For 35 of the past 41 years, I've lived in small towns (under 35,000) in Ohio, Indiana and Idaho. My closest neighbors have included immigrants who owned their own restaurant; a family of 13 who belong to a Christian church that prohibits its members from watching TV and required girls to wear dresses; and a family apparently immune to the constant barking of their dogs. I've hunted both elk and deer successfully. I've owned my own small business, which employed one part-time worker. Until this month, it had been 29 years since my husband or I had employer-provided health insurance.
So, as someone who, I think, qualifies as being from the "pro-America" parts of this country, let me tell you what I believe are "pro-America" values.
I believe the values that make us most "American" are those embedded in the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution.
The first amendment says: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
This country was settled by people whose religious beliefs were considered "fringe" and who were fleeing the persecution of state-sponsored religion. The first amendment, in part, establishes that there be not only the freedom to worship as one wants, but that there not be state-sponsored religion nor persecution of those whose beliefs are out of the mainstream. This may be a country with a lot of Christians, but that does not make it a Christian nation. No one should be disqualified from serving this country because his or her religious beliefs are not Christian, nor should anyone's patriotism be questioned because they have taken seriously the rights granted in the first amendment to the Constitution to freely exercise his or her religious beliefs.
I believe the freedom of speech and press afforded in this first amendment protects wingnuts, Fox news, Keith Olbermann, Swiftboaters, Karl Rove, and others, as long as they are not literally nor figuratively "shouting fire in a crowded theater," i.e., inciting fear, panic, and violence. I believe this means that people should not lose their jobs for being critical of their government; indeed, I believe this amendment was added to the Constitution precisely so that people could gather in coffee shops and break rooms and blogospheres and be critical of their government and its policies without fear.
I believe this amendment means people can associate with other people without intrusion by the government, and without such associations suggesting that the behaviors or beliefs of one person in the group are assumed to be shared by all.
The second amendment states: A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. Even though I am concerned about the misuse of guns, I happen to believe that if I want the first amendment interpreted strictly, then I have to allow a strict interpretation of the second amendment, too.
The fourth amendment states: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
I believe our founding white male fathers intended that government not abuse its enormous power; that government (including law enforcement) not intrude in people's lives unless there was reason to believe people were committing crimes. Government couldn't walk into a home and search it for evidence of a crime unless it had good reason to believe the person had committed a crime. And I believe that ordinarily one's exercise of a first amendment right (including the freedom to associate with people overseas by telephone) should not be sufficient cause to justify government invasion of individual privacy. I believe the intent behind this amendment was that it is better for guilty individuals (who have little power) to go free and unpunished for their crimes than for government to abuse its tremendous power to invade individual privacy.
The 5th and 6th amendments continue to define the extraordinary tests the government must meet when arresting, incarcerating, or interrogating individuals, again in an attempt to mitigate the tremendous power of the government to take away individual freedom. The 8th amendment prohibits unreasonable bail as well as cruel and unusual punishments. I believe, as the founding fathers did, that government must be humane in its treatment of other individuals, even when those individuals have committed crimes.
I believe a jury, judge, or court must follow appropriate processes before someone is deprived of the freedoms afforded by the Constitution, including the right to associate with others and be considered innocent. This means the first amendment rights of free speech must be balanced with the rights of individuals to be protected against false and malicious slurs of their reputations.
I believe our criminal justice system is intended to protect not only my individual safety, but the freedoms promised by the Constitution, and that if constitutional freedoms for anyone are compromised, then I may be "safer" in the short run, but not in the long term.
I don't like paying taxes any more than the next person, but because I believe that the federal and state governments are necessary--to protect our borders, fight fires, protect the public safety, educate our children, build our roads, and allow the elderly to have a sustainable income and health care coverage--I believe it is my duty to pay them. Doing what's right for this country, even when it may not feel good to me, well, I think that's what patriotism is all about.
"Pro-America" is not about American superiority, nor about elevating any one American or group of Americans above another. Indeed, pro-American values are about equality and justice for all. We haven't always lived those values, and other amendments have been added to the Constitution to correct those errors. Our constant striving to make this country the best it can be is what makes it great, and anyone who is sincerely involved in that process needs to be respected, even if one disagrees with that vision of "great."