As you know, I never watch TV news, though people sometimes send me “clips”. I believe the news is designed on PURPOSE to upset and divide people. Creating chaos and animosity about things (Most of which) we have no control over. They set out to create fear first and then anger.  

I feel so much more peaceful than some of my friends who REACT to everything the news tells them, whether it is true or not. This includes conservatives and liberals.

According to some blog posts and newsletters I read, COVID shots are effective and safe, and everyone should take any one that is offered. These same people believe the shots help prevent cancer as well as build immunity to things.

On the other hand, other newsletters, podcasts, and blogs say the exact opposite, citing sources galore and using an emphatic tone. They say the shots have killed or maimed thousands, maybe millions worldwide, and that they should be forbidden because they CAUSE cancer and myocarditis and weaken immunity.

I am with the second group. But the COVID-approving group is so convinced they are correct, it shocks me. They still believe in the shots and still wear masks (for Ebola?) and live in fear of the virus or SOME other virus. 

Germs are good for us, and wearing a mask is unhealthy. I am not sure about believing in “germ theory” in the first place. And I am not afraid of any virus because I know I will recover, even if I catch one. My immune system is strong, and I’m mentally inclined to be well.’ That attitude may be more effective than any preventative drug. I find no pleasure in being ill or having any condition that interferes with my enjoyment of life. I heal fast because I believe I will heal fast. I do the work that will help me with physical therapists and healers.

Some very strange (to me) views about health are saturating the airwaves and need to be exposed as false. Same with climate change (true or false), sex change operations (needed or dangerously wrong), and all the variations of PRIDE month, versus the conservative view. Of course, to me it is the common sense view, but I know the divide is so great that these things can barely be mentioned.

I have arrived at my views after much thought, research, and personal experience. It makes me hopeful for humanity that some people understand that having different views does not make the other person a threat or insane. It just means we believe different things. And that is OK.

The differing views from Europe and other countries show us there is NO solution to any of these problems. But comments from people around the world who traveled to the USA for the World Cup have shown us all that many Europeans have been lied to to make them dislike this country. Once they came here, they were amazed at how many wonderful qualities this country has. They see the freedom and lack of class differences. They see the abundance and broad expanses of land. They witness our active belief that we can be or do whatever we dream of, and in many cases, succeed.

This unique idea that people are not stuck in their original “class” shines like a light beckoning people around the planet. Those people are welcome because they make our country stronger. Unfortunately, some people want to destroy our country because of these very ideas. This was hard for me to believe for many years. How could anyone anywhere dislike our hardworking, optimistic, and congenial melting pot of a country?

Just as it is impossible to get universal approval for any other idea, some find our ways, our beliefs, and our industriousness anathema. I doubt I will live to see the results of this invasion of people who want to destroy our way of life. But my children and grandchildren will have to navigate this world. May they be strong enough to prevail.

At least my family is expanding. They are getting married and having babies. They believe in marriage and family. They are optimistic, hardworking, and bounce back from adversity. And if they cannot “bounce back,” they clamor back, determined to succeed in their desires. This spirit, dedicated to achievement and effort at expanding their horizons, is evident to those who look for it.

These are the qualities that made this country great: Faith, persistence, endurance, fortitude, tenacity, courage, perseverance, and grit. These qualities are not taught in schools. Children learn them through life experience, often through sports. Risk and adventure and experiencing fear and overcoming it, build character. Young people don’t develop character by watching TV. Life used to be a struggle. However, in the USA, the abundance of amenities makes people soft. In fact, life is so easy for many people who consider themselves victims. They have no appreciation for how lucky they are to live here.

For instance, there is electricity. It is everywhere. Even the homeless are never in the dark. So many people take it for granted and never stop to be grateful. Except when, for some reason, the electricity goes “off”. Then they clamor for it, demand that somebody “fix it,” and become helpless until it comes back on. Then, there is my favorite: running water, both hot and cold. Air conditioning is not far behind, as is central heating in houses. How many people even know that phrase anymore? Central heating is ubiquitous here in the USA. But I remember going to countries such as England, where it wasn’t common. How cold those old houses could be! How welcome was the hot water bottle we found already placed in our beds?

Here in the USA, the attitude seems to have evolved early on. “Make it better!” Industrious men built our country with future comfort in mind. Inventors outdid themselves dreaming up ways to improve life here. Things that were once only available to the rich, such as automobiles became affordable and easy to purchase. Abundance was everywhere, and it was approved of, not disdained. The American way became a national force, bringing modern amenities to the entire country.

We are still the best country. There is nowhere better to live. The proof is in the hordes of people trying to gain access here. Welcome the legal immigrants who share our values, and improve their lives. For those who want to dismantle our way of life: Go Home!

Copyright©. 2026 Bonnie B. Matheson