Virtue!

I appreciated D'souza's view and information in his (her) article "America the Beautiful: What We're Fighting For." Interestingly, I've never truly understood why we, as a country, are singled out by these nations as targets for hatered and violence. D'souza did a great job of explaining the deep heritage of conflict between their beliefs and our way of life.

Americans as a whole, I think, take this country for granted constantly. Many curse and betray the very freedoms that allow them to speak so boldly againt there country. In regard to the multiculturalists who think this country is based solely on it's diversity and that the only thing we have in common is our differences. I say give it a rest. In my class of 4 and 5 year olds, when we stand two children side by side and ask what is the same or what is different about the two children, they don't even see the color of the skin. I think it's something that we are teaching our children. I submit that children would grow up unbiases if they weren't being inundated by it from time they're babies (that's my tangent).

I think I respect most his comments in his conclusion about how these countries enforce virtue. People who are being forced to live imposed virtues are not really virtuous at all...just obedient. Only when a person chooses to incorporate virtuous attributes into their lives do they become more virtuous. But then, that would be allowing freedom, and they can't have that (that was sarcasm). It seems such a paradox; I can't imagine how they can live so contradictive and not even notice. The amount of wreckless power that they give themselves, over the entire world, in the name of religion, is inconceivable.

Let's be sure we're never found lacking in appreciation and loyalty to our country. While I'm all for Americans adopting and practicing a purer and more virtuous way of life, our collective patriotism may be the only thing standing between us....and "virtue."