Are You Proud To Be An American?

Are you proud to be an American?

Some might think that is a stupid question, but as time passes I do not think so.  As we have been going through 7 ½ years and counting of an attack on our society, is that a really that stupid of a question to ask?

Fox Business News anchor Stuart Varney was born in Britain and has been in America a long time, and just became an American last November.

He recently spoke about becoming an American citizen and was quoted in The Daily Caller new site article stating:

I realized at that point, I’m a member of the club. I am an American, makes you feel different. It just does. I’ve loved America since day one, and now I’ve joined the club. I’m in, and I’m a very happy guy. I have pretty much a free choice as to where I want to live and work in the world. And I deliberately chose America because this is the place that I know and like and came to love…it offered opportunity—and nobody cared what my mom and dad did for a living. You know, that’s an astonishing thing to say when you’re a European because your birthright, your background means a lot. In America, I never got that impression. Can you do the job? Have you got any brains, drive, talent, and ability? And if you do well, you can climb the tree. And that’s what happened to me. I liked it immediately, fit right in, felt myself to be very American, and took it from there.  “It’s a feeling of belonging, being part of it

Do you feel like you belong to something special?

I do.

Too many of us today do not, and too many Americans take our freedom for granted.  It is just another entitlement, an entitlement that does not require them to take any personal responsibility to protect it.

Thomas Jefferson warned future generations that "eternal vigilance" was the price of our liberty.  President Abraham Lincoln hoped that” government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth”.  Today, too many of us are giving up government by the people and for the people to the government itself, by their sheer ignorance of the issues of the day and letting themselves be “educated” by other ignorant people, 30 second soundbites, talking points of their parties, or even worse voting for their own selfish reasons.

It is painful to watch people on the streets or even worse on our college campuses, being interviewed by TV reporters who ask them very easy questions about our government and the institutions that run the country.  We then truly see the ignorance of the American people concerning their country.  For instance look at this man on the street interview by Mark Dice showing what appears to be Americans, being asked a simple question, “how many stars are on our flag”.

Where is that "eternal vigilance" that Thomas Jefferson believed would be required to preserve freedom? Unfortunately today, we see too much widespread apathy and quite frankly gullibility which allows them to accept what will ultimately become governmental tyranny.

Americans fought and died to preserve our freedom. Today's generation cannot seem to spare time from their selfies, twitters, TV and other social media to think about what makes our form of government great.

Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story in his Commentaries on the Constitution stated:

“Let the American youth never forget, that they possess a noble inheritance, bought by the toils, and sufferings, and blood of their ancestors; and capacity, if wisely improved, and faithfully guarded, of transmitting to their latest posterity all the substantial blessings of life, the peaceful enjoyment of liberty, property, religion, and independence.”

So I ask you once again, are you proud to be an American? A do you understand what that means and what it takes to protect it?

Let’s talk about this today on The Live with Renk Show which airs Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to noon. To let me know your thoughts during the show please call (269) 441-9595.

Or please feel free to start a discussion and write your thoughts in the comment section.