Times change, circumstances change. 50 years ago, America had an "Affirmative Action" policy with regard to supporting people of other countries who were struggling to throw off the oppression of dictators and secure the blessings of liberty for themselves. That policy was that we would not remain silent and take a wait-and-see attitude; that we would stand up and speak out in support of anyone brave enough to engage in such a struggle; that we would let the world know without a doubt which side America was on in any such struggle.Today? Not so much. Today we don't want to offend anyone, least of all our enemies.
I'm not really sure we ever really lived up to that "affirmative action" ideal, but I think we tried. There must have been several embarrassing lapses on our part. Another one of those "lapses" took place during the recent Iran election protests, in my opinion. We watched. We waited. We kept our mouths shut.
The following quotes by two different U.S. Presidents, almost 50 years apart, show clearly we are now traveling on a very different road. There is no need to judge, and each man should be allowed to live in his own time, but do compare:
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"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty."
—John F. Kennedy (1-20-61)
"Look, it's up to the Iranian people to make a decision. We are not meddling."
—Barack Obama (6-16-09)
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I'm sure most of the world agrees with our current president's decision. But something - some ingredient from the American recipe - has been lost along the way. Just my opinion.
