Exceptionalism

For John, BLUF:  I think many believe the United States is like Europe, but I think not.  We still believe in all men being created equal, with the potential to grow up to be President, and that is just the risk they have to take.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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America Was Always an Exceptional Nation, but Is It Still?

Here is the sub-headline:

Its robust civil society and lack of hierarchy are cherished by Americans and curious to foreigners.

From The Wall Street Journal, by Professor Allen C. Guelzo, Professor of history at Gettysburg College, 23 November 2018.

Here is the closing paragraph:

But to reject exceptionalism is also to reject the fundamental philosophical principles on which the republic was founded, relegating the guarantee of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" to the level of tribal myth.  We do not need to claim perfection to reclaim exceptionalism.  And the exceptional principles that guided our founding may turn out, as Lincoln said, to be "the last best hope of earth" after all.

It is a short Opinion Piece and worth the read.  We are an exceptional nation and if parents put their children on the right path those children will achieve much.  This being America, those children may even set themselves on the right path.

Regards  —  Cliff