Proud To Be An American

By Michael Greer

Even when I was a little girl growing up in Santa Barbara, I felt lucky to have been born in America. I don’t recall anyone telling me I should feel that way but I do remember my parents saying to us kids, “eat your dinner, there are starving Armenians”.  Of course, as I wondered why my parents didn’t send them my dinner,  I did understand there were children in other countries that didn’t have the freedom and comfort I had. 

While my father served in Navy in WWII, my mother, sister, and I lived with my grandparents. My three uncles also served in WWII. I remember my Uncle Norman didn’t come home. He was a fighter pilot who was shot down and killed.  I was only four but I remember the deep sadness that engulfed our home. Grandmother had a picture of Norman with his metals framed on the wall and a flag folded in a wood and glass case on the mantle of the fireplace. We were proud of Uncle Norman’s sacrifice and the sacrifices of the all the other young men who fought for our freedom. 

I get a lump in my throat when I sing our anthem or pledge allegiance to the flag. I’m proud of what our flag stands for. I love this country. I love the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. They say ALL men are created equal. The say ALL of us are free to speak our minds, to worship, to assemble, to address our grievances to our representatives and have a free press. What exactly is the Left’s objection to any of this? 

I don’t understand anyone who was born here hating this country. Even our poor have a higher standard of living than most other countries. It has been my observation that those who are determined to succeed, regardless of their race or disadvantages, DO succeed.  

I’m shocked at the level of hatred these young people have toward our country. I’ve read that 46% of the BLM protesters are White female college students or grads. What, on earth, do they know about the Black experience? What have our schools done to our children?  

Americans aren’t perfect, no one is. But we strive to be. We aren’t, and never have been (even during slavery), racists. To hear protesters call our good men and women serving in our police forces racists, to see statues being covered with graffiti and paint and pulled down, to watch the looting, burning, and destructions of our cities is physically painful for me. 

Now the Leftist Governors have found a way to shut down the Fourth of July. It is unnecessary since those testing positive for COVID-19 are young and those are the people we NEED getting the virus to acquire herd immunity. Plus, your chances of dying of COVID-19 are less than being hit by lightening (and I’m sure these Governors know that). Prescott, AZ has a wonderful Forth of July celebration. There is a rodeo, a parade, a fun zone, water slides, food vendors and, of course, fireworks. Yesterday, July 1^st, Democrat Governor Ducey shut it down (I doubt Jan Brewer would have). We NEEDED to celebrate our Independence in this atmosphere of hate. We NEEDED to be surrounded by our neighbors, friends and family. We NEED hope. We NEED to remember this is a good country. 

What is so difficult to understand is that just about all, if not all, the events these protesters (I suspect are Biden voters) name as reasons to hate America were Democrat policies or practices. The Trail of Tears, Slavery, Jim Crow, KKK, Japanese interment, etc. And there is nothing more racist that the “soft bigotry of low expectations” which is the basis of identity politics. 

Despite what the America haters think, America has always tried to do better, tried to bring justice to all. We are the first to come to the aide of those suffering natural disasters. If not for America Europe would be speaking German. Whatever America’s faults, we have done far more good than evil. Who among us is without sin? Are we to judge people for a sin or the entirety of their lives? 

Our founding was a miracle. Farmers with muskets, in the snow with no shoes, no supplies won a war against the strongest, best trained and armed army in the world. 

The people of America are kind, generous people who want the best for all. We want everyone to have equal opportunity.  We want people to have individual liberty, personal responsibility, and self determination. We want people judged by the content of their character not the color of their skin. We want the Rule of Law and equal justice, not social justice. 

I will forever love America, it’s founding documents, it’s failures and triumphs. I will defend the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and Capitalism until my last breath. This IS the shinning city on the hill and if it falls so will the rest of the world. 

GOD BLESS my fellow Americans, stay strong, speak out. GOD BLESS AMERICA!! 

Michael Greer retired from the film/television industry and is the co-organizer of the Santa Monica Tea Party and the Los Angeles Tea Party, on the board of directors of the Citizens’ Alliance for Property Rights and was a member of the Republican Central Committee for the 41st Assembly District.  Her website is: http://madderthanhell.wordpress.com/

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal.