Pay any Price

This is the first time in a long time I have posted to my blog and the first time I have said something political. Below is a copy of an email letter to the editor I submitted to the Wall Street Journal earlier today.

I read with much interest the report by Bobby White on page B1 of the Marketplace section from the 6 June 2007 Wall Street Journal. At the end, I was very saddened by what I read.

I was saddened because of the attitude of Ms Shelly Valerio, who is opposed to the war in Iraq but want to prevent a neighbor from making a statement about the war on his own property because of the impact on her property values.

I was born in 1964 and when to Catholic grammar school. As anyone of a similar background can tell you, we were brought up on the words of President John Kennedy. Many people tend to focus on the "ask not what your country..." quotation from his first inaugural. My personal favorite from that speech has always been "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."

What has happened to this country when people could be aroused by such words to the state we have now where people will support or oppose a particular cause so long as it really does not interfere with their lives. I could care less whether Ms Valerio supports or opposes the war in Iraq. My main issue with her is she is not willing to put any "skin in the game" for her views.

America is still the greatest country in the world, in spite of our mistakes and areas in which need to improve. This greatness will decline if the cynicism of its citizens is allowed to continue unchecked. Ms Valerio's attitude is only unique in that it is an extreme form of this cynicism

The cynicism of "I'll agree with you so long as I get mine" has got to stop. It has to stop in the home, in the workplace and in the corridors of power. It has got to stop because if it does not, this republic and the ideals for which so many have sacrificed so much will become nothing but a hollow promise that will be passed down future generations.