I am an American. Born and raised in the central plains, Kansas and Oklahoma. I own a ranch and have owned a successful business. I retired as a police officer and have seen things that no man should have to see. I have been blessed enough to be able to travel both abroad, to Canada and to a lot of places in the United States. I can honestly tell you that the best part of any international travel is walking under that sign that says "Welcome to the United States of America."
If you dislike the United States, you probably dislike what you see and hear about in Washington DC. Most Americans wouldn't blame you. Course, American's have hated what goes on in Washington DC since it became the nations capital. Read our history. We've had congressmen beat to death on the floor of the House of Representatives. One of our Vice Presidents was killed in a duel. A President was caught trying to cover up a burglary that he originally didn't know about or approve and resigned in disgrace. There are convicted felons serving in both the House and the Senate. In my opinion, they definately act like it at times.
My grand mother absolutely KNEW that the bushwhackers from Missouri were the spawn of the devil and nothing good could become of including them into anything. She was a Kansas jayhawker from birth until the day she died because they burned down the farm and killed one of her uncles by Lawrence, Kansas. My parents knew that America would not see the year 2000 and anyone who publicly said they were a Democrat was probably genetically defective.
But when I was lost in New York city, I approached a group of guys talking on the street. I have to admit relunctantly after I had heard how horrible New Yorkers were. After initially laughing at my accent, a group of nicer guys you would never find. They not only helped me out, but I had to excuse myself so I could get to an appointment. I think they would have talked to me for hours about Oklahoma and my ranch. When my rental car broke down in Florida, a Cuban immigrant got the car started again and told me how to get to where I needed to go. There are towns by the Canadian border in Maine that speak mostly French, but they'll treat you like a friend from the outset. Same for some remote places in Louisiana. Some of the African slave decendants speak a combination of English and something else on some of the islands of the Carolinas. It's a wonder to listen to them.
America is a nation of many faults, many problems and we'd be the first to admit them. But what you see and hear about in Washington DC is NOT the America I enlisted and fought for, the one that, even in my later years, I would give my very life for. It was the best friend that I had from Spokane, Washington. Or the guy that was from Boise, Idaho. It's those guys that helped me out in New York city. Or that Cuban immigrant who fixed my car in Florida.
If you're not American, we're a very hard bunch to understand. We absolutely LOVE our cars. Know any other group of people who will stop dead in their tracks and absolutely slobber over a 1972 Oldsmobile 442? Or get really giddy over that original US Army issue 1911 Colt? We'll fight over the drop of a hat and we'll fight each other or anyone else that wants to give it a go. Someone tells us what to do and by God in heaven, we will do EACTLY the opposite because after all, we are AMERICANS and no SOB is going to tell me what to do. Tell us what to think and you'll get laughed at. You also might get more than you bargained for. We don't stand in line well, and patience, although a virtue, is not one of our strong points. We know that.
It's easy to get disillusioned and disgusted at whats going on. If you're from the outside, it's easy to dismiss the United States government as an inept, corrupt, and belligerent group of fools. But the government IS NOT the United States of America. Its citizens are what makes up this country. I am constantly in awe of the determination, resilliance, and tenacity of the people who make up this country.
Canada is a friend and will always be so in my mind. Britain the same as a great deal of our heritage goes back to that island. Both of those nations, like America, has some of their own serious issues. Hopefully, like our nation they will do their best to solve them and move on.
Just one more thing about American's you should know. We really don't care what other nations think about us or what we should do. You want a say in what we do, beccome a citizen. Another weird trait of most Americans is that we enjoy or privacy. So whine and bitch all you want. If we didn't matter, you wouldn't care.