America

Patriotism is more than just love of America. America itself is more than a place or a collection of people. America is an idea, an idea born of the enlightenment with its roots in Athens, Rome and Alexandria. To be a patriot is to be loyal to the ideas that America is meant to embody. Liberty, democracy, rule of law, reason, justice, opportunity, egalitarianism. The tension between our ideals and our reality is what has driven our history, sometimes down tortured paths. America is the greatest idea that human civilization has yet created, and ideas cannot be destroyed.

Holidays like independence day always prompt me to think. Over the past few days, I have perused some books that have influenced my thoughts on patriotism and what it means to be an American.

Without question, one of the most influential books I've ever read was Howard Zinn's Declarations of Independence. I was in my last semester at Middlessex Community College and Zinn's book was one of the required text for American Government. I viewed it at first with suspicion. I didn't know who Howard Zinn was and the premise of "cross-examining American ideology" gave me pause. Once I started reading I couldn't put the book down and consumed it over a single weekend. Much of what I thought I understood and believed in was challenged by Declarations but the book also opened my eyes and my mind. America, I discovered, was, well...complicated and two people with honesty and good intentions could see an event from completely different perspectives. America, I came to understand, is a place driven by the tension between what we say we stand for, and what the reality of life is for many Americans. I did not unquestioningly consume everything Howard Zinn said, but his books, and those of Noam Chomsky, Ralph Nader and Cornell West have challenged me and kept me honest in my patriotism.

The True Patriot is a terrific book that I think should be read by every high school student in America (I think every PERSON in America should read it). The book attacks head on the myth that progressives (the "left") aren't or cannot be patriotic. Written in a classic form inspired by revolutionary pamphlets of the 18th century, the book lays out in compelling language the case for patriotic values that few people, regardless of their politics, could take issue with. True Patriot is the perfect, pocket size companion to Naomi Wolf's Give Me Liberty . The book is a sequel to her wildly successful End of America, that warned of the dangers of creeping neo-fascism in American politics. Give Me Liberty was a breath of fresh air for me. Instead of the tired refrains of "America is bad, America is a force for evil, blah blah blah" Naomi Wolf takes a long-overdue look at the radical and progressive ideals that the "founding fathers" embraced and fought for when throwing off British tyranny and forging a new, unique nation. Wolf is honest and pointed in her praise of the founders as imperfect men who crafted a perfect vision. She is equally honest in her criticism of the American left for abandoning Americas radical roots and revolutionary founders. The political and cultural upheaval of the 1960's were a squandered opportunity for the left. The biggest blunder of radicals in the 60's, she argues, was marching under banners with images of Ho Chi Min and Mao when protesters should have carried pictures of Thomas Paine and John Adams. Anyone who thinks the left is out of touch with American values would be well served by reading the first 200 pages of Give Me Liberty.

We have come to a point in American history that finds our nation divided along ideological lines. We have been here before. Sadly, we are poorly equipped as citizens today to cross these lines, or seek common ground with our fellow Americans. Civics, the pre-partisan discipline of how to be an American citizen, has been cast aside. As Richard Dryfuss points out, "We don't teach our children what we do not want them to know. Democrats don't want to send their kids to civics class because they are afraid they will come back as Republicans. Republicans won't to their kids to civics class because they are afraid they will come back as Democrats". In an age of Kieth Oberman and Glenn Beck we have lost our way and are in danger of loosing our country.

America is an imperfect place in search of an perfect ideal. For all our faults, for all our mistakes, for all our shortcomings, we are still America. We are the exception to the rule. For most of human history, with a few notable but short lived exceptions, mankind has lived a brutal unjust existence under the heal of tyranny. We were the first viable democracy to put the enlightenment into practice and we are still learning. America, warts and all, is the greatest of great nations. Founded by flawed men under dire circumstance, we are still working towards that elusive ideal. If we fail to recognize our greatness and the responsibilities that come with greatness, we will become just another place, not worth protecting.

Today, while we drink and eat, while we go to the beach and go camping, while we watch fireworks or watch baseball, take just a moment to ponder what it means to be an American, to be a patriot. Take a moment and be grateful to be here, to be a citizen, or hope to become one. Regardless or your politics, or who you voted for, take a moment and ask yourself, "would I really want to be anywhere else?".