These are my hands. I've had blood, tears, sweat, dirt, mud, oil, manure, ash, fire, wood, and metal on them. They have been busted, broken, scraped, cut, bruised, burned, smashed, and generally tore up from hard work and defending myself or others when needed.
Like these hands, this country has been through the same and so much more. America was founded and built by hands just like mine, by men who were not afraid of hard work or to stand up and protect their homes. They are the meaning of what an American is.
Today though, the average American is someone who wants freedom and rights, but won't work or fight for it. They stomp on the American flag and cheat the system. They demand rights of others, like owning a gun, freedom of religion, or freedom of marriage, to be taken away because they don't like it and it doesn't benefit them directly. And to top it off, politicians, who are supposed to protect our rights, who are supposed to be the people for the people, are doing the exact same thing. All they care about is money in their pockets and power.
Well, not me. I don't care what religion you practice, what race you are, or if the gay couple down the street gets married. It doesn't effect me. I'm an American. I believe in not only my constitutional rights, but my fellow American's rights also. I'm not afraid to voice my opinion, to demand that we all, as a nation, should be able to truly live free and make our own choices and opinions. I'm not afraid to work hard for my rights, and if I have to, I will stand up and fight for my rights and my neighbors rights to. I believe this country should go back to being a strong country of independence. A country that was united under God, a country that stood up to tyrants and kicked their asses to protect our freedom and rights. I believe this because I'm a damn proud American and I love my home and country.