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As I woke up this unusually warm September morning to go back to work, I was thinking about myself, my family and my country, in no particular order.
The U.S. is great, and maybe the greatest nation ever. From the incomparable beauty of the ocean beaches, to the waving fields of grain. to the forests of the Appalachians and the rugged beauty of the Rockies and the desert, the physical beauty is incomparable. As a general proposition. America has been and remains a land of opportunity. If you come to work and improve yourself as well as your adopted land, America gave and still gives people a second chance in life. I do carry the flag for my people, the Jews, and the Jews would not be alive in viable numbers in the world if not for America. This greatness has a history.
Prior to the colonization of the New World, the Old World was dominated, depending on where you were, by Islam and/or Christianity (we'll leave Buddhist and Hindu Asia out of the discussion for now). The one thing both had in common was that each was rife with rules and restrictions on what non-majority religions or ethnic groups could do or not do. These restrictions often took a deadly form, with the Spanish inquisition as but one example. Even Moorish Spain, considered a bright spot by many, imposed humiliating restrictions on Jews, known as "dhimmitude". Virtually all European countries prevented Jews from owning land, holding office and, where applicable, voting. These restrictions existed even in England, the cradle of liberty and freedom.
Fortunately, the dam burst during the two centuries after 1492. The Americas were a place where, at least initially, the various King's courts and priests' writs did not run. The focus was on what people could do to tame a wilderness, not the way they chose to worship G-d.
Now, there are other countries that have some or many of these aspects. But not all of them.
America does not need to be made "great again." It is great. And America is by no means perfect. But at least it tries.
I had a political science professor at the U of U when I attended school about 40 years ago (has it been that long?) who commented about America's greatness. JD Williams, my professor, was a classic liberal and you would have found his name next to the word liberal in the dictionary. He talked and talked about racism, the evils of unregulated capitalism, Watergate, and abuses by the FBI and CIA.
Nevertheless, JD had a deep love for America. I think part of it had to do with the fact that he realized that someone like himself could never have become a college professor unless they were born in a country like the USA which had great social mobility in the late 1940's and 1950's. J.D. had a series of lectures that were canned, but they were some of the very best oratory that I ever heard. I need to go on google and see if I can find them someday.
However, the one lecture that stayed with me is when he makes the statement that what made America unique among nations was that "America is the only country that has perhaps kept more promises than it has broken".
For me, it has been the place where I overcame obstacles and made many of my dreams come true. I was able to become a successful practicing lawyer despite having a less than stellar GPA and LSAT score. I was able to marry and have a family. My wife and I were able to earn a high enough income to support ourselves in style. In the last thirty years, I have either become wealthy or well-to-do. I suppose it depends on how it is measured. Yet, success can become difficult. Despite my success, I find myself still not totally satisfied, still searching for something I've somehow missed. Anyway, I digress.
I realize many have been left behind in America. Like so many, I worry for my children and the future. I recognize that my success story has not been true for many minorities, people of color, and those who were economically disadvantaged. I think the American promise has yet to be kept for a substantial segment of our population.
To these people, I would encourage them to work hard and to seek education. I would paraphrase some lines from a Robert Frost poem.
"I have promises to keep, promises to keep, but miles to go before I sleep".
As I woke up this unusually warm September morning to go back to work, I was thinking about myself, my family and my country, in no particular order.
The U.S. is great, and maybe the greatest nation ever. From the incomparable beauty of the ocean beaches, to the waving fields of grain. to the forests of the Appalachians and the rugged beauty of the Rockies and the desert, the physical beauty is incomparable. As a general proposition. America has been and remains a land of opportunity. If you come to work and improve yourself as well as your adopted land, America gave and still gives people a second chance in life. I do carry the flag for my people, the Jews, and the Jews would not be alive in viable numbers in the world if not for America. This greatness has a history.
Prior to the colonization of the New World, the Old World was dominated, depending on where you were, by Islam and/or Christianity (we'll leave Buddhist and Hindu Asia out of the discussion for now). The one thing both had in common was that each was rife with rules and restrictions on what non-majority religions or ethnic groups could do or not do. These restrictions often took a deadly form, with the Spanish inquisition as but one example. Even Moorish Spain, considered a bright spot by many, imposed humiliating restrictions on Jews, known as "dhimmitude". Virtually all European countries prevented Jews from owning land, holding office and, where applicable, voting. These restrictions existed even in England, the cradle of liberty and freedom.
Fortunately, the dam burst during the two centuries after 1492. The Americas were a place where, at least initially, the various King's courts and priests' writs did not run. The focus was on what people could do to tame a wilderness, not the way they chose to worship G-d.
Now, there are other countries that have some or many of these aspects. But not all of them.
America does not need to be made "great again." It is great. And America is by no means perfect. But at least it tries.
LOL, oh boy. Let me get my popcorn ready for this one...
I think our nation is better than most, maybe all. But even if we are the best, all too often we fall short. We have had terribly dark periods and incidents, as well as times that should make people's hearts soar. We have the potential to be great, but that is not what I have seen of late.
Great post. The fact that we are now in the midst of one of the darkest times in our nation because we have abandoned the principles that made us what we once were, most certainly falls on deaf ears of those perpetuating the advocacy of their version of “enlightenmentâ€.
America has indeed fallen victim to its own success and prosperity, just as every society before it did. The inevitable implosion is creeping closer and closer, yet the blind continue to lead the blind until they fall into the ditch.
However, the one lecture that stayed with me is when he makes the statement that what made America unique among nations was that "America is the only country that has perhaps kept more promises than it has broken".
This is the same country that wrote this into its Declartion of Independence
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
then proceed to keep black people in the shackles of slavery for the proceeding 90 years. What makes America truly unique is its inability to grasp the notion of irony.
I feel like that just goes back to the question of whether it's even possible to have a "great" nation, if this is what's to be expected.
It's certainly up for debate whether civil rights organizations should have made marriage such a pressing issue when there are so many facing the LGBTQ community, but is our culture not centered around marriage? If it is a vital institution in America, then everyone should be permitted an opportunity to partake.
The USA has contributed more to freedom and prosperity for more people than any nation in history.
We have the Dinesh D'souza movie (haven't watched it yet) "America: Imagine The World Without Her." That's really all you have to do, if you have a rudimentary understanding of history and world power--questionable for recent inmates in US education agitprop institutions--that question answers itself.
All nations and all people have flaws. To expect the USA to be "up to" the "standards" of some people who live in 2018, when the year was 1777 or 1877 or 1977 is denying reality.
Are there hordes of American citizens flocking to Mexico, Canada, Saudi, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Iran, Iraq, France, England, Germany, Russia, China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Ethiopia...etc.
Are there hordes of non-Americans flocking to get into the USA by hook or by crook? Legally and honestly or illegally?
Desire to be there tells a lot. Expecting perfection is the path to failure.
The leader of the free world is a reality TV star.
America indeed is great. No other country would ever do that.
Laugh all you want, but this POTUS has inspired all kinds of folks to also run for office.
We're not so unique. Italy elected a former porn star to Parliament, I can't see our prudish country doing that.
I also think our POTUS is more than making the case that President is a job that requires previous relevant experience. Or at least a working knowledge of how democracy works.
The USA has contributed more to freedom and prosperity for more people than any nation in history.
We have the Dinesh D'souza movie (haven't watched it yet) "America: Imagine The World Without Her." That's really all you have to do, if you have a rudimentary understanding of history and world power--questionable for recent inmates in US education agitprop institutions--that question answers itself.
All nations and all people have flaws. To expect the USA to be "up to" the "standards" of some people who live in 2018, when the year was 1777 or 1877 or 1977 is denying reality.
Are there hordes of American citizens flocking to Mexico, Canada, Saudi, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Iran, Iraq, France, England, Germany, Russia, China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Ethiopia...etc.
Are there hordes of non-Americans flocking to get into the USA by hook or by crook? Legally and honestly or illegally?
Desire to be there tells a lot. Expecting perfection is the path to failure.
There are 9 million American Ex-Pats living in other countries. Probably not in 3rd world countries, but there are plenty of other desirable countries to live in. There are more and more people who cannot afford to remain here in retirement who have gone abroad and are living much better than they were here, some of them post on Retirement.
Also, the number of Mexican citizens returning to Mexico has been lower than the number coming in for at least 5 years now, but of course they don't mention that much now because it doesn't serve their purpose.
All nations and all people have flaws. To expect the USA to be "up to" the "standards" of some people who live in 2018, when the year was 1777 or 1877 or 1977 is denying reality.
The problem is America has never lived up to its own perceived standards it has set for itself. It talks a big game when it comes to things like freedom, democracy, civil liberties, rights, etc then constantly fails to live up to said promises.
The USA has contributed more to freedom and prosperity for more people than any nation in history.
We have the Dinesh D'souza movie (haven't watched it yet) "America: Imagine The World Without Her."
I've never read Dinesh D'souza but he seems to me like one of those sensationalist, Bill Maher types, and that doesn't inspire confidence.
Quote:
That's really all you have to do, if you have a rudimentary understanding of history and world power--questionable for recent inmates in US education agitprop institutions--that question answers itself.
(emphasis mine) What does that mean? I honestly don't know.
Quote:
All nations and all people have flaws. To expect the USA to be "up to" the "standards" of some people who live in 2018, when the year was 1777 or 1877 or 1977 is denying reality.
Well, as someone already pointed out, we aspired to some pretty lofty ideals back at our conception and failed to live up to many of them.
Last edited by buildings_and_bridges; 09-05-2018 at 02:25 PM..
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