(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . What does it mean to be American.. [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-14 To me, being American means that you hold these words dearly.. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Note the language. All men. My complaint with the language is that it does not say “all men and women”. Let us assume that they meant to include, and this and move on. All men (and women)! Are created equal!! With unalienable rights!!! Not just white slave holders. Yes, we know there was some hypocrisy involved. The words remain true even if those uttering them were total hypocrites. All men (and women)! Not just Jews that were promised certain real estate by God. And yes, that also applies with regards to other group classifications… sex, race, language, color of skin, place of worship. But I am specifically talking about the current carnage in Israel/Gaza. As Americans, we do not believe in a God that favors one group of “all men” over others. Let me go further… As Americans, *we are required* to reject any ideology that favors one group over others. If we encounter a situation in which a God, a religious leader, or a political leader is promising you favorable treatment, then we Americans are required to reject that outright. We cannot simultaneously claim to be American, and also believe that certain individuals have more rights than others simply because they were born within a particular group. You can believe the latter, but then you should also refrain from calling yourself American. Some people have gone further than my framework. Nancy Pelosi, for instance, once said that while everyone will fight for their own freedom, Americans are unique in that American will also fight for your freedom. I am paraphrasing her words from memory, but I think I have the gist. I admire her framework, but I don’t quite agree with her choice of words… to me, it seems like she is implying that Americans are required to fight for other people’s freedom. I don’t agree with this interpretation… we are not required to go fight for Ukraine, or for Palestine, or for Mahsa Amini, or for Afghans. We can choose to do so, but we should be careful with that choice because it is often misplaced (as it was in Afghanistan). But we cannot support anyone, or any group that suppresses another group. Or uses de-humanizing language against others. Or deprives another group of their unalienable rights. Within the context of the I/P conflict, I am referring specifically to those who suggest that “settlers are not civilians” (and by inference, legitimate military targets) and those who reject the Palestinian refugees’ right to return because of fears that they will alter the Jewish nature of Israel. On those fears, I have to say… it is probably not misplaced, but it is misguided. Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish country is just as hollow as America’s right to exist as a white country (or India’s right to exist as a Hindu country, or Iran’s right to exist as a Muslim country, or...) As an American, I reject both sides of this. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/14/2199404/-What-does-it-mean-to-be-American?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/