When I was 6 years old, I went to a Memorial Day service at Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln to honor the lives of countless brave men and women who made great sacrifices to enable us to enjoy the freedoms we enjoy. It was a good thing I was there, and I'm grateful that my parents taught me such lessons about gratitude at such a young age.
But while I was there, something was said that I now view as an insulting lie. Several speakers said the United States was the greatest nation the world has ever seen.
Last weekend, Sarah Palin agreed with them.
But before I lose every proud patriot reading this, let me offer a disclaimer: I don't mean to demean the good our nation has done or the courage and heroism of the people who have done those things. But - and this is where some of you might stop reading - to say we're the greatest nation in the world's history is an irresponsible lie, both monstrous and disgusting. And I don't use those words lightly.
Last week, at a fundraising event in Colorado, Palin said, "We see America as the greatest force for good in this world."
Historically, such a claim is laughable.
Morally, it's repugnant.
Take those words and repeat them to my friends up in Walthill, Neb., from the Omaha tribe, who saw their traditional holdings dwarfed from millions of acres to 13 square miles after 100 years of lies, theft and genocide at the hands of American imperialists.
Take those words and repeat them to my friends in Lusaka, Zambia, who don't trust the American government to help their neighbors in Zimbabwe because our government tried to get rid of so many heroic African freedom-fighters in the 1960s because they happened to be socialists.
Take those words and repeat them to my friend Anthony, who has been the subject of countless vicious attacks by "good" southern (white) Americans. The South's attitude toward African-Americans continues to be inexcusable and appalling. In fact, the stars and bars, one of the most hateful symbols our nation has ever created, is still featured in Mississippi's state flag. Until several years ago, it was proudly flown above the South Carolina state capitol. Let that sink in: The flag that stands for Africans being treated like chattel was proudly displayed all across the southeastern United States.
Take those words about us being the greatest force for good and repeat them to men who saw their sacred scriptures urinated on in Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib while being led around on a leash like dogs.
Take those words and repeat them to one of the people we waterboarded.
Are you feeling that? Those mind-numbingly horrible human-rights violations weren't committed by al-Qaida or the Taliban. We did those things.
We slaughtered American Indians.
We beat African-Americans beyond recognition.
We tried to kill African heroes because their policies threatened us.
We did those things. And yet people like Palin still expect us to believe that America is "the greatest force for good in the world"?
As I said above, it is true that America has done a lot of good in the world. We helped reestablish Japan after World War II; we give tremendous amounts of foreign aid money every year. In fact, according to British journalists Adrian Wooldridge and John Micklethwait's book "The Right Nation," the average American's annual philanthropic giving is twice that of any other nation.
In some ways, America is a wonderful, beautiful country, and I thank God it's been used to accomplish so much good in the world.
But to say that we are "the greatest force for good in the world" is dishonest. And it's insulting to equally wonderful and beautiful people who have been hurt by our government, like my friend Wynema from Walthill.
I'm not trying to be anti-American, and I don't hate America, but I am trying to be historically and morally honest about our place in the world. The truth is both Howard Zinn in all his anti-Americanism and Sarah Palin in all her American idolatry are both wrong.
America, like every other nation, is both a saint and sinner in its relationship to other countries.
And that's not something we ought to hide. In fact, we're no different than France or England or any other Western nation. Our European counterparts have also done some good in the world while also committing many notable and abominable sins - like colonialism, like torturing Algerian freedom fighters, like arming the Hutus for the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
Every nation does wonderful things for others. And every nation does horrifyingly brutal things to others.
Hopefully someone will tell Sarah Palin.
Jake Meador is a junior English and history major. Reach him at jakemeador@dailynebraskan.com.
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