An old post of Ian's
That bears repeating.
My parents were American citizens, both born in States in the American South.
I was born on the island of Malta, under jus sanguinis I am an American citizen by birth.
I didn’t set foot on American soil until I was three, and for the next 13 years I only saw America one month out of every twelve, when the company my father worked for made him take his annual four weeks vacation.
My siblings and I grew up in Africa, and the Middle East. We have seen poverty — the poverty where mothers make cold-blooded decisions about which child to sell so that she can feed the rest of her children.
America’s poor enjoy a level of comfort that is the envy of the well-off in Africa.
My brother and sister an I have seen repression — we have seen the crushing of the Ibo people (and we saw how the Ibo people treated their own ohu1 and osu2); the ‘Years Of Lead’ in Morocco aren’t a mystery to us; we weren’t there when the Gukurahundi3 swept through Matabeleland, but we knew some who disappeared; we saw the comfortable contempt of the Emiratis for the Filipino and Baluchi; and we have close personal experience with the casual repressive brutality of those cultures and many others.
America’s people enjoy a freedom from brutality and repression that is unimaginable for most of the rest of the planet.
Is America perfect? Of course not, but it is the closest thing to it that we will find this side of the grave.
We have a media designed to amplify the worst things that happen in our society — today we should ignore them.
We have a social media that brings out the worst aspects of us — today we should ignore it.
We have professional agitators who stir up strife for political gain, or social status — today we should ignore them.
Today is the day to remember that we are the heirs of a glorious experiment; today is the day to hold our heads high, and to offer a burger, soda and a handshake to our neighbors whom we may not see eye-to-eye with, but who are still Americans.
Today is the day to set all else aside and just ... be American.
Happy Independence Day.
Ian and Rita
Descendants of slaves owned by people.
Descendants of slaves owned by temples.
Well said Sir and Madam
Most of the US population doesn't have a clue, especially the "useful idiots" who don't realize that they will be among the first disapeared if the communists/ NWO take over, as now they are inconveniently "surplus to needs".
I'd always wanted to thank Congress for posting the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, thereby giving the United States entire an excuse to celebrate my birthday 190-odd years later. And also for ensuring that I never have to take a vacation day to celebrate.
But in all seriousness, I couldn't agree more with Ian's post. I'm not nearly as well traveled as he is, but I've certainly seen a couple of the things he'd mentioned with my own eyes. And I'm frustrated no end by those who have "solutions" to the problems we have in America. Those "solutions" being guaranteed to kill the spirit behind the best country this world has ever seen only to turn us into Far Western Europe.
If you think you have it bad here, lads and lasses, go to sub-Saharan Africa. Or to Beijing and post a picture of Comrade Xi dressed up as Winnie-the-Poo.
We may not be perfect here in the US, but we have the rest of the world faded.