From Sea to Shinning Sea

Winding through Alabama's southern back-roads offers interesting observations to this writer. Left behind remnants of cotton balls from July's harvest tweaks a recall of that grade school American history book with photos of slaves working the fields...I could briefly imagine the stories that could emerge from those fields.

There is great similarities of poverty between areas of the Deep South and Northern inner cities.  The obvious difference in those two economic blights is concentration. The inner cities of Detroit and East St. Louis are openly easily seen by the drive-by observer while much of the southern countryside is hidden by tree lines of thick Pines. As is the case everywhere, poverty touches all colors and ethnicity.

There is also a current civics/sociology lesson being played in the Deep South. Protest is alive and juiced along Southern back roads just as it is in America's NFL stadiums and 'flags' serve as the lightning rod. Many Black NFL players refuse to stand during the presentation of the American flag and our National Anthem. These men are thus using the first amendment to respond to a perception of unfair police treatment upon Blacks. The Deep South finds The Confederate flag flaunting those 'United' States with a pride in the South's lost war against its desire to hold fast to slavery or secede from the Union.

One side by side yard sight truly captured my attention and spoke to both America's history and hope. A black man and white man were visiting at the roadside of their adjacent lanes. They were retrieving trash cans. In both yards were American flags and in one yard was a Marine Corps flag. The Marine Corps flag signals and anchors those Constitutional rights of all..."from-sea-to-shinning-sea."

Oh...you probably wish to know which gent's yard flew the Marine Corps flag...it appeared to be the yard of the guy with the prosthetic leg.
(Touch)Sea-to-Shinning-Sea