Apple Pie and Liberal Patriots
I may not like the direction my country is headed and I may not like our elected leaders, but I love my country.
Let's face it. I'm liberal. Most of my friends are somewhat liberal (some not so much, but it takes all kinds, right?) but I am disturbed and saddened by all this America bashing. I'm not going to throw the baby out with the bath water. I love the ideals upon which this nation was built. Have we achieved all these ideals? Not by a long shot, baby, but does that mean I need to hide my face in shame because I am an American?
I have a few foreigners (pronounced fer-i-nerz) as friends. For a while they had taken to introducing me to their fellow countrymen as "not like other Americans". I don't think that is at all true. It may be true that I am not like other New Yorkers- but I am like many, many Americans. I am an independant thinking, socially liberal, fiscally moderate, stout hearted, beef eating, mid-westerner and there are a hell of a lot of us out there. The only difference between those that still reside in the midwest and me is that I was in New York in 2001 and I am not terrified.
We made a mistake in 2000 and 2004. I didn't vote for W, but I am not going to be a spoiled little brat and start chanting "I told you so! I told you so!". I'm not going to bring in my flag or wear whiney little slogans like "He's not MY President!". What good does that do? Does it lessen the political divide? Does it change the outcome of the election? Does it bring our troops back from Iraq, clear the streets of New Orleans, feed the hungry, comfort the sick, or stop genocide? No. It's just a bunch of whining. Just like I tell Sullivan, "I cannot solve the problem with you whining at me!"
That isn't to say we shouldn't hold those in power responsible for their incompetence, selfishness, and stupidity. But we must also question how we, the people, let an administration shift the balance of power so dramatically and left it in the hands of some of the most incompetant boobs ever to hold public office. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance, and we sold our freedom up the river for the lie of security. Life is never a secure thing, but you can strive for your freedom if you live here. In America.
Liberal New Yorkers don't understand how Bush was elected because here the political landscape was decidedly anti-Bush. Telling New Yorkers that the Patriot Act is bad is like telling 3 year olds that cupcakes are tasty. No arguments here. No discourse. All choir, all the time. Would things have been different if we could actually discuss issues with one another without the sound bite? Without the sales pitch or the talking points? What if we valued what others had to say? Even those who disagree with us? You don't have to agree, but you can hear them out. Maybe things would change in this country. Maybe we might discover that we have more in common and work from there.
This last weekend I went to see the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. I can't help but get a little weepy in the presence of American history. I was raised to love our history, celebrate it and be proud of how far we, as a nation have come. After all, what other nation has been founded on such a radical philosophy? When I see the Liberty Bell, or the Statue of Liberty who winks at me from the harbor every day, I am reminded of the hope and optimism of the people that started this big experiment. A truly American thought is that there is some good in the hearts of all mankind and that we can and should count on it. We have lost faith in one another, in ourselves, and in the principles and values that truly hold us together as a nation. Our leaders have divided us, but we have let them. That is the beauty and the burden of the American system... We the People. We are still the "boss" and we have voices that can move the government to finally work for us. We have become complacent, afraid and deeply divided because it was in the best interest of politicians greedy for power. WE employ them. If you don't like something, stop pointing fingers at blue states or red states and claiming persecution due to your religious, sexual, political, or personal affiliations and start speaking loud and proud about who and what you are. Then listen with respect to the other guy.
It is about time we threw this red state blue state bull shit away and painted our map a nice shade of purple, because in truth, that is what we really are.
Let's face it. I'm liberal. Most of my friends are somewhat liberal (some not so much, but it takes all kinds, right?) but I am disturbed and saddened by all this America bashing. I'm not going to throw the baby out with the bath water. I love the ideals upon which this nation was built. Have we achieved all these ideals? Not by a long shot, baby, but does that mean I need to hide my face in shame because I am an American?
I have a few foreigners (pronounced fer-i-nerz) as friends. For a while they had taken to introducing me to their fellow countrymen as "not like other Americans". I don't think that is at all true. It may be true that I am not like other New Yorkers- but I am like many, many Americans. I am an independant thinking, socially liberal, fiscally moderate, stout hearted, beef eating, mid-westerner and there are a hell of a lot of us out there. The only difference between those that still reside in the midwest and me is that I was in New York in 2001 and I am not terrified.
We made a mistake in 2000 and 2004. I didn't vote for W, but I am not going to be a spoiled little brat and start chanting "I told you so! I told you so!". I'm not going to bring in my flag or wear whiney little slogans like "He's not MY President!". What good does that do? Does it lessen the political divide? Does it change the outcome of the election? Does it bring our troops back from Iraq, clear the streets of New Orleans, feed the hungry, comfort the sick, or stop genocide? No. It's just a bunch of whining. Just like I tell Sullivan, "I cannot solve the problem with you whining at me!"
That isn't to say we shouldn't hold those in power responsible for their incompetence, selfishness, and stupidity. But we must also question how we, the people, let an administration shift the balance of power so dramatically and left it in the hands of some of the most incompetant boobs ever to hold public office. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance, and we sold our freedom up the river for the lie of security. Life is never a secure thing, but you can strive for your freedom if you live here. In America.
Liberal New Yorkers don't understand how Bush was elected because here the political landscape was decidedly anti-Bush. Telling New Yorkers that the Patriot Act is bad is like telling 3 year olds that cupcakes are tasty. No arguments here. No discourse. All choir, all the time. Would things have been different if we could actually discuss issues with one another without the sound bite? Without the sales pitch or the talking points? What if we valued what others had to say? Even those who disagree with us? You don't have to agree, but you can hear them out. Maybe things would change in this country. Maybe we might discover that we have more in common and work from there.
This last weekend I went to see the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. I can't help but get a little weepy in the presence of American history. I was raised to love our history, celebrate it and be proud of how far we, as a nation have come. After all, what other nation has been founded on such a radical philosophy? When I see the Liberty Bell, or the Statue of Liberty who winks at me from the harbor every day, I am reminded of the hope and optimism of the people that started this big experiment. A truly American thought is that there is some good in the hearts of all mankind and that we can and should count on it. We have lost faith in one another, in ourselves, and in the principles and values that truly hold us together as a nation. Our leaders have divided us, but we have let them. That is the beauty and the burden of the American system... We the People. We are still the "boss" and we have voices that can move the government to finally work for us. We have become complacent, afraid and deeply divided because it was in the best interest of politicians greedy for power. WE employ them. If you don't like something, stop pointing fingers at blue states or red states and claiming persecution due to your religious, sexual, political, or personal affiliations and start speaking loud and proud about who and what you are. Then listen with respect to the other guy.
It is about time we threw this red state blue state bull shit away and painted our map a nice shade of purple, because in truth, that is what we really are.
posted by Bree O'Connor at 1:18 PM
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