Proud to be an American

Despite or perhaps because of the ability of the country to count Donald Trump and Barack Obama as prominent members of our society, I am proud to be an American.  Not in the sense of the "love it or leave it" slogans which sprouted when people protested the Vietnam War, but more in the vein of "change it or lose it" which the protestors shouted back.  The US has always had the dichotomy of those who would enshrine a particular view of America and declare it as the "real" America and those who see the country as an evolving organism which reflects the best and sometimes the worst of our strivings.  No where was this schism on display than in the reactions of citizens and the media to the Supreme Court's decision on same sex marriage and the ACA.   For a small, but vocal minority, the twin decisions represented another twist in the downward spiral of American civilization.  County clerks presumed to tell us their consciences were more important than the law and politicians advocated disobedience and fulminated about the recklessness of the high court.   The majority, however received the news with a mixture of relief and gladness.  The arc of justice has surely bent in the direction of greater inclusion of people into society.  This is what makes me proud of a country which has struggled with these issues throughout its history and has usually albeit sometimes belatedly come to an accommodation with progress.  May the Flying Spaghetti Monster Bless America!