The Great White North

I was, until a recent haircut and wardrobe change, a dirty hippie. I still am, but it's harder to tell. (Or so I say as I sit barefoot on my back porch, blogging in jeans that I've had for eight years, with holes in the knees, and some damn fine homemade patchwork if I dare say so). And Christopher's right. I have threatened on numerous occasions to move to Canada. I did in the run up to the Iraq war, during the 2004 election, for weeks after Bush was reelected, and on the eve of the 2006 election. However, I have to say that position, much like my hairstyle, has changed dramatically. 

I have family in Canada and they have offered, on several occasions, to harbor me if I ever decide to flee America. I have, since the age of 16, been turned on by Canada's allegedly socialistic practices. I consider myself to have a bit of a socialist streak (but really, deep down, don't all liberals?) and not the kind of socialist streak our government has been on lately with the bail outs of Bear Stearns, Freddie Mac, Fannie May, and most recently AIG. I mean real socialist practices. I also love hockey, beer, men in flannel, and snow. I even briefly considered attending college in Canada. But all that has changed. 

While waxing political this morning with my dear friend Laura Greenwood, I came to the conclusion that Canada is not the answer for those of us frustrated with American social, foreign, and drug policies. Sure, a complete lack of humidity, the hilarious accents, and my beloved Ottawa Senators are tempting, but when it comes down to fight or flight response, I have to chose the fight.

When I left for college, I abandoned the Catholicism I was raised with. The conservative, Christian right, ruined me. Christ had provided us with two simple rules: loving him above all others, and our neighbors as ourselves. There is no way those two rules jive with the kind of ignorant hatred propagated by the Christian right. Jesus, after all, hung out with prostitutes, tax-collectors, and all kinds of allegedly unsavory people. So I abandoned Christianity all together, since I could no longer associate with what had been declared, at least by the media and majority of the public, Christian. Random and rambling I know, but it'll all make sense. I promise.

About a year ago, I decided that my relationship with God was my relationship with God and the Catholic Church, the Christian right, and the major news networks, didn't get to define what that meant. I also decided that social outreach, compassion, and patience were central to my life: values instilled in me way back in Catholic school. Fundamentalist Christians are just as scary as fundamentalist Muslims, and I needed to reclaim Christianity if for no other reason, than to remind people that we aren't all standing outside abortion clinics with fake babies and picket signs. Some of us believe in gay marriage and most of us believe in evolution. I decided I wasn't going to run from my faith anymore. I was determined to stand up and fight for what I believed being Christian means. 

So here's where the tangent comes full circle. I feel the same way about America as I do about Christianity. I need to embrace it and defend what it truly stands for. This administration is a disgrace. My father's family is conservative and they'll tell you as much, even now. But there is nothing conservative about this administration, except for their social policies and their sense of diplomacy. As I said before, I'm a bit of a socialist, leftie, tree-hugging wack job, but I understand basic conservative positions (and even agree with them sometimes--don't tell my mom).  I believe it is up to those of us who are outraged, to fight back and remind people that there is nothing unpatriotic about dissent. This of course, needs to be done in a rational, respectable way. Screaming, name-calling, and refusing to listen to the other side of an argument is no way to win people's favor and neither is running away to Canada simply because an election didn't pan out the way you wanted it to.