No Other America
"There's no America out there except America to respond to it. We've got to do it ourselves."--Col. Austen Bay (on the Hugh Hewitt Show, Tuesday, August 30)
I was struck as I listened to Hugh Hewitt's interview with Col. Austen Bay. The words he ended the interview with reminded me of the strength of our nation, even in times like these.
When other nations are hit with calamity, whether it be terrorism or a natural disaster, it is the United States that comes to the rescue.
The United St
ates gave more than all other nations combined to the Tsunami relief efforts in Southeast Asia last December. As my friend, Layman, wrote recently, we sent 20,000 soldiers and sailors, over 24 million pounds of relief supplies, thousands of tons of food, thousands of gallons of drinking water. That is what we do.It's who we are. It's what we do. It's part of our history. Think back to the Marshall Plan. We helped our enemies after the war. How many other nations can be counted in the same category?!
After the September 11 attacks, the Red Cross alone received over one billion dollars worth of contributions. The vast majority of funds came from individual Americans committed to helping our own. Alexis de Tocqueville wrote that "America is great because America is good." This generosity is a reflection of that goodness.
That time has come yet again. It's time for us to rise to the strength and the goodness of America. There's no other nation or people waiting in the wings to help us the way we do others.
There are many good organizations and churches who are organizing relief efforts. My recommendations are Feed the Children and Samaritan's Purse.
It's time to be our own America.
posted by Lores Rizkalla @ 7:02:00 AM
14 Comments:
A Hewittism (paraphrased):
Give. Then give some more.......Then give until it hurts.
Trust me the pain will be nothing like those suffering in Hurricaneville.
I'm inclined to agree with you. Although today's LA Times has an article that has America ranked 12th by the Center for Global Development and Foreign Policy magazine, in terms of foreign aid.
click here.
What is clear, time and time again, is that Americans don't have to be asked to help. Americans always look to find out who to help and where to send the help first.
That is the spirit of the American people. That is one of many things that make America so great, and that is one of many reasons that America is so despised by our enemies.
I was talking with Kim about this today that for the most part all we American's can count on is each other.
We continue to give the most, yet we are hated. But like you said, we don't really need anyone else, as we have got each other.
It would be such a wonderful surprise if a number of wealthy nations donated huge amounts of money to us, for a change. I'd love to see Saudi Arabia and others fork over half a billion bucks each with no strings attached.
France & Germany aren't wealthy, but I'd like to see them dig so deep in every way possible that it hurts, dig for us like we've done for them in the past. Send money, food, people, etc...
Hopefully, we'll see the world surround us with a giant hug and with pockets of cash and help to go with it.
What a time in American history we have come to. Who do we depend on, and who can we trust? Isn't it ironic that the very pride of our nation is the humility of our hearts in that we are always aiding other nations. It has been our history. Even when we had chosen to adopt isolationism, we were ultimately pulled into WWII. We have done what many superpowers in the past have neglected to do - we have sacrficed ourselves continuously. My hope is that other nations will be as involved in our relief efforts as we have been to them in the past. If not, however, I'm sure that these nations will always be able to count on us in the future. As Layman says, "It's what we do."
pero: i love that hewittism :) you are so right.
wordsmith: i'll check it out. however, i wonder whether their accounting of "foreign aid" is limited to federal government money as opposed to individuals giving through churches and organizations like the Salvation Army. unlikely.
mark, mlwhitt and william: yes, that is the spirit of the American people. we think of the people, not politics when we give.
jaime: time will tell. i'll write about it here if they come through.
Jaime-
If I run short at the end of the month, or have a financial catastrophe, I do NOT ask my brother who makes less than I to help out. We are the richest nation, with the highest quality of living, IN THE WORLD. And you expect those who are poorer than us to help? Man, that's wrong.
I expect those that can give, to give. Those that cannot, understandable. But as an extremely poor New Yorker who can barely make rent, I can still give, because I DO have something to offer. Maybe other poverty stricken lands find nothing when they reach into their pockets, that's fine, that's why we help them. But countries like France or England I think have a few bucks to spare...besides, it's not just with money that we help one another. I don't think it's too much to ask anyone who is breathing to help give someone else another breath, in whatever form that may take, be it a prayer, a shirt, water, money, or encouragement.
Stephanie: I wouldn't exactly put Saudi Arabia, France and Germany in a category of poor nations.
You bet I expect them to help.
Stephanie.........I understand what you are saying, and it's not about "asking" or "expecting".
It would be nice to be "OFFERED HELP". --> But we surely won't ask, and definitely don't expect anything from the rest of the world.
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And there is much more than money that can be "offered".
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I gave plenty to the Tsunami Relief effort, and did so knowing there were people in the region who hate America and wear Bin Laden T-shirts.
It would just be refreshing to see someone other than Britain or Australia give a hand to the good ol' U.S.A every once and awhile.
Wonderful, rousing post. 'Have posted about it on my own blog:
Katrina Flood Aid: "It's what we do
Sissy Willis
sisu
Here's other countries helping us. I guess this is evidence of how alone we are, how we're the only ones who care?
4.6 million Vietnamese people are still suffering from Agent Orange,how many people die every day in Irak ??
Some countries didn't ask for your help!
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