What I love about the U.S.

I feel it necessary to write a positive post about what I love about this country, to counter any negative misconceptions about the purpose of the blog or any of the posts in it.

First, I'll reacquaint any new readers with the post that inspired the blog title:
Howard Zinn wrote, "I suggest that a patriotic American who cares for his country might act on behalf of a different vision. Instead of being feared for our military prowess, we should want to be respected for our dedication to human rights." (from "My country: The World, by Howard Zinn--Tanbou/Tambour, Summer 2003: http://www.tanbou.com/2003/summer/MyCountryHowardZinn.htm)

So, my top ten list of what I love about this country:
1. I admire and respect due process, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and I love the organizations and people who fight to protect those rights, such as the ACLU.
2. I am so grateful for Higher education (I love college and the fact that college offers an intellectual safe-zone where differing opinions can be heard, debated and discussed respectfully) 3. I love the promise of civil and human rights and the long wonderful history we have in the U.S. of people who have continually fought and died in progressive social movements that give me the very freedom I enjoy today as a citizen, as a woman, as a worker and as a student.
4. I love the fact that I live in a country where I am free to walk down the street without fear of bullets, imprisonment, torture, bombs or even police dogs, firing squads and secret police.
5. I love how diverse our nation is, with countless other races, religions, ethnicities and experiences
6. I love the promise of our nation's power when it respects and promotes international law, particularly human rights law and when it becomes a refuge to survivors of genocide, torture, rape and political oppression
7. I love that my child can have a dissenting opinion and feel free to express that opinion and that he is free from torture, oppression, imprisonment, bullets, bombs etc.
8. I am proud of my own military service, my family's military service and I very much respect those who have served and are serving. It must be extremely tough to leave a family and everything you love and know to fight and possibly die in a foreign land. I only had to leave my family for training, recruit training and my service was in "peace time" so I didn't have to experience that. I question the "Department of Defense" only in that it seems to wage more war than it does "defend" against aggression. That said, I was and still am proud of having been part of the military and I do not think that a differing opinion automatically equals un-Americanism, as someone like Bill O'Reily likes to argue. This country was made on differences of opinion, not on a monopoly or consensus.
9. I love the promise of elected office, voting, labor laws, and all of the parts of our quirky, half-baked political system.
10. I love the promise of refuge and of pioneering a different vision of power. I believe we can and have and should try to live up to the "different vision" Zinn spoke of. That is the purpose of this blog. The issues I raise here are issues I struggle with as well, to understand, to contemplate, to dilate. Cultural myopia is harmful and war is an example of just how harmful it can be. So, I love my country. I believe in our potential to truly be great, to use our "power" in a way that can help heal and foster a greater humanity in the world. I realize that our President feels very much that he is doing exactly this. What I wish more than anything is that he could see that war brings about an "equality" that does not translate into a greater humanity. If anything, it only translates into a greater deathtoll. I do not question his stated desire to make the world a better place. I do question his methods and his expectation of the end result. That, I think, is the hallmark of patriotism. To question. To learn. To love.
On that note, I respect the John Kerry just back from Vietnam and wish he would find again the strength and voice he once had, to fight for what is just in the world and to speak on behalf of those on the receiving end of war, as well as those ordered to fight it.

Peace!