On Protesters,Bumperstickers, and Being Thankful

I read this morning about 8 Americans who went over to China during the Olympics to protest the Chinese government and their treatment of Tibet. The eight were promptly arrested, jailed, interrogated, and it appears at least mildly tortured. I say mild, but I am sure it was terrible and yet when I read they have now been deported to the States and were still walking. I think mild since the government they were protesting has a record of interrogating people until they can't walk. I was thankful they were released and I don't know them or their passion so I am not sure if what I am going to say is accurate. Their actions struck me as naive. I think Americans get really used to America and we forget what an amazing place this is. The political season always bugs me. We have candidates trying to convince us of how terrible things are. The unemployment figures are always trotted out. I think if I was a candidate I would say, "Hey, if you have a job then vote for me." I figure on average that would land me in the neighborhood of a 95% landslide. Here in America we are free to rage about our sitting president. We can put bumper stickers on our cars saying not only what a lousy job we feel like he has done but we can even add personal insults. So, we get used to the amazing freedom and we run off to China because the opening ceremony looked so much like what America might do if we had an extra 5 or 6 hundred million people and we make up some pretty mild signs according to American standards. "Quit Messing With Tibet". We don't even add "You Bunch of Big Bullies". And before you know it we are in a tiny room filled with Chinese gentlemen who aren't at all like the ones we saw in the opening ceremony. I believe God loves the whole world and that if Jesus was an American there would be much he would want us to change. I get that. But today let's take a step back and be grateful for this nation that lets us complain as loudly as we want. A place where we can say how terrible it is that all of us don't have insurance for the best health care the world has ever known. A place where when we are sick and doctors can't make us better or we can't afford the doctor of our choice we can still walk into any one of the hundred of churches that dot our landscape and pray as long as we want to the God who decided 250 years ago to allow a country like this to be formed. And while we are on our knees, let's say thanks because no matter what the politicians tell us these next couple of months there is no place like home. I know 8 Americans who will say 'Amen' to that.