Guest commentary-We should be proud, not feel guilty, as Americans

By: Glen Spicer Special to the Messenger

By GLEN SPICER
Special to The Messenger
Keeping up with the current events of today is necessary because, as Americans, we cannot ignore the dangers we face. But, it is also such a disheartening process. On every side, America, its traditions, its heritage, its strengths and power is belittled, and not all of it comes from outsiders.
Liberals play the game of trying to make us feel guilty for our greatness. They inform us that every evil in the world comes from our self-interest and intolerance of others. They tell us that the hatred toward us is our fault and we are simply reaping what we have sown. They say we have no right to be great and that we obtained it wrongly.
They take joy in the thought of America being brought to her knees. Leaving Vietnam in defeat delighted them and they want more of the same by seeking to leave Iraq the same way. They want to sit down and have tea with radicals that want only our blood. They are committed to defeat of all America stands for.
They are committed to weakness when it comes to fighting terrorism. They are committed to more taxes and more government control over our lives, all the while proclaiming it is for our own good because we just don’t understand what is best for us.
The U.S.S.R. may have been dissolved but socialistic ideals are still alive and well right here in liberal American politics. Communism has never worked in any country it has been forced upon, but liberals refuse to learn the lessons of history. They are led by their own arrogance as the political rhetoric continues toward the upcoming election. America is torn down in daily speeches.
But when was the last time you heard a politician proclaim the praises of America? It almost seems as if it is taboo to do so. Proud Americans are called “flag wavers” as if it were a bad thing. Politicians who wear a flag on their lapel are criticized as out of touch and biased. Why are liberals so determined to debase patriotism? They are the embarrassment.
Why has America survived as a great nation longer than any other nation in history? Other civilizations have been around longer, some by thousands of years, and today they are undeveloped, backward, still living in dirt and their most common export is hatred.
Why are we so blessed? Why are people sneaking into our country by the millions instead of trying to get out of it? Why do we have an immigration problem instead of an emigration problem where people are trying to leave?
The world looks to us for leadership in almost every arena. In medicine, science, education, housing, industry and more, America ranks among the top every time. People from all over the world come here to study, practice and live. Why?
We have a higher standard of living than any people as as whole in the entire world. Would you want to trade the opportunities you have here for those found in any other country? You are free to if you choose, but you know better. Do you think that you should feel guilty because of what you have? Or ashamed? Or embarrassed?
We haven’t just been lucky. Our system, with all its challenges and problems, works better than any other in the world. But it wasn’t handed to us. It was earned by the hard work, diligence, creativity, determination and persistence of the American people who, through the years, have strived to make this country, and the world, better.
And lest I forget, it was bought by blood, too. It was spilled on the beaches, the sand, the dirt, the hills, the jungles and on the waters of the world to protect the priceless commodity of freedom. It hasn’t come cheap. To belittle the sacrifices that our military men and women have made over the years is nothing if not shameful.
Feel guilty for America being the greatest free nation in the world? Not me. No country has ever come close to equaling America and we should be praising her, and honoring her people, not tearing her down.
There are two ways to have the best house on the block. You either increase the value of your own house, or you can burn down your neighbor’s. Perhaps the liberal agenda should include more of improving their own character and actions with less time spent on lighting fires to consume their fellow Americans.
Of course, it is far easier to tear down than to build up. One can destroy in a day what it took diligent builders years to erect. True Americans have spent centuries building America into the great country she is today. We should be proud, not feel guilty.
It is OK that there are some who have more than you do. It means you have room to grow and new goals to reach for. If we were all equal financially, where would the incentive be to grow, dream, create and reach for more than we have or more than we are?
We must protect the freedom and the mindset that brought us to this greatness. Those two things make the difference between us and any other country on this planet and they must be protected. Without freedom, the human spirit is destroyed. Without the mindset that we can be better tomorrow than we are today, and that it is our privilege, even responsibility, to pursue excellence in all we do, America will lose what made her great. Be proud of the desire to be the best and of the freedom to pursue it.
Stand tall, America. Be proud of who and what you are. Continue striving to be better every day. Refuse to give into the philosophy of guilt, fear or defeat. Let your love for America drown out the voices that say otherwise.
Believe that you are worthy of everything this country has to offer and reach for it. Cease not to share it with those less fortunate but never give yourself away in the process, or you’ll have nothing else to give.
To the rest of the world, we must remain a light, an example to them of what they can be, too, if they believe they can be, and if they are free to pursue it. In America, we are and we must remain so. And for those who will continue to choose instead to hate us, they will be left behind until they qualify themselves to be great. We have chosen to be great and we are not ashamed.
Editor’s note: Glen Spicer, a Troy resident, is a longtime contributor to The Messenger.
Published in The Messenger 12.19.07