Not surprisingly, my posts on North Miami’s former CRA Coordinator Lesly Prudent got hundreds of hits within the first two days.

Even less of a surprise, my love letter to America yesterday has received a whopping 45 hits.

If the subjects of American history and civics bore the hell out of you, I suggest you bypass this blog today.

Since the importance of teaching civics to today’s Participation Trophy Generation has gone by the wayside, American patriotism has also been kicked to the gutter.  The fact that belief in America’s exceptionalism has waned might explain why so many of our young people are growing up despising the very country in which they have the freedom to spout their hatred so vehemently on social media.

Witness some of the tweets posted by them on America’s birthday yesterday:

Or the one from this lovely young lady:

Their parents must be so proud!

I wonder how many of you also bypassed reading yesterday’s Miami Herald editorial, Ode to America, which cited “quotes from patriots and famous people about what America means to them,” because you were too busy thinking about the Fourth of July sales instead of celebrating America’s birthday.

It’s a shame you missed that column or you would have seen what this FIU student posted as a comment:

Aside from the fact that I’d love to send her on a tour of China, North Korea, Iran, and any one of a number of Islamic countries where women aren’t allowed out of the house without a male relative (much less go to school, work or drive a car), if she were my kid I’d stop paying for her college education.

Then again, if hatred of America is what these young people are learning in college now, they’d be better off earning minimum wage at McDonald’s so they can get a taste of what life is like in the real world.

Fortunately for me, and for society as a whole, my own children were taught to be grateful for having been born and raised in the greatest country on the face of the planet.

My children grew up knowing that they had to work hard in order to get the things they wanted.

If my children wanted the respect of adults, they had to earn it.  Disrespect was not tolerated.

My children learned that if they wanted to receive praises, they actually had to accomplish something.  They didn’t get a standing ovation for just showing up.

Chores were expected, not rewarded.

Commitments were written in stone.

Values were instilled.

Temper tantrums were unacceptable.

As a result, my children are now productive, responsible, respectful and civil members of society.  It wouldn’t even occur to any of them to tweet or post that America hating garbage.

Needless to say, I’m proud of my adult children.

As an added, but unexpected, bonus, my children tell me every day that I rock!  (How cool is that?)

One day the young people who spew their hatred all over the internet will have their own children, who might wonder what their parents were like at their age.

Well, they needn’t wonder.  All they’ll have to do is google their parents’ names.

The internet is forever.

I hope their children will be as proud of them as mine are of me.

Although, somehow I have my doubts about that.

In spite of (and maybe because of) all the America-hating idiots who have absolutely no clue that the Constitution of the United States of America gives them the right to be idiots …

I love my country and I am PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!

That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”