Day 113 - Proud to be an American?

So, as the announcement came last night about Osama bin Laden, enemy of the US and #1 terrorist in the world, being killed, there seems to be a sense of American pride swelling in ways that haven't been seen for some since Obama was elected and inaugurated, but for many, it hasn't been seen since the unity found after the 9-11 terrorist attacks.  This has been hailed as "the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda" - a victory for America and freedom and the like.  It seems that we've once again proven to the world that when you mess with America, we will get you, even if it takes 10 years, 3 wars, and our own economy.
Admittedly, whenever I hear the above song, I cry.  I can't tell you why, because I don't consider myself patriotic.  I don't feel anything when I hear the Star-Spangled Banner, but for some reason, this song touches me.  I heard it this morning on the radio after a DJ played a soundbite from Obama's speech and made his own comments on the events.  Yet, as I wiped the usual tears, I felt sadness.  I think that as I listened to the song and thought about people celebrating a man's death, I realized a few things about my country and myself.

• Obama said something that struck me in his speech: "The cause of securing our country is not complete.  But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to.  That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place."  As I think about the Hell that Obama has caught because of his race even though he achieved the status of president, as I think about some of my dearest friends who would have to go to a different state to get married, as I think about hate crimes that happen everyday (whether perpetrated by others or self-inflicted), as I think about the fact that when I was giving blood one of the questions on the health portion was if I'd had sex with a man who'd ever had sex with another man (because all gay men have AIDS), as I think about the number of people below the poverty line in America... I have to wonder.  We stand up for values abroad but how many of our own citizens can't get the same freedoms that we fight to give others around the world? 
• Is war always the answer?  Has violence become the acceptable way of handling things, especially since "we don't negotiate with terrorists"?  Are we so brainwashed by the rhetoric of "freedom" that we can celebrate the death of a person, no matter who that person is?  Is human life not valued even in forms that we don't agree with?  No, I don't agree with what Osama did, and if he is indeed responsible for 9-11, then I want him to be brought to justice like any other criminal, but I can never celebrate anyone's death.  He was still a human being.  Someone brought out the fact that people in Osama's camp danced as Americans died on 9-11, so it's interesting to me that Americans would have the same reaction to his death, especially if we are supposed to be so much more moral and "Christian" than those enemies.
• Am I unAmerican?  How is being American defined?  As Obama ended his speech, he said, "Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."  While I'd love to agree with Obama, I think it is more the wealth and power that tend to define America than the God-loving, united, free, diverse people that the pledge of allegiance describes us as.  In typical perception, American tends to mean rich, white, straight, Christian, capitalistic, and male, and in most of those respects, I am not American.  

Do I love this country?  I can't say that I do.  But I do love people, and I want people to love each other.  This means not celebrating that someone has died.  That means listening to the history and the issues of people before taking one side or the other when people in a country rebel or when there are "terrorist" attacks.  We often forget that one person's terrorist is someone else's freedom fighter.  This doesn't mean that every cause is valid (the KKK for example), but it does mean that war/violence shouldn't be the first response to everything.  If we took the time to talk to and respect and care for each other as the American rhetoric talked about, then we wouldn't have wars or people attacking us "because of our freedoms," especially when we are probably overstepping our bounds in many of the places where people are burning our flag.