Kerby Anderson

Is America a force for good? The answer to that would have been obvious a few decades ago to not only Americans but to many other people around the world. But years of criticism in the media and in schools have convinced generations of Americans that America is not a force for good but a great evil in the world.

Dennis Prager takes on this issue by reminding us that for all our flaws, which he says were not unique to America, this country “has been regarded more than any other nation in modern times as a force for good in the world.” Here are a few of his examples.

“When a country is hit with a severe earthquake, its people do not look first to France or Germany — let alone to Russia or China — for assistance. They look to America.” Here’s another example. “When bad people invade a country, the people of the invaded country hope and pray America will come to their aid.”

Yes, it is true that 340,000 Africans came to America as slaves. But he also reminds us that millions of Africans have come to America freely because of what this country can offer to them and their families.

America’s participation in World War II helped vanquish German and Japanese fascism. America also won the Cold War and liberated so many suffering under communism. Of course, this country was not as successful in Vietnam. And he reminds us that nearly a million Vietnamese “boat people” risked drowning and possibly being murdered, tortured, or raped by pirates on the high seas.

He also felt shame when America abandoned so many Vietnamese when the last troops left in American helicopters. And he reminds us of a 1975 speech by Senator Joseph Biden who said we had no obligation to evacuate even one South Vietnamese. Perhaps that tells you all you need to know about our future.