(Note: Champas' article on capitalism, while it sparked this article, is by no means the ONLY article that brought this article about. While I respect champas' view, I must respectfully disagree at the same time and in the same breath).

I have seen a lot of blog articles on joeuser and throughout the internet by nonAmericans who wish to micromanage our country with their own pet philosophies, ignorant of the Democratic processes that have brought many of our country's policies about. While I am most definitely a critic of the status quo, I respect the fact that our founding fathers gave us marvelous tools for political change and that I CAN change much of what I dislike about this country's politics simply by being an activist and by arguing passionately for the causes I hold dear.

Those who argue, though, focus solely on the flaws of this country. That's easy to do; in a nation of 295 million people, it's pretty easily to find numerous flaws on a daily basis that you can use as support for your articles. Add to that 535 Congresspersons on the federal level, and thousands more at the helm of 50 legislatures in 50 widely diverse states, plus chief executives and cabinets at each state and federal level, and you have a pretty large pool from which you can draw criticism. But, I might point out, you have an equally large pool from which to draw PRAISE.

You may find this overly nationalistic, but I respect the criticism of American CITIZENS FAR more than I respect that of outsiders. Not only are outsiders NOT intimately aware of the daily realities of life for most Americans, they have their OWN political agendas, and those of their own nation to address, and we should NOT let their opinions guide our policies. They also, frankly, don't have the vote, when push comes to shove.

There's an old saying "you can attract more flies with honey than you can with vinegar". When these critics of US foreign and domestic policy realize that they can achieve far more by focusing on what we're doing RIGHT, they might gain a lot more ground. The fact is, no matter how far reaching the US Patriot Act may be, you're free to type some rather provocative words against it in a forum such as the internet where most of us can be tracked quite easily should the government choose to do so. You're also free to travel throughout the country with very little difficulty, and have a fairly consistent set of rights enumerated for you in principle, if not always in practice (and the right to defend your rights in a court of law when they're NOT protected in practice).

Bill Clinton (I can HEAR the groan of Republicans all the way over here) said in his first inaugural address: "There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is RIGHT with America". And in that point, at least, he was right; I am sure I can get pretty strong bipartisan agreement to that fact. But we cannot cure what is wrong with America with what is RIGHT with America if we cannot SEE what is right with America.

America's NOT a perfect country. We never will be, and, truth be told, no country ever has been. But as I look around the globe, I can think of no country where I'd rather liveor to which I would rather lend my political voice. And that, at least, is as it should be.