OPTIMISM, WET BLANKETS, AND SEALS

Sometimes I get scared about patriotism. When the chants of "USA USA ! " reach a certain decibel level and the crowd seems to become a mob, it starts to remind me of other countries where the throngs often riot and start burning cars and buildings. A friend of mine gave me a bumper sticker a few years ago that replaced "God Bless America" with " God Bless the World". That gets into the John Lennon theme about imagining a more united world...where we'll are God's creatures, and none of us is an island.

However, I often get tears in my eyes when I hear the National Anthem...(performed well...as it was by the military chorus at last week's debate)...or when an American wins the gold at the Olympics. ( Of course the men's diving winners grab by attention in a special way). Coming back to the US from overseas has always given me a rush as well....I do love my country.

Last night's State of the Union speech really moved me. The president's words about all of us being in this together, as when a soldier puts a uniform on, it doesn't matter if he or she is black or white or democrat or republican or straight or gay (nice to hear)...I thought he really made a great point. By the time he finished the speech I was about an inch away from putting on my Betsy Ross costume from Halloween and marching down the street to the Boro building handing out little flags,

Fast forward to the Republican response. It made me feel just the opposite of what I'd felt only minutes before. By the time Mitch Daniels wrapped up I was ready to crawl under the bed with Woof and cover my head. Man.....what a downer! His speech was scary...doomsday..."going over Niagara Falls"....just like Greece...brace yourself. The bright city on the hill didn't pay Duquesne Light....BE AFRAID !

After doing just a little research I noticed that Mitch Daniels was George W's budget director...no wonder he's so terrified. As good old half-governor Palin might have asked " How'd that go for ya? " Isn't the NFl after him too for his union busting ideas? His speech wasn't stupid....just scary....and depressing as hell.

Now in my work as a therapist, I see my job as one that requires support, and encouragement, and optimism. If I just sat with people and told them that things were looking dismal, that impending doom was the theme, and there wasn't much hope....they'd probably want their money back, and by Friday I'd be ready to hang myself. The president talked about uniting..being fair...mutual respect and confidence that we all have each other's backs.

He ended his speech with a message about the Navy Seals who tracked down Bin Laden...how they couldn't have charged up those dark stairways without taking care of each other and knowing that they were a team. No matter what your feelings are about him, I think we all realize that this President can speak.

John Boehner...speaker of the house...called the President's speech "pathetic" ...before he heard it.  I wish I had gone to bed before Mitch Daniels rolled out the doom and gloom.