A. Blinken

I’m always a little embarrassed when a government representative takes to the tube to brag about what a great country we are. It seems to me that if you’re a great country, you don’t have to go on television to say so, it should be evident. When I see a politician, especially a well-paid, frequently photographed politician, boast about how free we are and so on, it makes me suspicious. Granny Wise tells me, "don’t mind what a body says, see what he does." A great country doesn’t put her people in jail, she works to keep them out. A great country doesn’t forget her children or punish their parents for having them. A great country doesn’t squander liberty in a fool’s dream of absolute security. A great country, like a great individual, lives with courage, fairness, and faith, and doesn’t take the stage to brag and boast like a neighborhood drunk under a streetlight.