Happy Birthday, America

[poliphilo]

Sometimes it can be comforting to look back. 

There was Senator Joe McCarthy- that was a shameful period of American history- with the US polity mirroring that of Stalin's Russia in staging show trials of intellectuals- but McCarthy got run out of town eventually.

And then there was Vietnam. 

And Watergate.

There's nothing the Bush administration has done- waging disastrous imperial wars,  corrupting the political life of the Republic- that hasn't been done before- and worse. America has these massive mood swings- and when she turns nasty the rest of the world cowers- but she always pulls herself right in the end.

I'm not an American, I'm not even particularly Americanophile, but I believe as a sober matter of fact that the USA is the single best political idea we (meaning human beings) have ever had. A Republic based on the values of the Enlightenment- how cool is that!

Of course America has done horrible things- which nation hasn't?- but she remains- because of the vision of her founding fathers-  "the last best hope of earth". 

That's a quote from Abraham Lincoln- the nearest the dirty profession of politics has ever come to producing a saint.

So, happy birthday, America,

You'll get over these recent set-backs-

Of course you will.

Comments

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

There was a period of time a few years ago that I was in Canada on vacation. Canadians and Americans look much the same, and I got to eavesdrop on some conversations about 'us' that I found downright embarrassing. But when I listened closely, they weren't really about my country, they were about That Man in the White House that I did NOT elect.

Thank you, Tony, for these nice words. I am maybe not the most patriotic of people, I think a lot of things are wrong with this country but you know, I'm still a citizen. And I'm glad to know that there are still people like you who can say this kind of thing so well.

P.S. I'm going to link to this.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

We love American culture- TV, movies, music. We admire all sorts of things about you- including (in theory) your political system.

Sympathy for America was at an all time high after 9/11. And then "that man" squandered it.