by Marty Coleman | Nov 7, 2012 | American |
Here is my 2012 ‘America the Beautiful is Beautiful Today’ napkin drawing.
Reaching
Are you reaching for the good in yourself and your country today? No matter who you voted for, what color your skin is, who you love, how old you are, or what you have between your legs, you are just as free today to pursue your dreams as you were yesterday. No election is going to take that away from you. Pursue your dreams with passion and compassion and you will wake up 4 years from now, after another election, happier, healthier and with love in your heart. It’s up to you.
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Drawing and quote by Marty Coleman, Proud American always.
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Four years ago today I drew the first napkin I had drawn since my youngest daughter (at the time) had graduated from high school 4 years earlier. I drew the napkin because I couldn’t find an old napkin that said how I felt about the election of Barack Obama. I made up the quote, drew it and posted it very quickly the morning after the election. Back in that day I wasn’t on Facebook and Twitter didn’t exist. I posted it on my flickr.com site and on this blog, which I had started just at the beginning of 2008. Here is that drawing. This drawing is why I am the Napkin Dad today. I am very grateful I woke up that morning and decided to draw it.
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by Marty Coleman | Sep 11, 2012 | American, Heroes - 2012, New York City |
9/11
In Memoriam
Total dead: too many
Total injured: too many
Total relatives and friends of the dead and injured: too many
Total military dead in subsequent wars: too many
Total military injured in subsequent wars: too many
Total relatives and friends of the war dead and injured: too many
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by Marty Coleman | Jul 4, 2010 | American, Independence Day, Jose Ortega y Gasset, USA |
Today we celebrate the birth of the United States of America 234 years ago.
Who likes the idea of being mediocre? Not me. But I do like the idea that the millions and millions of average people are the deciding factor in whether a nation is great. Yes, it’s wonderful to have fantastic leaders and great managers and genius artists and fabulous engineers who lead the way. But most of us don’t live in a world surrounded by fame and greatness every day. We live in our neighborhoods with average folk. Who they are, who you are, that is what defines America.
You can read my post from yesterday on how I test myself to see if I am living up to what I consider to be American standards.
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“What makes a nation great is not primarily its great men, but the stature of its innumerable mediocre ones.” – Jose Ortega y Gasset, 1883-1955, Spanish author and philosopher
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by Marty Coleman | Jul 3, 2010 | American, Independence Day |
I love my country. In most cases I probably love your country too. But I love my country because the ideals it was founded on. Those ideals are not well protected and maintained if you only rise up and believe them once a year on the 4th of July. They are nourished when you do it every day.
Here is my self-test of patriotism. These statements are how I know I am living up to the ideals of our founders.
- When I understand that America is not only for people like me.
- When I understand that I am free to judge on the content of character, but not the color of skin or the gender of the body or the inclinations of love and attraction or the ability to do what others can do, or one’s upbringing or station in life.
- When I understand that each individual has the inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, whether I like their versions of those things or not.
- When I understand we have a right to be free and pursue our dreams but NOT at the expense and destruction of our towns, coastlines, rivers, oceans, land or people.
- When I understand we have an absolute right to protect ourselves from those who wish or do us harm, both from outside our country and our corporations, and from inside.
- When I understand with gratefulness and humility that many people, now and in the past, have found it necessary to do something they hate doing, namely killing other people, and in turn sometimes getting killed and wounded themselves, to protect these rights and to protect me.
- When I understand that hating another country or another people will not now, or ever, create a safe environment for me and mine.
- When I understand that civil discourse and transitions among people and governing authorities who disagree is essential and positive, leading to good governance and progress.
- When I understand and stand up for true religious freedom, knowing that my religion (or lack of) is not the religion of the country, no matter how large and powerful it is, and no matter how many believe as I do.
- When I understand that America is me and what I do with my life.
That is my test.
What would you add to it?
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“Patriotism is not the short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” – Adlai Stevenson, 1900-1965, Governor of Illinois, Ambassador to the UN, Presidential candidate 1952 & 1956.
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