NewsBusters' primary mission is to expose and combat liberal media bias. That said, every now and then a journalist puts up a patriotic essay or news story that deserves a hearty round of applause.
Such is the case with Dallas-based CBS reporter Hari Sreenivasan, who shared his thoughts on the "Couric & Co." blog after coming back from taking the oath to become an American citizen. Sreenivasan shared that it was in being a journalist that he saw the heart of America (emphasis mine):
The most I've learned about this country and what it means to be an American has been through this craft I've been fortunate enough to practice for a dozen years or so. For work, I've lived in Washington, North Carolina, California, New York, and now Texas. According to the map on my Facebook page, there are probably a half-dozen or so states that I have yet to visit. In the past year and a half or so for CBS, I've been hurled into one disaster aftermath after another, and though it might sound like a political cliché, that is really the easiest place to see the best of America. You don't see it when politicians swoop in for a photo-opportunity; it happens quietly.
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The American spirit is in the pastor I met near Damascus, Ark., who, when he saw a tornado, instead of hunkering down, rushed out to warn the construction workers building his church who he knew had no radio. They huddled together inside a cement cellar as the twister tore through in seconds what that community had taken so long to build. Like the entire town of Greensburg, Kansas, the community in Arkansas, will pick itself up, dust itself off and build again. It is in the optimism of the teachers throughout New Orleans who are putting their money where the rest of the country's idealistic mouths are. They are on the front lines working brutally long days for relatively little pay, and often times are part of the only stability in the lives of so many children who have been failed by our education system.
While some of his reasons for becoming a citizen seem to me to hint at a liberal political outlook, Sreenivasan never explicitly laid out his political views, and it's hard to not admire his conclusion:
One thing that I noticed in my fellow immigrants this morning, from the Albanian to the Zimbabwean, from the Kosovar to the Kenyan, was a sense of potential. Even though the act itself is no more than raising your right hand and making a pledge to a new country, there is the sense of hope that comes with turning over a new leaf. I've always believed that either you are part of the solution or you are a part of the problem. There are enough solutions to work on in America, and I'm willing, as they say during Texas Hold'em poker, to go all-in.
Sreenivasan's profile pic by CBS photographer John Filo.
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters



















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Ken, Thank you..America is Great.
September 19, 2008 - 16:34 ET by upcountrywaterSilence is msm's FAVORITE bias.
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IranianUranium
This man has discovered what
September 19, 2008 - 16:46 ET by Pete WilsonThis man has discovered what we all already know, but fail to acknowledge. This is the greatest country, with the most generous people ever in the history of mankind. I wish him well, in his new citizenship, and hope he reaches the potential he sees in himself.
Pete!
September 19, 2008 - 16:50 ET by MrShy"This is the greatest country, with the most generous people ever in the history of mankind."
How DARE you say such a thing! That's totally "not cool" to say... these days, in many circles (filled with circle jerks.)
It's absolutely true, of course... but, well, just not cool.
:p
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Well, I have never been
September 20, 2008 - 08:21 ET by Pete WilsonWell, I have never been "cool", nor have I ever wanted to be. I have, however, always been proud to be an American (thanks Lee Greenwood for those words!), and proud of my country (unlike Mrs. Obama).
Bravo! Here's hoping he
September 19, 2008 - 17:14 ET by JerryBravo!
Here's hoping he can change CBS more than CBS changes him.
When asked if he went to war with Iraq to derail the impeachment vote: “I don’t think any serious person would believe that any President would do such a thing." - President Clinton (Dec 1998).
Well my tag-line fits right
September 19, 2008 - 17:18 ET by bigtimerWell my tag-line fits right in with Sreenivasan's views...
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
I have found that some of
September 19, 2008 - 17:33 ET by ElyasI have found that some of the most patriotic people are legal immigrants. They have worked hard to gain their citizenship, and in many cases have left a country where they would not have the freedom and opportunity that the have in the US.
Sadly it the illegal immigrants that have cause the road to legal citizenship to become so much harder.
Thomas Jefferson once said, 'We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.' And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying. - Ronald Reagan
Elyas, I'm with ya.
September 20, 2008 - 00:02 ET by HillbillyKingI too have found that some of the most patriotic people are legal immigrants. I always use the case of those that wish to become American citizens that join the military in an effort to expedite the process. What other country on Earth can boast an allure that is worth someone putting their life on the line just for the right to say they are "official members"? I can't think of one.
Btw, great tag line. :-}
If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you.
Don Marquis 1878-1937
Yup
September 20, 2008 - 05:58 ET by well99Citizenship plus the ever popular SOS.Well worth joining the military.Too bad they dont have the old C's....mmm chocolate nut rolls.