Maybe a little clarification is in order

The number of points of view possible on any issue is quite incredible. My last post really stirred up a hornets nest. I've appended my two cents to the comments section of the last post, so I won't repeat myself here. This is what American debate is all about- getting the best input from the most people. And that's why I love it. Some of the best input comes from the people living under the system. You need the political experts, the scientists, the economists. You need the dry data and the people to help interpret it. But most of all, you need to know what people are thinking, how they got to that point, and where they want to go. You can't make everyone happy, but you can at least try to understand why they feel the way they do. I hope this post will clear up any misconceptions that may be floating around about my opinion of the U.S.

I don't typically say a lot of good stuff about the U.S. It's not that I'm anti-U.S. or that I hate our country. It's not that the U.S. doesn't do great things or have great people. I just don't need a flag or a lapel pin or a sporting event to make me feel American. I've never needed to belong to something bigger than myself. Being alive is enough for me. I've never felt the need to be in a group. I'm fairly private and prefer spending my time alone with my thoughts and musings. I'm not religious, I don't go to many parties or spend time with large groups of people. I guess I just don't have a group mentality. I prefer a few hard and fast friends around a desert campfire. On top of that, I feel like we already have enough U.S. cheerleaders.

But all that doesn't mean that I don't care about the U.S. I think the ultimate problem is that I see all the great things we could be. And I feel that our genius and talent and leadership are being wasted on more frivolous concerns. Don't misunderstand me- those concerns are important and need to be addressed. But they have come to overshadow the greater picture of what America can be. I guess what I really want is for people to examine issues from the point of view of those outside the nation, not just from pro-American points. I want people to think about how our decisions and our way of life influence the rest of the world. America should be worldly and remember that we are part of a global community. Sometimes, we have to take a little less in order to give a little more to the rest. To me, that's not un-American. Rather, that's what a leader does. A leader stands up and takes responsibility for their actions, treats fairly and in good faith, recognizes and acknowledges when they have made a mistake, and always pushes those around them to be their best. Once you have shown the ability to lead, others will come to you and rely on your leadership.

I want this nation to chart a course that maintains the best of humankind. I want us to be the leaders in ethics. I want to maintain the moral high ground. Above all, I want us to lead by example. I want us to maintain the dignity of people. These are goals that may well be unachievable. But if we don't try to always better ourselves, how can we ask others to do so? I was personally offended by a billboard here in Washington. It says "This is a great nation. Why change?" The truth is, this is a great nation. But it can be better. It can be more just, more caring, and wiser without sacrificing the good things it already has. If you're not willing to change, then you relegate yourself the dustbin of history, a landscape littered with great nations and people that could not change and became obsolete. If you're not willing to change, you've really missed one of the more important lessons of life. Nations must evolve just like humans and animals. If we always accept the status quo we will never be any better than this.

Let me be very clear- I would never want to live anywhere else. We enjoy a high degree of freedom, privacy, and opportunity that very few others could ever hope for. I also realize, if I had been born into a different system, I would defend that system. But I like ours and so I'll keep it.

My contribution to the U.S., my patriotism, is to point out and, hopefully, to remedy it's flaws. I want us to be a world leader. I want our own actions to match our rhetoric. I want our leadership to be honestly earned, not taken with weapons. I want us to begin attacking the roots of social, political, and economic problems, not just treating the weeds. We must remain true to ourselves and to humanity. But we must always remember that we are but one nation in a global community. While we may be called upon to lead, we must always be willing to listen, to adapt, and, perhaps most importantly, to acknowledge when we are not in the best position to lead and step aside for the greater good.

Object Lessons

Ok...I shouldn’t even need to respond to this. I just wanted to bring it to everyone’s attention. Bush had the unmitigated gall to talk about Russia’s handling of Georgia (and I quote): "This violence is unacceptable...[the U.S. expresses] grave concern about the disproportionate response of Russia and...[the] bombing outside of South Ossetia...My administration has been engaged with both sides in this, trying to get a cease-fire...There needs to be an international mediation." Really? Really? You want to talk about disproportionate? How about dropping daisy-cutters and cluster munitions on Iraq which had AK47’s and RPGs? How about killing more than 100,000 civilians to avenge almost 4,000 at the WTC (which Iraq had exactly zero to do with anyway)? Seven years of unilateral decisions, thumbing your nose at the international community, and you think they should get involved now it doesn’t involved the U.S? All I can say is if I believed in hell you’d be somewhere in the top five for people that can go there first. No one can possibly be this stupid, naive, and hypocritical. But there you have it. Anybody that wants to defend these kinds of condemnations while not acknowledging our own complicity can suck it.

Item #2: why is it that every time the Olympics come on we have to have a big patriotic smoke-blowing contest? The Olympics are about athleticism, personal and team competition, and mild hetero- and homo- eroticism. But every time an international competition starts, it turns into a big monstrosity that people use to justify how great we are because we beat another country at synchronized swimming or power walking (neither of which, by the way, I would ever consider a sport- just a hobby that is difficult. But that’s a different story). It doesn’t make any sense. Maybe people need this kind of "glory" for their self-esteem. It’s a powerful symbol I guess and can carry a deeper meaning. I never understood why people needed symbols, but I can’t deny the power they have. But have you ever wondered why the winners are almost always countries you’ve heard of? It’s because they have enough disposable income to pump into the training. They can pay their athletes. You rarely see Uganda or Slovenia win anything.

I just think it’s a travesty that we hold our athletes and celebrities in such high regard that what should be a personal triumph for them becomes something they are compelled to share with America just because they happen to be citizens there. Should you have pride in your country? Yes- when it does things worth being proud of. These athletes make me feel respect for the discipline it takes to be that good. They make me cringe with the thought of working that hard. But fielding a team of guys who’ve spent years throwing a clay disc down a field doesn’t really make me feel like singing The Star Spangled Banner (which you get bonus points for if you can name who wrote it without looking it up). You can be proud of the athletes, you can even be proud that they are from America and that they represent the best athletics that we have to offer. But don’t use it as a reason to spout xenophobic nonsense or to explain why one entire country or citizenry is better or worse than another. That’s just plain stupid.

Also, take that French swimming team anchorman (notice I’ve targeted the fool responsible, not the entire French nation). I watched the men’s 4x100m relay, which was possibly the best race I’ve ever watched at a sporting event. You should all go find a video and watch it. The anchorman said they came specifically to "smash" the American’s. Instead, they were handed a priceless defeat and the look on their faces was worth staying up until two in the morning to see. Hopefully anyone watching learned a valuable lesson about opening their mouth before the race was won. I doubt it. Instead, they probably learned that America is "better" at swimming fast than France. But it was a good object lesson nevertheless.