Land of the free, home of the brave

So Al Gore wins the Nobel Peace prize, eh? I feel somehow...vindicated...secretly smug and sticking my tongue out at every person who supported George Bush and wrote Gore off as an overweight has-been crying in his spilled milk. Feh!!

I don't think I've ever been so angry as when the bought & sold Supreme Court elected George Bush as Commander in Chief. I lost all faith in our country, in our system of government that I truly had believed was superior than any other. Checks and balances would prevent any branch from having too much power and usurping the federal government, or so I thought. But what do you know, some very power hungry, smart, rich men propped up an idiot and wrapped him in the flag and forever changed our world.

And what has our country gotten for its effort? A steady erosion of the rights that made our country so unique in the world, the cost of living increasing steadily, young soldiers being blown to bits in another Vietnam, hate, hate, and more hate.

Sometimes I despair of raising my children in this country. I can't honestly talk about the "land of the brave, home of the free" because we are no longer free in this country. The government is so corrupted that all of those values I held so dear no longer exist. Separation of church and state? Nope. Freedom from instrusive searches? Negative. Balance of powers? Sorry.

I think about my grandfather, who sacrificed everything to come to this country and worked so hard to give his children a better life. His son, my dad, is a PhD and raised 4 daughters successfully, all college educated American citizens. But what does this country think about immigrants today under this race-baiting administration? The racism and xenophobia is palpable. Immigrants are portrayed as lazy, selfish, greedy people who only want to take and don't contribute anything to society. How very sad.

Okay, rant over. But seriously, what does it mean to be an American? I guess I have to mull that over before my kids ask me....