EXPATRIATE or EX-PATRIOT?

When we moved to Honduras in 2006 it was not as a statement of contempt for the condition of the U.S. Although, like many, I could see the country was no longer the land of my youth. The gold was long gone from its storage in Ft. Knox, and the country’s economy revolved around debt (credit); the new economics displayed the stability of a leaky balloon. I had also begun to question our involvement in another war. History shows the U.S. involved in a war or conflict every 10-15 years since the end of ‘The War to End All Wars’ (WWI). My grandfathers, father, brothers, and sons have all served in military conflicts outside U.S. borders.

Although many of the millions (registered) of Americans living in Mexico and Central America consider themselves ex-patriots: people who no longer wave the U.S. flag, vote, or pay taxes, I still consider myself an expatriate. An expatriate is simply a person living in a country outside their native land. I still cherish the rights that I have as a U.S. citizen. One of which is the right to travel to any country that will accept me and another is to live outside the U.S. (again in any country that will accept me). The lower cost of living is only one of the attractions.

Watching televised news that has not been politically or economically influenced has been an eye-opening experience. It is fascinating to see U.S. information reported without bias. Like watching a television sitcom about a dysfunctional family; mine may rattle my chain, but watching similar behavior acted out without fear of losing love or approval allows one to see the humor without pain.

This process of standing outside looking in does tend to dispel much of the rosy glow that colors American complicacy. As an example, image a country on the verge of bankruptcy whose population celebrates gratitude with the slaughter of billions of animals for a single day glut? Add to that legacy the odd tradition that occurs the following day. A great number of that same population leave home before sunrise to perpetuate debt with a ritual called “Black Friday.” It might seem an interesting decline in priorities from those of the original illegal aliens that fostered the land of opportunity.

Ex-patriot or expatriate? There is more involved than a choice of vowels.