I was always proud to from the USA up until W and the Iraq war. My pride has been flagging ever since.

Having said that, to find out what it means to be US American, one has to know one’s heritage. This, of course, will be different for each individual but my heritage is one of the most common, that being ancestors from the British Isles and Germany. That does not diminish, in my mind, the contributions of other cultures. Those other cultures, particularly African and Spanish, help contribute to making me now different from my British/German heritage, thus American. There are many of my heritage who want to pretend other influences don’t exist. They forget … E Pluribus Unum - Out of Many One.

July

Didn’t smell like cat pee when I visited and there were many cats. A couple were on that bed. Some were on shelves in the gift store. Basically, they’re everywhere.

Yeah. You should move past that.

Easy access to firearms.

This is a BS statement. Firearms have ALWAYS been easy to get in the U.S. It used be even easier than it is now. Yet it’s NOW that we have this increase in the suicide rate. Maybe try looking at reasons for suicide such as the the divisions in this country rather than just blaming a tool.

Men are more likely to use a gun for suicide, as they have always been, for the same reason they go to a store with something in mind to buy, buy that something then walk out. Men focus on the goal so they obviously go for the most effective method of achieving the goal.

a manual particle collector (broom) and a manual particle shifter (shovel).