What a Country

I just finished reading a wonderful book called "Big Russ and Me" by the late Tim Russert. It was actually next on my reading shelf when Mr. Russert passed a little over a week ago, my wife had just finished reading it and it was my turn. We have it checked out from the Phoenix Public Library, which is how I get nearly all my books now. Why pay for something you are going to use only once when you can borrow it for free? I feel the same way about reading the newspapers as well, I had been paying for home delivery of the New York Times, but no longer do so as I can read not only the Times, but the Washington Post, L.A. Times, and other papers online free of charge. What a country indeed.

Which brings me back to the book. It was a straight-forward and simple tome, but enjoyable and enlightening the way a conversation with a World War II veteran is. Big Russ is Tim's father, a WWII vet, and one of his go to sayings was and is, what a country. I was lucky enough to grow up within a few miles of my mom's parents, whom I affectionately refer to as my Babbie and Pappap. Babbie is an actual word, meaning grandmother in Serbian, and I believe in other Slavic languages as well. Pappap is a made up word, but there was nothing make believe about my relationship with this rare and unique individual. He died 20 years ago this month, a week or so before my high school graduation, and there are still few weeks that go by that I don't think about him, what he stood for, how he treated people, how loved and admired he was by those who knew him, and the impact he has had on my life. I've always felt that if I can be half the man he was, I'll be somebody worthwhile. It's a work in progress, but I think I'm doing him proud, and I know that is what motivates much of what I say and do and how I try to live my life.

My Pappap, John Hasara Jr., fought in the War, proudly serving his country as a member of the 4th Division of the U.S. Marines. He was in Iwo Jima, known as Bloody Iwo for reasons that seem too obvious to state, and he was wounded while fighting for and serving his country, thankfully not seriously or I wouldn't be writing this today. He came home from the war, and having spent time out in Southern California during his training, decided that he would not spend his life in the cold and gloom of Pittsburgh, the city of his birth. So after marrying his best friend and fellow Marine's sister, Ann Mervosh, he followed the advice of Horace Mann and came west. In an interesting twist his best friend, Mike Mervosh married his sister, Margaret Hasara, so my Uncle Mike is my Babbie's sister, while my Aunt Margaret is my Pappap's sister. My Uncle Mike would stay in the Marine Corps, and would rise to the rank of Sergeant Major, which is the highest rank for an enlisted man, or a non-officer. He would meet presidents, he has his picture taken with both President's Ford and Carter, which hung proudly in my Pappap's bar, and also had a brief guest spot on the old TV show Hawaii Five-O. He would also serve as an inspiration to the next Uncle Mike, my little brother Michael, who served in the Marines as a young man before becoming injured in a non-battle situation and receiving a medical discharge.

So while my own generation has been fortunate to have avoided a major war and while I have never served in the military (although I did do the brief stint at military school) I have ingrained in me a sense of duty to country that comes from my people. And while I am a pacifist at heart, and opposed to all wars of choice, I am also a patriot who would not hesitate to serve my country if the situation was warranted, such as it was when the threat of tyranny hung over the world like a dark cloud in the 1930's and 40's, and certainly after the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7, 1941.

It is all too easy in today's times to forget our history, to take what we have been given for granted, and to fall into the trap of easy criticism and self-loathing that some liberals today seem to adhere to. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty to criticize, from a bloated federal government, to an irresponsible foreign policy, to a sometimes apathetic and selfish citizenry. We should criticize our government and ourselves when it is warranted, as Jefferson believed, this is also the duty of the citizen in a democracy. Yet there is a danger in becoming so critical that we forget that we are also a nation that has accomplished a great deal in our brief history, and added so much to the betterment of mankind. Right now I'm sure there are those who are thinking of our history of slavery and treatment of American Indians, the legacy of Jim Crow, and on and on. Yet we are also the nation that fought a civil war in part to end the practice of slavery, that ultimately supported the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950's and 60's which brought an end to segregation in the South, and the nation that a generation after President Woodrow Wilson uttered the famous phrase, did indeed play a major role in making the world safe for democracy.

Even today, with all that is going on, from Abu Grahib to Gitmo, with the uncalled for invasion of Iraq and the unprecedented usurpation of power by the executive branch under the Bush administration, and despite the enormous debt being racked up by the federal government, we still have much to be proud of. I doubt there is another country in the world that comes close to matching our generosity in terms of foreign aid given to countries and people in need. We are still a bastion of civil rights and civil liberties that few nations outside of Western Europe can approach. We have the most diverse and tolerant society in terms of our respect for minority rights and opportunities for women. We have a system of democracy that can best be summed up in the words of Winston Churchill as the worst system of government, except for all the others that have been tried from time to time. We have poverty and hunger and deprivation to be sure, but we also have a social safety net that people in much of the developing world would die for. We have a health care system in need of reform but one which nonetheless provides a level of care that at least guarantees that sick people will get treatment. We are in need of a sensible and humane immigration policy, but when you compare our treatment of migrants to that of much of the world, including the aforementioned Western European democracies, we hold up quite well. We have a primary and secondary education system that needs improvement, but a post-secondary system that draws students from all over the world. We have a culture that many consider to be decadent, but that is admired and copied by much of the world. In short, we have many issues to deal with and needed reforms to attend to, but we also do many things well, and we are more free, tolerant, and diverse in terms of speech, race, ethnicity, gender, and religion than anywhere else that comes to mind.

I don't go for knee-jerk, reactionary patriotism, the America love it or leave it attitude. But I am proud to call myself a patriot, I am proud to call myself an American, I am proud and honored to run my flag up the pole every morning, and I will defend my nation vigorously against unfair criticism while at the same time being an honest and fair critic of her policies and ways when it is warranted. We were founded with the notion that we would be a city on a hill, an example for the rest of the world, which at the time was mostly mired in absolute monarchy, religious wars, and oppression. We were born as a great experiment in democracy at a level not seen outside of ancient Athens, the Roman Republic, and post-Magna Carta England. We have seen our share of failures and certainly have our shortcomings, many bugs and kinks yet to work out. But we have a proud history and a hopeful future, and most importantly we have the opportunity everyday to live our lives as we see fit, and to achieve what we decide we have the determination, the discipline, and the courage to attempt. Much of the rest of the world should be so lucky. What a country.