So, this is the way it is this year. Our country’s 232nd birthday is exactly four months from what many say is one of the most important presidential elections ever. We humans do a good job flattering ourselves that we live lives of such high drama.
What I suggest instead is to stop the partisan bickering and celebrate what our national ancestors provided. They gave us this critical time in history – if that is how some wish to view it – along with the rights (and responsibilities) and freedom to cast votes that direct the way we believe the country should proceed towards its 233rd birthday and 234th and so on.
It seems so terrible to so many folks to salute our national ideals. After all, we have made mistakes. Citizens have suffered. Not everyone has succeeded and achieved great wealth, status, and happiness.
But how many more have achieved a sense of comfort forged from the lofty ideals of our Founding Fathers who authored such masterpieces as the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Federalist Papers, and more?
While we should never grow so arrogant or complacent to fail to recognize opportunities for improvement, let us not go down the path many wish to take by portraying our fine country as fatally flawed, brutally bullying, and imperialistically insensitive. That is trash, tripe, and patently false.
Despite our failings, our strength and goodness far surpass the warts of the past, present, and those which we will inevitably grow in the future regardless of whether or not the next tenant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, is Democrat or Republican. But where else can people criticize the status quo and fight for a better tomorrow without fear of government reprisal? Where else are all the peoples in the world longing to live? Folks are not flocking to Finland, leaving for Liberia, rushing to Russia, or cascading into Canada.
There is no yearning for Yemen, migrating to Mexico, passion for Pakistan, or zeal for Zimbabwe. No swooning for Sweden, pining for Poland or aching for Algeria. The world knows which Republic shines brightest. We are not perfect, only the best.
Perhaps I overstate. We may not be number one, but surely we are in the Top 10, and with some 200 countries that is not too shabby.
May we always strive to be better, to continue to be that beacon of liberty to lost souls. But let us not be led down the Primrose Path and vilify our traditions, institutions, leaders, and people. That not only serves no good purpose, it also grossly misrepresents reality.
God has greatly blessed me. I have been able to travel to a few countries on this globe. The people have been wonderful everywhere, a delight to meet and interact with. But the wonder of this country is apparent as soon as I return to our shores and see the truth and vitality that exists here. Unfortunately, that candor sometimes becomes crude and vicious because we in the United States can push the political envelope, challenge people who hold differing views, and examine those who dare to govern us. All this will be boldly on display for the next four months of this presidential campaign. I hope that we will acquit ourselves well throughout the process.
This dynamic is what makes us a great country. The principles that we uphold, which were given by wise men over two centuries ago, still guide and maintain us as one of the best political and social experiments on Earth.
No, we are not perfect. We have faults, but we identify and correct them over time. We will continue to do so simply because we are the USA.
Happy birthday, America!
P.S. If you desire, read another observation on this holiday.
Fred W. Apelquist, III, M.Ed.
Approximately 615 words.
© July 3, 2008
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YETMO: “You’re Entitled To My Opinion,” A Balanced Point of View
"To stimulate thought, debate, and introspection”