Well, considering today is July 4th, the date of our declared independence from Great Britain, I feel the desire to express my feeling towards this country. I apologize in advance if this entry isn't greatly organized, as I'm mainly going to express what comes to mind.

They speak of this country, at least by those living in it, as a land of the free, something that's truly unique in the sense that it is here that the working man supposedly can make his dream life come true with a bit of luck, where innovation is welcomed and ingenuity appreciated. I've heard a lot of immigrants, specifically those from oppressive countries such as Soviet Russia, proclaim America to be a wonderland, that our freedoms can only be found here and here alone. I've heard them say how they felt overcome by the realization that they finally had control over their life. I've known a foreign exchange student from Vietnam who goes to my school, and although her English isn't that good, she spoke very fondly of America. She even had the power to invoke within me something I've rarely felt for many years now, that being a sense of patriotism.

I am deeply ashamed of this country, of what it has become. A country, which has its foundations based upon the principles of all men being created equal, has, at least in my opinion, been morally outdone by most of the industrialized, European countries. I'm deeply frustrated and angry. I hold contempt for this country, many of those who live in it, and it's leaders. This is a country whose potential could have truly made it "A hope for the world", as many so foolishly call it, but has instead left that saying nothing more than a sarcastic and egocentric statement. I believe what I feel about this country is what I feel when a parent attempts to push his offspring in the right direction. "Come on, get up, you can do so much better! You have so much potential! You throw your greatness away, but surely no longer!". But as always, no one listens, and I feel no one shares my feelings of despair, my thoughts of how this country throws away its potential for wonderful deeds and accomplishments.

I've heard people say that until the late 1980's and the 1990's, Germans were afraid to show pride for their country, that they were ashamed to embrace this queer ideal called 'patriotism' because of all the horrid deeds their leaders had done some 70 years ago. In all honesty, I feel the absolute same. I am honestly jealous of other countries. Other countries have their downfalls, today's Germany I hear has a horrible Bureaucracy, and yet to me, countries such as Germany, Canada, they seem like a utopia in comparison to where I live. I feel frustrated, angry, upset, jealous whenever I think about the world because I feel immigration would be a tedious and possibly hopeless endeavor, and I feel that countries which used to be absolute monarchs have already bested us at what we were supposed to be the greatest at: Individual freedom and support of the commoner.

Perhaps if there's one think I have inherited from my American ideology, it is that of freedom. The freedom of the individual, the individualism of the working man, and the promotion of unalienable rights. Anyone would win my unwavering support if they were to great us more rights and more liberties so long as they do not hinder the lives of others. I feel that with each passing day America becomes the Middle East of the Industrialized world, and by that I mean terribly out of touch with modern times and standards. A country that took inspiration from the man who said "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it" (Voltaire) has its jimmies rustled as to whether all citizens should be given the basic, and in my view humanitarian, right to marry whom they love. We were 30 years late to end slavery, we'll probably be late to allow equal marital liberties to its citizens, and we'll probably be the last to allow free healthcare to its people.

Many Americans sense that the country has lost its greatness, but I feel that none of them understand where it has failed. It has failed when the government took less of an interest in the people and more into the corporations, into big business. I feel this country will forever live in dishonor and shame until it re-embraces what it once promoted: Rights and the pursuit of happiness for all its peoples, regardless of race, gender, nationality, social class, sexual orientation, creed, or any other separating barriers.

I pray that someday I will be able to look upon this country with appreciation. That I may one day look at our flag and feel an overpowering sense of pride and love for the country I dwell in, that I may one day look at our government and feel it is of the people.

I cannot help but feel that those of you who who hold some belief that your country is horrible are mistaken. At least you are able to hold your head up high and say "I'm from this country" and others respond to it with respectful remarks. I myself would be met with hate, bitterness, and condemnation for merely being born in the laughing stock of the entire world. I would indeed tell those who I had met if I ever traveled abroad that I was Canadian, because in all honesty, if I had heard that I was from a land of war mongering, self absorption, egocentricity, and all around douchebaggery, I wouldn't like myself either.