America the (Once) Beautiful

There was a time when the word America stood for something strong. It stood for something proud. People came from all over the world to study at our universities, to enrich our culture, and to make the best life for themselves and their families. Now, this is still true to some extent, but is there any doubt that America, that long-burning torch of freedom and opportunity, is starting to flicker?

Liberals, of course, claim that this has been happening for years. They point to the country’s hesitance to let illegal immigrants come surging through the borders as proof that we have become stingy and selfish. They point to our wars in the Middle East as proof that we are just as evil as the terrorists we’re fighting. They point to our racism, they point to our sexism, they point, they point, they point.

Their accusations aren’t the problem with today’s America, though; they are the problem with today’s America. And they don’t have to be in power to ruin what’s good, though it certainly accelerates their aims when they are. Recently, several leftist commentators have fretted publicly about the “dramatic right-ward shift” of the Republican Party. Yes, there has been such a shift, generally speaking, and it has been an equal and appropriate response to the dramatic left-ward shift of our entire culture.

A Venomous Attack

When it comes to entertainment and news, the liberals have it sewn up. We’ve seen a steady decline when it comes to the values we used to hold dear, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to put nearly all the blame on the junk coming out of Hollywood. Their movies and TV shows glorify perversions, crime, and “diversity.” Reality shows give us the absolute worst of American culture, celebrating rudeness and stupidity over intelligence and consideration. Christianity, when it is seen at all, is portrayed as obsolete at best and evil at worst.

Then there is this culture of government dependency that shows no sign of turning back. This, too, is a liberal invention, and it is one of the things that is killing America the fastest. The pioneers who came to this country 500 years ago were instilled with a work ethic that few today would understand. But you don’t have to go back to the Mayflower to find an America inspired by labor. It is only within the last 30 years that we have this enormous portion of the population willing to depend on handouts in lieu of pursuing their dreams. Yet to call it out – as Mitt Romney did in 2012 – is to be crushed underneath millions of entitled voices.

The examples of how liberalism has poisoned the country could go on forever. Feminism, debt, political correctness, the destruction of marriage, the degeneracy in politics…the list is enormous and ever-expanding. Is there hope? I think so, but it will require us to stand up and proudly accept this “awful right-ward shift” the liberal media cries about. As long as we let the enemy dictate the terms of the discussion, though, we will remain forever lost.

America the (Once Again) Beautiful. I like the sound of that.