DEAR EDITOR:
What has become of us? We are shrinking away, as a nation, of the greatness we have been blessed with and exhibiting willful weakness. Moreover, there is an obscene lack of gratitude for the freedom that has allowed us to reach the pinnacle of financial, military, and personal freedom we have.
In the 1940s Hollywood was populated with men like Audie Murphy, Clark Gable and Ernest Borgnine - actors who loved this country and left their careers, fame and money behind to fight to defend it. Today we have Michael Moore and Sean Penn who not only have a clear distaste for this country, but celebrate dictators in nations we should deem as enemies.
In the 1980s our greatest threat was the spread of communism via the mighty Soviet Union. When faced with this evil, Ronald Reagan defiantly told Soviet leader Michail Gorbachev if he truly desired peace, ''Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.'' He did, and the Soviet Union collapsed. Our president takes the position, as seems to be the widely held political position of those in power, that we need to appease and placate. We need to weaken ourselves and level the playing field so as not to offend. We certainly cannot call radical Islamists the enemy.
We have a first lady who lived a fairly well-off life, went to the best schools, was given high-paying jobs, has two beautiful children, never has a concern over paying the bills or finding a meal, now lives in the White House after years of living in a stylish Chicago ''mansion'' and she is just now proud of her country?
We have become paranoid in our fear of the Judeo-Christian values which inspired our system and gave us our freedom. In fact, our president has stated we are not a Christian nation.
We are afraid to call evil evil. We were attacked on 9/11 by radical Muslims who want us all dead. They are evil, and those Muslims who cannot decry terror and those groups and nations who wish us the same again have no business building a mosque anywhere in the United States, much less near the scene of the crime. They have no business being here at all. What happened to patriotism? It is OK now in this country to defend groups who wish us defeated? And I am the enemy for questioning this? That is weakness and cowardice on full display.
Ronald Reagan once called the United States the ''shining city on a hill'' and the ''last, best hope for mankind on earth." Can you imagine Barack Obama saying anything on that scale? If the leadership in this country cannot appreciate what this nation has been, is, and can be it is time for them to go.
Amy Jones
Williamsfield