OH NO! I was out with the parents almost all day today, so I didn't have a chance to do it 'til now! My bad. I guess I'll just pull a JT and post it now.

This Thursday, I discovered a patriotism within me that I had never realized before. Ask Will, Laila, and Viv if you want to hear about my shenanigans (They included loud verses of the national anthem, listening to patriotic marches, and trying to join the Air Force ROTC). You also probably saw my political diatribe written at my white board if you stopped by my room in the past couple of days. Now I want to become a member of both the ACLU and the armed forces. Quin and I are going to join the Navy now. Maybe. Probably not. But we considered it.

I remember at the beginning of the year, when I put the survey on our door of whether or not the members of BK4 owned an American flag at home. To my surprise, the total was about 50/50. I had expected that every American family owned a flag! Or at least those who were not relatively recent immigrants. Even Tom owns an American flag at home. And he's Canadian. FOR SHAME BK4! Our resident Canadian is the best American of us all!

Maybe this expectation of patriotism is an old-fashioned part of me. My grandfathers instilled in me a deep pride for our country. One is a veteran of two wars -- WWII and Korea. The other migrated to California from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl. Together, they taught me that 1. Liberties are worth fighting for, and 2. Almost anything is possible in America.

Now, I'm no right-wing uber-patriot who believes in putting country before self. I'm actually pretty liberal, and I can't stand group-think or blind patriotism. But I realize that we live in a country where each person's individual rights are protected, and that fact makes me proud to be an American citizen. These rights may bog down the legal system, make the legislative process more arduous, and decrease the effectiveness of the executive branch. But my civil liberties cannot and will not be infringed upon (as stated on my white board).

This is why I love America.

USA! USA! USA!

-- Drew Nollsch