I'm an American

"So tell me Dana, in your opinion, how do you feel about being Lakota and being an American? Is there a difference?"

The correspondent from the UK asked me as we stood by the massive gravesite of the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890.

Ironic that he would ask me here, I thought as I overlooked the grave of the over 300 people who woke that cold winter morning not knowing it was their last on Earth. I looked out at the valleys and gorges that they must have ran through from the Calvary, not knowing that every crunch of their moccasin on the snow would verberate for generations. History was being made and they were simply trying to live.

I looked back at the reporter.

"I am a Lakota first. I always will be. I also believe in being an American but America doesn't believe in me. That's how i feel."

He took note, inquired further and I explained myself.

Now that I look back at that day, I relaize it was an epiphany of sorts.

You see, I am an American. My culture or race has nothing to do with anything except my own personal pride. Yet for everything I do in life I have to check a box claiming who I am.

I am an American. I am as proud of the fact that I am from a beautiful land as my ancestors were back in the day.

But I am an American and I am sick of tired of the bullshit that goes with it. Sick of being the country that can pick on other countries and start wars for bullshit cover up reasons. Sick and tired of people saying that pretty soon the government will admit we are in a recession. Who are we fuckin kidding? The dollar is worth how much? The unemployment is how high? Homeless are where? The price of a gallon of milk is competing with the price of a gallon of gas.

I am an American and I am sick of this bullshit. I used to think McCain was cool but now that he is the candidate...THEE candidate he turned into a weak punkass old man who can't speak for himself anymore and gets more conservative by the day. I used to think Hilary was ok, but her political tactics are dirtier than Monica's dress.

I am voting, because I want change. For god's sake, I hope more people vote. If your sick of this shit, vote. If your sick of a country that would rather send young people off to die rather than send them to college, or fund more people to be housed in prison a year than fund them to get a degree, than vote. Kids in India are getting degrees everyday, no wonder they are getting our jobs. Yet, we bitch and complain and don't vote.

I'm an American and I want it to change. I want to be proud to say that. I want the price of milk to go down.

I am an American, do you hear me?

*probably not*