I was just thinking about some of the following :

The changes that have occurred over the last half-century.  The loss of closeness among friends and families.  Thinking about some the things that helped me give me some stability in my life.  Just small simple things that do not prevail into days society.

I remember that you could walk down the street in the evening time in the summer.  I remember families sitting in rocking chairs and porch swings, taking in the evening air, talking and laughter filled the air.  Just being a family.

The evening meal, was a very special time a time ,when everyone had the opportunity to tell about his/her day and the things that they had encountered. It was a time when the family enjoyed the meal and the conversation that was so important. It was a sharing time.

I can remember my first rifle. It was a 22 Remington Rifle,single shot. My dad got from a fellow for Five dollar and a gallon of anti-freeze.  I still have that rifle today. That rifle was given to me to hunt eatible game.  Never did the thought come across my mind to kill a human being with it.

I always carried a pocket knife, it was taken to school without question. The thought of taking that knife out of my pocket and stabbing or cutting someone who had angered me never crossed my mind.  Our disagreements was a fist fight . The pocket knife I carried was for opening feed sacks and scaling fish.

My elders were  treated with respect, I was taught to say yes sir, no sir, yes ma'm, no ma'm, please and thank you.  Your hat or cap was removed when you came into anyone's home.WE HAD PRAYER IN THE SCHOOLS,WE RECITED THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIENCE TO THE FLAG. We carried in firewood, helped with the livestock and gardens. I was taught to open the door for women. I did find out that on a few occassions that was eligible for corporal punishment from the principal of the school.

Most all of the business was closed on Sunday.  Saturday was a different story. On Saturday the steets of the small rural town that I was raised up in the were jammed packed with people doing their grocery shopping,the women visiting with others, getting the latest gossip. The men would go to the barber shop get a haircut and talk of the price they hoped to get for their crops, and pick up on the latest gossip. The kids would go to the movie house and watch the latest western.

A handshake was a contract.  A man was as good as his word.  If you told a fellow you would be down at the cafe @ 10:00 o'clock you made sure that you were there at that time.  Everyone worked hard for a living, if a man would or didn't support his family he was worse than a infidel.

High school football, basketball and baseball were important events.  Graduation from High School was also an important event. Graduation was a bitter sweet accomplishment.

As I look back into the past I have a sense of loss when life was so much more simpler, and there was family, friends helping each other and really caring for each other.

So I look at the comparsion of today and yesterday year and realize that I can't go home because it isn't there anymore...It's changed....

Hello Americans,

My name is Marvin W. Inglis. I welcome you to Wake Up America...I am 60 years of age, white male. Married to Myrna L. Inglis a great wife. Have 6 children. I work for Purcell Municipal Hospital and have the title of Pharmacy Manager. I am a Conservative Republican I have a great love for America,and the people of Oklahoma.  I fly the American Flag at my residence.  I am very Patriotic, I believe in God, Country, and the American way of life. I believe in truth, justice and that all people have choices that can be made, whether good, bad, or indifferent.

I have the greatest respect for our Women and Men in the armed forces.  I feel that they should be supported in any way that we can be supportive of their efforts.  I appreciate the fact that they are willing to lay down their lives for freedom. No matter where the fight for freedom is.

I do not have respect for those people that are attempting to destroy the very principle that this country was founded on. In fact I detest them. The fact that prayer in the the schools have been terminated.  I feel the same about this situation as President Regan did.  God should have never been kicked out of school.  Even though some people disagree with me, I continue to believe that it has been God that has Blessed this Country and our people.  The removal of "In God We Trust" on our monies......this is in the works...I feel as though Americans have lost their way and will dearly pay the price for turning away from the very God that has blessed them. 

I appreciate the fact that we have freedom of speech, the right to worship as we see fit.  But freedom is not free....there is always a price to be paid. For a short time after 9-11 I was in a frame of mind that we as Americans would pulled together and meet the situation head on and do what was right and proper for those people who lost their lives.  However, it seems as though that was not to be in the making.  It appears that we have forgotten those that were murdered. 

President Bush and his administration have put forth a large scale effort to fight the enemy on foreign soil and not ours.  I detest the fact that so many people have been so critical of his efforts.  Remember it is not in our cities and towns and country side that this war is physically being fought. Come on people wake up.....how would like to be the one on the run attempting to survive the enemies brutal killing of you and your family.  Yes, America, yes Oklahoman's this to could come to pass.....Wake up, look around you, what do you see?  Take the blinders off, do not lull yourselves into a false sense of security.  That if I don't think about the problems they will go away.  The destruction of America will happen.....it will happen within.....not without....Only you the people have the authority to prevent it from within....know who your senators are, your congress person is, before you vote for them find out as much as you can to make sure that they are people of good upright character, honest,and above reproach, that they have the America at the top of the list ,that they believe in a strong military, have a strong faith in God and the people of this country that they will represent.

During this time of trouble and discontentment it is my hope that the Great People of America will wake up and realize that we need to pull together.

I would like to say "thank you"  to all of our Armed Forces Personnel where ever you are stationed.  You are the people that are on the front lines, some of you will lay down your life for the freedom of this America and for others so that they may enjoy the freedoms that will have in this Great Land America.  Thank you for standing up and keeping us free and that we do not at this time have to run and hide from the enemy that could be in our streets and attempting to kill us in our homes.  Most of us will go to sleep each night in a soft bed and sleep well, we will have our special foods that we like and if not we will go down to the store and obtain what we want.  I am aware that you will not have these comforts that we have here at home. I personally thank you for your service to this Country that we call America. 

May God Bless us all.