All around the world these days, it seems America is the butt of everyone's hatred and criticism. Our own President, love him or hate him, runs around apologizing for our international sins of the past. The leaders of the Arab world laugh at us after every visit; they mock us in speeches at the U.N.; they dare us to stop their nuclear programs. I suspect much of this is deserved, but only on account of the incredibly weak leadership currently controlling Washington.
Yet what currently exists in the nation's capitol is not reflective of our history. In fact America's history is one to be proud of. We sent our military half way across the world to stop the Nazi expansion, all the while fighting an imperialistic Japan who attacked us without provocation. Yet those same soldiers who destroyed enemy cities came back after the war to rebuild. Those same American flag patches worn on the shoulders of the Marines symbolized both defeat to the Nazis and hope to German citizens who needed help.
Can we say that about any other nation in the world? Who else but America doesn't take the spoils of war, leaving them instead with the enemy we defeated? And when it comes to disaster relief, famine, medical emergencies, educational assistance, third-world development, and any other international need, no one steps up like America.
Thecheapplace.com has this patch which says, 'Try burnin' this one'. That says it all. They also have this awesome American patch honoring the the innocent victims of the 9/11 attacks. Oh...by the way, where was the rest of the world we needed their help after 9/11? Nowhere to be found. But when Indonesia was hit with a tsunami just three years later, we were the first ones on the ground.
I'm not bitter, don't get me wrong, I'm just proud to be an American. Nobody's perfect, and that includes us. But no other country has done as much good for the rest of the world than we have. If you're proud to be an American, show it with a well-placed patch that everyone can see. Don't let the 'hate America' crowd on our own soil scare you, either.
If you're like me, and you can't wait for President Obama's defeat in 2012, get a 'Go Obama, Get Out of The White House' patch. Iron it on a shirt, sew it to your backpack, or even glue it to your car window with some rubber cement. It's time to stand up and once again be proud of our country.
We are not the losers our leaders try to make us us to be; we are Americans. We pull ourselves up by the bootstraps, get to work, get things done come hell or high water. We fight to protect the rest of the world against dictators and imperialists. We spend our money to feed the starving and provide medical care to the needy. We are Americans.
And we are free.
