America Bashing No More - How a Liberal Canadian Became a Conservative US Patriot

I tested myself to the maximum, as a card carrying Canadian I dove right in and attended an American private university for graduate school in Manhattan. Dreams of Notre Dame and Spring Break dancing in my head with visions of young co-eds asking me to "say 'eh?' again." And it was all of that. Until 9/11.

It was all fun and speculation and Cat Stevens and dancing. It was the 60s all over again. It was, "If I knew then what I know now." It was a far off concept of peace and giving it a chance. Just give it a chance. I want to go on record with something that gave me a chance. America. America gave me a chance. And there are reasons that, amidst all the left wing garbage thrown about, that America has made me proud. America has stopped me bashing her. America has changed my opinion. To be honest I have never been an America basher, but I have been to Europe several times and growing up outside the U.S. lends me to a certain perspective on America different that the one I have now. I have always loved this country, watched NCAA football and basketball, visited Florida as a child, but never really loved this place as home. I do now and here are a few reasons why.

It has the best and the worst. It provides opportunity and demands responsibility. It is open and clean and safe and glorious. It provides for its citizens over the vastest of spaces. It helps its neighbors and never asks for thanks. In 1980 a bunch of college hockey players won the gold medal at the winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Aero Smith lives here. Women like Ann Coulter and Pam Anderson. Top surgeons, the U.N., Chicago, Interstate Highways, freedom, shipping, manufacturing, sales, television, public swimming pools, national parks, friendly people, every nationality in the world, great food from everywhere, available anywhere, all the time, twenty-four hours a day.