Nurit Greenger
It is not the America where I chose to live.
Though I was born in Israel I immigrated to the United States from South Africa where I lived while married.
Growing
up in the nascent Jewish Sate, to me America represented power and
wealth. When my well to do family from New York used to arrive on a
visit, which
was almost annually, the impression they left with me was that life in
America is a dream come true to every human being. I secretly wished I
was born there and not in Israel. When the CARE (Cooperative for
Assistance and Relief Everywhere) package arrived,
twice a year, attributed to the generosity of our family living in New
York, containing luxury food items made in the USA that were not
available in struggling Israel, in my home they were a real treat. Our
family could hardly wait to delve our teeth into these
food items that appeared on our dining table on special occasions only.
I
carried those memories for years. In 1980 I had the opportunity to
visit the United States first time. I remember landing at Kennedy
Airport, in New York
City. The bus driver that drove us from the plane to the terminal
greeted me with a pleasant "hi, how are you?" I looked around as I
thought he was mistaken talking to me like that; after all I did not
know him. Later on I learned that friendly America approached
everyone in such manner. I was impressed and felt a sense of home. I
visited, Washington DC and was thrown out of a taxi ride by a dark skin
driver when I told him I was from Apartheid South Africa. I visited, Las
Vegas and attended a concert with my dream
singer Frank Sinatra, then the Mid-West and ended up in California as
last stop. I enjoyed every moment being in America. In Californian I saw
for the first time a homeless man lying in the street. I was shocked to
see that in such rich America that was even
possible and questioned, why.
I
returned to Johannesburg with a the determined mind that if South
Africa becomes a political battle ground, because of its segregation
policy, and it was
heading that way, I will make the United States my future home.
When
my family nest was dismantled I chose California as the place I wanted
to move to and raise my son, then ten year old. I arrived to Los Angeles
in 1982
and have been a USA citizen since 1987.
Life
was good; as good as I made it and the opportunities were at hand. I
became a staunch patriotic American and it felt good, really good. I
traveled the
country, for work and pleasure a great deal and I knew, I made the right
choice. The United States was the best place on earth to live and I
preached the same to others. No one could attack my adopted homeland.
Then,
gradually living conditions began to change. California became a
sanctuary for illegal immigrates, mostly from Mexico, and standard of
living started
to deteriorate. Some parts of Los Angeles now resemble third world
Mexico.
We went through the 1992 Rodney King Riots and the city was burning. I sensed no difference
between
Apartheid South African and the USA clash of races. I began to question
the Affirmative Action law as well. It is nothing but a racist,
inequality opportunity law.
I
began to figure out the political system in Washington, in general, and
in California in particular. I realized how badly the country is
managed by the disconnected
elite; so much so that during the Georg Bush Administration I resigned
from the Republican Party to which I belonged since I became an eligible
voter.
The
friendly America, the openness of the people took a dramatic change for
the worse. Washington adopted the European multiculturalism approach
and the dismissal
of G-d. Many languages are now spoken and English is no longer the
common denominator language all Americans speak and understand. People
no longer even make an effort to speak OUR language, English; we make
all efforts to speak theirs, to translate every document
into other languages, a very divisive tool. Today, at the precinct
polling place, instructions' posts were in many languages and my eyes
had to search for the one I can read and understand, the one in English.
That made me feel that America is now for grabs
for whoever will succeed to have their language dominate our country.
So much has changed since 1984.
The
last four years of Obama rule has accelerated the division, the racism,
the dislike of one another, going as far as there now is obvious
citizens' antagonism
toward one another. One is scared to express one's feeling or position
openly and we now have to mind our Ps and Qs. We have become a
politically correct America and telling lies is the common lexicon. We
are fast becoming a banana republic America.
People are fast becoming unfriendly and intolerant; that bus driver who first greeted me in New York is a rare commodity today. America
is
no longer the country I so much fell in love with and so much wanted to
be part of; so much so that I am thinking about leaving. But where to
if for so many years I considered the United States the last fortress
for goodness of freedom and liberty? Where
do you go from here? To hell?
I now live in fear and growing uncertainty.
Today's
election is about the meaning and spirit of America. There are still
some pockets of that friendly, naiveté America but they are fast
disappearing.
On November 6th,
2012 as soon as I had cast my early morning vote, I wrote:
My November 6th,
2012 Mitzvah
I stood for thirty minutes at my California precinct polling place to vote.
Whereby,
in 2008, though I voted for John McCain, I was breathing Obama oxygen
while I was in line to vote and all the way home. This year, everyone in
line
had an enigmatic look on his or her face.
The volunteer to have received me at the desk wore the name tag Barak?!
I voted for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan and for Elizabeth Emken to take Dianne Feinstein's seat in the Senate.
I hope my vote sends a clear message to Washington: stop playing with the citizens' life. Stop the malarkey!
God Bless American and God help us all!
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