Fine Line Between Love and Hate

Ten things I love about America:
1. I can go from sea to shining sea and only have to speak English, except of course if I'm in Los Angeles or Miami.

2. When I am stopped by the police, I will live to complain about it. (Most of the time.)

3. I can drink the water without getting immediately ill.

4. No one is setting off bombs in the middle of the street ... most days anyway.

5. I won't be murdered for voting in a general election. I might be ridiculed, but very unlikely to be murdered.

6. Education is free and compulsory.

7. I can pursue happiness. Even if I don't attain it, I can pursue it. If I change my mind about what makes me happy, I am free to stop pursuing the one and start pursuing the other.

8. We are all cowboys, but yet we somehow always end up rooting for the Indians. (No offense to my Native American friends and family members.)

9. It is relatively easy to get fresh fruits and vegetables.

10. Last but certainly not least, I am free to worship or not to worship as I see fit.

I tried to find things I hate about my country, but I can't. If you cut me, I bleed red, white and blue. There are things I don't like about this country, but hate is much too strong a word so I will call this section:

Ten things I'm not too crazy about in America:
1. The legacy of slavery lives on. I am a Black person in Orange County, California so I have less rights than every other non-Black person in Orange County, California.

2. I love the world. Some Americans have a hard to draw the distinction between loving the world and hating my country, but that is because our borders insulate us. We should get out more.

3. People fail to appreciate the responsibility of freedom. The right to act freely comes with a responsibility to be accountable for your actions.

4. Civil courts aren't civil. Judges are fallible and lawyers are paid to manipulate the system. I do think our legal system is infinitely fairer than the alternatives which makes it that much harder to be unhappy with it.

5. Cigarettes are legal in places where trans fats have been banned.

6. America is soft on crime whereas I have a more draconian view towards criminality. I believe in capital punishment for murderers, rapists and those who intentionally harm children. I think people who steal should be disfigured so they can be easily identified. Bring back the scarlet letter.

7. The media drives too much of our political and social agenda. I won't ask, won't tell, and don't care. So long as you don't involve me or hurt my interests, your personal choices are just that: personal and a choice. If, however, you decide you want to care for my children, parents or self-interest in any capacity, then I will ask, expect an answer, and care.

8. The twenty largest cities drive too much of our economic and social agenda. We have forgotten that rural America is still America. More Americans need to see this great country so they will realize that America is not homeless people at the L.A. Mission or children shooting children, but a place where families gather around and children go fishing in a creek. We have lost sight of what is important, which is our people.

9. We have inferior tequila, scotch, vodka and coffee ... all my favorite drinks in no particular order (though coffee is by far and away my favorite).

10. Last and certainly the thing that irks me the most about our country: with all of our wealth and abundance, with all that we have been blessed with, with all the beauty that exists from coast-to-coast, we usually take the low road.

America is a great idea. It is one worth fighting for and protecting. We are all responsible for building a nation. Go do your part and know that I will do mine.