America: Love it or Leave it

This little piece of intellectual laziness was popularized during the Vietnam War. I suppose it was what Samuel Johnson meant when he quipped "patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel." Today, "love it or leave it" has been replaced by "If you don't like America, why don't you move to [fill in the blank]?". If you've been asked this particular question, you surely know that any rational discourse has ended.

What is ironic is that I've been asked this rhetorical question by both the supporters of Clinton and GWB. Does this make me an authentic American hater? I was a commissioned officer in the United States Army, which is more than I can say about a lot of neo-conservatives. I also took time to read the Constitution, since I had taken a vow to uphold and defend it. The question was almost always in response to my criticism of an unconstitutional law or policy of the Clinton or Bush administrations. I can understand democrat types for their criticism, as they believe the Constitution to be mostly a "living document" that can be twisted or ignored in order to further their agenda. What is more perplexing is that the "law-and-order" republicans now exhibit such contempt (or possibly ignorance) of the Constitution.

Let's take this rhetorical question seriously for a moment. The underlying assertion is that if you don't like something, you ought to cut and run. Don't like school? Drop out! Don't like your job? Quit! Family's a drag? Get a divorce or run-away from home. In some cases, this is a good idea. But it is a poor idea if there's a likelihood of changing the situation. Assuming that I were to choose leaving the US, where should I go? Most countries have fairly stringent immigrant policies, and in some I would likely be suspected of being a spy. Another thing is that you just aren't free to leave. The US is in the process of enacting an "exit tax" to be levied upon those emigrating. I suppose secession is another option, but there are too many idolizers of Lincoln in this country for it to be a realistic option.