my world and nothing to do with my dwelling in my world. I no longer vote the Democratic Party. This party sickens me, but I don't kid myself that the Republicans do much better. As De'on said, she'd leave the politics to me. You cannot be an avid reader and leave off politics. Politics is a dirty business. But then, thanks to the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons and most of the televangelists, I have learned that there is an even dirtier business. The battle for my way of life is almost over for me, but not for the rest of my family. I have grave foreboding for what they will face. I can't do much about that except as De'on said, “Choose my battles.”

I am 100% against the enemies of my country, whoever they are. If we can fight them over there, so be it. As the old song goes: Over There, Over There Send the word, send the word...Over there …. No ho’s... no bitches, none of that. That is not dwelling. That is enduring. So I have picked for my life to stand behind a President that will fight the war on terror. George Bush. Just as my parents stood behind Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Just as history has willed for my life. I wish I trusted Hillary Clinton or Obama. I do not trust anyone who will not support my war, the war that was forced on me 9-11, just as my parents stood behind the leader that beautiful day 12-7. My grandson gave his life for us. He wanted us to dwell. To tarry as he is doing this minute. Uncle Lonnie shed blood so that I could dwell during one of the grimiest and bloodiest battles in our history. If his life had have been called for over there on Guam, he would have given it, so that I and all other lovers of our country could just take the time to dwell. To tarry. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid..."John 14: 27.

I am not for abortion. Not even close. I am for the right of every man and woman to free choice on everything and my prayer will always be that I hope for the best possible moral choice in everyone's life. To De'on, I wish peace that passeth all understanding. When she refused further interviews with the press, I knew that she had chosen to dwell. To tarry. SUPPORT OUR TROOPS and pray for their Commander in Chief.

OVER THERE...Words and Music by: George M. Cohan Over There, Over There…. Send the word, send the word...Over there....That the Yanks are coming, The Yanks are coming... The drums rum tumming everywhere...So prepare... Say a Prayer....Send the word ...Send the word to beware...We'll be over, we're coming over... and we won't be back till it's over there!
copyright 1917