Dangerous men who love you

In a recent LA Times poll, 48% of Republicans said that California was “not really American.”  The poll stood out to me because it contrasts so sharply with the observation offered by Ronald Reagan (a California Republican, incidentally) in his last speech as president, about what it means to be an American:

You can go to live in France, but you cannot become a Frenchman.  You can go to live in Germany or Turkey or Japan, but you cannot become a German, a Turk, or a Japanese.  But anyone, from any corner of the Earth, can come to live in America and become an American.

Reagan’s point is that there is no “purity test” to gauge the Americanness of our neighbors.

But this isn’t an article about Reagan or California or politics.

It’s about dangerous men who love you.

Wait, what?

You heard me right.  There are men willing to risk their lives for yours, simply because you are an American.  Yes, you—no matter your personal or ideological baggage.  Yes, you—by virtue of your Americanness.

Navy Times undated file photo of Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward Byers

Read the whole thing in today’s Omaha World-Herald.