American Abroad.
Happy Fourth of July, America. Have a good time eating hot dogs, roasting marshmallows, and marvelling at midair explosions. Though I will miss ruining another shirt with watermelon stains, I can't say I am that sorry to not be home right now. Besides having an incredible and eye-opening time abroad, I think being home would make me a bit depressed...not to mention frustrated.
I love America.
It is a massive and beautiful country filled with diversity and freedom. It kisses two oceans, is speckled with mountains, and running with beautiful lakes and rivers. It has a foundation of freedom and possiblity. But, I can't help but think that that foundation is being slowly chipped away at--each missing piece is being replaced with a new foundation of fear. Patriotism is a pride that runs deep-- intended to be gained through consideration, through questioning, and through appreciation. Contrary to new, and popular, belief, it is not meant to be acquired blindly...and definitely not through bigotry. "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism," an extreme saying--yet based in the roots of democracy. If this government for and by the people, those people should carefully consider how they want to be governed. Keeping in mind, the separation of church and state, free speech, diversity, and the common good. (*Quote credit: Howard Zinn--and often attributed to Thomas Jefferson)
I will miss what Fourth of July means to me. I will miss the lazy summer afternoons. I will miss seeing my neighbors running around the court with sparklers, covered in popsicles and watermelon juice. I will miss their little screeching voices yelling for my brother and I to come watch the fireworks--and seeing them stare in awe as colors fill the air. However, I will not miss the skewed political agendas, the cover ups, the propoganda, the intolerance, the encroachments on freedom, or the grammatical errors.
The only red, white, and blue I have here is a Czech Republic shirt.
I guess I'll pass.
Happy Fourth of July.
posted by Melanie Kahl @ 2:17 AM
5 Comments:
Hsppy 4th of July , my dear. Read your blog for today,but I still feel there is no place like the great U.S.A. to live. I think if you spent considerable time abroad you would find there land is not without its cracks too. hope everything is good by you. Had breakfast with your braother and Alycia Sun. and it was great, you were with us every step of the way. Love, Love, Grandma
Speaking of desecration......
How about wasting your body/life/time authoring and debating flag desecration amendments during an election year. Which is the greater desecration–the amendment or the act it would abolish?
Let's say a bunch of people died in collapsing skyscrapers, and you continually invoke their memory and even devise a color-coded fear system for keeping your power. Is that a further desecration of their lives?
What if you send a soldier into battle to die, and then lie about your reasons for doing it? Can we use the “D” word here?
Suppose you’re an average guy – below average even – and by some freakish combination of circumstance, luck, events, backroom dealings, and conniving, you are suddenly a world leader. And say then you elect war under false pretenses. Are you and your conspirators then desecrating your own lives, the lives of your underlings, of your constituency, of your troops, and of the victims on both sides of the conflict?
If the body is a gift and a sacred vessel for the soul and we each have a purpose, then you would have to answer yes. If not, then I guess all bets are off. Our leader talks like a “sacred vessel” guy, but acts like an “all bets are off” guy.
It is understandable that you would have mixed feelings on this day. From your vantage point, you can look at us with the admiration mixed with fear and loathing that other nations do. Most thinking Americans do carry with them both the pride in what we have accomplished and the shame and guilt for what is being done in our names these days.
Support the troops. Bring them home. Happy Fourth of July! God Bless America!
It's true, America does have its vices- but so does every country. There is, obviously, corruption within every government. We are incredibly lucky to live in this country- life is, in comparison to other places I've traveled, wonderfully easy and free for us here. Patriotism comes in many forms- mine is a severe disapproval of the sorts of activities you talked about (they do NOT represent the America I know and love) with, most importantly, an extreme sense of gratitude for the place I call home! :)
I loooove you!
Lauren
I Love Mel, I Love Matt, I Love the Tigers, And most of all I love the Japan Guy who can eat 54 hot dogs at Coney Island on the Forth, God Bless Everyone and the makers of Tums......Uncle Jeff
Whew! Thought I was gonna die of rhetoric and/or have to swear off the blog for a while, after that inflamed entry from Anonymous. Then, I got a load of Uncle Jeff's message. Jeff -- I love you, man!
RT
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