Talking about my America

Now why is it when a person is overwhelmingly obsessed with their sports team they are called a super fan, when a person is supercommitted to all things pop culture they are considered trendy and hip, but when a younger member of this country is excited about, or even just willing to tune in to the State of the Union they are considered weird (thank you Jessica) or a 40+ year old man (thank you Amanda Sue, I don't know you but I think I'm going to like you even with the sarcasm)?

People did you forget all that you learned about our government, our history? Are we so obsessed with our own personal lives that we take for granted the shear amazingness of this thing called democracy.

I watched the State of the Union, I got excited, and yes I even choked up. In case you didn't tune in I want to tell you about two of President Bush's special guest in his wife's box. One was a woman from Iraq whose father died, I believe under Hussein's regeime, and she voted for the first time in her entire life in the Iraqi election on Sunday. She held up her index finger to show the ink used to mark she had voted. Later he introduced a set of parents whose son was killed in the taking of Falluga. The mother had mentioned to her son when he was on leave that she wanted to protect his like when he was a child and the son told her that it was his turn to protect her. The two women embraced and I got choked up.

If you want to know what this war accomplishes. Look at these two women. One who had to lose her son, who holds dog tags in rememberance of the price he paid. One who lsot her father but for the first time got to have a say in her government. Who proudly displays a blue finger to mark the event. Two women with different backgrounds, different sacrifices, but connected.

I realized last night that I wish I had one ounce of the honor that mother did for a son who answered a call from his country, who died in a foreign land never knowing the product of his sacrifice, who with his life gave an Iraqi woman to share in a freedom he might have once taken for granted. I wish I had one ounce the excitement and hope that this Iraqi woman had that her vote was counted, that her voice was heard, that it was even allowed to speak and to say this is my opinion on our country.

So poo poo on you who think I'm weird. I'm not the reason that our generation is considered apathetic. How quickly we take for granted the freedom we possess, the freedom we have to vote, to express our opinions, to question our government, to seek change, the power in our voice.

Last Sunday one woman's voice was heard for the first time in her country. You who have that freedom from birth, why do you so easily take it for granted?