USA!

“And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air…”

We’re so lucky to live in the greatest country on Earth! They hate us because we’re FREE!

The United States of America was built as a land of opportunity where all men are created equal! Anyone can be successful here, if they try!

Gee, how lucky are we to be on this land, that are forefathers wrested from savages so we could be the greatest nation ever created, that protects the rest of the world from bullies and always fights for what’s right?

Wait. What?

There were nations here before the Europeans, with trade, technology, religion and education? A complex of thriving people who were brutally murdered and betrayed? And then more people were dragged over here to work as prisoners, enslaving them for centuries to feed the hunger of this new baby nation?

Statistics say that our maternal morbidity rate is higher than…Cuba? And 45 other countries? Well, how can that be? And more of our children live in poverty? What’s going on here? And thousands of Americans lose their homes due to medical bankruptcy every year, something that’s unheard of in dozens of countries with socialized medicine.

Wait – we’ve been interfering in other nation’s politics for our own benefit and not the moral justness of it? That’s not what they taught us in junior high. And corporations lead these initiatives and then people in those other countries, the countries with resources we want – they suffer and die?

And politicians have to raise millions of dollars to keep their jobs so even if they started out for principled reasons, their careers are dependent on catering to wealthy special interest lobbying groups? How is that a government looking out for the public’s best interest?

But we can certainly elect our representatives fairly right? One person, one vote! Well, whoever makes the maps decides the electorate. And this whole country is gerrymandered into torn scraps of dishonesty.

“All men are created equal” – unless they’re gay, in which case, the government has some concerns. Or if they’re new to this country, and then you’ve got years of papers to process if they’re let in at all. Or if they’re a person of color – we don’t even need to clarify this one because – bang! And don’t even get us started on women!

The United States of America. You glorious lie of a country. We were taught to love you, worship you even, with our little hands over our hearts each morning in school. But we never knew you and now that we do, how do we even begin to repair and cherish what a duplicitous mess you are?