Exceptionally

Among many conservatives, the concept of American exceptionalism means the American people are somehow superior to all the people in all the other nations of the world. These are the same people who watch the Fox News Channel all night and listen to AM talk radio all day, behavior which basically wipes out any thought of cultural and intellectual superiority.

Never having crossed a border out of the United States, I have to believe that as a place to live, America is the best. Definitely better than anywhere else that I can think of offhand. I can't imagine trying to live in the Asian, African or Central American shitholes I see on TV or movie screens. To repeat what I've often said before, I love this country -- I just can't stomach half the people who live here.

There are a lot of people busting their humps every day to make America the best place to live: the men and women who keep the lights on, the clean water running, and my garbage recycled -- and the ones who write the books I read and the movies I pay to see. But this is the same country where millions of people turn to Rush Limbaugh for the straight truth and would line up to vote for Sarah Palin for president. So put an asterisk beside that "exceptional" label.