Thanks. Very nice.
Oh. You like hearing good things about this country. Now that's so very.........down home wonderful. Here's another "good thing" about America. Its a credo for all good Americans:
In Defense of Country
by Reggie Rivers
Like most columnists, I get a lot of e-mail. I've been cursed at, called every name you can imagine, encouraged to leave the country, accused of being an enemy agent, criticized for my writing skills ("You're a terrible columnist!"), criticized for my athletic skills ("You were a worse football player!"), and occasionally, threatened.
Although I'm no longer much affected by the vitriol that fills my in box, I am still surprised at how few of my critics actually understand the point of my columns.
When I denounce the actions of the U.S. government, people infer that I hate America, love terrorists and will do anything possible to make this country weaker so that terrorists can destroy us. They accuse me of undermining U.S. policies, giving moral support to terrorists, demoralizing our military, and making unmerited partisan attacks against the president. They question why I criticize the United States so frequently, but never say a single negative word about the terrorists who have attacked us.
How can it be even remotely logical that I would hate the United States? I was born in the U.S. I've lived here 30 of my 37 years (the remainder were spent on military bases overseas). I've had a good life, received a good education, enjoyed successful careers and have benefited from many opportunities. I carry a worn copy of the U.S. Constitution in my dayplanner, and I'm deeply appreciative of the freedoms that we enjoy.
I'm an unlikely candidate to advocate the destruction of the United States. I challenge U.S. policies rather than describe the misdeeds of terrorists because I believe it's the responsibility of citizens to monitor and constrain our government.
When I was a child, my parents were strict disciplinarians. If I did something wrong, they punished me. It would have been nonsensical for me to suggest that my father hated me because all he did was punish me, while not saying a single word about Billy down the street, who was worse than me.
My father disciplined me because he loved me, and he wanted me to live according to a particular code of conduct. He wasn't concerned about Billy, because Billy wasn't his child.
The U.S. government is our "child," and we have a duty to make sure that child acts appropriately. The men and women in the U.S. military took an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic." I believe all Americans should make a similar commitment.
Who is a threat to the Constitution? Not terrorists. They can kill people and destroy property, but they can't amend our founding document. They can't suspend the basic guarantees of the Bill of Rights. Only our government can do that. When our leaders hold people at Guantanamo Bay without revealing their identities, without letting them talk to lawyers, without giving them trials, without presenting evidence that would prove that they're terrorists, then they're violating the Constitution.
If we citizens don't do something, the behavior will only get worse.
Last week, I criticized the Guantanamo Bay prison, and dozens of people questioned why I was defending the terrorists who were being held there.
That's my point. Unless there is a judicial process to determine the status of each prisoner, then it's impossible for us (or the government) to know whether a particular prisoner is a terrorist, a man who was simply defending his town against an invading army or someone who just happened to be in the wrong place when the Americans arrived.
I love America the way my parents loved me. They supported me, protected me and encouraged me, and they monitored my behavior for my own good. I worry that too many Americans treat our government the way an overly indulgent parent might coddle a rebellious teenager. If we're not going to hold our child - and the government - accountable, who will?
Former Denver Broncos player Reggie Rivers writes Fridays on the Denver Post op-ed page.
denverpost.com
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