Ignorance is Bliss

This is how you do it! Kudos to Geneo Grissom for demonstrating respectful professional conduct becoming of an NFL player during the National Anthem. (unlike the lunkheads kneeling next to him)

Fall is here again; it's actually my favorite season. Fall is such a beautiful time of year, so many things to take in, the fresh air, the foliage, pumpkin coffee (well actually pumpkin everything), and football among other fun fall things.

Which brings me to a disturbing trend that seems to be taking over the NFL, kneeling during the National Anthem. (WARNING: this blog is not politically correct, snowflakes and safe space residents please be advised).

Why on earth does everything these days have to offend someone for some reason? Why are people so easily offended? When did Americans get such thin skin? I'm sorry but I just find it totally and utterly ridiculous for grown men to be acting like spoiled rotten little kindergarteners on the playground.

The Greatest Generation left their homes, families and country (well before any of them were actually even men by the way) to go fight in foreign lands to keep America and the rest of the world free. They stopped a madman from taking over the world, and saved an entire race of people. Every single day in our country for almost our entire history men and women have lined up to put others ahead of themselves, and leave everything they know so that others can be free.

I have had the honor to perform the National Anthem for many professional sports teams, and it is actually one of my favorite songs to sing. So forgive me, but I find it abhorrent that grown men who make millions of dollars playing a professional sport that they love for a living feel it is appropriate to have a temper tantrum and protest the National Anthem and Flag because they don't like the President; or feel some need to kneel for "social justice". Seriously, do we really need social justice here in America?

We have dozens of social programs including but not limited to free and supplemented education, housing, food, and medical for people in need or low income individuals and or families (including non citizens - yes it happens every day). People come from other countries to have babies on the American tab in American hospitals, then go back home to Iran (just one of many countries) and poof the baby is now a citizen. It's a simple word with big complications and consequences; entitlements they do exist and yes they are abused. Yet so many seem to be ignorant to the reality of what is actually happening, so when the social justice warriors come calling they fall in line.

America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. According to social justice warriors she has so many wrongs to apologize for, and to be embarrassed of. America, the country where people have come from nothing, from complete poverty and risen to the highest heights in their fields. There are hundreds upon hundreds of examples of sports figures, Dr's, lawyers, law enforcement professionals, and teachers, all of them dreamers. People who did not let where they came from determine where they were going, and who they would ultimately become. All of these people who did this, did it in America.

America a country that some choose to stand up and fight for, and some choose to kneel in protest. I ask what on earth are they protesting? Being born in a country that affords them the opportunity to play professional sports and earn millions of dollars a year for a living?

Yes, it would have been so much better to be born somewhere like Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Somalia. Better yet, maybe even better to be born a little girl in Somalia (where female genital mutilation with no anesthesia is a common practice by the age of five). Yes, would be so much better to be there, or anywhere other than America. Give me a break.

Ironic, I seem to recall a certain NFL player who kneeled to pray before games and he was mocked. Yet now we have NFL players who kneel to protest and they are celebrated? Houston, we have some problems.

People including NFL players are free to have an opinion, to like, dislike or even hate the President. However, I have a newsflash for the people who think it is cool to kneel in protest for the National Anthem and the Flag: the Flag and the National Anthem represent people, not a political party. The Flag and the National Anthem represent men and women who gave everything they had, some even their lives for this country.

So when players protest, they are spitting in the eye of Americans; spitting in the eye of the people who died for them to have that right. Players can have their personal opinions and they can do it on their own time. Fans do not pay hundreds of dollars to go see a game to watch players act like spoiled children. If they want to protest they can do it on their own time, and not under the guise or platform of the NFL. It is disrespectful, it is disgraceful, and it is sickening.

So I say, don't like America, hate America? Stand up, or pack your bags and don't let the door hit ya on the way out. I’m sure one of the countries I mentioned above would be glad to have you.

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava xo
www.avaaston.com

I Pledge

"I pledge Allegiance to the FLAG of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one Nation under GOD, indivisible with Liberty and Justice for all."

Now I know what you must be thinking... (especially people who have been reading my blog for any amount of time) "Oh no here she goes again."  You had to know I was going to have something to say about this whole debacle, didn't you?

Have you ever stopped and actually read the words of this simple yet profound pledge?  Most people don't.  Most people just rattle it off without really taking the time to connect with the true meaning of what this pledge actually means.

Let's look at it.  When someone says these words they are saying they will never serve another country and will always stand by it's people.  We acknowledge it is a nation under God - the creator of all of us and provider of our unalienable rights as human beings.  As well, it implies we cannot be divided and all of us have the same liberty and justice.  Yet, for some reason we can't say it in school anymore.  We almost never say it.  Now our country is more divided than ever and our schools have more crime and evil than ever and our courts are more corrupt.  Why?  What is happening?  Where did we go wrong?

In 1942 The US Congress enacted that this would be the official pledge of Allegiance for America and our flag.  It is intended to be a reminder of how important it is and how valuable being an American Citizen really is.

According to the US Flag Code, the Pledge "should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. Members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present and not in uniform may render the military salute. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute."

However this pledge and the flag of our country has been under attack for many years for a number of reasons.  Most recently I was disgusted and completely appalled to see what has been happening during this election season.  Not only have there been brain-dead celebrities who like drones are making public "pledges" not to their country but to President Barack Obama.  Jessica Alba and many others are literally asking voters to "pledge to Obama"

Jessica Alba Asks voters to Pledge to Obama

I wonder if she supports equal pay on all her films including her own pay? Just wonderin'

Now, check me if I am wrong, but didn't they do the same thing with Hitler back in the 30's??? Look how well that turned out.  Now, I am not saying Obama is Hitler or will ever do what he did.  However from a social standpoint it is just not right that anyone would ever pledge such a thing to any "person".  Yet he doesn't condemn it because I think in his narcissistic noggin he enjoys it.

I guess he must've just forgot.

What bothers me most about this is that not only do these celebrities who go along with the masses of others in order to be seen as "cool, hip or trendy" because Heaven forbid if in Hollywood you are a conservative or even worse a republican and you can never be a Christian because that would be just unthinkable.  Libertarians were probably birthed out of this very need to not be a total lib and somewhat still be seen as "cool" by those who would otherwise blacklist them from ever working again, joking... Greek girl knows the definition.  I guess what they don't understand is that they can't see past their ego and pride to realize they are causing such divisive behavior and being seen by youth as so-called role models and acting in such a moronic manner.  To say it is disturbing to me hardly even begins to cover it.

timing is always key – especially when you set out not to offend people.
I wonder where the apology is for this?

Now, let's not forget.  Last week Obama and his campaign found it was a good idea to create a new flag for his campaign.  Now, even though I am a blonde I am not dumb enough to not realize this is no "official" flag replacement but really??? Not only does this flag look erily similar to bloody finger drags along a wall - a - hem like seen in a most recent attack in Libya, but what's worse is that it includes his campaign logo.

So now you have all of Hollyweird pledging allegiance to their president and oohing and ahhhing over his idiotic and insensitive flag.

Okay, I know what you are going to say "what about freedom of speech"?  Yes, you would be right to ask this.  However, when we have thousands of soldiers on the front lines (not allowed to use Real Ammo I might add) who have sworn to protect and uphold this country and our constitution and to serve under a specific flag, our official flag and our Commander in Chief finds it appropriate to arbitrarily create a substitute flag that suggests a pledge to him?!?! I just gotta ask, what in the hell was he thinking?!?

Back to the celebrities.  Don't they realize what they are doing?  Don't they see how their very industry is under complete attack?  The freedom of speech that they hold so dear is on the verge of being stripped from them.  Because meanwhile as they are worried about free choice, fairness, free birth control and equal this and that, there is a stupid 20-minute film on Youtube called, "Innocence of Muslims" being used as a scape-goat for a worldwide uprising of Muslim extremists who have killed and injured many Americans while attacking and destroying our embassies abroad.   It is so bad of a film and was loaded months before these attacks that coincidently happened on 9/11...  Really?  All the uproar is supposedly due to the offensive nature of this film.  If Obama has his way with his recent apology tour our soldiers will be pledging allegiance to him and not our flag and our Hollywood elite will be completely censored.  That is of course, unless it offends Christians - because that's always okay in their book and by their standards.

I bet Obama would not apologize if this were his campaign flag.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that this is just another sign of how much out of touch Obama and his swoon of Hollywood elites really are.  It is never cool to change the United States Flag, and the American people do not pledge allegiance to anything but our Country!  So on November 6, let's make sure we tell them just what we think.  Because in my humble Greek opinion... it's a bunch of Muckery!

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava :)
www.avaaston.com

Oh, Say Can You See...

So my sweetie just put together this video of me singing the National Anthem on the Capital Hill lawn in Washington, DC, and I must admit I am pretty proud of it. Yes, of course I am proud that after all of the hours he spent editing it, it turned out really nice. What I also mean is I am proud that I had a chance to sing "The Star Spangled Banner", our National Anthem at our Nation's Capital! What an honor!

"The Star-Spangled Banner" lyrics come from a poem called "Defence of Fort McHenry" written in 1814 by the 35-year-old amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy  ships in Chesapeake Bay during the War of 1812.

"The Star-Spangled Banner" was recognized for official use by the United States Navy in 1889 and the President in 1916, and was made the national anthem by a congressional resolution on March 3, 1931, which was signed by President Herbert Hover.

In recent years patriotism in our country has taken a back seat to political correctness. It used to be that every television station would sign off the air each day with our flag, "Old Glory" waving in the wind while blaring our National Anthem.

One of the things that get's me fired up (in a good way) and almost gets me as excited as sneaker shopping or working out, is hearing those first five notes of our National Anthem, da, da, da - da, da.  What American isn't proud to hear "The Star Spangled Banner" when one of our athletes is on the podium during the olympics.

Musical Score for "The Star Spangled Banner"

I remember when I was in elementary school we would stand up every day before class started and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Sadly, that doesn't happen anymore because of the Political Correctness. But thankfully, at sporting events and a few other events we still stand and sing our National Anthem. Go Team USA!

I get a lot of visitors on my website from other countries who might not be familiar with the words to our National Anthem, so it is with great pleasure and pride the Greek Blonde Girl supplies you with the lyrics so you can sing along with me as you watch my new video.

Star Spangled Banner

O! say can you see by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

and God Bless America... oh wait, that's another song all together.

Blessings,

Ava

xox