Recently, Bush has
pulled a Cheney and bashed Amnesty International for saying less than glowing things about the U.S. He makes the usual complaints. For example:
...the allegations were made by prisoners "who hate America."
and
"It's an absurd allegation. The United States is a country that promotes freedom around the world."
Bush isn't listening to the substance of the Amnesty report, just to the idea that the United States isn't perfect, and some people in it have done horrible things. I'd like you to meet someone who also isn't perfect, and who could teach our President a few things as well:
This is Sarah. She's 8 years old:
She's easy to love. She enjoys reading, going to the park, visiting friends and family, and leaving silly pictures for me on my desk.
Like all 8-year-olds, she does things that aren't perfect. There are many, many times where I see Sarah hasn't picked up her room, or has left the lights on, or has hurt someone or broken something by accident, or any of a dozen things that 8-year olds everywhere do.
What would I do if I didn't love her? That, sad to say, is easy to describe:
Does she enjoy hearing about her flaws, or decisions she's made that have turned out poorly? Of course not. I've heard "You're not my friend!" from her more than once. (I'm not that either, of course; I'm her stepfather, soon to be her adoptive father, and they're quite different creatures from friends!) But she knows equally well that she is loved, even though not every word I say is pleasant to hear.
So this is the lesson that Bush should take from loving an 8-year old: You cannot truly care for someone if all you have is a set package of nice words, and a blind eye to that person's flaws. You must always make an honest appraisal of what isn't working, or isn't right, and have an honest discussion of what needs to be changed to make it work (or be right) for everyone. The people in the United States who really "hate America", in any meaningful sense, are the ones who don't treat the people, laws, and customs of this country the way they would treat a family member they loved.
