Good questions, @bengy. For me, writing about my country, the USA, is like writing about my family. These are associations I was born into. My country is very close to me, so I love it. And yet, anything held that close will show flaws.

1. What I love: I love the idea of my country. That is, the way it came into being, with indignant individuals deciding to make a break. Deciding they wouldn't accept rule from afar. I love the ideal of equality expressed in our founding documents, an expression that inspired independence movements around the world. I love the beauty of the land, the vibrancy of the city. I grew up in the foothills of a mountain chain, and moved to New York City, so I benefited from both land and city.

2. My dismay arises from the way the reality separated from the ideal. In our Constitution, we speak of human beings as 3/5ths of a person, and these human beings were given even less dignity than that in practice. Women are not mentioned in my Constitution; not until 1920 were we even allowed to vote. Our great Manifest Destiny, which meant the political boundaries of the nation would expand westward, was enabled by genocide of original peoples. I know the USA is not unique in practicing slavery, in denying women the franchise, and in expanding politically at the expense of other peoples. But this is my country, my family, and these are aspects of my country that disappoint me. Today, in my country, there is a legacy of this unequal history. We are trying to sort things out so the reality comes closer to the ideal. This will take time.

There it is, @bengy. My love, and my disappointment, in my country, my home, the USA.