Since I can remember, I have always been forced to trace back my family roots. The question of nationalism has been asked repeatedly of me. I am always expected to name some far away place as being my homeland. This idea seems totally bogus to me. Granted, if I looked at my family tree, I could trace back hundreds of years and find that there was once a Dunton living in Ireland and a Beardsley living in Scotland. However, the closest I have ever come to these rain plagued countries was through watching Mel Gibson take on the English in "Braveheart."

Telling somebody I'm Irish and Scottish is a lie. I have no desire to be Irish or Scottish. I have no desire to travel to Ireland or Scotland. I don't even like Irish coffee or Scottish potatoes. Why am I forced to mislead people and myself about who I am? Too many of my family's generations have been in this nation too long for this behavior to continue. My own great grandmother is still alive and kicking at 103, and she's been in the United States of America her whole life.

I have made the decision to start a new trend, one that runs against everything we've been brainwashed to believe. I am announcing to the world that I am an American. I do not claim to be a Native American, rather, I am an American from the honest-to-God best country in the world, the United States. Patriotism feels great, I urge you to try some along with me.

The reason I am an American is that I was born in America, raised by Americans, who were raised by Americans, etc. I do not think like a foreigner. I prefer football American style where guys knock each other into the ground, instead of the other football where a high-scoring game is 2-1. Like most Americans, I am not sophisticated enough to believe for one second that Americans are inferior to anybody. I like material possessions, and I probably use more natural resources than I should. I am a firm believer in basic human rights which include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These are all qualities of an American.

I don't care what color, height or sex you are. If you were born and raised anywhere between San Francisco and New York you are, whether you like it or not, an American. If I were to travel to Scotland nobody would consider me to be Scottish, they would say, "Hey, look at that Yank." So I ask, if I'm an American in any other part of the world, why would I renounce my true heritage in the very country that has made me what I am? The whole notion of being anything else is ridiculous.

Being an American is nothing to be ashamed of. Why do people want to be something they're not? America is the greatest country one could ever hope for. Just look at how many people each year try to make this land their home. The next time you have to tell somebody your nationality for any reason, look them squarely in the eye, be proud and say, "I am an American."

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