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I'm tired of the accusation by those on the right that liberals are somehow unpatriotic or hate america. So I thought I'd ask you: What do you LOVE about the U.S.? Do you think it's one of the greatest countries in the world and why?
I'll start.
1. Despite our moral failings,(slavery, segregation, working conditions etc) we've so far overcome or are trying to overcome them.
2. It still is a land of incredible opportunity for those willing to take advantage of it.
3. Decent, optimistic--if imperfect people.
I love the beauty of our country, and the fact that, despite what many think, it is not homogenized over 3000 miles coast to coast.
I love the equality of opportunity here. I love that the community colleges will let anyone attend, HS diploma or not, and see if they can do college work.
I love our diversity of people.
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 09-19-2010 at 04:19 PM..
Reason: Edited out reference to deleted post
Originally posted by Katiana
I love the equality of opportunity here. I love that the community colleges will let anyone attend, HS diploma or not, and see if they can do college work.
Good point. America is a great place for new beginnings--to reinvent yourself.
I love the resilience of the American people--through the Civil War, the depression, through WWII and so many other trials and sacrifices that have come our way.
I'm tired of the accusation by those on the right that liberals are somehow unpatriotic or hate america. So I thought I'd ask you: What do you LOVE about the U.S.? Do you think it's one of the greatest countries in the world and why?
I'll start.
1. Despite our moral failings,(slavery, segregation, working conditions etc) we've so far overcome or are trying to overcome them.
2. It still is a land of incredible opportunity for those willing to take advantage of it.
3. Decent, optimistic--if imperfect people.
Those are two out of many. Now you go!
Frankly, it all depends on where your at. Some regions are better in some ways and worse in others. And I am sure that the same could be said in any country if you were born there. I like some of the simple things.
I like the road trips. I like crazy little museums that nobody has ever heard of that you have to really be into to----veer off the path about 40-50 miles to see. Those ones you come across in reading but you are driving down the road and all of a sudden just take a turn because you can like Tippecanoe Battlefield
I love, and I mean love, meeting with or requesting information from or anything to do with the historical societies. Because, no matter how tiny or obscure that an area or event might be, or what the financial situation is of the people that collect information or their beliefs they are preserving history. The good, bad and the ugly. To me, that is a feat.
I like the different dialects of language. I like how I can say something in one area and everybody understands exactly what I said and can go to another and it is like speaking a different language.
I miss the Key West sunset and that Cuba is 90 miles away and how no matter what anyone does or says, the little things that we take for granted there, reflect that culture. And you don't know until you leave. Because it has always been there. I like the sunset in Tucson, which is different, and the way the lightening storms play out and how cold the desert can feel at night. I like the tapestry of Native American and Mexican and gunslinger and the mountains in AZ. I like how 70 degrees is freezing in both places and it takes 3 years to adjust to New York and Chicago. I like the way you have to walk backwards in the middle of winter in Chicago and you aren't crazy. I like the way that you can ride the red-line to bookstores where you can buy books of whatever you want because there are universities all over. I like smoking grape vine in Oklahoma and, while Oklahoma has a nasty history, there is great beauty in these tribes and how they shape all that we take for granted there.
I like that we have territory that sounds and sights make your blood run cold. Because no matter what happens mother nature still rules. The scorpio in Oklahoma or in Texas is not as deadly as the one in Arizona. But, I know people that will shoot them off their ceiling anyhow. I have screamed when they come up through the drain in the shower. Javalina in AZ are scary. The sound of the rattle snake. Mountain lions. Javelina. I miss coyotes. Wolves. Jelly fish suck. Volcanos. Hurricanes. Water. If your dogs get out in some areas, they won't come back. They will run with a pack.
I like listening to the elders talk about how they grew up and what was difficult for them to adjust to and how they managed to get through what life throws at them in a world that has changed dramatically, in terms of technology. I am not talking about that online hero crap or when they make comparisons IF I CAN DO IT SO CAN SO and SO. I mean deep reflection. One of the biggest criticisms that early female writers, like May Sarton, got was their ability to never voice pain or sorrow or merely gloss over those things that are difficult. This would indicate vulnerability and frankly, it just IS NOT DONE. In the middle of crap, people want you to deal with it, chin up and all. It is only in those moments where you listen to what integrity truly is that you realize that only technology changes. I do think that it may seem to be missing because online doesn't really allow for that, there is always that one jack-hole.
I like, in a sick way, that America is treasure hunt. Can you imagine a world without Mark Twain? A hard core critic. And our confessional poets. Abbie Hoffman. Black Panthers. Lena Horne? Blues and jazz. Did you know that I can still walk into a blues bar in Chicago and still see the kid at the bar with sax or horn out that is just begging for a shot to go on stage. All the people that were kicked to the curb when there was no immediate exploitation available carried on with what they loved. And writers, too. Chomsky. etc. We spend so much time focusing on our immediate sale that quantity takes the place of quality. But there is quality to be sure. Soul is something you have or you don't.........and it can't be marketed without a cost. Integrity is a treasure hunt here, that is for sure. But it can be found.
I love the fact that one doesn't have to agree with everything that comes out of Washington. I love the fact that I am free to disagree with anyone at anytime. I love the fact that we are free to travel across state lines without 'explaining our reasons for traveling' - or without any reason at all. I love the fact that the country is so vast as to have just about every type of location for one to explore, from cities to deserts to mountains to the jungle-like Everglades. I have been to almost every state in the 'lower 48' and have found something to love about them all.
I love that we are a nation of laws. I love that even though it took 2 months amid much acrimony to settle the 2000 election, this country proceeded to inaugurate its next President peacefully. How great was that?
I love the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and that Our Founding Liberals had the foresight to Amend it. This gives me great hope for Americans to overturn recent UnConstitutional SCOTUS ruling of Citizens vs FEC.
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