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Health Care - March 2010 Vote

Do you think Congress will pass the current form of the Health Care bill this week?

Yes
No
Not sure

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Senior Intelligence Officials: Attempted Terror Attack "Certain"

The five senior leaders of the U.S. intelligence community told a Senate panel they are "certain" that terrorists will attempt another attack on the United States in the next three to six months.

If true, why do you think the jihadists feel emboldened?

The Obama administration is seen as weak against terrorism.
Its continued backlash against the policies of the former Bush administration.
Not sure.

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July 7, 2008

Exclusive: Something Is Ironic In The State of Denmark - Listen Up, America!

Gabriel Garnica, Esq.

Another Independence Day comes and goes, with the usual fireworks, parades and patriotic tunes. Seems to me that we should be the happiest people on earth, given being blessed with living in the greatest nation the world has ever seen. However, a recent study found that Denmark is the happiest nation on earth, and America is 16th. A closer look at the study, the results and the two nations noted is interesting, amusing and revealing, to say the least.

The Study and Results

The study in question, headed up by University of Michigan political scientist Ronald Inglehart, will be published in the July 2008 issue of the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science. Going back an average of 17 years in 52 countries and involving 350,000 people, its results surprised scientists who have long believed that relative happiness among societies is stable over time. In fact, 40 of the 52 nations saw a rise in happiness, contradicting what most scientists who study happiness believe.

Inglehart's team speculate that this rise in happiness is tied to those nations' enhanced economic situations; greater democracy; a sharp rise in gender equality and a greater tolerance of ethnic minorities, gays and lesbians in developed societies. Controlling for variables, Inglehart concluded that the happiest societies are those that allow people to choose how to live their lives.

If freedom, democracy and greater tolerance are strong factors in societal happiness, why was America 16th on that happiness survey? Part of the answer may be found in a recent Pew Research Center public opinion poll that found that 81% of Americans believe that their country is on the "wrong track," which is the most negative response in 25 years. Apparently, most Americans believe that this country has lost its way and is headed in the wrong direction.

Now, common sense dictates that if people think we are going in the wrong direction, the correct direction is where we have come from, which is the America that gave us the kind of patriotism, determination, assertive spirit, love of country, courage, integration, and international leadership of the past. Believe it or not, there was a time when the entire world looked to America for leadership, resolve, excellence and a blueprint for success. The America of that time did what was right, took the steps necessary, made the tough decisions and showed assertive resolve like few nations have ever done in history. It welcomed immigrants with friendly arms yet merely expected loyalty, contribution, respect and unselfish participation from them in return which, given the beautiful gift of living here, was a reasonable and generous offer.

What direction has this nation taken in the past decades? It is increasingly handcuffed by political correctness, emasculated by a pathetic need to be loved throughout the world no matter what and tragically hypnotized by a habit of ignoring its own greatness while blaming all of the world's ills on itself.

No wonder most Americans are unhappy. Half of them are dismayed to see their once great nation turned into a sheepish, confused, inconsistent and morally bankrupt free-for-all. The other half, in turn, are vulnerable sheep easily intoxicated by the mainstream media's anti-America poison. Lost in all of this is the simple fact that, despite America's relative "unhappiness," it is still the greatest nation on earth, despite its twisted self-perception.

The Two Nations

I was amused by the finding that Denmark was the happiest nation studied, and that the study then tied the relative happiness of societies to perceived freedom, tolerance and economic prosperity. While Denmark is a relatively successful industrialized nation, it is presently embroiled in a great struggle over immigration. It seems that many Danes feel threatened by a 4.8% immigrant population experiencing somewhere between 65% and 81% unemployment. Many Danes see these immigrants as welfare cheats who care little about the country that has taken them in.

So great is this concern that Denmark has seen some of the strictest immigration legislation in Europe, leading to charges of racism. These charges were not appeased by the infamous cartoons offending Muslims, or by a 60 Minutes report which practically depicted Denmark as a racist and intolerant society. So, you see, my friends, something is indeed rotten in the state of Denmark, but it is not racism. It is, simply, the same debate that has swept all industrialized nations. Namely, how do these nations deal with their immigration population in a manner that is compassionate, considerate and welcoming as well as reasonable, fair and protective of the nation itself?

Despite the cries of many in this nation who depict America as an evil monster which eats foreigners for lunch, history tells a different tale of the most welcoming, open and tolerant nation the world has ever seen. Such truth, however, is not popular among those who hate to give America its due and prefer to blame it for everything from world hunger to world pollution. America, they say, is arrogant, selfish, insensitive and intolerant. As usual, fools ignore history to serve their mindless, pathetic purposes. Sadly, the lazy listen to the fools most often because their rhetoric and drivel is most available, requires the least analysis and is served in the brightest plates for consumption.

Conclusion

As we pass yet another birthday for this great nation, we must ask how the great gap between its greatness and its perceived greatness developed. Why do so many so blessed people believe so fervently that they are so unfortunate to live in this great land, despite the evidence to the contrary?

One answer may lie in previous happiness research, which has found that relative happiness is an inherited trait. At one time, Americans inherited a tradition of pride, patriotism, resolve, personal responsibility, loyalty and love of country. Tragically, increasing numbers of Americans are now inheriting a negative, twisted, pessimistic, victimized, insolent, ungrateful, defiant and destructive perception of the place they call home.

Another possible answer may lie in a simple approach to life which is increasingly lost in this society. As God, flag, family and personal responsibility have increasingly been pushed aside in favor of a diluted, rationalized and arrogant insolence; this nation has stumbled from the path that fed its greatness. Like a pompous drunk lost in the woods, it boasts of its ability to play God and play with fire, completely oblivious to the mess it makes along the way.

The greatest irony is that precisely those who wail how wrong this country is are the ones who are leading it off a cliff. America's greatest gift to each of us is the freedom to see our lot as an opportunity or a prison; it is our choice and our path.

Happy Birthday, America. Land of the free, home of the brave and zip code of the ungrateful.

Family Security Matters Contributing Editor Gabriel Garnica, Esq., is a college professor who holds a law degree from New York University. Write him at gbgmyarticles@yahoo.com.

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