World Cup and Proud to be American

I have been online listening to visitors from other countries talk about the United States. They talked about how big everything is. How beautiful and expansive the country is, and how breathtaking the national parks are. How small towns and large cities welcomed them and made them feel at home more than their own countries did. They marveled at how patriotic the country was. They talked about how flags were flown everywhere, from private homes, parks, important buildings, schools, retail stores, and grocery stores. They couldn't believe that entire streets were lined with flags, and that people were proud of them.

They couldn't believe how veterans were thanked for their service, not by the government but by normal, everyday people walking by, seeing a hat or a uniform, and thanking them for their service, maybe buying a coffee or breakfast.

They talked about how people in America would stop and talk, help them with questions, and some would sit down with them, sharing food and drink. They remarked how they felt safe here compared to their own countries as they walked alone on the streets.

They remarked how they had been lied to by their media and told them that America is a gun-toting, crime-ridden country where they were not going to come out alive. They were impressed that people could say what they wanted, dress the way they wanted, and pretty much do what they wanted, and that people generally don't care. One commented that their country wouldn't allow them to fly their own flag or even to bring a flag to their country's soccer game.

I started listening to these Ticktocks and reels, and I am glad I did. My heart filled hearing their words. That feeling after the US Hockey team beat Russia at the 1980 Olympics, or the national anthem being sung by the fans at a Boston Bruins game after the Boston Marathon Bombing, or the Governor ordering a "shelter in place order" to give law enforcement a chance to hunt the suspects down and bring them to justice. That to me is saying never again, not here, never again.

I remember after 9/11this country came together like an angry beehive. You felt the static energy in the air. It felt like you had just pissed off the wrong country. Admiral Yamamoto summed it up after bombing Pearl Harbor, he was quoted to say, "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."

This country is not its land mass, its weapons or military might, it's not its juggernaut of industry and ideas, damn, it's not even its GOP. It's the people's families who came over more than 250 years ago to the people who pledged the Oath of Allegiance last month.

Every day, watching the media, I listen, and everywhere you turn, our own media hates this country. Just like other countries lie to their own countrymen about us, our own media lies to us. I understand why other countries lie to their people about us. But why does our own media lie to us? Here, people from other countries are telling us how wonderful this country is, how welcoming the people are, how safe they feel, and most of all, how they were lied to about America for years.

We are Americans; it's time we remove this fear that is propagating from half-truths, blatant lies, and well-planned propaganda from social media, legacy media, and the written media. They should be held to a standard and punished accordingly.

I know I am going a little long here. We are not just Democrats or Republicans, we are neighbors, co-workers, family, and yes, strangers who can be kind and reach out a helping hand, a kind word, a smile, maybe money for coffee. Don't let the fake narrative win. We are a beautiful country, a proud people, and we are kind and generous. This is who we are, the American people. If you don't believe me, ask people from other countries; it's all over the internet.