probably innapropriate.

the following is an excerpt from an email i sent to my parents and brother. clearly, i got entirely too worked up, i spent way too much time composing it, and i'm wasting billable hours with my analysis. beyond that, there's nothing profound about any of this. feel free to criticize.

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“We believe that the best America is in the small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call real America. Being here with all of you hard-working, very patriotic, very pro-American areas of this country.”

Sarah Palin said this recently on the campaign trail, and I can’t help but feel troubled by her logic. WE all live in big cities. Does that make us anti-American?

Now, perhaps I’m looking too much into this, but what is she going to do if she gets elected and has to work in Washington DC? What if she’s invited to throw a pitch at Yankee Stadium? Hell, what if she’s invited to the American Royal in KC? Is she really implying that small town = bigger American pride? Shouldn’t that catch the attention of every urban-dweller in the country?

“This is where we find the kindness and goodness and the courage of everyday Americans, those who are running our factories and teaching our kids and growing our food and are fighting our wars for us, those who are protecting us in uniform, those who are protecting our freedom.”

The biggest problem is that her statements are, ironically, anti-American. It’s un-inclusive, it’s divisive, and it’s excusatory. More to the point, it’s what Colin Powell described as “narrow.” Beyond that, our entire family is an amalgamate of foreigners who came here because it was the land of opportunity. People don’t immigrate because they prefer to be marginalized.

Putting a flag in your front yard or singing the national anthem or wearing a flag pin or serving in the military, while all noble gestures, are not the extent of true patriotism. For some it is manifested in different expressions – both concrete and abstract. Maybe patriotism is paying taxes. Maybe patriotism is donating to political campaigns. Maybe you love your country by simply working your ass off every day and taking care of your family. Maybe patriotism is volunteering at public schools. Maybe patriotism is recycling, saving energy and taking general pride in the appearance and health of your country.

While I know this is lengthy and the appropriate location for the requisite “my apologies for the length of this email” phrase, I simply refuse to apologize for illuminating a few relevant issues.