America was great because America was good

By WND Staff

DAVOS, Switzerland – We all know the story of Alexis de Tocqueville who came to America to see what made America great. After exploring all of America’s institutions, he finally concluded that America was great because America was good and if she ceased to be good, she would cease to be great.

Here at the 33rd World Economic Forum in Davos, the mood is prevailingly solemn – quite unusual for a group of the world’s most powerful businessmen and world leaders. I remember several years ago hearing the CEOs declare how great business was and how the IT revolution was just beginning. In their unbridled arrogance, they could do it all and they had all the answers – that is, until the Nasdaq crash and the unexpected Sept. 11, which was followed by the crash of Enron and WorldCom.

Because the objective of the forum is to give CEOs and world leaders an overall picture of the “state of the world,” the major themes centered on the global economy, public-private partnerships, the changing role of business, security, terrorism and America’s war with Iraq. In addition, they discussed something a civilized world should never have to discuss: trust and values.

There was complete agreement that the state of the world is very fragile. While the global economic downturn is of concern, the greater concern is over what they perceive as America’s loss of values and eroding constitutional freedoms. In this regard, there are more Muslims participating and voicing their opinions than before. Both participants and speakers shared their concerns which were disturbing to me for they see America as having lost her way. It would not be so bad if the white Anglo-Saxon internationalists did not agree with them. There is a majority forming as to our treatment of Muslims and our saber rattling against Iraq. Furthermore, the actions of the Bush administration are sending a great deal of fear into the world.

Now let me tell you some of the things that are being said. We will begin with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir who said that the United States needs to find out why the terrorists are mad so that we can help them. He used the Palestinian problem as an example. He said, “Israel was created by expelling Palestinians from their land. Every time they fought back, they lost more land. Since they are not able to use conventional forms of attack, they have turned to unconventional attacks.” Mahathir concluded by saying fear rules the world.

This was followed by Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, who asserted that basic fundamental human rights of Muslims in America were being violated. He said there is radical distrust as a result of how America has dealt with 9-11: arresting people without trial, torture at U.S. airbases and how prisoners are being treated at Guantanamo Bay.

I interviewed former Australian Foreign Minister Garth Evans, who is now chairman of International Crisisgroup – an independent and international non-profit organization whose goal is to prevent deadly conflict. He said that what the U.S. has done has led to negative reverberations of stereotyping and overkill. While he decries America’s go-it-alone approach – as do many other globalists – he said that we still need better evidence as to why we are going to war. I think what hit home is when he said that everyone depends on the U.S. to get it right and that there is great concern when the U.S. is wrong and that the administration was inflaming terrorist sentiment.

Then there was the workshop on “U.S. Omnipotence: What Lies Ahead?” Amre Moussa, secretary-general of the League of Arab States in Cairo, said that we must guard against reshaping the region when the U.S. does not have the consent of the people to do so. He called our actions “arrogant.” Grigory Yavlinsky who is a member of the Russian Duma said that terrorism is a new situation for us and that we must avoid war.

However, an American – Lewis Lapham, editor of Harper’s Magazine in the U.S. and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations – also lashed out at the Bush administration when he said, “Is the U.S. changing from a democracy to an autocratic empire?” He then went on to state how our country is being changed through the Patriot Act, the reformulation of the FBI and the right to tap phones and mail.

Lastly, the gentlemen who received the applause in this workshop pointed out two concerns: (1) Was America being honest to its own basic principles and founding values as seen in the Declaration which now appears to be hijacked and (2) There is danger with the U.S. going to the U.N. and then saying, “If I don’t like what you say, I will do it anyway.”

While I could tell you of the pat responses of Congressman Portman, R-Ohio, and of Attorney General John Ashcroft, however, there is growing concern that America is going one way while the world goes in another direction.

While I don’t agree with the need for a new paradigm and a new mindset that says the world is one and we all need to be in lockstep, what can I say when the average American is now guilty until proven innocent?

Now, the government has the right to tap our phones without notice. If this were not so bad, retired Adm. John Poindexter is heading up a new department which will consolidate all of the data available about us – credit cards, what we buy in the grocery story, our driving records, airline tickets, tax records, hotel records, etc. to profile us. Americans have no privacy any longer and their freedoms are diminishing while the U.S. Senate will debate this year if they should set up what the British have – a civilian intelligence unit (MI5). People who question if America is still great have ample reason.

Joan Veon is a certified financial planner and is president of Veon Financial Services, Inc., an investment advisory firm. Visit her website, WomensGroup.org.