Rational Grounds

July 04, 2005

Happy 4th of July

If there's any day of the year we spend remembering and celebrating the things that have made this country great, it's today. 231 years ago we began the long painful process of building a nation founded on lofty ideals and dreams of a better life for ourselves and our children. It's not over yet, but take a moment and look how far we've come.

From the first shot, we ignited a world-wide revolution for democracy and the rule of law that continues to this day. When that great revolution was most threatened, in the great world wars and cold war of the 20th century, we threw our weight against the wheel of history and helped win the day. In the wake of those hostilities we led our allies in building a more cooperative and open world society with the aim of securing peace and freedom not just for ourselves, but for all nations. Today we are a colossus standing astride the world we built, put there by the strength of our industry and arms, the superiority of our methods, and the acclamation and support of our friends.

Building on the nascent Industrial Revolution and a culture of free thinking and pragmatic creativity we produced advance after technological advance, from the cotton gin to the combustion engine to the Internet. We exported those benefits to the rest of the world and so helped lift the boats of any- and everyone who would have us. American technology and inventions underpin the entire world economy and help provide basic needs for people in every country in the world.

We have also, since our inception, fought and won painful battles of personal growth. We ripped our country apart to rid ourselves of the hypocrisy of slavery in the 1860s. The 20th century the women's suffrage , civil rights and the gay rights movements expand the circle of freedom and full citizenship. The labor movement of the late 19th and 20th centuries worked to ensure that the benefits of American industry were available to all and that the average worker had the opportunity to reap the rewards of their efforts. The champions of personal freedom have constantly battled those who would muzzle dissent and debate in the name of the public good, from President Adams' anti-sedition laws to the anti-evolution trials at the turn of the century to the Red Scare of the 1950s. At every step there have been those who stood up and fought for an America more firmly wedded to her ideals and a brighter beacon to the world.

So lift a glass and set a fire today for America. We deserve it, and it's our day.

And when the glasses are empty, and the embers low, spend a moment and consider the points of failure. True, we fought and won a civil war to end slavery, but it took us the better part of a century to reach that point and half again as long from there to truly recognize the pain, suffering and injustice that lingered on from that. We are plagued to this day with that legacy.

We have built our shining city on a hill on the ruins of ancient civilizations that came before us, wiped out by sickness and war and treachery and slowly squeezed into poverty and alcoholism.

Throughout our history, we have allowed our captains of industry to abuse their power and influence both in our country and abroad, to the detriment of common men and women everywhere.

We have often allowed the pursuits of our foreign policy goals to overpower our better judgements. In our battles against fascism and communism we sometimes sunk to the levels of our enemies in our tactics. We frequently aided and abetted groups just as bad as the ones we intended to fight. We have invariably paid the price of those decisions, but there are many out there who have paid far more than we did.

I consider myself a Liberal, and a popular conceit of our time is that Liberals do not love their country as proudly or fiercely as do Conservatives. We prefer to dwell on the embarassing and depressing moments of our history, we are more willing to bend our necks to the interests of the international community, we are less likely to fly the American flag from our front porches.

I cannot speak for my fellow countrymen and women, but if I am more sober in my assessments of my country it is out of a desire to see clearly that which I love so dearly. I know that America is not perfect, that our ideals seem forever out of our reach. I know that we have done wicked things in the past. The past five years alone have tested my faith in our democracy and the character of our people time and again. When the best news of the week is that Alberto Gonzalez probably won't be our next Supreme Court justice (not because of his role in legimitizing the use of torture by American forces but because he is not anti-abortion enough) we have a long way to go. But in the end, if I did not love my country I would not care when she stumbled. If I did not love her, it would not matter that she was less than perfect.

Those who shout, "America, love it or leave it!" love a country that has never existed. I love a country that may never be. But on days like this, when I look back and remember how far we have all come, I know we cannot rest while she is anything less than what was promised 231 years ago.

Posted by ben at July 4, 2005 12:40 PM

Comments

Posted by: anon at July 7, 2005 11:45 PM

Posted by: Ben at July 8, 2005 09:21 AM