In a joint statement on September 7, Presidential Centers around the nation published a statement and a warning to strengthen our democracy.
This is unprecedented, at least in my lifetime, and to me is a bellwether that citizens pay attention to the forces of autocracy that threaten our way of life.
Dear Friends,
The George W. Bush Presidential Center is joined by fellow presidential centers and foundations to reaffirm our commitment to the democratic values on which this country was founded.
As we constantly strive toward a more perfect union, it is important to recognize inherent human dignity, foster conditions for liberty, advance equality, and promote the general welfare of the United States. When united by our founding ideals, Americans should reaffirm the importance of democratic values, civic responsibility, civility, and a pluralistic society.
We hope you will join us in this effort by reading and reflecting upon the statement, sharing it with your networks, and practicing the good citizenship that our democracy requires.
David J. Kramer Executive Director of the George W. Bush Institute
In the long sweep of history, the United States of America is a young nation. As a citizen and daughter of a family who gave much of their youth to defending her, my love of this country has never waned.
However, to keep such a fragile thing as a democracy Thomas Jefferson observed that eternal vigilance is the price we pay.
To be an American citizen requires study, discernment, and dialogue with people who hold another viewpoint about its state and its practice. That requires us to possess skills in the art of debate. Critical thinking must be utilized in the arguments put forth by each side of the issue at hand. There is an implied respect for each other in order for any topic to be well examined.
In our current era these skills are lacking in general across media. They thankfully still exist in long forms such as books, literature, and organized interviews and public platforms moderated by intelligent human beings.
On this weekend, in honor of our veterans here and gone from us, I issue the call for all of us Americans to carefully examine how well we utilize these critical thinking skills as we communicate with each other about the current state of the American democracy. For those who gave the final measure, their very lives, we owe it to them.
The cries for boots on the ground in Syria, for retribution, and a growing “fear of other” are not new. In fact it is a predictable response to perceived threats to Americans.
I remember so well the face of George W. Bush as he declared “Mission Accomplished” after the first few rounds of that administration’s “Shock and Awe” campaigns. Did it make Iraq safe, did it stamp out terrorism? Is Al Quaeda wiped out?
No, in fact the opposite is true, and many analysts now target the Iraq War as the beginning of the rise of ISIS.
Another pernicious behavior among Americans is the “fear of the other” – of anyone perceived to not look like “us”…us being white, Anglo-Saxon, Christian immigrants. Americans are and never were of that description though the people in power for so long could be described that way. Of course, over nearly 3 centuries of grieving their rights, Americans begrudgingly are accepting that the “face” of the United States is multi-ethnic, and religiously diverse.
Let us not forget these ugly facts that are a part of our history: genocide of Native Americans; enslavement and persecution of African Americans; internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, and so on.
Now the cry is to keep out Syrian refugees who might harbor terrorists. The fear is understandable in light of the bombing of a Russian jet, killing all aboard; the Paris shootings and slaughter, and the Beirut attacks on civilians — all claimed by ISIS as retribution for our way of life. This is a threat no doubt. But let it not push away our better angels to respond in an equal force, BECAUSE WE HAVE RECENTLY BEEN REMINDED THAT THE STRATEGY DOES NOT WORK, IN FACT IT CREATES WHAT IT PURPORTS TO STAMP OUT.
This is a time for calm, for prudent decision making and for our humanity to be strengthened. The Syrian refugees are fleeing the forces that have destroyed their homeland. Just as the Irish fled to America under the brutal oppression of the English in the nineteenth century. Our relatives were refugees fleeing from brutal forces, poverty, and oppression. Let us not forget who we are and extend a helping hand to people who are without country, without the basic resources to live.
We can keep our humanity and also keep our country safe.
Susan Feathers 