I know the human being and the fish can coexist peacefully

A Mindsay member dropped this reply on a post I did of a poem by Langston Hughes about inequality in America.  The reply is merely a variant of the oh so sophisticated "America, love it or leave it" argument which I haven't heard in a long while.    It might simply mean "We're No. 1 so shut up already" or it might mean "I perceive a threat in your criticism and I feel defensive so shut up already".  How do I respond?  Or should I even bother to respond to such sixth grade logic?

After my initial surprise, the first question I asked myself was, "Do I love America?"   To answer I have to start with the term.  What is America anyway? Is it the rolling plains of Nebraska?, the majestic "Road to the Sun" in Montana?, Harlem street dancers? Kansas farmers? hot dog vendors at Wrigley Field?  Is it Langston Hughes? Audre Lorde? Paul Robeson?  Diamanda Galas? Noam Chomsky? Howard Zinn? Martin Luther King? Gore Vidal? Rosa Parks? Elizabeth Glaser? Thomas Paine?  Because if it is...yes, I do.  I love it with all my heart.   

Is it the corporation that exploits the poor and pollutes the planet, or the government that tells citizens how to conduct their personal affairs, threatens their liberty,  invades, bombs, and kills under false pretenses?  Is it George Bush? Dick Cheney? Alberto Gonzales, Newt Gingrich? Strom Thurmond, Ken Ley?  If it is...I don't. 

Adlai Stevenson said, "All progress has resulted from people who took unpopular positions".  I'm sure many of those people were told to leave too.  I'm glad they didn't.