Dear Editor,
As an Englishmen priveliged to be invited to the United States of America on an exchange visit to further my studies in political science at ETSU. I read with dismay and disgust the column from Silaja Cheruvu. This type of attack on the world’s greatest democracy is sadly only typical of some people who wish to cherry-pick from their country of residence.
As your columnist, Seth Bartee and other respondents to Cheruvu’s letter made clear; it is only in a free country that someone has the right to critize or demonstrate against the government.
I am one of my own government’s fiercest critics at times but I am still proud to be British. A great many people from non-democratic, or less democratic countries, are eager to enter Britain to improve economic status. As in America, they then take advantage of the freedoms that have been fought for. They enjoy the benefits of the British education systems, free health care, welfare benefits and good job prospects, yet many of these people still hate Britain and what they believe Britain stands for.
The whole point of a democracy is that the citizens do have the opportunity through the electoral system and judicial process to right wrongs.
The United States of America has a long and magnificent record of striving to improve the lot of people, not just in America, but throughout the world. Americans have fought and died doing just that, and to pledge non-allegiance as Silaja Cheruvu suggests is an insult to these men and women of courage who have made the ultimate sacrifice to make America the great nation it is. Over the centuries the United States has introduced many rights for its citizens but along with those rights came responsibilities. Cheruvu would be wise to remember this.
Robert Nicholis

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