Stop Hurting America

When Jon Stewart said that on Crossfire, I wanted to stand up and cheer. I can get so tired of punditry and fighting.

What I wish, however, was that more talking heads were actually coming up with concrete suggestions and ideas. Sort of like what Bill Maher did in his 2002 When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Bin Laden, a collection of posters (updated versions of WWII ones) and essays about what the government would be saying if it chose to be straight with the American people. His suggestions run the gamut from obvious (we need to wean ourselves from our oil dependence) to politically incorrect (racial profiling in airports makes sense) to unexpected (ladies, give up your blood-soaked diamonds). It's dated in many ways - a lot has happened in 3 years, even if we haven't had another terrorist attack in the United States - but still carries relevance today.

In a twisted way, something I admire about Bill Maher is how frequently I disagree with him. Because he doesn't fit neatly into any ideological box that I can think of, I usually believe that he's sincere about what he says. And I believe that he is sincerely angry at our government for not asking - not demanding - more of us. This nation is at its greatest when it pulls together, standing as one even as it respects individuality; even as this is a little too let-the-mighty-eagle-soar for me, I agree with the main point. We can and should do more; and our leaders can and should tell us that. So kudos to Maher for being willing to anger all sides because he's fighting for what he truly believes in: America.

(Also, he's convinced me: I don't need diamonds.)