Happily, I draw the line.

I marvel at how little it takes to salve the American psyche. Such as the killing of Osama bin Laden. That was cause for a spontaneous gathering outside the White House. Of American patriots. Singing the national anthem. We Americans relish the enemy being brought to justice. We think of bin Laden heading directly to hell. Suffering. Suffering. Suffering. It gives us immense satisfaction. Makes us think that America is numero uno once again. That nobody had better mess with us. It’s like when our team wins the Super Bowl or the World Series. A kind of euphoria. I’m not necessarily saying there’s anything wrong with that. But still, it doesn’t seem quite right. Maybe we should be more subdued in our celebration.. More humble. Maybe we should feel sad that the world is what it is. Because we’ve messed with it in some less than admirable ways. Because in the political realm, at least, we treat each other with remarkable disdain. Let’s face the truth. We Americans ain’t always right. We are evil-doers, too. But we don’t wanna recognize it. Because that would hurt our national psyche. Anyway, you won’t catch me singing the national anthem. Oh, I’m a patriot. But you’ll be happy that I draw the line. Especially after you’ve heard my singing voice. –Jim Broede