What of America? What of the place that welcomed millions of immigrants with the Statue of Liberty? What of the nation that was founded by rebels, challenging the status quo and stepping out into their own? What of the country that built the transcontinental railroad, survived civil war, rebuilt a world after global war, and was the breadbasket for the world?
Are we no better than rotting infrastructure, McMansions for miles, deportation of millions of immigrants, invasion of sovereign nations, caught at the whim of oil prices?
What are we? When we look in a mirror, do we recognize the nation so proudly founded 230 years ago? Is this, truly, what our founding fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, children, parents, grandparents, and all others ever intended?
Every day a new news story - CIA leak, Continuing war in Iraq, New war in Iran, Bush approval in the dumps, Fitzmas, Swift Boats, Joementum, Duke-stir, Harry Whittington, Katrina, Rita, Charlie, Ivan, Frances, 12 dead miners, 12 saved miners, more prayers, Operation Blessing, Robertson calls for Chavez' head, gay SpongeBob, transit strikes, immigration marches, anti-war marches...
Folks, I don't get it. It's exhausting - and I'm trying to keep up, but sometimes I don't want to. Sometimes I just want to say fuck it. I got a job, family, friends, all the trappings. What's the point? I just keep living my goddamned life.
And then it hits me.
The other day, here in my sanctum of San Francisco, a preacher thought he would "bring the fight to San Francisco" and trucked in thousands of teenagers to show my city what true intolerance is (or to "spread God's message," as he put it). Here, in my goddamn home. Here, in my sanctuary. Here, in the one city of a few in America where I can hold my boyfriend's hand without fear of judgment or scorn from perfect strangers feeling emboldened by the powers that be. He decided that it's not enough that in most places I risk being attacked by virtue of who I am.
[Coincidentally, I saw some of those teens - giggling at a poster that advertised an HIV/AIDS vaccine test, and included a picture of two men about to kiss.]
And that's when I realized that there is no way to step away from the fight, because the moment I retreat, the fight follows.
America is a nation of fighters - this nation was founded not because Freedom was some abstract word that was poll-tested and got votes on election day. This nation was founded because Freedom was all we had. If we had no Freedom, we didn't have a life worth living.
That is America. That is our calling. That is why, even when it all gets overwhelming and pressing and difficult and distracting, I come back to that place, remembering that if I don't plant my feet firmly on the ground and yell out in a loud voice, who will? And if I do, how many else could resist joining?
Take action. Donate. Walk precints. Protest. And never stop believing in the America we all know and love.
If you don't believe it's possible, it won't happen.