Why I am Proud to be ‘American’
I am proud to be ‘American’ because my forefathers were provided a land where there was religious and economic freedom in which to live, have a family, flourish, and enjoy a hard fought peace.
I am grateful for these freedoms and realize that I am responsible to work to preserve the religious, economic freedoms and American way of life for the benefit of my children and all my descendants.
As an American I revere the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law that flows from vigilant adherence to it, and expect all immigrants, just like my ancestors, who come to this great Country to enter legally, to identify themselves to appropriate authorities and, with all our assistance, take the necessary steps to learn the common English language, assimilate into our culture, and become law abiding citizens. I continue to honor and enjoy my French-Canadian-American heritage, celebrate Martin Luther King’s Birthday, St. Patrick’s Day, and Columbus day, and many other ethnic festivals, but always remember that the most important holiday for a true American is the 4th of July!
As an American I do not forget our collective past, with all its sorrows, shortcomings, setbacks, and victories, but move forward with a resolve not to repeat past errors in the future.
As an American I do not forget the blessings of the Almighty Creator for this land, and the unprecedented bounty from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean in the four hundred and one years since the English landed in Jamestown, Virginia. I am proud to say the Pledge of Allegiance, with my hand over my heart, to “one nation under God with liberty and justice for all.” I love to sing “God bless America” and remember the pioneers, pilgrims, and veterans who toiled, fought, bled, and died, that I might live free. We guard the right of citizens to be silent, to dissent, and to be free to worship or not, in any way he or she chooses. But those who choose to fight to undermine or destroy our nation, then they bear our collective wrath.
I cherish the Preamble to our Declaration of Independence that acknowledges our natural rights as human beings given to us by “the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God” and not from any government of man, and states : “[w]e hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
So I fight with all my strength to protect the rights of all from the unborn, throughout all stages of life, and to natural death. We are pro-human being and speak out for the small, the weak, the powerless, the broken and beaten down. We are an underdog Nation and we support the oppressed who are denied or deprived basic human rights in all the world, while we stand ever vigilant to protect our borders form hostile invasion from without or from within.
We value honesty, integrity and a hard day’s work ethic that believes in a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work. We disdain arrogance and sloth and do not reward the lazy, the coward, the liar or the thief. We strive to live the virtues of prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude. I was always taught that the best codes of life were the Ten Commandments and the “Golden Rule” - “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Until recently those codes were always respected in our land. We are grateful for all we have, and are willing to share, with those, wherever we find them, who are less fortunate.
I think we are now at a cross roads, and need to re-affirm and celebrate what it means to be ‘American’ to be proud of our Nation once again, and not be “like the man who looks in a mirror, walks away, and forgets what he looks like.” It’s good to be ‘American’ and to admit we are not perfect.’ But we are proud of who we are, warts and all, and we believe, ever believe, in the best in and for ourselves, and in our future. So our motto is, and must always remain, “IN GOD WE TRUST.”
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