America—A 1980 Perspective – Sunday, June 29, 1980
To the world’s oppressed, America has been for more than two centuries a beacon of freedom in a sea of strife and bondage. To most of her own people, America has been a place of peace and prosperity. She has poured forth her abundance without measure and made some of her humblest richer than the royalty of other ages in other lands.
America has proud history. But today there are voices asking if her greatest moments have already been recorded, if she has passed her finest hour.
They point to our resources which we once naively seemed to think were inexhaustible but now we’re told that we must conserve and husband them with care.
Things are not what they used to be, they say. Even our purple mountain majesties are erupting and spreading dust across the fruited plains.
They point at our devalued dollar, once the king of currencies throughout the world, and to our military might, and say that we no longer hold undisputed leadership.
They see in our society the flippant cynicism and the immorality that marked the fall of Rome. They say America is overfed and overripe and destined to decay or be consumed by other leaner, harder, more aggressive nations in their prime.
We need to pay attention to these our critics for much of what they say is true. But much is not.
We have allowed ourselves to do some silly and some sinful things, but that is one of the prices of freedom, and as free people we can change and mend our ways.
We may squabble in our politics and air our soiled civic linen quite ungracefully, but we do it so that government “of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”1
We may have to tighten our belts and learn to get along with a little less for a while, but our founding fathers didn’t pledge their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor for prosperity but for liberty .
We may pass through some hard times, but let us still remember our inalienable right is not to happiness, but only to pursue it.
We may not appear as doggedly determined as some other nations to amass great military might, but let no people underestimate the fighting fury of free men who stand to protect their freedom.
We have much we can improve on to become more worthy citizens of this most blessed land, but so long as we sincerely pledge ourselves to be one nation under God, He will not desert us nor leave us defenseless before our enemies. There is a bedrock of righteous principle on which this nation stands and so long as we are planted firmly on that rock the stars and stripes will wave forever.
1 “Gettysburg Address,” Abraham Lincoln, quoted in the New Columbia Encyclopedia. Columbia University Press. New York, 1975, p, 1077.
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June 29, 1980
Broadcast Number 2,654