I Am An American

I am an American citizen and a patriot-two labels which conjure up different images to each of us. Being a citizen patriot means upholding the values upon which our country was founded. It does not mean that I have to support my country when and where I think it is wrong. A basic freedom granted to all Americans gives each of us not only the right to speak out against our government, but makes it our duty to do so when we believe such dissent is necessary. Lately, however, too many people seem to have forgotten that freedom of speech and expression is a primary American right. To protect and defend that right, fortunately, we have the ACLU.

In the aftermath of the events on September 11, 2001 we have seen a wave of renewed American pride sweep over this county. Unfortunately, the increase in American pride also brought a rise in intolerance for differing points of view, for people whose skin color and accents suggested a Middle Eastern ancestry and for those brave enough to stand up against the tide and ask: Are we doing the right thing? Suddenly, anyone who spoke out became a "traitor" to America, someone who aided and abetted the enemy. To oppose war, to speak out against the government's policies, we were told, was anti-American.

America doesn't work that way. Those who spoke out against their government and established the principle that dissent was a basic right and freedom, which should be "self-evident", signed the Declaration of Independence. The founders of our country believed in "the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." The issue is not whether or not we agree with those who differ from us. This is America. We don't have to agree with them, and they don't have to agree with us.

America is a diverse country with more than 200 million people who come from varied backgrounds, different philosophies and opposing beliefs. Americans of all political persuasions, beliefs and feelings determine America's greatness, and being an American affords me a part of that greatness.

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