One of my deep, dark secrets is that whenever that Lee Greenwood anthem "Proud to be an American" plays, I cry. Embarrassing, I know, but true. It's a response that started in childhood and I just can't seem to get control over it. The thing about this is that I've never considered myself much of a patriot. In fact, I have often been embarrassed by America. When I lived in London, my favorite activity was American spotting across long distances, only needing a few items of clothing and raucus physical gestures to identify my fellow countrymen.
Well, today, as I watched the inauguration and listened to the Canadian commentary, I feel patriotic and must declare that I am proud to be an American. I haven't always been sold on Obama's campaign of hope (in the early days of the Dems campaign, I gave money to Hillary) but today I am more than glad that we have this new president who genuinely strives to be inclusive, who acknowledges that hope and prosperity require hard work, who can give (as his daughter said) "a pretty good speech."
So here's to a new era of responsibility, integrity, and motivation. Good riddance, old Georgie.
God bless America. And I mean that with every bit of hope I can muster.
Ruth Asawa retrospective in MoMa
7 months ago
5 comments:
I am with you my sister.
Yes! I cried through much of yesterday and today in the car on the way to work as NPR interviewed people who were there. It is a great day. And I'm with you. Proud.
Against all I believe, I too secretly choke up at Lee Greenwood's "I'm proud..." And I felt the spirit, as they say in mormondom, listening to Obama's speech. But then I quickly tempered my hope worried about a big let down. Still, I can give you a hear, hear! No matter what happens at least we will get to hear Obama explain it instead of Bush.
I suppose I should comment on the gist of this post--I have never been choked up by that particular song. I was a 20-something during he Reagan era and smelled the stink of what that song really was.
It has a good beat, though.
Ditto Theorris,
The first time I heard that song was in high school in the mid 90s during P.E. class. They took us into the auditorium to hear an army recruiter (in P.E. class?), and he showed us a video with Lee Greenwood doing the song to a military audience during the gulf war (USO). Fading in and out of the song were those video clips we all saw then from the fighter jets, the ones with cross-hairs fixed on Iraqi buildings getting blown to smithereens. I was shameless and disgusting.
Post a Comment