To Whom It May Concern:
I was recently surfing the web looking for various links to my ethnic heritage in America. I am a first generation (gen X) 'American' who almost volunteered for the War in Iraq. Having been called 'Taliban' and other such derisive names by my 'countrymen' I was in a weird position. I believed America to be the best country in the world, mainly because it was the only one I had lived in. So, I was prepared to go fight for it, so to speak. Then I moved out to India to visit some family members and saw a different world, and a different take on the War. Reading your article really put a lot of perspective on things. I had read a lot of history books (re: WWI and WWII on up) and noticed a similar occurence: America's consistent 'forgiving' of debts to embattered, starving, and war-torn European and African and Asian nations. I agree with your statements; in general, Americans are a big hearted bunch who invade a country, then feel bad and feed them for the next twenty years. But for what? International criticism and derision. Yet, everyone wants to go to America. I say this because America is the only country I have at the present moment; being that I have distant relatives all over the place but no other country has really offered me much in the sense of asylum or whatever. So I will eventually head 'back home' to probably build a life under the 'shame' of not having served in Gulf War II. My brother faithfully served, and I was close, if not for the advice of my family. So, there will probably be 'countrymen' of mine who will look down on me for not serving; but there are 'Indians' who look down on me for being 'American'. Such is life....worry about today, tomorrow will figure itself out. Be good to people when you have the chance. That's just a universal motto, not a patriotic one.