I can’t think of a time that I’ve ever felt more patriotic

I can’t help but think about how I’ve viewed this country over my lifetime and I don’t think that there has ever been a time that I have felt more proud to be an American.

Of course, I have been proud of the actions of American citizens over the years – from rock’n’rollers to hippie activists, civil rights leaders to civil servants – people have made me proud but the government rarely has. There were many people over the years who tried to make America the country that it was supposed to be but rarely was.

There have been many times that I have been disillusioned with our country. I was just a child when JFK was assassinated, but felt the country change. I watched Robert Kennedy be murdered and watched how that destroyed the hope of many people. Martin Luther King’s assassination caused an immense amount of anger. Nixon’s administration was sickening and I think that I first realized that I can never underestimate the stupidity of the American people when Nixon was re-elected DURING the Watergate scandal! The Vietnam war was illegal and immoral and ended poorly. There were many years of almost nothingness. There were the horrible Reagan years, during which I traveled overseas a number of times and saw how the world viewed us. The Clinton years, of course, were a respite, but still had issues and no words need to be spoken about the revolting, vile years under the horror of the bush administration.

Now we finally have a leader who has actually brought hope and unity to this country. The fact that there are hundreds of thousands – or more (at least 1 million by some sounts) – people in DC who are thrilled and actually partying in anticipation of Obama being sworn in. The fact that a black man has united this country in times of our greatest trials – trials caused by the outgoing administration – and has inspired this entire country is cause to be more patriotic than I truly ever thought was possible.