Fed up with the distortions
It is significant that Pope Francis continues his crusade as one of the most activist pontiffs ever. Many of his pronouncements have been controversial, to say the least. He continues to advocate around the world, the themes he emphasized during his brief visit to America several years ago. These include an assertion of the evils of capitalism, advocacy for open borders, and America’s shame in not doing more for the poor.
The “doing more” includes a not so subtle proposal that affluent and middle-class Americans do not resist the schemes to mandate a division of their wealth with the less fortunate. Apparently, Francis would have us evolve from a unique nation with unprecedented freedoms and limitless opportunity to a different sort of place. The new America would function as a kind of socialist fiefdom where every need is supplied — cradle to grave-by a massive and all-wise, and all-intrusive government.
Of course, the pope or anyone else has a right to their opinion. Moreover, the health and vitality of our unparalleled liberty are aided by robust, aggressive and the honest criticism and challenge of ideas. But this right to criticize does not imply a power to distort history or truth. Nor should any think that such baseless opinion should go unchallenged. The frequent assertions that Americans are uncaring of the poor, thoroughly bigoted, and relentlessly racist, are the rants of either the willfully ignorant or of shameless demagogues.
The ongoing distorted commentary of “America’s evils” is mostly a fraudulent rewriting of our history. This propaganda goes beyond honest, and healthy criticism. It is the dishonest, and malignant portrayal of America as an evil empire. Americans of every stripe should be fed up with the shrill and vacuous clamor from this gaggle of hypocritical liberal windbags who slander America at every opportunity. These shameless liars distort history and allege that we are a disgraced nation which is responsible for most of the world’s misery.
America stands accused of ongoing and determined persecution, and mistreatment of women, gays, immigrants, people of color, and poor folks in general. These self-appointed reformers claim an infallible understanding of the needs of the disadvantaged. But the reality is this. It is little more than pandering to humanity’s baser instincts. Their message never varies. It is the assertion that it is only the largesse of an all-powerful government which can bring “social justice” and can lift the masses from the misery wrought by their poverty.
But there is an inconvenient fact about which we hear precious little. Many neglects to consider that plenty of white and traditional Americans also know what it is to be weak or disadvantaged. Remove the “color” or “nationality” issues, and there is little difference. Moreover, “poverty” is a relative term. Countless multitudes around this brutal and tyrannical world would do anything to be “poor” while living in America. There is an incredible gulf between being “poor” in America and being “poor” in most of the world.
Another thought. It is this writer’s opinion that there are profitable things which are best learned in such benign poverty. I speak of opportunity for character development which makes us better people. Such “opportunity” is not so readily found in other less harsh backgrounds. For example, growing up poor in some tiny coal-mining “patch” allowed one to know first-hand what real life is all about. Where better to learn of the necessity for hard work, the value of family, gratitude, sympathy, appreciation for little things, and what is essential and enduring and that which is but trivial and passing?
More importantly, the poor also, soon develop an understanding that there is a “right and wrong.” Many of us who grew up in this area of Southwestern Pennsylvania did accept some “absolutes.” Beliefs which we felt were universal and eternal and that were essential if we were to remain safe, and free, and successful. This was so even when we didn’t measure up to those beliefs. When we “messed up” we realized it was we who needed changing…not the “absolutes.”
I don’t recall that we thought that government owed us a living or had a right to “redistribute” what we had worked for by way of oppressive taxation, and senseless regulations. We never thought our “rights” meant that we had no restraints or a license to be vile or to abuse others. We never imagined a day when young thugs could pillage, rape, assault, and even murder innocent people and then justify such behavior simply because they were “poor,” “black,” “disadvantaged” or “illegals.”
Even worse, we never imagined a day when the news media and wealthy celebrities, and liberal judges, and sissy clerics, and radical professors would condone such horrendous behavior because of those “reasons.” We thought that “evil” was the real culprit and that the blame should be placed on the guilty. Appropriate and just punishment was to be exacted from the doer of the crime and not blamed on society. This was justice and was expected without regard to a person’s skin color or place of origin or how empty his wallet was.
We may have done wrong, but we did know that wrong was wrong. We were proud to be Americans, and, we were taught to be grateful to God for allowing us to be so. Pity us if you will. But make no mistake. Many of us, regardless of skin color, are fed up with the distortions.
William “Ed” Nicholson is pastor of the Grace Baptist Chapel in the village of Little Summit in Dunbar Twp. He is a native of this area and has earned Master’s degrees in two fields and is a life member of the amputee chapter of the Disabled American Veterans. He can be reached at willien@hughes.net or on Facebook at the Grace Baptist Chapel.