What America Really Is
I just got back from seeing World Trade Center and it made me do a lot of thinking. It made me realize that the War in Iraq is much more important than I already believed. Freedom is no longer a right in today’s world, but rather a privilege. America can not sit back while oppressive regimes discriminate, torture, and murder its citizens because they do not have rights to be who they are.
Bono said it best with "There's the country of America, which you have to defend, but there's also the idea of America. America is more than just a country, it's an idea. An idea that's supposed to be contagious." America is a beacon of hope for all the people of world; people who find themselves trapped within a country with leaders who do not grant them the basic freedoms that most Americans take for granted. If America does not stand up for these fundamental freedoms nobody will. America is the most powerful country in the World, which means we can allow for democracy to spread.
The sad fact is that most Americans are driven by money and they over look the big things in life. There is a monetary price tag on the War in Iraq, but this means nothing when democracy has spread to a country whose government used torture as a punishment for those whom acted in ways that were not approved of by Saddam Hussein and committed mass murders upon different ethic groups because they did not a have the freedom to be different. It is important to realize that freedom can not be paid for with money, only human sacrifice in its name can obtain it. The men and women of the United States Armed Forces along with members of police departments and fire-rescue departments across the United States are the real heroes of today’s world; not the athletes, actors, or musicians who earn millions of dollars for excelling at entertaining people.
Many of you who read this will not agree with it and that is not ok. The idea that is expressed here is not a liberal or conservative idea, but rather a humanitarian idea. People get all wrapped up in politics with issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and funding for schools, but if they were to stop and think even a little about it, those mean absolutely nothing if democracy falls. One of the things that bothers me the most are people who whine and complain about how bad America is right now and burn flags to protest different policies. The simple solution is for them to leave this country if they are to ungrateful to appreciate everything they have, but nowhere else will they have as much freedom and opportunity as in America.
I leave you with a quote from George W. Bush, “America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens.” I only hope that everybody learns what it means to be a citizen of the greatest country in the World.
Bono said it best with "There's the country of America, which you have to defend, but there's also the idea of America. America is more than just a country, it's an idea. An idea that's supposed to be contagious." America is a beacon of hope for all the people of world; people who find themselves trapped within a country with leaders who do not grant them the basic freedoms that most Americans take for granted. If America does not stand up for these fundamental freedoms nobody will. America is the most powerful country in the World, which means we can allow for democracy to spread.
The sad fact is that most Americans are driven by money and they over look the big things in life. There is a monetary price tag on the War in Iraq, but this means nothing when democracy has spread to a country whose government used torture as a punishment for those whom acted in ways that were not approved of by Saddam Hussein and committed mass murders upon different ethic groups because they did not a have the freedom to be different. It is important to realize that freedom can not be paid for with money, only human sacrifice in its name can obtain it. The men and women of the United States Armed Forces along with members of police departments and fire-rescue departments across the United States are the real heroes of today’s world; not the athletes, actors, or musicians who earn millions of dollars for excelling at entertaining people.
Many of you who read this will not agree with it and that is not ok. The idea that is expressed here is not a liberal or conservative idea, but rather a humanitarian idea. People get all wrapped up in politics with issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and funding for schools, but if they were to stop and think even a little about it, those mean absolutely nothing if democracy falls. One of the things that bothers me the most are people who whine and complain about how bad America is right now and burn flags to protest different policies. The simple solution is for them to leave this country if they are to ungrateful to appreciate everything they have, but nowhere else will they have as much freedom and opportunity as in America.
I leave you with a quote from George W. Bush, “America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens.” I only hope that everybody learns what it means to be a citizen of the greatest country in the World.