Most of the responses were about what you'd expect from the Soviet Red Army in the mid '80s - a litany of "Glorious victory for the Red Army and our allies" claims. But one of the replies was supposedly from a crusty old coot of a Great Patriotic War veteran, a great hero who had no you-know-whats left to give, and who had visited the United States and had some idea what America was all about. I committed that reply to memory:

The Americans are a violent people, and their citizenry is armed to the teeth. An invasion of the United States would make Afghanistan look like a picnic with schoolchildren.

Now, I've never been able to verify the source of those papers. But I still look at that supposed statement by a general of the Red Army, and, real or not, it makes me so proud to be an American. Why? Because the reply itself may or may not be authentic, but the content of it is accurate enough.

So what does it mean to be an American? Or, rather, what should it mean? I have some thoughts.

Americans should value the Constitution and what it stands for, including liberty and property. The Constitution is the highest law in the land and is the most brilliant governing document ever devised in the history of humanity. It defines and guarantees the member states a republican form of government; that is to say, a republic, not a democracy. The first ten amendments to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, recognize fundamental rights with which no level of government may interfere. The Constitution does not grant us these rights; it merely recognizes them and guarantees them. Anyone coming to live in the United States, anyone who wishes to live in America, should be expected to become an American, and that means living under and agreeing to our Constitution above any other allegiance. 

Americans should - must - respect not only their own liberty, but the liberty of our neighbors. Americans should also be prepared, when necessary, to act to protect our liberty, and to that end, the founders gave us a protection that no other nation on earth has: The Second Amendment.

Americans should - must - value property rights, including not only our own rights but the rights of our neighbors. The fruits of our labors are ours, first and foremost. It is not the place of government to abrogate the rights of private property without due process. We must conduct our affairs accordingly; in trade, there are only three possible ways for any transaction to take place. If it is done by deceit, it is fraud; if it is done by force, it is theft. Only open trade, in which both parties realize a gain, is acceptable.

Americans should - must - protect the integrity of the election process. Elections are managed primarily at the state and county level; the citizen has the duty not only to vote, but to be aware of the process, to oppose election schemes like universal mail-in voting. Systems like these are an invitation to fraud.

Being an American means something culturally. It doesn't matter where our ancestors came from. It doesn't matter how long ago they came here. What matters is that we are all, above and beyond anything else, Americans. The country is a melting pot, not a salad bowl. All get stirred in, and what comes out is American. It is as our motto states: Out of many, one. One nation.

The United States is like no other nation on the planet. Not since Rome has any one nation held such a pre-eminent position in the world. If we wish to keep that position - if we wish to keep the United States as a force for good in the world - these principles are how we go about it. Live by them - and vote by them.

Our country is still worth working for and, if necessary, fighting for. If we have to, we must be willing to go down fighting for it - because a world without the United States would be a very unpleasant place, indeed.