Xaph:

Thank you for reading my essay and taking the time to write me about it. Let me address your point:

Most people seem to have a natural affinity for their country of origin. My ancestors came here because their countries were crumbling, poverty was endemic, and opportunities were extremely limited. For all its faults, this was better than where they were from.

Does America have problems? Absolutely. Our history is replete with racism and genocide. But the reality is that there are few countries that are not. The British horribly mistreated the Natives, but the Spanish were far far worse.

Slavery was, as most historians recognize, America's Original Sin. And deep vestiges of racism and white supremacy remain.

So were pretty bad, but not many countries are much better. Some enlightened European countries may not be more fair and equitable, but most have a history - of colonialism - that rivals the brutality of the US.

And our current political and economic situation sucks.

But personally, I don't have any other options, so I do what I can to try to fix my country.

Thanks again,

Mike