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I have seen this country go through wars and peacetime, through prosperity and adversity, through rejoicing and through mourning. I have felt the incredible promise of it as a world-shaper, inclusive, supportive of the weaker, encouraging of other nations reaching toward democracy, demanding some standard of care for the poor, the ill, and reaching some hope and aid to those willing to work for a higher standard of living.
That is no longer what this country is. 9/11 was a blow that should have awakened Americans to the fact that we are part of the world, not above it. That whatever sickness of despotism and despair that washes over other, smaller, less enlightened countries touches us too. We are not immune. We never really were, it just seemed that way. But the call, when it came, was a threat to "our way of life," and we, as a nation, were frightened by it, and angered in that fear, and as a nation, we craved retribution. And we wanted someone to tell us it was going to be all right, that he would handle it. That if we did as we were told, we'd be safe, he'd see to it.
And like small children clutching our toys, we did as Daddy said. We were good. We obeyed the rules so that we'd not have to share our food, our electronics, our educational opportunities, our freedoms, with the other kids who were "not our kind," and thus not entitled to our way of life. And so our freedoms were peeled away, one by one, and mindful of the bargain, we did not protest. It was better to be safe than free. And the freedoms that we were allowed to keep were hollowed out, a little at a time, till what was left was just a shell to show off to others, as long as we're careful not to jostle it too much.
And now the frightened children have spoken. Given a chance to try and win some of our freedoms back, to grow and accept the responsibilites that come with those freedoms, responsibilities of caring for the poor, the elderly, the sick, both here and worldwide, we could not do it. We chose to cling to our SUVs, our Ipods, our bagel and lattes and our pad thai, our designer shoes, and let the rest of the world, and the Latino family down the block, scrape by as best they can.
Am I an American? I have been proud to say so. Tonight all I feel is a sick sense of shame.
That is no longer what this country is. 9/11 was a blow that should have awakened Americans to the fact that we are part of the world, not above it. That whatever sickness of despotism and despair that washes over other, smaller, less enlightened countries touches us too. We are not immune. We never really were, it just seemed that way. But the call, when it came, was a threat to "our way of life," and we, as a nation, were frightened by it, and angered in that fear, and as a nation, we craved retribution. And we wanted someone to tell us it was going to be all right, that he would handle it. That if we did as we were told, we'd be safe, he'd see to it.
And like small children clutching our toys, we did as Daddy said. We were good. We obeyed the rules so that we'd not have to share our food, our electronics, our educational opportunities, our freedoms, with the other kids who were "not our kind," and thus not entitled to our way of life. And so our freedoms were peeled away, one by one, and mindful of the bargain, we did not protest. It was better to be safe than free. And the freedoms that we were allowed to keep were hollowed out, a little at a time, till what was left was just a shell to show off to others, as long as we're careful not to jostle it too much.
And now the frightened children have spoken. Given a chance to try and win some of our freedoms back, to grow and accept the responsibilites that come with those freedoms, responsibilities of caring for the poor, the elderly, the sick, both here and worldwide, we could not do it. We chose to cling to our SUVs, our Ipods, our bagel and lattes and our pad thai, our designer shoes, and let the rest of the world, and the Latino family down the block, scrape by as best they can.
Am I an American? I have been proud to say so. Tonight all I feel is a sick sense of shame.
