Boy Scout Troop 325
Scoutmaster Minute
Who Is To Blame?
September 25th, 2001
George Denise, Scoutmaster
Two weeks ago today, terrorists highjacked four commercial air carriers and successfully flew two of them into the World Trade Center and one into the Pentagon. In the ensuing days, we have seen outpourings of sympathy and grief from countries all over the world. We have seen citizens of other countries hanging American flags outside their windows in expressions of support. We have even seen pictures of the principal leader of the Palestinian refugees, and some would say a terrorist leader himself, Yasser Arafat, donating blood to send to the victims of this tragedy.
At the same time, however, we have repeatedly seen on television and in the newspapers, images of anti-American Islamic militants protesting against the United States. It is easy to question ourselves. “Why do they hate us so?” “What have we done wrong?” Adding to the confusion, even some Americans seem to feel that the United States has brought this upon itself. They accuse us of using our might and our money to bully the rest of the world into doing our bidding.
It’s true, we do use our strength and our resources to affect world affairs. We would be negligent if we did not. But no nation has ever gone to the lengths the United States has gone to be fair and just and tolerant of other cultures and not needlessly impose their will on others. We support the right of Israel to exist in the Middle East, but no nation has worked harder than the United States to bring the two sides together to work out their differences peacefully. In Bosnia and Kosovo, we intervened on the side of Muslims to protect them from Christians who were threatening their very right to exist. In Kuwait, we intervened to protect Muslims from Muslims. The United States has contributed more than $1 billion in humanitarian aid to the Afghani Muslims living in refugee camps in Pakistan.
As the richest and most powerful nation on Earth, we would be derelict not to intervene where dictators and zealots are destroying the lives of others. As world citizens, we must not turn our back on others when they are in need. We are not one nation acting independently, either. We work with other free nations to form alliances. Then, together we work to bring about positive change. There is risk. There will always be risk. That should never stop us from doing what is right.
Before you listen to others criticizing us, consider the following: as the fourth largest nation on Earth, with the third largest population, the United States is the richest nation on Earth, both in terms of total dollars and on a per person basis. Of the current 224 nations in the world, Americans are ranked number two by the United Nations, just behind Canada, as having the highest quality of life. But we have a far greater number of new immigrants than Canada, who typically arrive here poor. Adjusted for these new immigrants, America easily moves into first place. Per United Nations studies, 100% of our citizens have access to health facilities. We have one of the longest life expectancies and one of the lowest infant mortality rates of any nation. In terms of Gross National Product, we are number one. In terms of total exports of goods to other countries, we are number one. In terms of total imports of goods from other countries, we are number one. Our unemployment rate is consistently the lowest, meaning a higher percentage of our workforce is employed than in any other country. Of the top ten corporations in the world, numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 9 are American. In terms of economic freedoms, we are rated number four. We are the number one traders in the world, yet we are one of the least trade dependent (number seven). We have the greatest industrial output. We have the greatest services output. We are the largest manufacturers. Of the top airlines, in the world, numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are American. The largest railway network is American. The largest highway network is American. We have the largest navy and the third largest merchant fleet. We are the largest producers of aluminum, rubber, and coarse grains. We are the second largest producers of cereals, cotton, meat, wheat, copper, gold, and silver. We are the largest users of energy, but on a per person basis, we are only number 5. We are also the largest producers of nuclear energy, and the second largest producers of coal, natural gas, and oil. We are also the twelfth largest exporters of energy in the world.
We have the strongest military in the world, but only the second largest defense budget, and in terms of our defense spending as a percentage of our GNP, we do not even rate in the top 40.
Sometimes we think of crime as being high in the United States. In terms of serious assaults and in terms of thefts, again, we do not rate in the top 40.
Some have said our educational system is poor, yet a higher percentage of Americans graduate from high school and a higher percentage of Americans graduate from college than in any other country in the world, and more so than at any other time in history. Our college system is recognized worldwide as by far the greatest. Tens of thousands of students come from all over the world to attend our colleges and universities each year.
Citizens of the United States have received more Nobel prizes than of any nation. We are number one for the Nobel Peace Prize, and number one for the Nobel Prize for advances in economics, chemistry, medicine, and physics. We are the second largest recipients for the Nobel Prize in literature.
We welcome a greater number of immigrants into our country each year, than any other country in the world. Ours is one of the most diverse populations in the world. And in spite of our differences, we are one of the most tolerant. We have the greatest freedom of any country on Earth.
Perhaps most important, we are the most giving nation on Earth. As a country, we provide more aid to the rest of the world than any other. We give more as a country, and in terms of individual contributions, we also give more.
The government of the United States, at just 225 years, is the oldest government in continuous existence in the history of the world. Virtually all of the other world democracies are modeled on that of the United States. The world’s people today enjoy more freedom and hold more rights than at any other time in history because of it.
American achievement and prosperity are built on the values of personal freedom, individual responsibility, religious freedom, a free economy, teamwork and representative democracy. These are the values the World Brotherhood of Scouting works to foster. Our heritage and the heritage of Scouting are something to be very proud of.
So, who is to blame for what happened? I would suggest rather simply, it is the terrorists themselves Poverty and ignorance and oppression and growing up in the midst of a war zone may have made them susceptible. Charismatic, fanatical leaders may have used them, twisting great truths into evil ends. But knowing who and what caused this tragedy does not escuse it. Those who are responsible must be brought to justice. And we must continue to work to extend these freedoms, the values of Scouting, to that portion of the worls that still does not know them.
Thank you. God be with you.