As I was reading some things yesterday, and pondering on my second favourite country in the world, The United States of America, I wrote the following article that was published in Catholic Online.
Usually my articles do not generate much in the way of comments, no more than my blog postings. But, this one generated a comment that I will put at the end of the article.
On May 23, 2010 Dennis Prager was with Sarah Palin, and Hugh Hewitt speaking at the University of Denver. Mr. Prager was asked what single threat to America was the greatest. He stated "the greatest threat facing America . . . is that we have not passed on what it means to be American to this generation." I beg you, my brothers and sisters, to dig back into the why of America, to the founding principles of your great land, and to make them important once again, not just as words in the mind, but as words that speak to the heart
LONDON, ONTARIO (Catholic Online) - My Dear American Brothers and Sisters:
As a 60 year old Canadian male from Southern Ontario, it has been my privilege and honour to live next to the greatest nation on earth, most of the time. In recent years, My Dear Wife and I have also had the opportunity to spend much of our winters in the American southwest in Arizona. I love America. I love the principles on which America was founded. I deplore what is happening in your great land at this time.
When you live in Southern Ontario, you become inculcated into the American dream, the American ideology, and the American psyche. It is as inevitable as NBC, ABC, CBS, and even ESPN. Many of our younger Canadians, if asked who was the head of our government would probably say President Obama, not our Prime Minister, what's his name. That's how much we are influenced by your nation.
It is sad but true that there are many ugly Americans. I have seen them in the Caribbean islands, in Europe as I have travelled to both, and I see many of them when I travel in America as well. Their ugliness is in their ignorance of anything outside the borders of the American mainland, including Alaska and Hawaii. However, America is in itself so vast, so complex, and so beautiful a land that this can all be forgiven and laid aside.
You did come late to two fairly large dustups, the first and second World Wars. But, you came, and when you were there, you brought the balance of power to the side of justice for those who were oppressed. You went to fight and many to die in Vietnam, and to Iraq twice, and you are also in Afghanistan. The cynics would say you fought over oil, or economics. You cannot tell that to the relatives of those who have died in each of these fights, and none of them died in vain. Your presence in all of these conflicts is a significant sign that you care about the world we all inhabit, and I salute you and particularly those men and women who put their lives on the line.
In our stay in Arizona, we reside in an over 55 recreational vehicle resort. There we have met many fine Americans, and many of the men are young enough to have participated in Vietnam, and some are even there from WWII. These men and their wives bleed red, white and blue, and I admire their patriotism, and have wondered how a nation that has such committed men and women, who when called, would fight to protect the values that have made America great in nations far away, could be losing its way today.
I have studied with admiration the Declaration of Independence, and the Pledge of Allegiance, and other documents that articulate America's great heritage and destiny, and have been saddened to see this greatest of all nations on earth wallowing in fiscal irresponsibility, and moral depravity at the most critical time in the history of mankind, when the godly values on which America was founded are so important to show to all citizens of the world.
This is not an exercise in finger pointing. As a Canadian, I am well aware of the loss of those same values in our country, and I am ashamed of our own behaviour. But, the world looks on us differently, which does not excuse us, and puts a higher demand for integrity on America.
On May 23, 2010 Dennis Prager was with Sarah Palin, and Hugh Hewitt speaking at the University of Denver. Mr. Prager was asked what single threat to America was the greatest. He stated "the greatest threat facing America . . . is that we have not passed on what it means to be American to this generation."
He also paraphrased Nietzsche when he said that a society does not survive if it does not have a reason to survive, and concluded that this society has lost the why, not the how."
This was a light bulb moment for me as a lover of the USA.
The people who have been elected to run America are not the problem. They are doing exactly what they have been invited to do by the electorate of the country. Do you not realise that if the people of America rose up and said as one, that what is being done to this country by those elected to protect it and its value is not acceptable, that they would, of needs, come back into line with the wishes of the American people.
I beg you, my brothers and sisters, to dig back into the why of America, to the founding principles of your great land, and to make them important once again, not just as words in the mind, but as words that speak to the heart.
I believe that America is the last best earthly hope for mankind to speak against evil, and to stand against evil, as it comes against us here in North America and in the world.
If you will not pick back up the torch that has been passed to you, who on earth can we turn to to speak for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?
God Bless America, land that you and I love.
Here was the surprising comment that I received to this from Robert shortly after it was put online.
I fail to see how that passage of Health Insurance for 45 million Americans without health insurance is somehow against the American way. I fail to see how regulating wall street and cracking down on companies like BP is somehow against the American way. I fail to see how all of these things that our Great President has done for us is somehow against the American way. I do think that starting wars on false premises is against the American way. I do think that allowing banks to take advantage of the poor is against the American way. I do think that giving millionaires tax breaks at the expense of our grandchildren in against the American way. All of these things our last not so great President did. So I suppose I am a little shocked to see this lovey dovey column in support of Sarah Palin. Please post this to your right wing blog, not to a catholic website. You don't speak for us.I did not get any of that out of the article that I wrote. Interesting response.
1 comment:
I appreciate and concurs fully, with your thoughful letter.
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