I am proud of my country precisely because I can criticize my government, protest that which is wrong or unfair, and feel free to speak out about what there is not to be proud of in America.
Just as one can love a parent one is not necessarilly proud of, one can love a country that espouses high ideals but often falls quite short of the mark in the harsh light of reality. I would argue that the more one loves their country, the more often they would point out where we are wrong, where we are are failing to live up to our values and goals, and what we have to change.
When did we start equating patriotism with self-congratulatory flag-waving, flag-pin wearing, and stifling of dissent? When did national arrogance replace our awareness that America is still very much a work in progress, with a short but spotty history, and a long way to go? When did complacency with our sense of "might and right" supplant our need to be vigilant in ensuring that our government promotes, rather than erodes, opportunity, equality, and protection of law, to all of her citizens--
before we can assume a posture of moral righteousness before the rest of the world?
I may not agree with Michelle Obama's particular perceptions of America, and I'm not sure that I do agree with her, but I would defend to the death her right to her opinions, and I would not brand her as unpatriotic or disloyal, for anything she might say. Nor do I care if her husband wears a flag pin, or not, or even puts his hand over his heart during the national anthem. That is not how I judge true patriotism.
I realize I have grown up with the advantage of being White in America. Those, of different skin tones, have been shaped by experiences in my country which may well generate considerably more ambivalence in their perception of the state of our union. I need to hear their grievances, in order to open my own eyes, in order to understand where America must change, so that we can move toward greater unity despite our diversity. In that unity is our strength.
I grew up in a time when public schools, and even water fountains and restrooms, were segregated by race. I lived to see a man walk on the moon, and I have now lived to see an African-American, of mixed racial heritage, run for President. This should be a very proud moment for all Americans, whether or not one supports Barack Obama. We can see that we have come a long way in the past 50 years, a long way from the civil rights struggles of the 60's.
But, what should be a moment of some national pride, is being terribly tarnished by the malignant nature of the attacks on both Barack and Michelle Obama which question their patriotism and loyalty to our country. I cannot remember such charges even being seriously hinted at with White Presidential candidates, or their wives, although attacks on Kerry, in the last election, had definite whiffs of that same aroma. The McCarthy era was not one of our finest national episodes, and it is not something we should revisit. It is hard to ignore the racial undertones in the patriotism questioing that is going on now, and they should not make us feel particularly proud of America.
So, what were the terrible, unpatriotic things that Michelle Obama said?
She sees people as more hopeful. Is that bad? She sees people as wanting change. Is that bad? She sees people as wanting to be unified around basic issues. Is that bad? Does it really matter
how proud Michelle Obama felt about her country before? Should any of us feel proud about poverty, homelessness, lack of health care, poor inner city schools, our rising unemployment rates, or the number of people we have incarcerated, in this great country of ours?
Quote:U.S. Voter Turnout Up in 2004, Census Bureau Reports
Sixty-four percent of U.S. citizens age 18 and over voted in the 2004 presidential election, up from 60 percent in 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. Tables from a November survey also show that of 197 million citizens, 72 percent (142 million) reported they were registered to vote. Among those registered, 89 percent (126 million) said they voted. In the 2000 election, 70 percent of citizens were registered; and among them, 86 percent voted.
Citizens age 65 and older had the highest registration rate (79 percent) while those age 18 to 24 had the lowest (58 percent). The youngest group also had the lowest voting rate (47 percent), while those age 45 and older had the highest turnout (about 70 percent).
Only 64% of our citizens bothered to vote in the last Presidential election--not something to be very proud of.
Only 58% of those 18-24 bothered to register to vote. Not something to be proud of.
If we are truly concerned with patriotism, we should all be happy that the recent primaries showed strong increases in voter registration and turnout. Michelle Obama is right--that is a sign of hope and wanting change. Now, if we are all true patriots, we will exercise our obligaton and responsibilty to our democracy by voting, in record numbers, this November. That would be my idea of real patriotism.
I will now yield the soapbox.
You two are behaving like perfect bookends. Yep, neither woman is perfect. Fortunately, neither will be their party's nominee for President in the foreseeable future. It would be terrific if we could get Presidential candidates with no sins on their records, let alone First Ladies. If such a candidate ever surfaces; please start a thread about it and throw me a PM so I can check it out. In the mean time; I'm quite content with the contenders we have today. The news people will continue to report the news (along with virtually everything else that may improve their ability to sell commercials). I'll continue to chuckle at the opposing choirs who only ever hear half of the BS.
