Cross-posted from American Power.
*****
Here's another Father's Day suggestion.
I finished Still the Best Hope a few days ago and meant to gets some final comments posted. Folks who listen to him on the radio will understand, but Prager boasts one of the most powerful moral voices in American politics. This book is almost a religious tract. Well, actually, it is a religious tract, if you consider it a treatise on America's civil religion, our political culture of liberty and exceptionalism. I've read quite a few ideological and polemical best-sellers, and this one's by far the best I've read in a while. I think only Melanie Phillips left me with the same kind of feeling. It's a combination of moral clarity with self empowerment. And there's an evangelical quality to Prager as well, but it's up to us to get the message out, and especially for us to impart the basics of the political culture to younger Americans. Prager recounts how when many people are asked what is unique about America, most of them are hard-pressed to answer. They know America's great and all that, but they can't articulate a clearly specified set of attributes that are uniquely American. I deal with this this as a professor of political science. But blogging these last few years has driven home the priority of spreading American values and educating people on the greatness of this country. You wouldn't think it'd be necessary, but spend some time on a college campus and the need will become increasingly clear.
Here's Prager discussing his book back in April, at RCP, "Why America is Still the Best Hope":
There are three big ideas -- or religions, if you will -- competing for humanity's allegiance: Leftism, Islamism, and Americanism. I argue that the American value system -- what I call "the American Trinity" -- is the best system ever devised for making a good society.It's a great book.
The problem is that most Americans cannot identify these values, and therefore cannot fight on their behalf. In the meantime, the alternatives, Leftism and Islamism, have been spreading like proverbial wildfire, largely because their adherents know exactly what they are fighting for.
I do not fault Americans for not knowing their distinctive values. No one taught them what they are. And the problem is not new. Even the so-called "greatest generation," the World War II generation, had not been systematically taught these values.
I only came to realize what these values are in the way medical researchers sometimes happen upon a major discovery -- by chance. One night, as I emptied my pockets, I stared at the coins I had removed, and, lo and behold, there they were: America's values. The designers of all of America's money -- paper and coin -- had been telling me and every other American for well over a century what America stood for. And I hadn't noticed:
"Liberty," "In God We Trust," and "E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One").
No other country has proclaimed these three values as its primary values.
"Liberty" means the individual must be as free as possible. And this is only possible when the state and government are as small as possible. The freer the state is to do what it wants, the less free the citizen is to do what he wants. In sum, the bigger the government, the smaller the citizen.
"In God We Trust" means that a good society is only possible when the great majority of its citizens feel morally accountable to a God that is morally judging and a religion that is morally demanding. If men are to be free, they must control themselves. And if a moral religion doesn't control them, the state will try to. If men are not God-fearing, they will be state-fearing. And, as I show repeatedly in the book, every American founder believed that. Even the so-called "deists."
This is one reason why, as America and Europe have become more and more secular, the state has become more and more powerful.
"E Pluribus Unum" means that whatever one's race or ethnicity, everyone who becomes a citizen of America is to be regarded first and foremost as a fellow American. This explains why America has assimilated people of every background more rapidly and successfully than any other country in the world. Because E Pluribus Unum means that race and ethnicity don't matter.
The "unum" also means that all Americans embrace their American identity. Ethical nationalism -- a nationalism that is rooted in liberty and God-based morality -- is part of the American values system -- and it is eminently exportable. We who believe in American values not only want other nations to retain their national identity, we want them to celebrate it. The more Australian Australians feel, the better. That so many young Brits no longer strongly identify as British is one of the reasons for Britain's decline.
These magnificent American values are applicable to virtually every society in the world. But Americans cannot export values they do not themselves know or believe in. And that is why I have devoted so many years to writing "Still the Best Hope." Because Abraham Lincoln was right when he said that America is the "last best hope of earth." It was true in 1862. And it is true today.
Pick up a copy here: Still the Best Hope: Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph.
3 comments:
I'm a bit sad to make this comment, but I am sorry to say that this article is incredibly shallow and I feel that someone must have the courage to speak up.
The "founding fathers" of America were essentially rebels that had disloyally set themselves against the crown for their own financial benefit. I have no problem with this: it is altogether a British tradition for parliament (elected assemblies) to revolt to assert their rights. That's just fine. They won and good for them. At the time of the "war of independence" (which was in reality a civil war) probably a plurality of the common people in England supported the argument of the colonial leaders.
However, all of this moralising, post-facto justification is simply too ungentlemanly to bear!
These meaningless abstract nouns are a dangerous guide to policy. Revolutionary movements have cried "freedom" throughout history while granting it sparingly on their own freed peoples. The Americas were no exception. They did have the advantage of English parliamentary tradition (assemblies and some pre-revolution colonial governors were elected) which helped them to avoid the hell of junta-style rule, but there were strong limitations to the freedoms enjoyed in the new country. There is a reason why 15 countries other than Britian have remained loyal to the Crown to this day.
Equally, it can go the other way. Indeed, looking at movements within the United States and France, there is a substantial number of people who would force things upon the country on the basis of abstract nouns even against the wishes of the majority and in opposition to the natural customs of the country. "Liberty! It's on our coinage. We must have homosexual marriage!"
In God we Trust is a noble catchphrase and good luck to you.
E Pluribus Unum clearly refers to the 13 colonies becoming one, not to the over-running of America by Somalian green-card lottery winners and by regularised illegals of alien culture before desperately engaging in a pretend display of "we meant that to happen all along and are perfectly happy about it." Assimilation is relative and I don't believe for one instant that America has truely "assimilated" all of her immigrants to the American culture. Indeed, there is evidence that assimilation has worked out so well that English will possibly be a minority language soon.
The British have no problem with patriotism.
Similarly, neither do the Australians.
These countries have retained their loyalty to the crown, parliament and their own institutions because of their own obvious strengths.
Please don't mistake their robust and tastefully understated patriotism for something that has anything at all to do with American "values" except in what America has inherited from the British tradition of liberty and non-ethnic citizenship.
"Ethical nationalism" is another pretty meaningless phrase. By this point the argument is getting tenuous and leading very clearly towards the unastonishing conclusion that Americans cannot export these values that they do "not themselves know".
They do not know it because they don't exist. Certain parts of America are famous only for being incredibly venal, corrupt and run down (as in every country).
Besides, it is very easy to hope that Canada, the UK, Australia etc... will be proud of our "non-ethical" national identities, but would the author wish the same blessings upon Pakistan? Or does he hope that the "ethical nationalism" of the USA will be exported to such bastions of enlightenment? This will never happen.
This article is absolutely facile.
There is so much more to admire in America than this poor attempt!
I, too, want to second Pat's opinion. I grew up a patriotic American. I served six years active duty Marine Corps. In 1962, I was two years old and I was part of the 88% that made up this country; part of the WASP that built this country.
Now, I don't recognize this country. Today, this is not the country I was born in. I don't even recognize myself either; after my research and knowledge about the so-called Enlightenment.
America is the seat of world-revolution; it is a "Novus Ordo". I'm a traditionalist Catholic, I would have fought on the Loyalist side now for King and Country. I would be for the Old Order.
Liberty is not what society is about. We have tons of liberty and no society. Free Trade has ruined this country. The Free Press has spread vulgarity and porn everywhere.
In God we trust? Yes, the population was Protestant Christian, but the elite were Deists, who were Masons. Masonry is about rebuilding a New World Order. What God? Now, one thinks that the God of America is the Almighty Dollar Bill.
A raceless world? Nah.
With this birther issue, and both the Democratic and Republican parties do not want to uphold the Constitution! I really don't care anymore. There is no rule of law in this country anymore. We live under tyranny now. I despise this country more and more everyday. Why should I work hard and beautify my place, when my world will be handed over to Chicanos, blacks and Jews that all hate my guts?
No. America does nothing for me anymore. I wish it good riddance.
I would also like to second the opinion of Pat above. After my true education late in life, I too have my doubts about America.
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