America: Imagine a World Without Her Part I

 

The gift of this movie is that it makes one think about our country and role in the world.  This is the first of a series of thoughts triggered by America: Imagine a World without Her.
I challenge you to tell me where would you go if you could not live here, in America? Whatever your ethnicity, where are people like you better off than here?


We spent our Fourth of July attending picnics, sharing time together and watching the movie America: Imagine a World without Her.

It is hard to tell our robust history in 2 hours, but Dinesh D'Souza did.  The movie starts by listing the indictments against America, but most impressively by letting those who are committed to the each indictment state their own case. Then Mr D'Souza calmly and factually puts those points of view into perspective.

I am often mystified by those who live here, profit here and hate being here.  In my travels, I often meet people who have moved to this country and can't stop telling me what was better where they are from.  My question is always, "What forced you to give all that up to be here?" Followed by "How long are sentenced to live here?"

The answer is most often that they are here for the opportunities that are not present in the country that they left behind. The very opportunities that would not and could not coexist with the government provided service or good that they are lamenting not having here.

When teaching I start my first class of the semester with a question and a rule.  The question--where does government's money come from?  The answer is simple, from you.  So when you say "I want government to pay for something." Tell me you are willing to write a personal check for that service, even if you will not receive the benefit yourself.  Because that is what you will be doing. And governments and corporations are made of people--us.

The rule the word government is always replaced with I or we, and free is never used as someone is always paying even if it is not the consumer of the good or service. You and me and everyone who is paid for a service or a good.

Mr. D'Souza shows Bono speaking at Georgetown University in 2012 about America. Bono said it best: Commerce is real. Entrepreneurial capitalism takes more people out of poverty than aid. Extreme ideology is part of the unholy trinity, poverty and drought are the other two. (Personally I also liked the fact that he gave power to the nerd. Us nerds think you.) He preaches transparency.  He preaches capitalism. He preaches realizing that the population in Africa is a market.  He condemns that idea of aid--that does not develop abilities.  Aid that feeds corruption is wrong and detrimental. 

While it clinches my colon that he credits the Pelosi's and Leahy's of the world, But he also gives great credit to President Bush for his work in funding AIDS treatment in Africa.  Weirdly, he see taxpayer dollars as the appropriate seed money for this capitalistic activity versus people giving voluntarily to the cause.

Interestingly, we are losing transparency and accountability in America. The America that Bono describes as an idea.  He states that there are other countries, but America is the only country that is an idea. Why does this Irish rocker know and appreciate what our own President and his party treat with disdain? Now remember, I said before that the government and corporations are people so we are the ones being treated with disdain.

Is America perfect or beyond improvement. No. America is made of individual people and people can always do better.  The greatness of America is that its aristocracy is fluid.  My fear for America is that we have and continue to create a permanent Aristocracy that is made up of "public servants" who hold power through their convenient interpretation of the very documents that protected us from the rise of a none merit based aristocracy.

We are the only country that corrects its mistakes through order and protects the rights of those with no stake in our government. What do you think would happen without us.

Next Part II the ability to end slavery.

Clayton Lockett's 40 minutes of Fame

I want to tell you a story of a horrible death.  Her name was Stephanie Neiman.  At 19, she had just graduated from high school.  Stephanie had a brand new Chevy truck with the Tasmanian Devil on it and license plates that read TAZ.  She dropped a friend off at another friends house in time for a home invasion by three men with no empathy and no remorse.

Because this young woman stood-up to these three men.  She was beaten, bond with duct tape.  They beat both of her friends, and raped the woman. Beat the man who was with his 9 month old child.

This girl would not say that she would not contact the police after they were gone. So they let her watch as they dug a shallow grave.  They made her stand in the grave. Shot her with a shoot gun. The shoot gun jammed, so while they went back to the truck to fix it, Clayton Lockett, who directed most of the action remarked, about how tough she was. Then he shot her again, while she begged for her life. While she was still alive and bleeding, they buried her--alive.

The man who directed all of this, was executed this week.  Because this man who lived 15 years longer than the young woman that he tortured and killed, suffered for 40 minutes, we should feel remorse and hurt and sympathy for him.  Isn't this a little like caring more about the the two thieves who suffered and died with Christ than we cared about Christ?

I mourn for the innocent.  I mourn for Stephanie, aborted babies and the suffering of Christ.  I do not mourn nor regret the suffering of an evil man who enjoyed inflicting suffering on others. Do you really expect us to care about the other man who should have died that day--the one who raped and beat an 11 month old?

Brotherhood forged in Battle

Twice a month I have the honor of volunteering at  a service organization for military personnel.  Last Saturday night, I was escorting two troops out of the airport who had just returned from Afghanistan. Because of winter storms and FAA rule changes, they had spent three days together trying to get home.  They were leaving PHL to take the last leg of their trips home. One was going south and the other out west.  When we reached the point where they were going to separate terminals--they looked at each other. One said, "I'd like to have one last cigarette with my battle buddy before we separate."

I lingered for just a moment before I realized that I was intruding in a very personal moment.  They exchanged telephone numbers and quietly lit cigarettes. At that point I left.

As a military brat, I have always known that there are relationships, forged in battle, that are more intense and intimate than those many have with their families. In my life my father had such relationships.  From talking to veterans I know that these men may not see each other again, or for that matter, ever use the telephone numbers that they exchange. However, the bond they forged will last forever.

I  respect and I am thankful for the bond that these men and others who fight to protect us have forged.  I am grateful for the how they protect one another. Mostly, I am grateful that I have been honored to witness this relationship.

To one and all of our service men and women--thank you for your service, and God speed.