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Blog Entry 8 of 8 Kevin Johnson's Blues
"He can run faster than most ferrets I know!" -G.W. Bush, 1994, on Kevin Johnson.

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~JimmyCondom

RE: America
Contributed by: Kevin Johnson   on 2/21/2008

It is hard fate to be an American abroad and not suspect why you are hated.
-Salman Rushdie-

I was watching an episode of the Simpsons the other night in which Lisa Simpson discovers that the founder of Springfield was really a bloodthirsty pirate instead of the virtuous, buffalo-fighting, hero that folklore had painted him to be. Lisa battles with whether or not she should reveal what she has learned and expose the hero for the villain he really is, or continue to allow her fellow Springfieldians to wallow in the darkness. In the end she decides that spirit of Springfield is righteous even if the man behind the spirit was not, and doesn't reveal the truth.

It is easy to be one of those who would rather think of their heroes as flawless, their leaders as virtuous, and their nations as righteous; blindly accepting what is given to us and following who ever was in the lead. Sometimes it is just better to be blissfully unaware. But it is getting harder and harder to feign ignorance these days; technology has made us closer than ever to the world around us and we can no longer keep our heads in the sand and pretend like we are unaccountable for the actions of our nation.

We are now, more than ever, accountable as citizens for our nation's wrongdoings in the same way we are praised for our glories.

I have gotten a lot of response to blog, "Why the World Hates America": good, bad and insane. I want to make it clear that I love America for many reasons, too many to name in the span of this column, but does that mean I should turn a blind eye to atrocities committed by my beloved nation, which are also too many to name?

We are a nation of great freedoms but we don't always practice what we preach.

We speak of democracy but time and time again take it away from small struggling nations when they don't democratically elect the leader of our choice. Our government claims to be a light in a darkened world, a champion of human rights, but they have yet to give the Native Americans so much as a simple apology for taking this country from them in the most brutal and sadistic of fashions. All the same, we do have an amazing amount of freedoms, such as freedom of the press and speech, as well as universal suffrage, and have, in many situations, been that "beacon of light", which has caused the rest of the world to look to us with a certain amount of envy and hope in the past. But lately they look at us and wonder why, with all of our freedoms, do we let them go to waste and allow them to be abused time and time again?

I had a guy tell me, in response to my column, that he does a lot of business over seas and he is sick of having to apologize for his nation every time he steps out of the country. He does a lot of work related travel so he has been forced to the realization that American popularity is not what it used to be... but at least he cares about how his nation comes across in the eyes of the world.

American apathy to American atrocity is what gives America it's bad name, and it is what gives those who would perpetrate such atrocities the green light to go through with it. We forget sometimes that it is "WE THE PEOPLE" who give our great country it's great freedoms and therefore is "WE THE PEOPLE" who are in charge of checking those we have elected when they step out of line. When it comes down to it, it is "WE THE PEOPLE" are the "beacon of light", and it is us who shoulder the burden of resuscitating our nations flagging moral compass. And that doesn't mean always voting for the religious right.

There is a separation of church and state for a reason (see: Hamas).

When you say the "Pledge of Allegiance" remember that you are not saying a prayer.

We are a nation under God but our nation is not God.

We should not seek global hegemony because George Bush and the GOP claim that God told them they were the "deciders". If God told George Bush anything it was "keep my name out of your mouth".

Contrary to Radical Islamic belief, God doesn't like killing in God's name.

If we, the people, don't stop this, God will (see: Holy Roman Empire).

It isn't prophecy to look at 1+1 and see 2; it is just doing the math.










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Showing 1-2 of 2 comments
Submitted By: Bill Prather
posted on 2/22/2008 @ 11:55:05 PM
Rated Blog Entry
Good questions you bring up, but please explain our "nation's flagging moral compass." I firmly believe that I and my fellow Soldiers are "shouldering the burden" when we land in Iraq in a couple of months. We're putting ourselves in danger because we truly believe in "We the people." My country has committed atrocities for which we should feel shame. Likewise, shouldn't we feel pride in the good our country has done? Hence, the good "we" have done far outweighs the negative. Therefore, I'm proud to serve my country and, indeed, you and yours!
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Submitted By: Michael Rule
posted on 2/21/2008 @ 9:19:05 PM
Rated Blog Entry
So........ you have a direct line to God? (PS, I already know the answer)
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Showing 1-2 of 2 comments
CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Kevin Johnson

Denver , CO

Kevin Johnson has posted 8 blog entries and 2 comments since joining on 4/9/2007. Kevin Johnson's average blog rating is 4.74.
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