I’m an American

I’m an American.

I’m not a Republican, a Democrat, a liberal, a conservative, a leftie or a rightie.

I’m just an American.

I’m an American who owns guns, hunts and kills animals and has no qualms about blowing away a burglar who breaks into my home or a thug who threatens my family.

And I’m an American who believes a woman has a right to choose and that it’s not the role of the government or the courts to decide whether or not she has an abortion.

I’m an American who believes in God but who doesn’t condemn someone who chooses not to and I’m an American who believes religion belongs in church and at home and not in government or in our face.

As an American, I recognize that not everyone shares my beliefs, my values or my lifestyle and understand they don’t need to, nor do I need to share theirs.

I’m an American who believes the invasion in Iraq was necessary but am disappointed that my government chose to lie about its justification and use information it knew to be false. I understand why others do not support the war and feel they must protest against it. That is their right as Americans and I should not question their patriotism because they exercise their rights to protest what they feel is unjust.

I’m an American who believes people should accept responsibility for their actions and I wonder how we became a society where lawyers get rich through multi-million dollar awards from juries who believe companies with big pockets should pay for the stupidity of others.

I’m an American who drives a gas-guzzling sports utility vehicle because it serves my needs, not because, as some fruitcakes preach, I support terrorism.

I’m an American who believes other Americans have a right to love whomever they want, even if that lover is the same gender and I believe that any effort to legislate morality is both futile and a violation of the rights of the individual.

As an American, I expect the attorney general of the United States to enforce the Constitution we have, not rewrite it to fit his zealotry.  I expect the police of this country to protect me as a citizen by getting career criminals off the streets, not invade my privacy, comb through my financial records or monitor my travel.

And as an American, I should not be profiled because of my ancestry, appearance or beliefs. The mere fact that I might should be both disturbing and disgusting to any American.

I’m an American who believes our elected officials should be honest and should work to serve the people who elect them, not the rich special interests who write big political action committee checks.

I’m an American who has the intellect to make my own decisions about life, politics, government and law. I do not need such decisions dictated to me by a party or union boss, a religious leader with an agenda or a narrow-focus philosophical movement.

Yes, I am an American and, to me, being an American means I can never be a Republican or a Democrat or a liberal or a conservative or a leftie or a rightie.

Because not one of these special interest groups can possibly represent my interests as an American.

And I find it difficult to understand how they can represent Americans who use their brains for more than an antenna for propaganda.