The 4th, Independence Day
I am having some mixed feelings about this Independence Day. I don't think its caused by any reason in particular, but over the course of the day, I have felt my dander rise and give way to perhaps too much introspection.
I live in a small town in a fairly rural area. Technically, we are the only city in our county, but with only about 15,000 residents, after living in Boston, I have to call it a town. Many people take their patriotism seriously around here, mixed with a strong dose of religion. For example, the local Baptist Church held a Freedom Fest in the center of town today. From driving by, I could see pony rides, a climbing wall, the smoke rising from grills likely for hot dogs and burgers and a number of booths, including a prayer tent. The church members working all had t-shirts on which included a slogan to the effect of "one nation where god is lord." Oh yes, and there was a large American flag in the center of the park.
It makes me ask this question: whose God do we claim ourselves to be under? What of the atheists, Buddhists, Muslims, pagans etc etc etc who all have a very different take on this Higher Power business? The irony to me is that this nation was founded on the principle of religious freedom, no state sanctioned religion calling all of the shots (which is particularly ironic given the Salem colonists' extremely Puritan ways which led to the Salem witchcraft trials). It calls to mind two bumper stickers - which itself is a sad observation that summations can be reduced to a bumper sticker - God is too big to fit inside one religion and Freedom of religion means freedom from religion, too. This seemingly inextricable blend of religion and patriotism means someone is going to be left out if they don't pass someone else's piety test.
But again - who makes the test? Didn't take long for my mind to drift over to the election process, and how Barack Obama seems to be having a hard time passing the piety test. First it was the smear campaign to whisper "he's a Muslim" (like that's a bad thing.. say what? Have we forgotten all of the evils that some so-called crusading Christians have perpetuated over the years, as if extreme radical Muslims - unlike the majority of Muslims - are the only ones who have killed in the name of their god?). Then Obama had to contend with the ripple effect of his radical pastor. Now, I see he is trying to boost the faith based initiatives program. How much does one have to bend over to prove he is religious enough to be President, and why do we sit back and let religion run so much of the table? I thought the whole idea of not having a state sanctioned religious state was to presumably to prevent religion from running the table.
I hadn't noticed much discussion about John McCain and religion. Maybe being a fair weather conservative and rah rah NRA supporter absolves him of that scrutiny? I did do a quick google search and found this blog entry from last year about how he sorta switched religions to fit his audience. It's a short entry and worth the read for the last few lines :-) (which actually dovetail right into my question of whose god do we "use", anyway?). There's more on his religious stance here. I am sure there is more out there but I really just don't feel like looking.
Meanwhile, back to Obama, I wound up in a somewhat heated discussion recently with a family friend on this patriotic count. She supported Hillary but intensely dislikes Obama (she doesn't care for McCain either). She can also be extremely prejudiced against non-whites which makes me very uncomfortable. She doesn't flaunt it, but if race comes up in a conversation, watch out. One of the reasons she won't vote for Obama is that she can't stand Michelle Obama and doesn't want her in the White House. I asked her why, and it is because she doesn't perceive Mrs. Obama as being patriotic enough, mainly due to her comment a while back about finally being proud to be an American. I pointed out to the family friend that patriotism should never be a blithe acceptance of everything spun out of Washington, nor a single minded view that provides for a very narrow and virtually unmeetable standard of what it means to be an American. Patriotism demands a sharp lens on the weaknesses of the country that most would rather ignore. As trite as it sounds, no country can be great when so many get left out/behind (Katrina "recovery" for one recent example)
What does it mean to be patriotic, anyway? USA bumper stickers? Gas guzzling SUVs and massive credit card debt? Instant and irrational distrust of those dang foreigners (which we all are, ultimately, this being a nation founded on immigration)? I really believe it means very different things now than it did in 1776. Back then, we were a nation of rebels who stood up against a ruler across the sea, people working hard to create a new life for themselves. And while there are plenty of people who work hard now, despite a dwindling job market and whimpering economy, I think we have also devolved into a nation consumed with excess and entitlement. We don't care who it hurts to be 4% of the world's population yet use 25% of its resources. We are more concerned about finding oil to fuel our cars - literally burning through the finite resource - than finding alternative, clean, longer lasting energy solutions (infinite solar power, anyone?) We want larger houses for ourselves, not to make sure that everyone actually has a home in the first place. How much food can we fit on our plates to support widening waistlines, while others may have nothing at all to eat? Is it patriotic to ignore those in need?
What really charged me up about the Democratic primary process this year was that SO MANY people got out and got involved. Votes mattered and people took that seriously. And this is why I like Obama - he seems willing to take on the task of re-creating this country and making it truly a place for everyone, not just the Christian conservatives. Maybe eventually we can follow the lead of most of Europe where governing really is more about qualifications and less about religion.
There is a lot that I truly do appreciate about being an American, like being able to simply write this post. I can't even properly conceive of the freedoms I have compared to nations like Tibet, Cuba, China, Myanmar, Zimbabwe, and so many other places where freedom is a notion and not a reality. I think that this is true of most Americans. We live in our little bubble and have no real concept of what we take for granted every day
Clearly I think too much. Maybe I should just step outside and watch some fireworks... I should leave the critique to those who say it better, like Mary Chapin Carpenter did with On With the Song.
Ahem.