Land of the Free...




Today, Jonas went in for his American citizenship interview.

It was a two hour interview with a range of questions including civics questions about how our government works.

I have been helping him study for the test that included such questions as, "Who said 'Give me liberty or give me death'?" (Patrick Henry). (You can imagine how tickled I was when he told me that was the first question the interviewer asked him on the test portion! Over achiever that he is got 100% on the test!)

I am so proud to announce that he has been recommended for citizenship!!! He will find out when his swearing in ceremony is in a few weeks, but in the meantime I would just like to say that moments like this give me a chance reflect on this status that I too often take for granted... Being an American is a complicated thing -- The legacy of a million shining moments and a million shameful failings. It is very easy to look at the acts of Americans and either idealize or scorn what being an American means.

But relegating anything to such extremes is often a cop out - an inability to understand nuance and a world where things aren't simply grey, but in fact both black AND white simultaneously. For me, this means that I believe that what it says in the preamble to the Constitution:

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America"

...is not a statement of what always *is* but rather a statement of who we aspire to be. And I can embrace the pristine ideal while still acknowledging that the execution is often woefully flawed.

We work to be better. And soon, we the people, will get one more amazing man to help us in the journey.

I love you, Jonas.


Posted: Thu - August 30, 2007 at 11:26 AM          

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