When I immigrated to the United States at the young age of 18, the first and foremost thing I wanted to do was to join the armed forces of the country that had so graciously accepted me as an immigrant,
My second objective was to, one day, become an American, a real American.
As a “green-card-holder,” in order to be accepted into the U.S. armed forces—in order to fight, and possibly die for this great country—all I had to do at the time was to sign a declaration of intent: that I intended to become a U.S. citizen.
I did so gladly and eagerly and, voilà, after three years of military service, just as promised, I experienced one of the proudest events in my life: my U.S. naturalization ceremony. I had finally realized my life’s dream, I was an American citizen, a real American—or was I, am I?
I ask that because the partisan rhetoric of the past three to four years, the gobbledygook that implicitly claims that one is not a real American, unless one adheres to a certain ideology, leads to such a question.
I have bellyached—ranted—about this issue before and perhaps some are getting tired of hearing me and the millions of other fake Americans feeling offended by such soaring, self-righteous oratory from “take-our-country-back,” Real Americans.
And on second thought, who am I to feel offended by such accusations. After all, I was not born in this great country and even though I faithfully—my decorations say “meritoriously”— served my adopted country for 20 years, I am only an American by an Act of Congress.
So, tell me that I am not a real American, if you wish, as long as it is not because of my political persuasions, my religion, my race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. I can take it.
But what I can not understand, nor accept, is that Americans, Real Americans, would accuse of being a fake American a man who was born in the United States of America and who has convincingly proven so; a man who has already served his country honorably in the U.S. Senate; a man who was chosen and vetted by a majority of Americans to be their President; a man who happens to be black, of Muslim background and a Democrat; a man with a “different” name.
Yesterday, President Obama once more told his doubters that he is a real American.
Today, the Real Americans have questions on the President’s real scholastic achievements.
Tomorrow, it will be some other “real” issue—nothing to do with the reality of our daily lives, the state of our nation, our children’s and grandchildren’s futures.
Last night I watched with incredulity birthers queen Orly Taitz’ pathetic attempt to—now that the birthers issue has been totally decimated—proclaim the next real “demonize Obama issue.”
But what the heck, hasn’t our entire political discourse become just another reality show?
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.