Thursday, September 02, 2004

Pataki at RNC

There's tons of commentary out there on the speeches given at the RNC - far better than I can write. But there was one particular idea expressed by Gov. Pataki that has always bothered me, the well-meaning but glib phrase that after 9/11, "we are all New Yorkers".

No. I am an American.

I mean absolutely no disrespect to New York, but I am not a citizen of your city, by birth and by choice. As an American, you are free to choose your city of residence, and place any amount of your personal identity in that choice as you wish.

How silly would it be if after November of 63, people said "we are all Kennedys", or after the USS Cole incident, people said "we are all sailors", etc.?

Were my home city attacked, I would not expect or even desire anyone to claim to be a citizen of it either. I would hope for your support as an American, as I would support you.

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