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Originally Posted by sob
Thanks for my laugh of the day.
If you drive on the left side of the road, does that make it an American way of driving?
If Judge Roy Moore lays claim to his identity by virtue of being a judge, does that mean if he posts the Ten Commandments in his courtroom, he is simply acting like a judge?
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I guess one could take what I said to mean that if I chose to drive on either side of the road, it wouldn't detract from my identity as an american.
Presumably, if one were to drive on either side of a road, provided one didn't harm someone else, that would fit perfectly with what I consider to be an american act.
Of course, I'm just indulging you. you made a series of logical errors to construct that analogy.
As for Moore, if his identity as a judge was his by birthright and that birthright was formalized in the very basis of society (as my identity as an american by birth is), then your argument would be correct. since it isn't, the answer to your ridiculous analogy is clearly no.
maybe I should make this more clear for you, since you seem to be unable to comprehend the difference or are uneducated on this topic:
my identity as a US citizen and any special rights afforded to me as a consequence of that status are not derived from my actions, thought, or desires. They are a consequence of my birthright. This, of course, does not apply to immigrants, who can have their citizenship stripped.
therefore, my actions, thoughts, or desires can not determine or change my status as a citizen. and in so far as this nation is constituted of its citizenry, not any other entity, their is no abstract entity that can operate externally of those citizens to lay greater claim to what is 'American.'
America is as americans do.
it's that fucking simple
if I want to walk around and be a commie, I'm an american commie, it doesn't suddenly make me chinese. there's nothing UnAmerican about me being a communist--because the framers of this nation didn't see fit to hinge this nation's identity, nor the people within it, to any specific economic form or religious form.
as long as I stand on my piece of soil and hinge my identity on my birthright, there isn't anything you can fucking do about what I say being an american means to me--because I own the rights to the meaning of 'american'.
the sooner you get that into your head, the better off you will be--because it's reality.