America Has Rarely Been Great
America wasn’t great when slavery was tolerated for 246 years, from 1619 to 1865 (Thirteenth Amendment) and when Native Americans were being exterminated. To end slavery the Civil War was fought killing approximately 620,000 American men. The war ended slavery but not hatred of black people by both Southerners and Northerners. Twenty-five race riots occurred in the U.S. during the “Red [bloody] Summer” of 1919, the worst being the Chicago Race Riot. The hatred and violence toward blacks continue during 1950s and 1960s. These were not times of American greatness. And hatred on both sides remains.
America wasn’t great when women were not allowed to attend college until 1837 more than 200 years after Harvard College was founded for the education of young men or were not allowed to vote until August 18, 1920, when the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote. America isn’t great when almost one in three women have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact during their lifetimes. When 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime.
America wasn’t great when it dawdled self-servingly during Hitler’s rampage murdering our European ancestors and destroying their cities, which would have been allowed to continue had it not been for Hitler’s Japanese cohorts’ attack on Pearl Harbor. The lesson being tolerating aggressive authoritarianism can bite you in the ass.
America wasn’t great when Hawaiian islands were annexed by the United States in 1898. Or when political freedom was being denied to Filipinos (Philippine–American War) and Iranians (Operation Ajax). Or when the U.S. supported the re-conquest of Palestine and the continued prevention of the Palestinian people from having a homeland. The first conquest occurred when Canaan was conquered by the Jews, described and glorified in the Old Testament, an important element of Old Testament Christianity used during America’s Westward Expansion to justify the slaughter of the native peoples.
America wasn’t great during the Vietnam War that immorally sacrificed 58,220 US service members, a million or more Vietnamese soldiers and civilians, and 275,000–310,000 Cambodians and 20,000–62,000 Laotians because two idiot politicians Lyndon B. Johnson (mostly) and JFK thought it was a good idea. (The invasion of Ukraine required only one idiot politician.) And tolerance of him is not a sign of greatness.
Then there were the two Bush Jr. wars. After the 9-11 Americans understandably wanted payback, and Bush Jr. delivered in Netanyahu Old Testament fashion: America spent 20 years and $145 billion to kill 176,000 Afghans. That’s a lot of death for a country of about 8 million people, and a lot of payback for the 3,000 people killed by the 9-11 terrorists. And MOST INTERESTINGLY there were no Afghans on the three planes commandeered by the terrorists. The attacks were planned by a Saudi, but Saudi Arabia is oil rich thus treated with kid gloves. Of course, American missionaries flooded into Afghanistan with the troops to convert the Muslim population to Christianity—when history shows that Christianity didn’t make America into a kinder, more loving, and tolerant Jesus-like nation. America chose Old Testament Christianity modeled not after Jesus but Joshua. Even used Apostle Paul to condone slavery (Colossians 3:22).
Then like Moses Bush Jr. received a message from God saying he should invade Iraq to get some payback for Hussain mocking Bush Sr., who deserved to be mock for allowing Hussain to remain in power after committing war crimes instead of hauling him before the International Court of Justice to be tried as a war criminal. The consequences of George Jr.'s second war: Over the eight years, “150,000 people including 122,000 civilians were killed in the Iraq War with U.S.” In addition, 4,492: The number of U.S. service members were killed. There was no wisdom to be found in Bush Jr.’s wars. And without wisdom, there can be no greatness.
America wasn’t great when forests and wildlife were being wantonly destroyed during the Westward Expansion, including over 40 million buffalo, reducing the population to about 500. In 1874 the government passed legislation to regulate the killing of buffalo, but President Ulysses S. Grant (a MAGA president) vetoed this measure. Three billion passenger pigeons would be killed into extinction. Hardly a sign of national greatness.
And how will a president Trump, who chats on the phone with one of today’s many Satans, Vladimir Putin, make America great when he knows nothing of greatness. He admits he doesn’t read—no history, philosophy, science, literature, etc., and most likely doesn’t visit museums where the works of great American artists can be seen and learned from.
Trump’s model of a Great America is money-worshiping Las Vegas, a nation of gaudy hotels and prostitutes with a MacDonald’s on every street corner. A society where women are aggressed and oppressed and gays and other declared undesirables are hated.
The Greatness of America was rarely national but to be found among ordinary Americans who struggled throughout America's history beginning with simple pioneering people to provide for their families, who endured the hardships of the Great Depression and World War II, who gave up their lives so others could live free of violent attack and oppression. Who found much to love and little to hate. The great hope is that such Americans still remain to guide the country.
