A lot of celebration. With the wedding watched 'round the world, Britain celebrated its royals, its culture, and its own patriotic pride. We joined in here in the U.S. as enthusiastic and appreciative spectators. We pretty much refuse to watch their soccer games, but we will get up at 4 a.m. to watch their royal wedding. And then buy a replica of the ring from a direct-response TV commercial, for just four payments of $19.95 (unless you call right now, in which case you get the order doubled and free shipping.)
Anyway, long live the royals, old and new.
Here, in a sudden and dramatic burst of courage and competence, our president ordered the Navy SEALS to strike Bin Laden. They got him, and got everybody out cleanly, with no U.S. casualties.
Never mind that he got this opportunity to finally appear decisive and bold came courtesy of information obtained at Gitmo, that Bush-bequeathed asset he so strongly criticized, apologized to the world for, made us feel guilty about and incessantly threatened to shutter. Never mind his ungracious hogging of the credit. The fact remains that he did not dither, didn't consult our shaky ally Pakistan before invading their country, and didn't interrupt the criminal activity at the United Nations to ask permission.
The president pulled the trigger, and for that he does deserve credit, and because of it, America celebrates. Not so much the long overdue justice meted out to an arch-foe, but a patriotic sense of renewal, of American leadership, of American backbone, of American exceptionalism. And yes, we are.
I feel badly about raining on this parade, but it was just last week that liberal media folk celebrated something very different: in the newest comic book in the series, Superman goes to the United Nations and renounces his American citizenship, declaring disgust at having his heroic activities around the world always perceived as extension of American policy, and declaring himself a globalist. His slogan of 60 or so years - Truth, Justice and the American Way - now abbreviated.
At MSNBC, Chris Mathews was positively gleeful while reporting this revolting development, while showing the relevant comic book page on screen. Others crowed when reporting it too.
If you think America's #1 comic book hero renouncing his country is a trivial thing, I disagree. Superman is an exclusively American invention and icon. He remains an influential presence in the hearts and minds of a next generation on its way up. But he can be made a tool of anti-American, globalist propaganda, as is apparently D.C. Comics' intent. And the approval of Matthews and his ilk says much about the liberal media and its agenda. Simply, anyone who would celebrate our Superman denouncing America is not to be trusted.
Superman the proud American - albeit transplanted here from another planet - and proud representative of the American Way, is becoming a cowed apologist for and a critic of his adopted nation. He will champion the utterly asinine premise that this nation is morally equivalent to all others, and unworthy of exerting leadership.
This would be a grave disappointment to fans of this character's mythology and symbolism at any time. But it is a bitterer pill coming within days of the Bin Laden raid. The killing of the king of terrorists who so frequently threatened and on at least one occasion achieved 'death to America,' was a unilateral action undertaken by real American heroes.
This is not time for ambiguity or apology by a real U.S. president or a mythical U.S. super-hero icon. We are unique, we stand for something unique, we posses unique moral authority, we have a leadership role that requires belief in our superiority and brooks no apology. We dare not waffle or exhibit weakness or fecklessness. And we the people ought not stand for any sacrifice of patriotism on the altar of liberal timidity or global sensibilities. Not even by our #1 fictional hero.