Land of the free, home of the brave

By Ashley Ritchie

I don't know if any of you are country music fans as I am, but if you are, you may be familiar with a song by Brooks and Dunn called "Only in America" that talks about the ways that America is different from any other country. In light of the tragedies and sudden explosion of patriotism, I have decided to make my own list of things that I believe one would find "only in America."

1.) Only in America can you drive your car with a "Jesus fish" on it and park next to a vehicle bearing a "Darwin fish" without having a problem with its driver.

2.) Only in America is it normal to have Krispy Kreme Donuts for breakfast, an In and Out burger for lunch and Thai food for dinner.

3.) Only in America can you write your president and tell him what a slime he is without being hunted down by the CIA immediately following.

4.) Only in America will you see a mother giving the president her son's police badge after he was killed in a terrorist attack.

5.) Only in America can you travel across California and be guaranteed that you will drive behind a tractor, a limousine carrying Meg Ryan and a local congressman all in a three-hour road trip.

6.) Only in America do you hear of university religion classes requiring their students to learn about a religion other than their own in order to eliminate stereotypes.

7.) Only in America can you sit and watch three little girls...one black, one white and one Asian...playing dolls and appreciate that so many people have given their lives to fight prejudice.

8.) Only in America can we be born into any social class and have the confidence to know that we have the opportunity to climb to the top.

9.) Only in America can you find Arabs, Sikhs, Latinos, Asians, Portuguese, Italians, French, Africans all living in one country working toward harmony.

10.) Only in America can thousands of people die in a terrorist attack and cause the nation to erupt with compassion, spirituality and patriotism: exactly what the terrorists were working to destroy.

I realize that as Americans, we have a long way to go toward reaching our goals of banishing hate. However, before those of you who damn our country do so, try to stop and think about all of the authentic attributes the United States has to offer. It is not perfect, but is there a perfect country? We are given the freedom to do anything we please, think anyway we choose, befriend or hate anyone we want. And where, in some opinions, other countries may have better environmental or foreign policies, they do not offer nearly what America does. All of us living in this country, either because of our own journeys or the journey of an ancestor, have been given the key to freedom without a price. Therefore, before you verbally bash the government and your country, you need to stop and think about how your ancestors made that grueling, tiresome trip to America only so that your family could have a better life would feel if they could hear you. Not only is it disrespectful of the country, but it's disrespectful to your family as well.