Wednesday, May 02, 2007

"this House regrets the Founding of America"

"this House regrets the Founding of America"The Oxford Union motioned the regretting of the Founding of America on the 400th anniversary of England's first permanent settlement in North America.

The motion was "overwhelmingly squashed," according to Matt Frei, the BBC's Washington correspondent.

Frei then goes on pen an excellent entry about the value of America to the world. Like me, Frei is no unashamed lover of America. He has clearly expressed his displeasure with both Americans and the current American administration in his previous work. In fact, he does so again in his article, but he doesn't let what is wrong with America overshadow what is right with America.

Unlike some foreigners that never understand America, Frei gets it.

The US is a nation built not on ethnicity, not on religion, not even on history but on an idea.

Not only does this make America different, I would argue it also makes it ideally suited for the 21st Century. We live in a globalised world in which national boundaries are less and less relevant and the citizenship of ideas is more and more defining.

Al-Qaeda also strives for a world without borders, a trans-national entity based on ideas, which a majority of Muslims find as unpalatable as we do. So, ask yourself and be honest: where would you rather live - the Caliphate or California?


Excellent point Mr. Frei and to you I raise a pint!

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