Common Sense

Life has gotta be easy, if you plan things right.

Take the barnacle, for example.

A lowly marine crustacean which early in life picks a spot, and anchors itself to it, and settles down for a long productive life, of doing - nothing!

Maybe it’s true, what the Buddhists say. That reincarnation is the pattern, and that you advance from one life to the next based on what you do in that last life (don’t hold me to this as truth, I am not an expert on Buddhism; simply assume I’m right…).

In that case, a lot of modern Americans are liable to see their next turn in life as being a barnacle, or something similar.

Do-nothings clinging to their ignorance, apathy, and laziness?

What other life-form would be more appropriate to come back as?

Ah, the quality of life of the barnacle. Never go anywhere. Never do nothing (ignore the double negative - it simply sounds right ). Never be anything, but what you are, a barnacle.

I’d have to say, looking at my modern fellow Americans, it’s about spot-on as a future career move.

What else can you say about a group of beings who, on the deck of a sinking ship, fanatically keep their eyes shut, and just as fanatically cling to their deck chairs?

Right about now, what are you thinking?

Shaking your head?

Muttering to yourself, “that’s not what America is about”?

Saying or thinking, “that’s not what being an American is all about”?

I feel your pain.

The world’s greatest tradition, a heritage of freedom unique on the planet, liberty won by the sweat and blood of a generation only two hundred years ago - and it’s all been turned into pearls - pearls thrown into the mud before unthinking, unappreciative, self-centered, TV-dominated, worthless pigs?

(”Com’on, Fred, don’t hold back - tell us what you really think!” )

If you’ve been to an Appleseed, you know what we are trying to with that program.

If you haven’t been to an Appleseed, all you know is the poor words I can use to describe it.

And learning directly, seeing for yourself, doing it yourself, is ALWAYS better than hearing about it, second-hand.

Appleseed is many things, to many people.

For some - or all - of them, it’s about HOPE. Of being able to think we do have control to shape the future, that we can stop the ship from sinking - not only stop it, but repair, put it back in good order, and hire a good captain and crew to keep it that way - and to steer around icebergs, in the future.

For others, it’s about NOT BEING ALONE, any more. It’s seeing and meeting fellow Americans you didn’t think existed any more, which leads to HOPE for the future - and an end to personal despair.

For still others, the ones longest associated with the program, Appleseed is a machine for taking barnacles and changing them into Americans - that’s gotta be a pretty powerful gadget - and a VERY worthy one, indeed. Right?

Let’s see, the choice is between being a barnacle, and an American.

Hmmmm…

Hold up a minute, I’m thinking…

Tough one…

You only have to look around you, to see just how tough the choice is.

Millions of barnacles; only a few Americans.

Shameful - in a century where “shame” no longer means anything.

And to think, some of the barnacles think they’re smarter than the rest.

They’ve figured out how to crawl or slither to a safe haven, under a rock.

Ask ‘em - they’ll tell you - they’re Americans.

I don’t think so.

But my opinion doesn’t count.

It’s the opinions of the Founders which should count.

They’re not around where we can ask ‘em, but we know what their opinions are, because actions speak louder than words, and the one thing they did not do, on April 19th, 1775, was run off and hide. Nor did they close their eyes, and cling to deck chairs.

So, I doubt they’d see any reason to allow their worthless progeny to run off and hide. Whether physically crawling into a cave, or mentally shutting out reality by closing your eyes and clinging to that deck chair.

Yes, it’s a shame there’s no time machine, so we could go back and bring the Founders to current-day America, where they soon would be picking up sticks, and trying to beat some sense into those walking barnacles who are willing to make eight years of bloody fighting for Liberty nothing but some words in a history book.

Maybe I should do it - invent a time machine. I’d call it “Fred’s Revenge” - it would be steam-powered, of course - and large enough to accommodate thousands of Revolutionary War veterans - we’ll need every one of ‘em.

How’d you like to look up, and see Thomas Jefferson, stick in hand, heading toward you, with that look on his face your father used to have, when you’d stepped in it, big-time?

That look of contempt, disgust, anger - maybe even, just a touch of despair…

Or Alexander Hamilton, who faced the enemy over the open sights of his cannon, who said at Monmouth Courthouse, “if we must die, let us die here” - think he’d be willing to listen to a bunch of your worthless excuses for being a barnacle in life?

Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to face John Paul Jones, he who, on the deck of his sinking ship, asked to surrender, said “I’ve just begun to fight!”

Maybe you can talk him out of the beating you so richly deserve. “Just begun to fight”? You don’t even know what the word “fight” means - and currently, have no intention of finding out.

But I’d be willing to bet, J P Jones will be happy to show you, while entering in the history books yet another magnificent saying, “I have not yet begun to beat!”

Ouch!

But hard lessons are good lessons, they say, and not easily forgot.

And, frankly speaking, it would be an honor to receive a ‘wakeup’ beating from a Founder.

It’s so unfortunate that it’s not liable to happen (unless I can get that *&#@ time machine to work!).

So, we have to do it ourselves.

Worthless, 21st-century Americans, quite a few of us with metal body jewelry - and somehow we have to figure a way to bootstrap ourselves up from useless - but good-looking (how could we not look good with all the tattoos and jewelry?) - barnacles to worthy Americans.

Sheesh, and we already have a way to do it. Appleseed.

In a way, the transformation will amount in quality and worthiness to the act of winning Liberty, two hundred years ago.

In a way, it will be another American Revolution - that change in the hearts and minds of Americans which took place two centuries ago would be replicated in a century and amongst a people hardly conceivable to the Founders.

And we will have done it all, ourselves.

Albeit with a tip of the hat to the original Americans, the Founders, who provided us with an example, a standard - one unmatched anywhere else on this planet.

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

And all you have to do, is come to an Appleseed?

Which gets easier and easier, every year - as Appleseeds multiply across the landscape?

400 this year; 800, next.

There’ll be one within driving distance of ya.

And you owe it to yourself, to that sleeping inner American, to get to one.

To find out for yourself. No reason to listen and rely on Fred, when you can see for yourself…

And bring your friends, neighbors, relatives, family, co-workers - as many as you can. So they can be part of the transformation, too.

After all, when you go back home, an honest American, and no longer a barnacle, wouldn’t it be nice to have a few other such around you, amid all the barnacles?