I doomscroll too frequently on X (or Twitter, if you must) and, in many posts on that site, I have confronted the notion that some Americans are not patriotic; indeed, there is allegedly a belief that patriotism is a mere partisan construct; that only members of one party may be partiotic, whilst members of the other party, if they express the barest patriotic sentiment at all, must, in the same breath apologize for our country's shortcomings.
I realize that, in a nation of 342 millions, there must be some who harbor such stupid opinions. Some academic poseurs were spouting this kind of nonsense when Nixon was still in the White House. There are undoubtedly more such misguided persons these days, since the balanced teaching of history and civics, with any sense of context or perspective, has gone the way of the horse and buggy.
Yes -- granted -- America is not perfect. It has not always lived up to its highest ideals. Neither have you. Because you are human. Humans are imperfect. Things that humans make, like governments and nations, are necessarily imperfect, too. Only God is perfect. All we mere humans can do is strive to do better. And, in the course of its 250 years of independence, America has gotten better and better. Not in a straight line, perhaps, and we can have an honest debate on where we have faltered and where we have surged ahead. But, on balance, we live in the greatest nation that has ever been.
I sincerely believe that, the negative types notwithstanding, most Americans -- the vast majority -- are as proud and grateful as I am today, on America's 250th birthday. May God continue to bless our beloved nation, and may we continue to be worthy of the blessings received.
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