Patriotism

Jul 20, 2008 - 23:44 PM PST

So this past 4th of July I attended a baseball game and there were (of course) fireworks afterwards. My team got slaughtered, but that is besides the point of this blog. They synched the fireworks to music and that one song, "Proud to be an American" played and everyone surrounding myself and my friends were screaming the song at the top of their lungs. Myself included. I am not someone who is known for supporting the current administration, and I don't have much faith in future candidates to correct the mess that we have gotten ourselves into. Not that I don't think that they will try, but I don't think they will even know how to go about it. However, when the song was playing and I was singing along, I realized that I am damn proud to be an American, and I don't think that my lack of faith in the current government should say anything other than I have an opinion about what is happening to our country. It can't be denied that we are serious trouble. I mean, talk of a recession, an un-popular war, and the one they say is responsible for 9/11 is still on the loose, while we toil away in Iraq. I have had people tell me that I am unamerican for not supporting the war, and I say to those people that it is possible to support our troops without supporting the war. Vietnam was an unpopular war, and we took it out on our war vets. I remember on Vetrans Day, in junior high, we had an assembly for all of our teachers that had fought, and one, who had fought in Vietnam said that after all these years, he FINALLY felt like he was being welcomed home. I think that that is the difference. You can hate the war, but don't hate the people who believe that being there is the right thing for them to do. I would welcome any troop back with open arms, but I don't have to like that we are there in the first place. The great thing about being in America, and being part of a democracy, is its possibility for change. Every four years, we get the chance to go vote and be a part of the process for choosing the best person for the job, and if we pick that person and things don't go according to plan, then in another four years, we get to vote for someone else. When I turned 18, I wasn't excited about much other than being able to participate in that years elections. It's quite a shame that most people my age don't feel like that. My own sister has said that rather than really getting to know the candidates, she is just going to write someone in. She has the right to do that, but people, get to know your candidates and vote! Otherwise, you can't really complain about the administration you had no hand in implementing. This blog has turned into quite the rant, so I am going to end with a simple, I love my country, and VOTE!