America ain't exceptional. But I am.

I’m exceptional. In a unique sense. Not because I’m an American. But because I’m me. Jim Broede. There’s only one of me. As for Americans, there are all kinds. Too many maybe. They come cheap. A nickel for a half dozen. They are all over the world.  Russian President Putin recently cautioned Americans, especially politicians, not to think of America as an ‘exceptional’ country. I agree. America ain’t exceptional. But I am. Because I’m an individual. There’s nobody quite like me. No twin. No clone.  No duplicate. I’m an American citizen. But that doesn’t make me exceptional. And I never think of my America as exceptional. Sometimes, America acts like a bully. There are lots of bullies in the world. I don’t like bullies. So when America acts like a bully, I don’t like America. But I do like me. Because I’m not a bully. And I’m very likable. And exceptional and unique. In so many, many ways. –Jim Broede