Thanks, Michael.
Your point is that people like Ms. Noonan often speak and write in terms of an appocalyptic decline of America and the American Dream. Those who understand (and not just know) their history understand that America has never been a sure thing, and that each era since our founding has featured its own crises, uncertainties, and hopes, and pessimists, and optimists, and sacrifices, and victories. This concept is not peculiar to any particular generation (the anti-boomer comment above is certainly unenlightening), or era, or any currently popular theories of political governance or politics.
Everything that we have as Americans is at risk – always. Everything that we can achieve, can be thwarted. It’s only when we fight for what we have, as the American idea, that we are able to preserve it.
We have much fighting ahead of us.
Michael captures these ideas of “American-ness” in his post quite nicely, and he also demonstrates that Ms. Noonan is, as usual, quite clueless.
