Make America Great Again!
Make America Great Again!
“When was America ever great?” was the critical question asked by former Attorney General Eric Holder. A host echoes the same sentiment. It never was, if you interpret “great” as meaning perfect. However, if it is understood that “great” is a relative term, it applies. Great, compared with what?
Great is a trope, a metaphorical expression, indicating not that it is perfect, but that compared with others countries it excels. Consider, in what other country would you have preferred to be born and live? Given the choice of America, had you rather have been born in the country of your ancestors and still be living there? The option of moving to the land of your forefathers is open.
America certainly had and has imperfections. The era of abhorrent slavery is perhaps America’s nadir of imperfection. The concept is repulsive, inhumane. Bottom line, it was a repugnant sin.
In answering when America was great consider our emergence as a nation when our forefathers pledged their lives, their liberties, and their sacred honor to bring about its birth. That means they were willing to make even the ultimate sacrifice to give us the freedom we enjoy today. It was great when our predecessors composed a constitution that permits our present right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It was a great day when they adopted the Bill of Rights that citizens from all nations would love to have. It was great the day Martin Luther King Jr. helped open the eyes of the nation to a new day of greatness.
It would be an even greater nation if people would stop making disparaging statements that make some people feel there is nothing good in our past and that being an American is not a good thing. Those who do feel that way are at liberty to renounce their citizenship and move, OR stay here and work civilly within the law to improve it, not to radicalize it.
It is embarrassing to acknowledge America has had some lamentably dark days now looked upon sorrowfully and in contrition. Rather than getting caught up on and exploiting those days let’s learn from them and move on in our efforts to make America greater today.
For the people of Europe, Africa, and the Orient, America was great the day Americans freed them from enslaving ideologies imposed by tyrants. America was great during the era after World War II when America helped those nations recover by offering such aid as the Marshal Plan.
America was great the day, rather the freezing night, when George Washington and his mostly barefooted soldiers crossed the Delaware and marched through the snow to win a decisive battle at Trenton against all odds, helping gain our freedom.
It was a great day when Americans raised the flag on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima at the expense of 6,000 Americans who died and 17,000 who were wounded.
It was a great day slavery was abolished in America. We appropriately reflect on that day, but add to it the millions of people globally American efforts have resulted in setting multiple millions of people free from oppressive despots.
Those were among the ultima Thule days when America reached the highest degree of greatness. There is no nation comparable in good deeds. Consider the benevolence, generosity, charity, amity, humanitarians, and philanthropy. No other country has as much. That alone has made America great.