Volume 7, Issue 34
My family and I were treated with extraordinary hospitality. The warmth was beyond their customary character. I actually felt compassion.
In the past, of course, the British sincerely express affinity to Americans. We have been allies consistently in foreign affairs and in alliances since 1820. Londoners are more reserved and conservative than many of their European counterparts. But they are usually patient with American tourists. This time, they went out of their way to absolutely confirm that I felt comfortable in their country.
The French on the other hand have normally been aloof, particularly in Paris. Parisians at times could barely tolerate Americans. They enjoyed speaking French when they knew an American could not understand them. We lack “l‘ culture” and we might as well give up on trying to ever obtain it. Yet, this time, they were effusive in their efforts to welcome my family on the streets of Paris.
What is the cause of this outpouring of grace?
Upon inquiry, I discovered that Europeans, at least in London and Paris, are now very concerned about the state of American politics. They are worried that America will fail. Threatened by divide of warring political forces, some claim America must be destroyed for the good of the world. Nothing could be farther from the truth in the eyes of these Europeans.
Europe may have had a love-hate relationship with the United States over the past thirty years. But no country, and no one in the world who loves freedom and liberty, believes that a world without an American presence would be a better place. The United States of America, with all of her flaws and blemishes, has proven to be the greatest steward of power, based on a moral biblical code, more so than any country in the history of the world.
Upon visiting the burned remains of Notre Dame Cathedral, one can feel the emotion of the French people in their respect for this monument. As secular as they have become as a nation, Notre Dame is not just a cathedral to them, it is an emblem of what defines the remnant fiber of all that is good in their national soul. When asked about the fate of the great works of art, my French guide immediately said, “all were saved without exception.” She added that the first responders risked their lives, without hesitance, to rescue the relics. They committed their heroic acts without thinking subconsciously. They later stated that their lives were not even a consideration in saving the artifacts of the cathedral that symbolized not only the connectivity to their national past, but the substance of creed that unites humanity. The building of a cathedral is appropriate when the purpose is committed to the greatest love man can offer rather than the deification of mortals. In other words, Notre Dame represented the humility of man before God, not the glorification of a king to his subjects.
The Statue of Liberty today is the most declared replica exhibited throughout the world in many countries. Laboulaye’s vision has been realized.
The United States is the last great hope for the protection of freedom and the citizens’ rights of self-rule. There is no other exit of default as citizens in Hong Kong fight for basic freedoms of due process. The world is scared that America may not stand. Nations in alliance for freedom are fearful of any future without an American presence. America is not only the last harbor of individual safety and security; America is the invisible force that binds the constructs of freedom that preserves the dignity of mankind.
CNN, as the most prevalent news source in the world, continues to attack President Trump and the United States unmercifully. The world corner of public opinion may have turned on CNN’s obnoxious, hateful vengeance of international reporting on America’s global role. For whatever reason and purpose that has made them despise the American way of life, they have overlooked the underlying greatness of America’s hope to the world.
Many have been asked by foreign nationals, why does CNN hate America so much? The United States is no worse, in fact or representation, than any other country. The British press has actually criticized CNN for its coverage of President Trump’s recent State Dinner in Buckingham Palace. CNN complained that the President was late for meetings, and therefore, was rude. National British journalists have stated that CNN knows better. The maneuverings around Buckingham Palace are very complicated. When a large delegation is involved, it is virtually impossible to be consistently punctual at such events. The Queen thought nothing of it. Only CNN was offended. The British press felt obligated last week to again apologize for CNN’s criticism of President Trump.
The member countries of the G-7 remember the United States’ benevolent, munificent foreign policy immediately following World War II. At the close of the war in 1945, the U.S. held 80% of the functional manufacturing capacity of the world. The war was not fought in our country. In addition, our military was not only dominant, it was ubiquitous. Further, we were the only country with the capacity to deliver a nuclear weapon anywhere in the world. America could have demanded absolute compliance with our dictates of governance and cultural application for all sovereign states. Instead, America declared freedom worldwide and her commitment to defend it. The U.S. financed the rebuilding of Europe, opened its borders for trade, and protected the sea lanes for commerce. What did America ask for in return?
Nothing.
Old history you might say. That argument might have a scintilla of standing if any such act of compassion and commitment to a universal moral code had ever occurred before in the history of mankind.
The embrace by French President Emmanuel Macron of President Trump is ultimately genuine in that he is not just thanking him for being there, he is thanking him for what America represents to France.
In the Notre Dame Cathedral, in the Statue of Liberty, and in the embrace of two presidents lives the eternal hope of the Esprit de Corps of the human race.
May the spirit of liberty and freedom live forever and never be denied.
My name is Marc Nuttle and this is what I believe.
What do you believe?