Proud To Be American

I ran the Washington Duke cross country trail the other day. At my speed, I probably should classify it as a jog. For those not from around Duke, the trail is basically a 3 mile path through the woods around the perimeter of the hotel and golf course. People from Connecticut would classify it as a little hilly. People from Texas (or Florida) could easily mistake the trail for the Rocky Mountains. I know because I was collaborating with Rice University last week. The biggest hill in Houston is an onramp.

The point is I was wearing a T-Shirt running that had a US flag and said “Proud to be an American”. (I still remember buying that shirt in the East Campus store shortly after the attacks on September 11, 2001.) After my run, I stopped at Sam’s Quik Shop to get a Gatorade. I was thirsty. When paying for my drink I was practically interrogated by the clerk and other shoppers for wearing said shirt. He asked me what exactly I was proud of. At the time I didn’t have a very good answer.

After some pondering, I am now very amused that the guy who makes his living SELLING GASOLINE asked me this question. (For readers in the future: The price of oil today is about $70/barrel and has basically doubled in the past 2 year.) By no means is our country perfect, but that doesn’t mean I’m not proud to be a part of it. We must have something good going for us if one of today’s big issues is illegal immigration.

In demonstration of my patriotism and in honor of our nation’s 230th birthday, I will be hosting my 3rd Annual July 4th BBQ at my house. What could be more American than that?

Also, if you haven't already done so, I highly recommend checking out the winning photos from the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography by Todd Heisler. My favorite is below:

When 2nd Lt. James Cathey's body arrived at the Reno Airport, Marines climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his casket as passengers watched the family gather on the tarmac. During the arrival of another Marine's casket last year at Denver International Airport, Major Steve Beck described the scene as one of the most powerful in the process. "See the people in the windows? They sit right there in the plane, watching those Marines. You gotta wonder what's going through their minds, knowing that they're on the plane that brought him home," he said. "They're going to remember being on that plane for the rest of their lives. And they should."