Yes. They can. But first, you gotta know what an American is.
Darren Beattie gave a brief address at the Miami National Conservatism Conference earlier this month titled, “Can One Be an American Nationalist?“
Aside from the tendency to use big words and long sentences, it’s a good speech. Beattie raises many relevant questions that Americans should be asking themselves and their friends and family.
Beattie asks, “Should we buy American?” What if those American companies are woke corporations that hate Americans? Ought an American nationalist support BigTech companies, all of which are “American?” That’s a very good question.
More than two years ago, I wrote, “What Is American?” and a few months later, “Is Anyone Not an American?,” followed shortly by “To Be American is to Want to Be Left Alone.” I’m sure our readers have their takes on these questions.
If I had the chance to talk to Beattie, or any other pundit or political leader, I think my first few questions would be, “Can you tell me what an American is? What values and beliefs must we believe and uphold to be American? Can you tell me who IS NOT an American?”
If the only answer they have is “You gotta believe in Democracy!” then we are in a sad state of affairs.
The nation is not the state. The people are the nation. If you don’t know deep in your bones that you’re an American, then you aren’t. Maybe you live here, and that’s probably great for you, but you aren’t American.
I’m an American, and I know it. I know what it really means. Until we, as a nation, can find ourselves again, until we can know ourselves again, then we will wander in the wilderness.
Modern political labels like “conservative,” “progressive,” “Democrat,” and “Republican” are basically irrelevant today. America is for Americans. We’re gonna have to sort that out … again, before we can move forward.
