When you were proud to be an American, why were you proud?

[Pryderi]

What made you believe in our country? What did you believe our "American Ideals" to be?

[Warpy]

1. That the law applied to all of us equally

That we offered a place where freedom of speech, religion, assembly and the press were all guaranteed.

That we didn't have to be afraid of the police smashing their way in and taking all our effects on a casual fishing expedition.

That we had the power in our hands to change a government that wasn't doing the job we sent them to do.

That we honored our treaties with other nations.

That we offered a place where people sho were motivated could educate themselves, work hard, and succeed, and that their children could count on having a better life than their parents did.

That we all deserved an honest day's pay for a day's work and that our organizations were respected by the government.

Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.

[murielm99]

2. I was proud of my country during the civil rights era,

and during Watergate.

The oppression of African Americans was exposed by a sympathetic media, and our government responded by passing legislation and helping to alleviate the situation.

During Watergate, our government worked. Nixon and his minions were exposed, and his own party helped to get him out of office.

I was proud during Clinton's presidency, too. I was proud of our booming economy. I was proud that no matter how the repukes tried to crucify Clinton, the American people saw through the Starr bs, and his approval ratings continued to rise. I was proud of the way Clinton responded to the ethnic cleansing of Muslims. I was proud of the way he had things in place to keep us safe from terrorism.

American ideals are expressed well in the Constitution, especially in the Bill of Rights. And the freedoms expressed there apply to everyone equally.

[Telly Savalas]

3. Still am proud: jazz, baseball, KC bbq, etc.

Believing that one's homeland is God's chosen country is a pretty dangerous mindset, but that doesn't mean we can't root for the hometeam.

There's a lot of great places in the world. The U.S. is one of them. Being from there is part of my identity and something I take a bit of pride in, and assholes like Bush can't take that away from me. :patriot:

[murielm99]

15. Great post, Telly!

:yourock:

[freesqueeze]

4. Sometimes, I still find reasons...

to be proud.



Feingold reminded us all of what's possible if you just have a little courage.

http://www.freesqueeze.com/russfeingold.htm

[senseandsensibility]

5. I am still proud to be an American

Don't let * take that away from you. Being an American has nothing to do with * and this "administration." They don't know the meaning of the word.

[Nevernose]

6. I'm STILL proud to be an American, and probably always WILL be.

I'm proud to be a part of Democraticunderground, for instance.
I'm proud to give voters a ride to the polls.
I'm proud that I live in an American community where gay, interracial, and other "nonstandard" couples aren't even worthy of a doubletake.
I'm proud to work in America's public schools.
I'm proud when a student asks me, an "old" fat white guy, to be the advisor for the Black Student Union or the Student Organization of Latinos.
I'm proud when I see German tourists at the Grand Canyon, staring slack-jawed and speechless.
I'm proud to know that my grandfather stormed the beaches at Normandy.
I'm proud every time I see pictures of a peace march in dowtown Pittsburgh, PA.
I'm proud every time I put a Steve Earle album on.
I'm proud that I just ordered a t-shirt for my ten year old daughter from the National Organization of Women.
I'm proud that our national basketball team always wins the gold at the Olympics.
I'm proud that I live next door to a little old lady who takes her own pride in keeping her house beautiful; she has great geraniums.

Are there things about this country that I'm ashamed of? Hell, yes. And maybe these days I often feel more ashamed than not. However, the fact that our mistakes outweigh our virtues does not invalidate our virtues. It means that those of us who still take real pride in this country -- as opposed to us that have sold out to the easy-ethos of nationalism -- just have to work all the harder.

[Journeyman]

7. I *am* proud to be an American. . .

There's too much good in this nation and its ideals for me to feel anything but pride in its promise and hope. There may be some who've tarnished its light, and the proper path may be difficult to discern amidst the wreckage wrought by those who do not share the vision and dream, but the ideals are greater than the petty concerns of the terminally shortsighted and the force of its future remains within our grasp. The better angels of our nature rests within our hearts and so long as we retain the vision the future remains within the realm of possibility.

I won't let smallminded men like George W. rob me of my heritage or my hope. This nation is more than its ofttimes objectionable daily deeds. Hold tight to the dream no matter how disturbing the present nightmare may be and the future remains bright.

[Chipper Chat]

8. During the 1950s there were huge parades on July 4th.

Our small Indiana town of 13,000 had World War I vets, World War 2 vets, National Guard + many other military units as well as all the boy scouts, cubs, girl scouts & brownies. I was mainly impressed with the big flags and marching bands. I was, yeah, proud to be an American.

[SeattleGirl]

9. I never stopped being proud that I am an American

I love America, though I do not always agree with things done in her name. Nor do I think she is perfect, but I love her anyway.

I love it that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are the foundations of America. I love this country so much that I have, am, and will continue to fight against those like Bush who treat these documents as meaningless pieces of paper.

I love America because she is filled with people of all ethnicities, opinions, religions (or no religion). People who have something to give; people who WANT to give. People from whom I can learn, people who can show me a different way to look at something because they look at it differently.

I love America because, even though racism, bigotry, and prejudice still exist, there are so many people who have fought, and so many people who are fighting against these things. Fighting for the rights of all people to be treated with dignity, to be able to exercise their rights. Look at the kids and young adults today. For the most part, they don't blink their eyes at gays, bi-racial couples, or anyone who is "different" -- they don't SEE them as different. I know not all young adults and kids are that way, but I know more of them ARE. And they are the product of their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents -- of the fight these people fought to make things better for everyone in this country.

I love America, and I love being an American, not because of some jingoistic idea of "patriotism". This country has done some very good things in the world, and we should not forget them, or let them be overshadowed completely by the bad things done in her name. Things do not look very good right now in many ways, but it is the Bush Administration that is committing atrocities like pre-emptive war and torture. That is NOT what America is at her heart. And that is why I'm not ashamed to be an American. But sometimes I do feel shame at what is done in her name.

[Pryderi]

10. I watched Gore's FL speech, and he told the story of George Washington

ordering troops not to torture captured prisoners, and the reasons why prisoners should not be tortured. I turned off the tv and sat thinking about this for awhile and got depressed. Today our government condones torturing people. Our government violates the US Constitution and condones it. I felt our government had taken away many of the reasons I used to be proud to be an American and I resented it.

[LSK]

11. I used to be proud, then I realized that other countries exist too

I have never been to them, but I am not convinced that we are better than everyone one of them. Also I believe Nationalism is an evil and a thing that will be outdated in the future. There are great parts of the world that want to unite (see EU) and I would rather be a citizen of Earth instead of the citizen of a country.

[cynatnite]

12. I was proud before bush got into office...

We were about peace, equality and all those wonderful ideals that made us great...not that I thought we were any greater than any other country, but I was still proud. We were respected and liked...well, by a hell of a lot more then than now.

I don't have a problem saying I'm not proud to be an American right now. I'm crossing my fingers that will soon change.

[amitten]

13. I used to think we were a just and honest country.

We've had slip-ups, but overall that was how I felt.

Not anymore.

[Imagevision]

14. When Clinton beat the impeachment - inspite of the 70 mill. spent

He lied about a BJ. -- impeachment? - has anyone heard anything more rediculous? How many guyz lied to their girlfriends/wives about the same scenario.

But Bush is allowed to remain in office, that i totally ludicrous!!

[MikeNY]

16. John F. Kennedy's Inaugaural Address

I felt proud when I first heard John F. Kennedy's Inaugaural Address...

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/johnfkennedyinaugural.htm
If you want to listen to it or read it.

I would not die for this country's leadership today...but for the beliefs we are supposed to stand for. Freedom, Justice, Equality under the law. Peace and Prosperity for all Americans.

These are the beliefs our country was respected for - that people around the world believed in - for a very long time. When we stop living by these beliefs, in the form of our foreign policy, our arrogant attitude, we lose a great deal of respect around the world, and for ourselves as a nation.

[NanceGreggs]

17. For me, America has never been a place on the map ...

When I was a kid and learned my first 'patriotic' song in kindergarten, I wondered why we were all singing about a place named Tizothee. I didn't want to appear stupid, so I never asked the obvious question about where Tizothee was, and why we remembered it so fondly in song.

It recounted a land of the pilgrims' pride, and I knew about pilgrims because we portrayed them in the school play that year. Land where my fathers died? I grew up in the 'fifties, and all of our fathers were WWII vets - so that made sense, because we knew that people's fathers sometimes died in wars.

By the time I got to the first grade, I realised that "My Country, 'Tis of Thee," was about America. I figured that Tizothee was a nickname, like Good Ol' US of A, Cradle of Freedom, or Beacon of Democracy. And I was okay with that.

In the 'sixties, Tizothee went through some bad times, with the war in Viet Nam and the war being waged right here at home in places like Selma, Alabama. Apparently some people thought that some Tizothians were more 'equal' than others.

But America took on another nickname, 'Camelot', when JFK was elected. It was a mythical place, where gallant knights again ruled the day, while their beautiful ladies charmed the world, and equality and freedom were declared from the turrets of the White Castle in Washington, DC.

And then the great King was taken, along with other Kings. But they left Tizothee a better place for their having been a part of it.

The 'seventies saw the rise of the Black Knight, and America became a place where students were gunned down on sleepy grassy campuses, and those in power lied, cheated, and dragged ol' Tizothee down to a place so low, it didn't seem she would ever again rise above the mud.

But she did. Only to be dragged down again at the dawn of a new century, when she should have been shining like the old Beacon of Freedom she once was.

I still believe in Tizothee, because she is not a country that exists on a map, nor a place that sits still in time. Tizothee is a group of people, who work hard, who dream, who believe that the well-being of their fellow citizens is more important than money or power, who believe that every life can and will be made better by their example, who believe that they are not just each other's neighbours, but are neighbours of every person in every country around the world.

I am a citizen of Tizothee, the America that existed in the idyllic and idealized world of my childhood dreams.

I do not put my trust in the people who have stolen her, who have made her appear to be mean and petty. I do not believe in the usurpers of her virtue, who have tried to turn her into the cruel and violent mistress they envision in their own nightmares.

The evil that has taken hold of my country will not stand. It cannot - because these people are not Americans, by any stretch of the imagination. I believe that my country will rise again, as the Cradle of Freedom it was in the past, and will be again in the future.

That is why, sweet Tizothee, it is still of THEE I sing.

[shanti]

18. good question!

well, i had always felt that the u.s. was a benevolent ruler, however, i was very anti-political BACK THEN. 'truth, justice, and the "american" way' and all that. then i woke up.

my, how things have changed.:eyes: that old "absolute power..." saying seems to have held true.

[Raksha]

19. I'm STILL proud to be an American, dammit!

And proud to among those who remember what that actually means. It's "them" who should be ashamed to call themselves Americans.

[bryant69]

31. Right on

I don't know how we can expect to inspire people while also tearing them down.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[upi402]

20. human rights, civil rights, attempting equality, pbs, npr, fairness

opportunity to work with dignity


now it's shit

[harlinchi]

21. I still am. Places like DU inspire pride. I was more proud...

...however, when we (the US) appeared to be on the path of progress. I felt better when, despite the bad things I know we (the US) did, I could say, as a famous person did, to "tell them we are rising". I cannot say we are rising now.

[H2O Man]

22. I am proud to be an American.

Proud to live on earth, too.

[blindpig]

23. When Carter sat on his hands and allowed Somoza to be overthrown.

Also when the Endangered Species Act was passed. Can't really think of anything since.

[Radio_Guy]

24. I'm still proud

There is still hope. Russ Feingold has not been arrested for calling for Bush's censure. We are still free to question the president's tactics. We have not been arrested for posting our views on DU. Yes, the trend seems to be heading that way. But we still have enough forces to fight that level of tyranny. It won't happen as long as we remain free to post our views and elect good people like Feingold. We Americans can still stand up for our country and stand up we shall.

[Iris]

25. I've never been proud. Don't get me wrong, though.

It's not really a question of patriotism for me.

I mean, what'd I do to become an American? I got born.

[karlrschneider]

26. I have never been 'proud' of an accident of birth. I have been 'happy',

or 'grateful' but I refuse to take 'pride' in something I had no hand in creating.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

27. I was young and very naive. A long time ago.

Kent State and My-Lai removed the last vestiges of pride in country that remained.

"Patriotism is the most foolish of passions and the passion of fools." Schopenhauer

[mainer]

28. When Neil Armstrong walked on the moon

that's about the last time I remember all Americans united in their pride.

[Balbus]

29. Still am and always have been!

But, as shallow as it may sound, the proudest moment was when the United States beat the Soviet Union in the "Miracle On Ice" at the 80 olympics.

[Minnesota Libra]

30. People first and profits second - Democrats just seemed to.......

.....care more about the common person than neocons ever have. No, I'm not always happy with every decision Democrats make but given a choice between the likes of Bush, Dems, Nader, I take Dems.