Slogans

 "My country, right or wrong."

"America: Love it or leave it."

These two sentiments pose a somewhat problematic noise in my head. Does that first one mean that I have unconditional love for my country? No matter what direction the leaders and those who follow those leaders take, I should be fine with that. The left or right, red or blue shouldn't be a consideration here. It is my country, and I take pride in being a part of it. I liken this a little bit to the life of a sports fan, whose favorite team has fallen on hard times, but you go on rooting for them because they are "your team." 

Does the second one mean that if you start to feel the slightest discontent with your situation here in the good ol' U S of A, you should take it on your heels and get gone? The irony here is obvious, since this country is made up of malcontents and grumblers from across the globe. We didn't like it in Europe, so we sailed away. We didn't like it to the north, east, west or south, so we hightailed it over here where things would be so much better than wherever it was that we came from. This is the land of dissidents and troublemakers. Complainers made this nation what it is today. 

The trouble comes from trying to live both of these ideals at the same time. I love my country, and I would rather not leave it, even though I have harbored fantasies at various times of skipping off to some happier place where partisan politics wouldn't be background music for everything that takes place on a daily basis. The first reason why this is always a fleeting notion is the inconvenience. I hate moving. Even down the block. Can you imagine how difficult it would be to pick up and relocate in some other country? I can't. The boxes and strapping tape involved makes me break out in a sweat. Then there's the other quandary: Where else would I rather be? Really. The circumstances I described in which partisan politics play no part in daily life sound a little like I would be happy living in a dictatorship. We'll take care of you in the best way we see fit. Don't you worry your subservient little head about it. 

So instead, I think I'll just go ahead and stick this out. I want to see how this one ends. Or how it continues to roll along in spite of all the barriers and obstacles in its way. Meanwhile, it is my hope that we can avoid a few more of those obstructions as we move ahead. Running our ship of state into every iceberg it encounters doesn't seem to be the best possible navigational choice. 

America: You got any better ideas?