I have been thinking about patriotism as Broad Minded prepares to celebrate the Fourth of July. Admittedly I am not your typical flag-waving, Uncle Sam hugging, proclaimer of all things American. That is not to say that I don't love my country—I would point towards my deep fascination with all things political as my way of expressing my love of country and what it means to me to be an American.
For me, being American is about having the right to speak my mind without fear of retribution; it is about the right to make the choices, within the law, that are right for my life; it is about having dominion over my own body and my home; it is about making the world a better place when I leave it from when I arrived; it is about being passionately committed to upholding the beliefs our country was founded on—life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness—and the law that codifies these beliefs and rights—the US Constitution; it is about the duty I have to uphold all of these rights for myself, my fellow citizens and future generations.
So I may protest what our politicians do; I may rail against the loss of liberties and freedoms even when they are for our suppossed good; I may welcome someone's choice to not wear a flag pin or to even burn the flag in protest, but I do all these things from a place of love and commitment and pride. I want this country to be everything it can be, to truly BE the greatest democracy on the planet. And I believe this is only possible by constantly questioning the decisions of those in power.
That is what I will be celebrating tomorrow, as I eat my burnt weinnie. How about you?
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