I got tired of the Republicans taking the "proud American" label

... so I took it back. I'm a liberal who believes in helping the downtrodden, ensuring equal rights for all, and trying to love/not judge thy fellow man.

I believe in the 40 hour work week, health care for all, education for all, freedom for all to make their own choices regarding their bodies, lifestyle and beliefs, going our way in this world trying to life others up instead of pushing them down, and to enjoy clean air/water/land. I'm no longer going to quietly hide my beliefs (such as at parties or gatherings where blowhard conservatives begin spouting off about unions/Obama/blue states) nor waste my time with shit like "let's agree to disagree" or letting right-wingers screech about how offended they were for being immediately blamed after the Gabrielle Giffords shooting, as if the precious right of these assholes not to be assumed to blame for that incident is somehow so much more meaningful than the fact they usually are behind any such given event.

Beyond that, I love this country, these states and this flag. My America is the one founded and promoted by the likes of Ben Franklin (smartest founding father ever), Thomas Jefferson / John Adams (pure brainpower and healthy distrust of religion), Sam Adams (first to evince the phrase "stick it to the man" as far as I'm concerned), Abe Lincoln (racist he might have been but a complete ballbuster who was determined to keep the country whole), Teddy Roosevelt (only decent Republican in politics; beat the trusts, built the canal, saved national parks and gave us all a role model for speaking softly and carrying a big stick), Franklin Roosevelt (kept the country out of fascism and won WWII), JFK, Bill Clinton (the part about turning a deficit into a surplus which was then of course immediately turned into a deficit by the Republicans is the most significant aspect of that era) and the hope of Barack Obama after years of Bush failures.

I'm proud of the people in this country who work to make a positive difference (and some may even be of the Republican bent) - who try to make the world a better place. I'm glad to live in a community where some are trying to help others instead of taking or being apathetic. There's still a lot of good in this society; I am no longer letting Republicans define "Americans" as right-wing trash that cares more about themselves (or helping the rich) - they're the minority, and that minority is ever-shrinking as their kind dwindles and the younger generations get older and wiser.

In short, I have as much right to live in this country and voice my opinions as any Republican who remains oh-so-convinced only their views valid. I'm a taxpayer, I abide the law, and I think for myself, as opposed to those who let talk radio and Fox News do the thinking for them. I am prepared to face off against anyone who wants to tell me my opinions are less because I'm not a Republican, or that I'm deluded somehow, or that I don't get the "big picture" (which invariably means I should let the rich and the corporations tell me what to believe). I am the same American as any gun-waving Republican who thinks wrapping themselves in the flag gives them some sort of immunity from having their beliefs examined, questioned or rejected.

:kick: