Downfall

Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has asked America not to "sacrifice its Democratic ideals while waging war against terrorism." To Annan's words I would add another caveat: We need to avoid transforming ourselves from David into Goliath. There is no question that America is the most powerful nation on this Earth. But if the Biblical story about David and Goliath teaches us anything, it shows us that strength, if used unwisely by us, can be the downfall of our great nation. Annan quoted President Truman when he said it is time for America "to serve and not dominate the peoples of the world." He might have added that it is time for America to truly serve itself by focusing its attention on its own difficult problems at hand. There is no question that its collective brawn is second to no other individual nation on this Earth. But it is time for America to begin using its collective brain to search for solutions for its own societal needs as well as those facing the rest of the world. Ian Wachstein, Collingswood - Courier Post, January 5, 2007