Those Arrogant, Capitalist, Imperialist, Uneducated Americans!

Well the 4th of July is here again, and patriotism will be in the air all over America. Flags, fireworks, parades, and people going on and on about how much better they are than the rest of the world. I mean really, who do they think they are! After all, look how mean they were to the Indians, oh, and don't forget the slaves. This country is really a horrible country that has oppressed people and committed atrocities around the world. The world hates us, and they are all just biding their time till they see an opportunity to take us down (think 9/11). Anyway, it sure is a good thing that we have Pres. Obama to make them all like us again and move us quickly toward Western European Socialism (think Canada).

OK, so now let me paint you a different picture. More than 200 years ago a bunch of men got together, risking their own lives to get out from under the tyranny of a truly imperialist government. They had some interesting ideas about being endowed by God with certain rights that are universal to all men. They had this notion that freedom was more important than peace; that governments are inherently corrupt and should exist only to serve the people. They were willing to give up all that they had for these ideals, and many did.

Now, this country has been anything but perfect, but the ideals have always remained, and they are strong in the hearts of many people. Eventually, these rights were truly extended to all men. The country fought a war with itself, in part to end the practice of slavery. This country came to the rescue of Europe when a madman had so easily taken over the continent. My father fought the Japanese, who were doing the same in the South Pacific. We fought against tyranny, genocide, fascism, communism, and who knows how many other "isms." And in spite of the fact that we have had many victories, we did not keep the territory, but rebuilt the countries and left them to be governed by their own people. That has never been heard of in the history of the world! After all, the spoils were supposed to go to the victor.

This is something I think about a lot. I'm proud of the heritage of this country and of the service my father gave to it. I celebrate the 4th of July proudly, without any shame. I take pride in the fact that this country became a place where freedom of religion and thought and speech thrived. If for no other reason, that makes this country very important.