American Flags on our campaign signs -- No more battered spouse syndrome

[JMDEM]

I am SICK of being condemned of being somehow less American for being a Democrat. Sick of it. Where does this general attitude come from, and why is it so pervasive?

I think it comes partially from the fact that Republicans DO NOT QUESTION THEIR LEADERS, PERIOD. If the leaders lead us into WWIII, so be it. If the leaders are fascist pigs, so be it. If the leaders have absolutely no concern for those they are supposedly leading, and are only concerned with increasing their own wealth and power, so be it. But you see, true Americans TAKE ORDERS, SOLDIER! So you don't question such things. And you don't question America. America is always right. Criticizing the country as a whole, or its government, is basically treason, isn't it?

I also think the attitude comes partially from the fact that our "enemy" for so many years was communism. Godless communism. Therefore anything even remotely smelling of socialism is considered communist, and therefore our mortal, even Satanic enemy. Socialized medicine? Communist. Any sort of government control on business? Communist. Buying land and turning it into public parks? Communist! Government run (rather than privatized) prisons? Communist!!!

So, you see, we Democrats are not very good Americans because we (1) actually question our own government about things and do not blindly obey our leaders, and (2) we believe that some things are better run by the public sector rather than the private sector (e.g., health insurance).

Now, the interesting thing is that America was FOUNDED ON THE PRINCIPLE that you question your leaders and you DO NOT TRUST THEM. The founding fathers went to great lengths to DILUTE power among 3 branches of government and set up a system of CHECKS AND BALANCES. In this sense, blindly following leaders is distinctly un-American. In fact I would call THAT treasonous.

The founding fathers also went to great lengths to describe their ideals as ones of personal freedom and equality (except for women and slaves, but we'll overlook that for now...) As briefly discussed above, they went to elaborate lengths to make sure the Government didn't impinge on personal freedom. However, they also said that humans had the innate right to "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness" IN GENERAL, regardless of who or what might impinge on those rights.

Now who could impinge on the rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" outside of the Government? Well, our history is full of such powers, and they are almost always huge corporations and/or massively powerful individuals working outside the Government (although usually influencing the Government). The Hearsts, the Gettys, the Rockefellers, the land barons, the railroad barons, and the other robber barons in general. These people can just as easily take away the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as any government can. History has shown this repeatedly.

These people who would take away our freedoms for their own personal power are decidedly un-American. And yet these are the people the Republicans most often defend. Such a defense is not even hidden anymore -- since Ronald Reagan, the Republicans have openly and blatantly ripped off the middle class and the poor and directly siphoned the cash directly to the rich and the hyper-rich. These people have no concern whatsoever whether we all become complete absolute slaves, as long as they can add untold millions to their untold billions. They don't care if our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are completely annihilated because of poor education, crushing debt, and no health care, or ridiculously expensive health care.

(Note -- I am not advocating communist economic policies! History has also shown that these usually do not work either. What seems to work is well-regulated capitalism that protects the small guy against the big guy and which prevents monopolies and price-fixing, mixed with some areas that are best run by local and/or national government, such as police and fire protection, and health care.)

So let's set the record straight. Blindly obedient militaristic robot clones are not more American than we are.

Grotesquely obese fascist pigs in positions of corporate power, who would take away all of our freedoms to put more slop in their troughs, are not more American than we are.

Personally, I have adorned my Obama yard sign with American flags, because I am proud to be a true American -- an American who is willing to question my own leaders (including Democratic leaders such as the spineless Pelosi and Reid) and who keeps an active eye out for the pigs who would steal my childrens' futures away from them via corporate greed.

Just remember -- Woodie Guthrie had more patriotism in his little finger than John Wayne had in his entire body.