(Reposted from tribe from 7/4/08)
I loves me the 4th of July. I really do. And I consider myself to be extremely patriotic. Not patriotic in the sense that the president can do no wrong, and that if our elected leaders tell us something that it should be taken as gospel – that’s not patriotism, that’s being an idiot. My patriotism stems from growing up amongst veterans of WWII and those that were waiting back home for them when they returned. It comes from having traveled through many of the varied regions of this country and having met the people there, recognizing in their eyes the thread that connects us as a nation.
America is an attitude, and that attitude is a damned stubborn one. As a nation we have flown in the air, then to the moon. We have thrown ourselves into conflict, giving our own children unto death to fight oppression on a global scale. We have created one of the most revolutionary forms of government in human history, and we have done it because when America has been told that it can’t be done America replies with a resounding “Fuck you.”
The United States that I know and love is not afraid to get its hands dirty, not afraid to dig in deeper and fight back harder. It’s the quicker picker upper, smarter than your average bear, and tastes great with milk.