A Rockwell Moment

She introduced herself as a Vietnamese Refugee who had taken a long road to come to this country and to eventually become one of her citizens. This was her first caucus and she told us that she was happy that we began by asking our God to bless us in this meeting. She thanked us for allowing her the privilege to become an American. But she was now standing in order to tell us something. And with her heavy Vietnamese accent, she proceeded to give us a lesson in America 101. She wondered aloud if we really understood the greatness of this country. She wondered if we had bought the constant media picture that defied the reality that millions of people around the world long to come here. She wondered if we understood how much America remained a beacon of hope for the world. She wondered if we really understood what a blessing it was that we could openly express our opinions and yet not fear reprisal from the government or from one another. She then warned us of several dangers to our country and our freedoms and then she sat down. There was a pause as we all began to realize that there was something profound about what we had just heard. There was a sense of guilt, I think, as it struck us that what she had said was true and that it was so easy for us to take it all for granted. She showed us America through the eyes of someone who had paid a great price to become one of us. She expressed a love for this country that we all feel, but seldom state openly…maybe because we think that it is becoming too politically incorrect to do so. I was, quite frankly, both proud and ashamed at the same time.