America In My Mind (Part One)
By Cindra Crisman
When I was 15, the Indonesian government came to our door to tell us to raise the flag. Now that I am here in America I am saddened to see Americans use the flag not to show their love and respect for our country, but hatred for George Bush or love for Barack Obama. Even my school age daughter knows better. I love the freedoms America has given me and am thankful to be an American. However, there are some Americans who do not and refuse to raise the flag because “I am against the Iraq War and Bush” declared this guy arrogantly to his July 4th Cocktail Party guests. Yet, his flag was up on July 4th this year while the Iraq War is still on going, because “To honor President Obama”. Clearly,
Mr. Cocktail Party has used the Flag as his expression of freedom of speech, not his love of freedom for America. I went to the Flag Day Ceremony of my daughter’s school these past 3 years; the salutation was to the Flag of the United States, not to Bush or to Obama. So, Mr. Cocktail Party’s action has no justification. Because of the freedom living in America that this man took for granted, he allowed his convoluted mind to be ignorantly naïve to salute a government, not a country. Believe me, Indonesian Government would love to have a citizen like him, if only he knew how awful it is to live under a tyrannical rule, I doubt he would be so delusional.
Despite the growing numbers of people like him in America, which is responsible for giving Obama the Presidency, I had no regret leaving Indonesia; though it is ironic that I escaped the tyranny of “LOVE THE GOVERNMENT, YOU IMBICELE”, to now live under another.
However, I believe patriotism is created by the people, not the government, and American Patriots, my daughter included, if forced by President Obama to raise the Flag to honor him, will bravely declare: “It is my Flag, Mr. President, and it is for the People and The Country, not for you!”. Make that my freedom of speech.
Cindra Crisman is not the real name of the author who lives in New England with his/her family. The identity of the author is withheld to protect the author’s business interests.
This day in history October 11, 2009
732 The battle of Tours France, under Charles “The Hammer” Martel’s Christian army an invading force of Muslim Moors was annihilated.
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