America — An Honest Look

“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

This is me, today, as I believe two very different and opposing things. One, I am proud of my country, proud to have served as an active duty Marine, and proud of the Constitution that I swore to defend. Our ideals of freedom and equality, of liberty and justice for all, continue to shine as beacons for the world to see. I believe in the greatness of this nation.

Conversely, I also admit to the terrible flaws that are at the very heart of our existence. One, we became a nation on the backs of the indigenous populations. We stole their land, abducted their children, decimated their culture, and repeatedly broke promises and treaties. We didn’t “discover” this great land, we took it. Two, this nation was built through enslaved labor and we’ve never made right that injustice or even acknowledged the wealth and opportunities that were created by minorities but restricted to white Americans.

Yes, I love this country. And yes, I am also ashamed of how we got here and believe we still have work to do to make this the nation a true “shining city on a hill.”