America Needs To Find Its Common Voice

You might have noticed that I've been a bit down lately, feeling rather depressed at reading/hearing things like this. My feelings of hope hit a new low when I read that Michelle Malkin had received wishes of her death by a deeply disturbed man in Bellingham, Washington. I could have marked it down as yet another low mark on the proverbial Humanity Watch totem pole. And perhaps I should have, but it's not in my DNA to give up. So instead I chose to leave the following comment on the associated blog entry of Bellingham Herald journalist, Sam Taylor:

As a Canadian reader about 50km north of you, believe me when I say that I am deeply saddened to see such inflammatory discourse going on between citizens in your country.

Remember those thousand points of light that George Bush Sr. spoke of? Together they are supposed to form a brilliant beacon of freedom that represents what the United States of America truly represents. Or at least it used to.

I remember my father, who was born in Germany and just a young kid when WW2 ended, telling me the story of what happened when he, his mother, and his 4 younger siblings entered the refugee camp. When the officials came around asking him which of the 4 sectors of the country they wished to go to, his answer was simple: "A-MER-I-CA, We Love AMERICA!!!"

He ended up as a refugee coming to Canada six years later but he never forgot the kindness and incredible generosity that your forefathers gave to his homeland, giving the rest of his family a chance for a future blessed with democracy and prosperity.

Perhaps when freedom unchallenged goes on for too many generations, people take it for granted. No country is perfect but Mr. Knappenberger seems to have lost sight of what a great country America still is.

Michelle Malkin is an honourable person and a superb writer. While people like Knappenberger may not agree with what she says and may dislike her ethnicity, it goes far, far beyond the pale to wish her hurt in any way (let alone murdered!)

Your country seems to be going through an intellectual civil war of sorts. This is terribly unfortunate, not just for all of you, but for the world as well.

After the challenges of the Iraq War, the conviction toward freedom & liberty for all may be muted in the hearts & minds of many Americans but I believe that resolve can be found again. The people of Tibet are crying out for it. So are those in Taiwan and Darfur and the independent countries of Eastern Europe.

No one is saying that Americans have to shed blood in all of these places but a solid resolve, 300 Million strong, that liberty, democracy, & free enterprise are the best way forward for all human beings would be the best gift that Americans could possibly give to the world.

Step #1 in that unity of purpose involves toning down the rhetoric towards anyone who expresses an opinion different from your own.

Sincerely,

Robert Werner
Vancouver, BC