Some people seem to believe the strength of America can be measured by its cumulative ability to strike down threats, eliminate risks, and prosper through competition. While those characteristics may be important in terms of maintaining national security and economic prosperity, they don’t capture what America is supposed to represent.
There have been numerous regimes throughout history that possessed overwhelming power, but to really measure the value of being an American, you have to examine not what the country is capable of, but what the individual is capable of. Are they protected from tyranny? Are they able to protect themselves? Are they able to move freely, to speak freely, to act freely?
America’s core values protect liberties and enable the pursuit of happiness. Prosperity and security stem from those.
I could not agree more. We need to lead with freedom, not tyranny. Or military does an incredibly hard job and does it well but the world will not follow us because we are strong. We have to lead by being a light on the hill that others are drawn to because we live up to our values of freedom and liberty for all.