That's America to...

Back in the Forties, during World War Two, Frank Sinatra sang a song that moved and startled a nation.  As part of a short film he sang about our people, regardless of race, creed, religious affiliation or color, as part of one great people.

He wasn't the first person to celebrate the United States as a great melting pot, nor was he the last, but it was the first time it was done on film with children of all backgrounds as part of the movie.  It was the first time such a message was brought forth to so many people at once by so popular a person.

The title of the song was, THE HOUSE I LIVE IN.  (You can 'google' it.)

It wasn't popular with everyone and he got a bit of criticism for it.  Some even called him 'unamerican.'

The song's catch phrase, "...that's America to me." invites us to think about what this country means to each of us.  For the people who came here from Europe in the 17th century America was a place to escape religious persecution, to experiment with new forms of government, to serve out a sentence imposed by their rulers back in Europe or to just plain have a chance to carve out a better life for themselves.  These are only four of what are most likely many reasons people came to theses shores. They are reasons that endure to this day.  The United States is still seen a place where people can have greater freedom and opportunity than is common in the world.

Not that we are perfect.  Not that our history is without it's shameful attitudes and actions.  Just that we are a nation where certain ideals are cherished, even if we don't always live up to them.  At least we have set a standard that allows us to change and grow in understanding and through that deeper understanding act with greater justice and acceptance toward our fellows.

THE HOUSE I LIVE IN sends out the same invitation today.  What does America symbolize to each of us?  Is it place where the struggle for greater and greater civil liberties still continues as we evolve a deeper understanding of freedom?  Is it a place where all are welcome to come and pursue happiness?  A place where all opinions are welcome in the public forum? A place that cherishes life and liberty?

And what do each of these ideas mean to us, as individuals?

For me, it's a place where we can ask questions.  A place where we can sleep at night without fear that our opinions will lead to a midnight arrest.  A place where we are free to differ one from another on the most controversial of subjects.  And these freedoms are but the tip of the proverbial iceberg of what America is.

So I'll leave you, dear readers, with a question.  What's America to YOU?

Just askin'.