YOUR AD HERE »

Vail Daily letter: Defining an ‘American’

Who and where are the “Americans,” other than those reposed at the likes of Arlington, Fort Logan or other domestic and foreign fields? Have we become a nation of such diversity, ethnic division, and racial discord that “an American” has lost his historic persona and very identity? Has the “rule of law” become as archaic and passé as the Constitution, what with the people’s representatives having matriculated from ”servants” to “career politicians” or worse — to “entitled elites”?

The very recent Rasmussen poll indicated that no less than 71 percent of Democrats polled indicated that they would still vote for Ms. Clinton, notwithstanding the fact that she would be indicted for criminal violations of federal laws, e.g., Espionage Act of 1917, obstruction of justice, destruction of federal property, etc. One of the time-honored indicators or attributes of an “American” has been his devout appreciation for the rule of law. Ergo, does the Democratic Party epitomize what and who an “American” is? Does the DNC have a different DNA gene pool that foments a modern day “ American”? What with the socialist/entitlementarian mindset displayed by the two Democratic candidates running for the CEO position, they, and each of them, are far and away estranged from the capitalistic and altruistic philosophies that made this country the envy of the world — Hillary a closet socialist/sociopath and Bernie an unadulterated, transparent and avowed socialist!

Does the GOP with its RNA metric represent and reflect what or who an “American” is in today’s society? It (GOP) controls both houses of Congress, yet its record is just as feckless, ineffective and self-serving as when the DNC had control. Its candidate for this CEO job has the arrogance and self-dealing interests as others of his ilk, e.g. Mellon, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Stone, Buffet et al. Albeit, Mr. Trump does not need the income; he is not a polished politician, and he does not mince words about what he is about. Would it be more appropriate for him to “trumpet” the American people’’ attributes and nostalgic character, rather than tout “Let’s Make America Great”? Let’s find and restate who an “American” is, and restore him to his rightful position of “master” over his nation, with his representatives in government (in all levels) relegated to his beck and call.



That “American” of whom I speak can be found in the work place, in the middle class of entrepreneurs or the vocations, in the military and, yes, in the venue of Arlington. This “American” is neither Democrat, Republican or a federal provocateur; he is the one who toils for a day’s wages, he is the taxpayer, the farmer, that 80-year-old waitress on Social Security, and he/she has but one allegiance — to and for the people of America. As Theodore Roosevelt put it, “There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all.” When you shed the diversity of your ethnicity, your race, your religious intolerance, and your allegiance to the country and its laws from which you immigrate, you become an “American” in recognizable form, and true to that form. Diversity fades when one inculcates the trappings of the real America into his very being; this and only this will restate just what an “American” is, and in turn, make “America Great Again”!

Fredric Butler

Support Local Journalism



Write a letter!

What’s on your mind? Share your insights with the rest of the community. What’s going well, not so well? Send your letter to letters@vaildaily.com. Letter and column submissions must include the author’s name, hometown and phone number (for verification of authorship only). Because of space constraints, please try to limit your letter to 500 words. By submitting a letter, you are granting permission for the Daily to publish it on the paper’s website. Email Ed Stoner at estoner@vaildaily.com for more information.


Support Local Journalism