America's Basic Beliefs Are Worth Fighting For

I'm not sure when our American foreign relations changed, but during World War II we let the world know we were willing to fight to "make the world safe for democracy." Then our State Department evolved into a system generally referred to as "process, politeness and accommodation", and our foreign policy moved toward being nice to everyone; and sending money to everyone; and giving trade advantages to everyone ... no matter what basic beliefs or form of government they had. The United Nations became the model for our foreign relations.

Whatever else 9-11 may have done, it woke us up. We were forcefully, brutally informed that there are people and nations that would like to destroy America because we think differently from most of the world ... because we believe in a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Because we believe ... well, let me remind you of some of the familiar things we fight for and they fight against.

We believe there are certain truths that re self-evident, "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the Consent of the Governed."

We are in a war against terrorism because there are people, and nations, that would like to destroy the United States because of these beliefs. I, for one, believe they are worth fighting for.

This is Gordon Sawyer, and may the wind always be at your back.