The Heraldic Pigeon.
American exceptionalism is responsible for the decline in the value of citizenship. A United States citizen is often the most confused, and obnoxious citizen that exists in the world today. Despite their unrestricted access to information, the average American remains uninformed. Despite the high volume of weapons held in private hands, the average American displays cowardice in the face of abuse. Despite the tremendous wealth and living standards, the average American can barely afford to own anything. Yet, the eagle is still the heraldic animal that represents The United States. The eagle has almost nothing in common with the traits that Americans have come to see themselves, and have fallen far from the ideal. Americans align mostly with pigeons. This beast is not dishonorable by any measure, but definitely not exceptional or rare.
FDR’s “blue buzzard” as coined by Henry Ford. A symbol of the National Recovery Act. Used to show compliance for his “New Deal”
Whenever I am in an airplane seated near a window, I sometimes gaze upon the metropolis as I'm being elevated in the clouds. I see an endless ocean of houses, and thousands of cars zooming across the country. I see familiar buildings, and landmarks that gradually become smaller and less significant until it is all out of view completely. It is a view many of us have often witnessed. It is a view almost no bald eagle has likely ever seen. Not because of lack of ability, quite the contrary, it is because eagles do not live in cities. Eagles do not get value from living in a city, because they are not supposed to be there. They would not survive. It is the antithesis for an eagle to make a great metropolis like New York, or Chicago a home. Eagles do not hover around the drive thru window at a McDonalds, looking for scraps. Eagles do not scurry across the ground at a gas station, or build nests in the eaves of houses. Eagles require large open spaces, and nest in high and remote places.
Whenever Americans are discussing amongst themselves the traits of what it means to be American, the most common word that is used is the adjective “free” or as a noun, “freedom”. The bald eagle, the heraldic symbol of The United States, is free, majestic, dangerous, and rare. Heraldic symbols are armorial bearings, often they are represented as animals that symbolize a specific person or group. In Exodus, the Hebrews had heraldic symbols to represent the children of Israel. The Romans used the eagle in a standard to designate a legion, and countless other historical examples. You would be a heretic to claim the bald eagle does not represent Americans, when quite in fact those who identify most with the eagle, share no traits of an eagle.
The high standard of living with unlimited choice. Be grateful for that free mug, where else can you get it at 36 cents a gallon?
It can be argued that not every American lives in a major city, and that almost half live in much smaller communities. I myself grew up in a rural part of the country. My father grew up in an area that did not have paved roads, or even indoor toilets. The United States in the 1940s, embodied much more of the eagle mindset. By the time I was born, Americans were becoming more commercial, more urban. Roads began to widen, street lights were becoming more common, the city was buying more land. This is not sentimentality, but a cold hard fact. Jobs were in the city, the “American dream” was a premade house in a suburb, and not a home built by your own hands. Those who stayed in these smaller communities were trading peace for prosperity. Well, at least prosperity as defined by the urbanites. The moment the accumulation of “wealth” became the dominating mindset of America, was the moment they lost the heraldic symbol of the eagle. The rural areas of today no longer sustain themselves through the fruits of their own labor, many are completely dependent on the needs of major metropolitan areas, and live off the scraps of economic growth of major cities. There are rare exceptions to this, but the overwhelming majority of rural lifestyles live at a substantial decrease of income and standard of living.
from richhillhistory.blogspot.com. Rich Hill was a picturesque town in Bates County, Missouri. In 2010 you can be a deputy here for $10.50 an hour. Don’t worry about those hoodlums peacefully minding their own business in the front, they are probably from Kansas City.
Despite this, Americans treasure their freedom of speech, and their concept of high society includes the ability to speak out against transgressions made by our own government, or those of high influence. Americans are educated by schools that do not deliberately censor information about the outside world, or admonish students for coming to different conclusions about how to interpret the world around them. Unless this is a mistake, anecdotes to the contrary would be rare, and hardly heard of. The moment such things would surface would be a scandal of the highest degree, and indefensible by an overwhelming majority of the public, including those in charge of handling the information. Offenders would be held accountable immediately. Such would be, if Americans were free.
from thefederalistpapers.org. These Mindful citizens deliberately enslave themselves for the propagation of “truth”.
Despite this, Americans are heavily armed, and well trained. Many generations of adults have served in the military, acting in the highest moral character of any nation on the planet. This stems from a tradition that American soldiers are safe to surrender to, and are stubborn fighters. The American soldier does not start fights, but ends them. Similarly, our police swear an oath to uphold the law, and not nearly enforce it. That the spirit of the law is just as important as its wording. That Sheriff’s who are elected to serve the public, will not serve the interests of others outside the public interest. That jail is a place to hold you before a judge and not a form of punishment. The public itself is interested in preserving peace. The general public is willing to help someone in need, and recognize right from wrong. They are not worried about the opinion of a tin pot apologist who lacks the moral fiber to confront danger. The public would not tolerate a lack of ethical standard of behavior from its leadership. The public itself is well armed, and would not tolerate violence being used against it. There would be no arrogance amongst citizens who lacked certain weapons or training. Most importantly, if violence were overtaking a community, these people would not let their community be laid to waste and sit idly and watch, as they have the means and ability to put a stop to it. Such would be the case if Americans valued their freedom.
Americans are an honorable people. Pigeons are honorable too. Their behavior is well known, and can be so reliable that they can be used to carry important messages. They always know where home is, and will always fly right back to it. They will do this at great speed, and are often bred and selected for it. Pigeon races are a time old tradition of releasing hundreds of birds to see which is the fastest to reach home. This makes them easy to train, makes them loyal pets, and above all in the form of a dove, a symbol of peace. Pigeons are docile creatures that seek to harm no one, are reliable, and thrive in urban dense environments. Pigeons are domesticated, and harmless. Eventually their feces becomes an acidic biohazard that requires a robust infrastructure to maintain, but this just goes with the standard of living. Without that infrastructure, where would we be?
Behold, a stock photo of prosperity and the development of western society.
It is with this information that the pigeon is the replacement for the bald eagle. The “blue pigeon” is the new heraldic symbol of the United States. The next time you are at a fast food restaurant, and see pigeons shifting about looking for dropped fries, think of all the majesty of our urban creation. The next time your pet cat brings in a dead pigeon from the outside, think of the sacrifice that bird made to feed your cat. When you see the excrement on the sides of homes and buildings where pigeons congregate, remember the hard work someone put into making this society so that they could flourish. Remember this society is not about the individual anymore, but a larger economic ecosystem for which you are merely a cog that powers this great machine.
Long Live the Free Empire.
Cui Bono?