To the Editor:
When Kevin McCarthy announced his resignation from Congress after 17 years via an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, he spoke of his faith in “American Values.” What did he mean by that? What are American values? It is certain we cherish liberty but we may not agree what liberty is. For some, liberty is freedom from bondage while for others liberty is freedom from government interference. Abraham Lincoln once compared liberty to a shepherd preventing a wolf from tearing out the throat of a sheep; the sheep sees the shepherd as a liberator while the wolf may be angered by the interference. We have a disconnect. It is possible McCarthy was thinking about things like respect for the law, respect for truth, and caring for each other, however, like the six blind men and the elephant who each perceived a part, but not the whole, American values may depend on our perspective.
America has been called a melting pot, but in reality we are more of a salad bowl, with the oil of Americanism poured over all of us. Our values and heritage may be the ingredients in the dressing. What are we to think of today’s chaos stew? We all may have a different idea of what we consider important but things like kindness, honesty, loyalty, fair play, hard work, and personal autonomy still matter. America is changing and growing. What do we want our values to be?
That story of America includes the migration of the original people (Lenape) and their thousands of years-long migration from Asia across the Bering Strait and eventually to the Jersey Shore. It’s also the story of the early Quakers who shared values with the Lenape of peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship.
The current political climate shows how far apart we have become in the way we express our values. Some say our nation was born July 4, 1776, and others know America’s story started a long, long time before that when people sought refuge from war and limiting circumstances in the places from which they came. Our heroes include the pioneers carving a home out of the wilderness, but we may have a collecting amnesia about the way that the people who were here first were driven out, subjugated, and killed. Is right of conquest an American value? Is white supremacy? Our Lady Liberty speaks about the tempest-tossed wretched refuse of teaming shores as many came here to escape persecution and to build a better life for themselves and their families. It was not easy and they often were not welcome at first, but they persevered and helped to build America. Is it ironic, sad, or a good thing that people still come for the same reasons?
JOHN HAIGIS
Dennisville
