Fred Arnett: America is NOT a "Great Satan"

As an American citizen, one who's family history goes back to the Revolutionary War as well as back to one of the most revered Native Princesses of the Cherokee Nation, I feel the world's non-American citizens have overlooked a number of salient issues in denouncing the United States as The Great Satan.
 
Issue One: This country was founded upon Christian ideals with the main thought that every person has free will as granted by God, not by any form of government. Many lives were lost in search of this goal. There are many examples of impending defeat by the colonists, only to have the sure hand of God intervene to reverse the situation. Valley Forge is but one example. America was ultimately secured as a nation for FREEDOM.
 
Issue Two: We fought a horrendous civil war that took over 600,000 Amercan lives, pitted brother against brother, father against son, primarily over the differing ideas of personal FREEDOM for black people. Today, while not completely integrated into the society, black people (They are Americans, period) contribute much to our way of life and enjoy a great deal of material success and FREEDOM.
 
Issue Three: World War Two, The Great Patriotic War, call it what you will. Fascism was running rampant in the '30's, from Germany to Italy and Japan. It was Goebbels who said, "Tell a lie often enough and long enough and it becomes the truth." He couldn't have been more wrong. The truth is the truth, no matter how ugly it may be to some people.  America supported the war efforts of many nations, from England to Russia, with Lend-Lease and other transfers of war materiel to the Allies. Amercans went to strange shores, and gave their lives to defeat the Fascists. Not only for our FREEDOM, but for that of all who would take the gift. FREEDOM carries with it a burden of responsibility. The Nurenburg Trials proved that without personal responsibility, FREEDOM is easily lost. After the war,  we occupied Germany and Japan for many years to ensure that the mechanisms of a FREEDOM based society would take root in the hardpan of Fascist-scorched societal soil. It was very expensive in terms of dollars and human life. We were not universally welcomed. There always are a number of fanatic neo-patriots in every country. Witness our own "Militia" groups in the western and other parts of America. Citizens of Germany and Japan now enjoy a level of personal FREEDOM undreamt of one hundred years ago.
 
Issur Four: Recently, Americans have been asked to take on the risk of personal loss to give FREEDOM to the citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq. There are now over 50 million citizens who are now beginning to taste the sweet fruit of FREEDOM, who just recently knew nothing but the institutional, sweeping, all encompassing brutality of the Taliban and that of Saddam and his henchmen. It will be many years before it has become a way of life, a truly ingrained FREEDOM heartfelt by the people of these places. There will be more blood shed, some American, some Afghani, some Iraqi. It IS the price of FREEDOM. It is not a gift without strings attached. The strings are to responsibility and truth. Amerca has been around for over 200 years with this unique form of FREEDOM. It works.
 
Issue Five: Near the middle of 1945, scientists in America acheived nuclear fission. It was decided in order to save at least one million American lives that would be lost in an invasion of Japan, not to mention unknown numbers of Japanese lives who would fight to the death in defense of their homeland, the atomic bomb would be dropped over Hirshima and Nagasaki as a message that the Japanes would be better off to surrender and cease hostilities. Fanatic Japanese generals would have rather seen all the citizens of Japan die in a conventional war, but faced with the awesome power onleashed over two minor cities, reluctantly agreed to cease and desist. 
 
Issue Six: Envision Mecca. Envision an airburst 10 megaton thermonuclear device over the center of that city during the celebration of Ramadan. That is what The Great Satan SHOULD do, would do. America is NOT the Great Satan, or it would have been done. Citizens of the world, take the gift of FREEDOM, the truth of God-given free will and do something great with it.
 
Regards,
Fred Arnett