On being American, part 2

Sorry for the 2nd blog today, but there were some other points I wanted touch on and didn't want my last blog to be too long.

1.  I think of our country kinda like I think of a house -- you either live here and are a part owner (with all the responsibilities that entails), or you are a guest.  You need to behave like one or the other.  If you want to enjoy all the benefits this country has to offer, become (or act like) a citizen.  I'm not just talking immigrants here either, there are a lot of young people who would do well to understand both their rights and their duties as citizens of The United States. 

If you are a guest, don't think you can treat this country like it's the bus you rented for a bachelor party or TDrag's closet space.  Now, I understand a lot of Americans go into other countries and don't represent us that well, so the same rules apply for us.

2.  Pick a nationality and drop the hyphen.  Theodore Roosevelt said something to the effect of "we cannot be a hyphenated society and continue to strengthen America".  At the time he was referring to Irish-Americans, Italian-Americans and other ethnicities.  He wanted people to focus on what unifies us and makes us great, rather than fighting over the differences.

I asked a neighbor of mine who is black how he describes himself -- is he black, a person of color, African-American, what?  He said he's an American -- full stop.  "Why do you need to qualify me as your black or African-American neighbor?" he asked. He also told me that whenever someone tells him that they are African-American, he asks them what tribe his ancestors came from.

Okay, that's it.  Enough politics from me.  I'll get back to posting drawings tomorrow.