What are you proud of as an American?

[slickss]

[ QUOTE ]
"Freedom of Speech" does not mean you can say anythning you want and not be criticized for saying it. All the constitution says is that the government cannot make a law restricting your right to speak your mind.

[/ QUOTE ]
An important point.

The term "free speech" gets thrown around alot. The problem is that "free speech" implies that speech is completely free, which it isn't. If it was truly free, there would be no consequences - but there are. By using your right to speak, you allow others to react to it, and they can do so by taking advantage of their right to speak.

You have the right to open your mouth. You do not have the right to tell someone "[censored] you" and not get punched.

I guess I'm just restating what you said [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Jeff W]

The Constitution
Barbeque
Physics
Engineering (Especially Computers and Aeronautics)
Blues

[tame_deuces]

As a norwegian I'm proud of that we lead the human development index, which measure personal freedoms.

If I was an american I would be proud of the spirit of doing and the gung-ho attitude of making things happen. Maybe a hard thing to see when you live there, but from a bystander perspective it is quite the trait.

[Bedreviter]

[ QUOTE ]

As a norwegian I'm proud of that we lead the human development index, which measure personal freedoms.


[/ QUOTE ]

HDI measures life expectancy at birth, education/lieracy and GDP per capita. You can argue that these things are crucial for personal freedom, but the index itself does not measure personal freedoms.

[tame_deuces]

[ QUOTE ]

HDI measures life expectancy at birth, education/lieracy and GDP per capita. You can argue that these things are crucial for personal freedom, but the index itself does not measure personal freedoms.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah sorry, I meant the human development report. The index only takes out those 3 numbers.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

BUT, there are lots of things we have to be proud of as Americans.

Personally, I can only be proud (or ashamed) of things *I* do personally.

I mean, I respect the US Constitution and think it is a great document, but I didn't write it, so how can I be proud of it.

I think Hemingway and cummings are cool, but feel pride? I don't get it. Those guys were Amricans for the same irrelevant reason I am - an accident of birth.

[InTheDark]

I look at the consolidated power of the US and consider how it might have been wielded by, oh, say, the USSR and I know without doubt we're orders of magnitude better custodians of such strength. Not perfect, but good and evil can be clearly viewed by all but the brainwashed moral relativists and the dysfunctional.

Endowed by our Creator, Baby!

[NasEscobar]

[ QUOTE ]
I look at the consolidated power of the US and consider how it might have been wielded by, oh, say, the USSR and I know without doubt we're orders of magnitude better custodians of such strength. Not perfect, but good and evil can be clearly viewed by all but the brainwashed moral relativists and the dysfunctional.

Endowed by our Creator, Baby!

[/ QUOTE ]
Better then one form of evil != good

[boracay]

I like sports too, but most important are freedom related things for me:

Human Rights
Health care / social system to some degree
Feeling of being safe / no need for guns
Multi-party politics and level of democracy
Media to some degree
Very limited influence of religions

[eviljeff]

AND I WON'T FORGET THE MEN WHO DIED AND GAVE THAT RIGHT TO ME