I always like coming back home

I haven't traveled out of the U.S. in about a decade, but in the 1980s and 1990s, I spent a lot of time abroad (including a year long stint living abroad). I've always been delighted in Europe -- and even more delighted to come back home to America, clean, polite, friendly, comfortable, and free. I was not surprised to see that Gail, at Crossing the Rubicon, shares my feelings

I like living here. People are nice. The food is good. I like my house. I like my computer. I like my books. I am happy. I've traveled around a bit, and I've discovered that the roads in the US are excellent. The signage and stoplights and speed limits are designed for safety. Roads in the US are kept well repaired. In Virginia where I live, people are incomparably polite. Every day at rush hour, when the traffic builds up and smaller roads deliver cars into the larger ones, each of the drivers on the main road voluntarily allows one car from a side road into the main artery. Even after living in VA for many years, I have never seen this free-willed politeness fail. And the people are generally all like this, in PTA meetings, scouting groups, soccer leagues, at the mall, or the doctor's office. Are there a few bad apples? Yes, of course. But that doesn't negate the fact that people here care about their community and their country. You can feel the patriotism here. There are many who fly flags year round, and others who will raise them for holidays. There are lots of soldiers' families who live here, so close to the Pentagon and Fort Belvoir. It's not uncommon to see yellow ribbons tied to mailboxes.