What kind of an America

Title

Creator

Brucker, Wilbur

Language

English

Source

The Cabletow III (3) January 1961

Year

1961

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

What do you want of America? An American brother tells us his views. Can’t his views be ours? WHAT KIND OF AN AMERICA? by VVB. WILBUR BRUCKER Washington, D.C. T WANT an America which stands X tall in the world, not by virtue of its military might nor its material achievements, but because it is the incarnation of human liberty, of the rights and dignity of man, of justice and honor, and of faith in the wis dom and power of Almighty God. I want an America whose light will so shine throughout the world that it will illumine the pathway of all the millions who seek to rise out of the valley of tyranny and adversity and reach the peak of man's loftiest aspirations. I want an America so constant to its ideals and principles, so resolute in honoring its commitments, and so true to its full responsibilities for Free World leadership that our friends throughout the world will ne wt have reason to regret the trust they place in us. I want an America whose citizens understand the true meaning of freedom. The freedom we cherish is not passive freedom from some thing—from want, or fear, or trou ble. or injustice — but dynamic, in divisible freedom for something — freedom to work out our own des tiny according to the pattern of our own minds and the strength of our own dedication — freedom to help build a better world. America was created by men and women who valued opportunity more than security. They were eager to accept the risks of standing on their own feet in order to enjoy the ftdl re wards of their own enterprise. The Declaration of Independence did not proclaim the right to happiness, but only the right to the “pursuit” of happiness — the right to roll up our sleeves and work and fight for happiness. I want an America ever ready to meet any challenge with high cour age, moral resolution, and constancy of purpose. I want an America in which may be ljeard echoed with conviction on countless tongues these noble words which still ring down the years with the sound of trumpets: "I have just begun to fight.” “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” “Give me liberty or give me death.” "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” "Right makes might." 73 1 want an America whose citizens recognize that the true greatness of our nation does not lie in its high standard of living, but rather in its high standard of life — the standard of life which has been handed down to us by generations of Americans who counted their worth not in terms of what they had but in terms of what they were. They were most concerned with the spiritual values they were able to pass on to poster ity. It is freedom — and these spirit ual values which are the sustaining power of freedom — which constitute our most priceless heritage. I want an America whose citizens have raised their eyes from the hori zons of their daily tasks to face their present danger, and who understand the true meaning of the mortal strug gle in which we are engaged — the struggle between our cherished ideals of freedom under God and the de grading atheistic philosophy of com munism which seeks by every means to reduce humanity to the level of the beast. I want an America made up of peo ple who recognize that the security of the nation is the responsibility of each individual citizen — not just in some figurative sense, but in actual, grim reality. In order to preserve our freedom, we must prove that a free people can. through voluntary effort, continue to accomplish even more than the regimented society of the Soviet Union. The Soviet sys tem requires people who can be man aged. In contrast, a free societv req uires people who are capable of man aging themselves. We must not al low the desire for comfort or con venience in any aspect of life to as sume greater influence in our plans and activities than the desire to protect our way of life faithfully and well. 1 want an America whose citizens possess good old-lashioncd moral courage. It is not enougn to nave convictions; one must have the cour age to detend tnose convictions. The moral cowards motto is: “Don’t suck your coin out. 1 he courageous person — the person who really counts for America — when convinced of the righteousness of a cause stands linn, no matter what the cost. We must be a nation ol lough-minded people with the hardy moral liber that will not give an inch to the provocations oi internationl gangsterism. We fer vently hope that the growth and fruition of ideals in the hearts of men will bring the day when accepted standards of national morality will prevail in the Communist world, but until that day dawns, our only sal vation is to be ready and willing to confront force with force under any circumstances. We must recognize the necessity to stand without coinnromise on the principles which have made America great. We must develop the invincible spirit that will not falter in the face of the blackest threat, and a real capacity for moral indignation that will inspire us to ac tion at any time or place where evil, injustice, or corruption appears in any form. In short, I want an America in which every man and woman meas ures up to the high benchmarks of character, courage, and dedication to the tenets of our American faith which were established so long ago by the Founding Fathers. In the fi nal analysis not only the verv wav of life of America and the pernetuation of our cherished free institu tions, but also the liberty for all. 74 THE CABLE TOW January, 1961

pages

73-74

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