Friday, August 8, 2008

Lomong proud American; Obama not so proud

When I listen to Lopez Lomong, this is one man who is proud to be in America. He was born in poverty and was chose to carry the U.S. flag at the opening ceremonies at the olympics today. He is a perfect symbol of what America is all about.

You should read his story, it is very inspiring (click here for his website).

According to USA Today, " Seven years ago he was a Lost Boy of Sudan, kidnapped at age 6 by Janjaweed rebels while at Sunday mass with his family. He witnessed friends die. He has seen his own grave."

He was adapted by an American family, and now he has the honor of carrying the U.S. flag at the olympics.

When I look into this man's eyes as he is being interviewed, you can certainly see the American pride. You can see the appreciation for what America has offered him.

He was a man trapped in the civil war racked nation of Sudan which is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the displacement of millions more. He says he is "honored" to be part of America.

USA today writes, "He came to the USA in 2001 at 16 after writing an essay in a contest sponsored by a Catholic charity with the topic of what living in America would mean. He used both his limited knowledge of English and Swahili. He was one of about 4,000 boys selected and wound up with the family of Rob and Barb Rogers in Tully, N.Y.

"His first meal in the USA was a McDonald's chicken sandwich, which he couldn't finish. The Rogerses told him to toss the leftover portion because there was plenty of food at home. He was in shock."

He was in shock because in his native home, he was allowed to have chicken only twice a year.

I read about this 23-year-old, listened to the joy in his voice of how proud he is of his new country, and then I switch to another news outlet and read about how a seven year old girl asked this question to Barack Obama:

"Why did you start running for president?"

Obama said, "America, uh, is -- is no longer, uh, what it -- it could be, what it once was. And I say to myself, 'I don't want that future for my children.'"

Basically, he says that America sucks.

If this were me, I'd say to this seven year old girl, "Because I love my country. Because I am proud to be an American."

I might add, "There are some problems that we face in this nation, and I honestly think I can help all of us make this an even better nation."

Obama doesn't seem to share the same joy for his nation as Lomong, who in his lifetime saw what it is like to really live in poverty, to really live in a "sucky" nation.

It's quotes like this that make me wonder if Obama is proud of his country, and if he is really the person we want to be leading us. Heck, he can't even share American price with a little girl.

Perhaps that little girl should ask Lopez Lomong why he is proud to be an American. I'm pretty sure I can guess he'd say, "Because America is a place where dreams come true."

1 comment:

Political Realm said...

I would argue that you're forcing your own opinion of Obama onto that quote. To me, Obama's suggesting he'd like to help make America great again, which seems little different from the rhetoric of someone like Ronald Reagan circa 1980.