New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican, appeared on many TV channels October 30th, the day after Hurricane Sandy passed through his state.
Early in his lengthy statement, he reported that at midnight he had received a call from President Obama, who offered FEMA’s full support.
Such bipartisan acknowledgment is rare, but appreciated by most Americans—as is news of any cooperation between all agencies of government, federal, state and local.
In the brief time before a closely-contested, bitter election, Hurricane Sandy could teach all of us the importance of cooperation.
A growing hurricane of multiculturalism has come to America. It is to be hoped that the cultural heritage basic to our freedom and comity can somehow be preserved.
This heritage is not wholly religious or secular, nor is it based on denying the cultures of others. But having a unifying cultural heritage can uplift and inspire all citizens living within a national border.
I was struck recently when a friend of mine emailed me the following video of a performance of the Scottish Pipers led by Andre Rieu before a full house of excited spectators. It culminated with “Amazing Grace,” which is of course religious in intent but broadly engaging in its effect. We can experience visually and emotionally what I would call cultural convergence.
One viewer who had seen other Rieu concerts said:
(They) have one thing in common: they're a once in a lifetime experience and there's nothing else like it on the face of the earth. I saw him in Sydney and it's simply amazing how he has people in tears one moment and dancing I the aisles the next. Nothing is too outlandish for him, all he wants is for people to enjoy themselves and go home after a night they will never forget.
To see others go here.
Go around the world with Rieu and see the power to unite and bind people from different cultures in different countries; and the subtle nature of music as an emotional beacon.
We have added since 1965, unnecessarily but with bipartisan concurrence, over 100 million aliens we did not need, cannot employ—and who in many cases will seek to replace our cultural icons with their own.
I submit that the power of Western culture in its many forms—in this case, significant music—speaks volumes against the promiscuous multicultural imports that feckless greed and inadvertent governance have forced upon our citizens.
So, folks, amidst this bitter political campaign, go and listen to Rieu’s Scottish Pipers. It takes time to follow the pipers and drummers to the stage, but the wait gives us all a look at the crowd, melded into a mass of appreciative citizens, beaming with pride at their cultural convergence.
We should all be proud of our Western cultural heritage, from European roots, but uniquely remolded by our Founding Fathers. And we should all think about supporting, promoting and voting to keep that heritage alive and effective, as it has been since the founding of our Republic.
So turn on the sound, click, and let the soul-stirring begin!
About the Author: Collins, a free lance writer living in Washington, DC. , is Co-Chair of the National Advisory Board of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). However, his views are his own.
