I FEEL A MOAN COMING ON!

Let me preface this article by saying that I am one lucky woman to have been born in the United States of America.  It is not by virtue that I am here, it is by chance.

Having been given this chance, I deeply love, appreciate and respect everything this country stands for (or used to stand for), and my way of thanking this country is that I have worked since I was 14, sometimes 2 or 3 jobs at a time, and currently I am working 4 jobs, all with companies that I created out of ash without borrowing a dime.  I pay a gigantic amount of taxes to this country and follow the rules set forth by the government now, as well as the ones my country was founded on by our forefathers.  I employ many people and for years put their needs ahead of my own, declining salaries from my own company so that my staff could be paid.  I have invested every dime I have earned into my companies so that they would survive some of the worst economies of my lifetime, and did so successfully, even though it put me at the brink of homelessness.  But due to extremely hard work and taking quick and necessary action to preserve everything I had built, my companies, and my staff all survived, and there was not a pay cut (except mine) for any of them, unlike so many companies and employees out there.

So, here is my moan.  An article came out in the last days that in certain parts of California, people are apparently not allowed to wear the American Flag on their shirt.  I am assuming this also applies to pins, hats, patches, stickers, jewelry and face paint.  My reaction?  Are you flipping' (I would have F-bombed here) serious?  THIS IS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!  This is OUR flag.  If you are here as a citizen, a visitor, an alien (legal or illegal), you had better well respect this country and its flag.  I bet most of this country doesn't even know there are rules, a code, for owning an American Flag.  Did YOU know there are rules?  if not, here is just Section 8 of those rules:

§8. Respect for flag

No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America; the flag should not be dipped to any person or thing. Regimental colors, State flags, and organization or institutional flags are to be dipped as a mark of honor.

1. The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.
2. The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.
3. The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.
4. The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free. Bunting of blue, white, and red, always arranged with the blue above, the white in the middle, and the red below, should be used for covering a speaker's desk, draping the front of the platform, and for decoration in general.
5. The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way.
6. The flag should never be used as a covering for a ceiling.
7. The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.
8. The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.
9. The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown.
10. No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations. The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing. Therefore, the lapel flag pin being a replica, should be worn on the left lapel near the heart.
11. The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning

The full Rules and Regulations, or Flag Code can be found here:  http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagcode.htm

The American Flag is a symbol of honor, the symbol of the United States of America.  To deny it in any part of this country or to disrespect it is like going into someone's church and spitting at its icons, whatever they may be.  It disgusts me that people in the United States are now attacking our national flag.  We have seen the extreme left attack Christianity and have gone so far as to want the work God removed from our currency.  We are no longer allowed to pray in public schools.  The pledge of allegiance is something for the history books.  We cater to foreigners' beliefs as not to 'offend' them on our own soil.  We change the direction toilets face in prisons because Muslims can only shit in a certain direction or it will offend their God, or Ala.  Can you imagine?  WE CHANGED THE DIRECTION THAT MUSLIM PRISONERS GET TO SHIT, AND I PAID FOR THAT!  IN MY OWN COUNTRY!  WITH THE 49% IN TAXES THAT I PAY, RELIGIOUSLY (couldn't help the pun).

I am so sick of everyone trying to be Politically Correct.  What the hell for?  The United States of America has innate values and codes of conduct that include respect for one another, but does not require us to placate to anyone.  If someone comes here and is offended by our Flag, our God, our way of life, then LEAVE.  Go back to wherever you came from if you cannot or will not be respectful.  And for the love of Pete, if you break our laws and end up in prison, you can shit in whatever direction we tell you to shit.  You lost your right to shit facing the west or whatever the hell the rule of your countries and religions are.  You are in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.  You abide by OUR rules, OUR values, OUR codes of conduct, and if you can't abide by them, then RESPECT THEM, and don't expect the people of the United States to change our ways to accommodate you.  That is NOT what this country stands for.  You are free to believe whatever you wish, but you are not free to change what the people of this country believes in and honors.  No way.

I am done being PC.  I will call anyone out who plays this ridiculous game.  Blacks don't call whites Caucasian.  I will not call a black person African American.  It's absurd.  Black people call us WHITE.  She's black, he's white...who cares!  It is just a color, not a slander.  Illegal Aliens are now Illegal Immigrants.  Soon they will something else, like "welcome guests from a foreign land" because we will be afraid to say who, where and what the truth of the situation is.  People who here illegally are HERE ILLEGALLY!  Do you think other countries allow this?  Absolutely NOT.  It would never fly, not unlike our flag is doomed for if people from the United States of America do not put a stop to all this non-sense.

Okay, I think you get my point, like it or not.  I will stand tall and protect the values of this country, the values and code of the American Flag, and if you are black, I will call you black, and if you are white, I will call you white.  If you are acting like an idiot, I will tell you so.  And by God, I will chain myself to the next prison toilet that they think they have to rotate for a Muslim prisoner who is nothing but a criminal and a burden to the people of the United States.

Asheville’s Pack Square Cultural District

Image via WikipediaI have a long history of maintaining a small business in the heart of Asheville’s “Pack Square Cultural District”.  I wasn’t aware that this part of Asheville’s Downtown had a name until recently when I started to notice signage saying this part of town was this way or that part of town was that way.

I started to consider the name they gave to my section of town.  What did it include and why did they give it this name?  The area includes many restaurants and shops, the City Building and County Courthouse, the fire and police stations, a lovely park area that took a couple of years to complete…but what was the cultural aspect they are referring to?  It all seemed pretty ‘white-bread’, tourist centered to me, except for one little corner that is truly culturally rich and diverse.  That little corner is called Eagle Street.

I first became familiar with Eagle Street when I moved my fledgling business there in 1999.  I immediately fell in love with the small block and our new neighbors, who were ever so welcoming.  It wasn’t until after I moved my business there that I became aware of the rather glooming reputation that Eagle Street sported.  I heard whispers of ‘that’s the black part of town’ to ‘that’s where the drug dealers hang out’.  For the life of me, I couldn’t understand such a rap when I had come to know and love many of the shop owners and patrons of this beautiful tree-lined street.  For me, it was a beautiful safe haven for my business in the most ideal location, and the rent was great!

After a couple of years, my business continued to grow, and I soon found myself outgrowing the space I was in.  At the urging of my accountant, I purchased some property on the outskirts of town to house the major part of my business, but kept one of the pieces of my business right there on Eagle Street.  It was the smallest part of my business, but centrally located and secure, it was to remain right where it was.

Many years later, and in a dramatically different economic climate, I decided to bring the major portion of my business back into the downtown area.  I looked at many areas of town, from north Asheville to the River District, and found myself looking at Eagle Street once again.  I saw tenants who had been there longer than I had and loved visiting with them, catching up after such a long period of time.  Many told me how much they missed me and missed my business.  They told me that Eagle Street had become a ghost town after I left, and it was said with great warmth and heavy hearts.

I decided it was destiny that I return to Eagle Street.  I contacted the property manager of the building where I already occupied space, and he at once appeared, showing me some of the wonderful units that had been lying empty for year.  He agreed to customize them just for my use and even installed shiny new windows for me.  Construction continues and is scheduled for completion on November 15^th, the day we plan to begin moving back in to our culturally diverse neighborhood.

I told our neighbors that I was coming back, and they were overjoyed.  One of my favorite Asheville shop owners, a barber who goes by the name of “Smooth”, said “Welcome home.”.  I was welcomed with open arms by all on this darling street in Asheville.  I knew I was coming home the moment I stepped foot back on Eagle Street.  With its bricked sidewalks and full-growth trees and truly diverse cultural background, I couldn’t feel more at home.  Black, white, Hispanic, men and women from far reaches of the world, all with unique products and services, I am proud to be included in this wonderful family of proud Asheville residents and shop owners.

Asheville really does have a Cultural District, and its heart beats on Eagle Street, as do the hearts of the wonderful people who call it home.  It is amusing to me that anyone would ever consider it to be anything but wonderful.  I’m glad to be coming home.

Peggy Huff is the owner of the Center for Massage & Natural Health.  She has maintained a popular Massage Therapy Center on Eagle Street since 1999 and is moving her COMTA Accredited Massage School and upwards of 50 faculty and staff, along with all her students back to Eagle Street on November 15^th, and hosting a Grand Opening Event on November 19^th.  For more information, visit her website at http://www.CenterForMassage.edu or call (828) 658-0814.