Dear Editor:

As I write this on Sunday evening, I can still hear the rumble of fireworks celebrating the birth of our nation. My dogs will be relieved when the explosions end and I, too, will be happy to move past the flag waving and chest-thumping that this weekend has highlighted.

Truth be told, I don’t feel very proud about the current state of our country. The passage of the so-called Beautiful Bill demonstrates how the MAGA party would rather fund extra-legal deportations than they would school lunches. It shows how tax cuts for billionaires are more important than providing healthcare to the working poor and that mega-corporations’ rights to pollute our environment are more important than people’s access to clean air and water. There’s not a whole lot to be proud of right now.

As I write this on Sunday evening, I can hear the rumble of my critics: “If you don’t like America, then why don’t you get out?!” The simple answer to this question is because I live here. Why should I be forced to leave? The fact of the matter is that your political opinion does not make you any more American than me. Patriotism is more complex than this. I can feel pride in our founding fathers’ expression that all men are created equal while also feeling shame that they still supported chattel slavery. I can feel pride that the United States toppled Hitler’s regime while also feeling shame that the US established internment camps for Japanese-American citizens. America has never been perfect, that’s why the Constitution is a living document—it allows us to improve on what we have inherited.

So, if you felt conflicted about your patriotism this past weekend, take solace in knowing that you are not alone. And if you are inclined to label me an unpatriotic trouble-maker, take a moment to reflect—is it freedom that you love so much…or just privilege?

Mike Bartles

West Boothbay Harbor