"My country, right or wrong."

[Mythsaje]

Being an American is a little like being a parent. We, as voters, are to some extent responsible for what the United States does in our name. We can love our country, but we are also obligated to chastise it for doing the wrong thing.

If your child is bullying the neighbor kid and you not only look away in public, but secretly praise your child later, the argument can be made that you're a pretty fucked up parent. Even more to the point, you're a pretty fucked up neighbor.

Loving your country so much that you refuse to recognize or point out its mistakes is a lot like that. When people accuse liberals of "hating America" it's a lot like saying that a parent who chastises a child for vandalizing a neighbor's car or bullying another child, "hates" their own child.

Put in that context, it seems rather ridiculous, doesn't it?

Being concerned about the rationale for going to war, condemning the abuses of Abu Graib and Gitmo, wondering to what uses the NSA and other surveillance programs are being put, displaying outrage about the immediate aftermath of Katrina, and questioning this administration and its congressional enablers with regards to its policies and practices are the actions of a RESPONSIBLE citizen. Just like making sure a child does his or her homework, learns decent table manners, and treats other people with respect are the actions of a responsible parent.

It is not patriotism to rationalize any kind of behavior on the part of our leaders, regardless of how detrimental it might be. It's poor citizenship. And it promotes moral ambiguity in a far more telling manner than those who might argue that homosexuality is a valid lifestyle option.

We love our country enough to attempt to guide it, to remark upon its failings. This makes us BETTER citizens than those who do not.

Even those who say it's "the greatest nation on Earth" (a point which is certainly arguable) must realize that being the best doesn't mean there's no room for improvement. And we see VAST opportunities for improvement.

So do the right thing, and spank your country when it needs it. America will thank you in the end.

[Vexatious Ape]

1. That's a great context

I shall use that with some of my more delirious right wing co-workers. Kick.

[greyl]

2. I don't understand what the homosexuality line means.

Rather, I think I may, but I'm not sure.

[Mythsaje]

4. Just that some people who believe it's wrong

think that OUR tolerance and acceptance promotes what they see as an immortal or, at best, an amoral lifestyle. It's an example of why they think WE have morality issues...because we can tolerate or accept what they cannot.

[greyl]

5. ...and we promote moral ambiguity?

That paragraph isn't making a clear point.

[Mythsaje]

7. That's the argument, anyway...

I don't think it's unclear at all.

[greyl]

8. It's unclear. Ambiguous even.

The sentence: "And it promotes moral ambiguity in a far more telling manner than those who might argue that homosexuality is a valid lifestyle option." implies that those who might argue that homosexuality is a valid lifestyle option are promoting ambiguity.

[Mythsaje]

9. Like I said...that's the argument.

They say that saying homosexuality is a valid lifestyle option promotes moral ambiguity. I'd say that tolerating illegal wars of aggression, torture, and all that goes with it is FAR more morally ambiguous than tolerance for homosexuality could ever be.

If "morality" is one's yardstick, then at least one should know what the hell one is measuring and be able to rationalize it.

I don't think homosexuality is a moral issue at all...but the people this would be aimed at sure as hell do.

[greyl]

10. Yes, I'm clear on all that, however,

if all one had to go on was the OP, it's a bit ambiguous.
I get the impression that you craft your OPs so that they may stand on their own, and I'm only pointing out a weakness I see in its clarity.
Nothing some post-production work can't fix. ;)

[Mythsaje]

11. Are you saying it's a little ambiguous?

I'll have to consider that.

[greyl]

12. lol, uhhh ... yes.

I was talking about the grammar, nothing else.

[IntravenousDemilo]

14. Yeah, it's unclear.

Maybe you don't see that because you wrote it. That's why (for instance) writers should always listen to obey their editors.

When did being gay suddenly become optional? Any liberal worth his salt would never consider homosexuality as a "valid lifestyle option", because he would never think of it as a "lifestyle option" to begin with, but rather, something hardwired. "Lifestyle" and "option" in reference to homosexuality is RW-think. We don't do RW-think.

[Wonk]

3. "My country, right or wrong" quickly leads to "My country, wrong, so what?"

That's a big part of the problem with America in the past few years, imho.

"Yay, team!!!" has (had? let's hope) taken the place of rational analysis

Nice post. K & R.

[Wonk]

13. edit: "taken the place of" => "been replaced by". DOH!

doh

I should be asleep.

[stopbush]

6. The complete quote:

"My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right.” - Sen Carl Schurz (1872)

The idiots never complete the quote which clearly posits that American can OFTEN be wrong, and when wrong, needs to
be set right. The knuckle draggers think that it's OK for the USA to be wrong. The original statement sees being wrong
as something that needs to be fixed.

[IntravenousDemilo]

15. Spare the rod and spoil the superpower.

Yes, please, Americans, spank your country, because the rest of the world -- even we, your neighbours to the north who supply a whole lot of your oil, gas, electricity, and comedians -- are getting right steamed at you and we don't want to have to take off our belts, because once we take 'em off, we're gonna use 'em. We might even use the buckle end if you squawk too much.

You know, perhaps a little humbling of the United States is in order; humility builds character. You'll thank us later.