Hated for our success

The attack on the United States forced many Americans to ask a simple question: Why do they hate us?

Left-wing “academics” say America got what’s coming to her because we have been a “terrorist” state for centuries. These are the people who ignore the wholesale slaughter of tens of millions of innocent civilians by the socialist and Marxist regimes they favor.

I have not always agreed with our foreign policy, but calling America a terrorist state is just plain wrong. Democratically elected officials have crafted our foreign policy. Much of what they have done has been out in the open for everyone to see. If we don’t like what our government does, at least we can change it. Unless, of course, we sit on our rumps and don’t vote.

The left-wingers ignore the hundreds of billions of dollars that we have spent defending freedom around the world. They forget the millions of Americans who died fighting for freedom, liberty and justice. And, they cannot point to any left-wing country that financed a Marshal Plan for Europe and a MacArthur Plan for Japan after the war.

The fact is, America has done more to further the cause of freedom than any country in the history of this world. That is why some people hate us. Because we do today what they can’t do. We write the music. We call the tune.

Others say that people hate us because of our steadfast support for Israel. They might be right, but guess what? America’s moral and cultural underpinnings are based on Judeo-Christian principles. Israel has always been a steadfast ally of ours. Some times I strongly disagree with some things that the Israelis do to fight violence in their country. But I’ll tell you this: We have no better friend in the Middle East than Israel. If people hate us for who our friends are, so be it.

I think, however, that the problem is more fundamental. Many Third World countries have proud histories. Africa, the Middle East and Persia, for example, used to be blinding lights of creativity, culture and development. That was a long time ago. Except for oil, what do they offer that we need today? It must be frustrating to come from countries that used to be rich thousands of years ago. It must chap their hides to look at America, this young country with no “history,” and see how we dominate the world.

Everyday, tens of thousands of people try to enter the United States by legal and illegal means. How many people are trying to go the other way? Every week, thousands of immigrants get Green Cards and become permanent residents. How easy do you think that would be in the Middle East? Every month, thousands of foreigners become American citizens. In Japan, for example, becoming a citizen is almost impossible for a foreigner. Even if he or she is the fourth generation of immigrants born and raised in Japan.

In fact, much of America’s prosperity comes from our willingness to open our arms to immigrants who want to work hard and play by our rules. We don’t guarantee anyone success. However, we do promise that we’ll do what we can to make it possible for you to keep what you earn in peace. That is the American Dream, and that is why they hate us.

So, what do we do? First, we continue to be as successful as possible. We continue to welcome people from all parts of the world who want to share in and help build the American dream. We say no to those who want to close the door and turn out the lights to honorable immigrants. But that’s not enough.

We also have to boldly spread our way of doing things everywhere. Let us invest in the economic development of the rest of the world. It is the right thing to do and will reduce poverty, suffering and hunger. Simultaneously, it will make it harder for the powers of evil to recruit. Because if you have nothing to lose, dying for the cause sounds attractive. However, if you have something to live for, becoming a martyr doesn’t make much sense.

We will spend hundreds of billions of dollars on homeland defense and the war on terrorism in the coming years. We have no choice. We must protect ourselves and this world from pure evil. However, hardening sites and successfully pursuing this war will not guarantee peace. The only way we can do that is to practice around the world the Golden Rule.

If we want our children to live in a better and safer world, we must dedicate the next five decades to insuring that everyone’s child grows up in a country that is better, safer and richer. And that will only happen if we spread America’s capitalist, merit-based value system to the far corners of this world. Then, and only then, will we finally win the war on terror.