Make mine a coke

The mind-numbing (theirs, I mean) anti-American love fest at the top of the corporate ladder and in the MSM is really distressing. The fact that President and CFO of PepsiCo thought the most profound thing she could tell graduates of Columbia was that the US is giving the finger the world is really disturbing.

This analogy of the five fingers as the five major continents leaves the long, middle finger for North America, and, in particular, The United States. As the longest of the fingers, it really stands out. The middle finger anchors every function that the hand performs and is the key to all of the fingers working together efficiently and effectively. This is a really good thing, and has given the U.S. a leg-up in global business since the end of World War I. However, if used inappropriately –just like the U.S. itself -- the middle finger can convey a negative message and get us in trouble. You know what I’m talking about. In fact, I suspect you’re hoping that I’ll demonstrate what I mean.

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But to loudly and insultingly verbalize these feelings on site – in front of the employees and guests of the host country is bush league

I avoid Pepsi products already because of their attempts to role back the guarantor of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Already an ardent supporter of the anti-gun HCI and Sara Brady bunch, Indra Nooyi had to go and insult the greatest country in the world, and the country that has allowed her to gain wealth and comfort beyond even the imagination of 90% of the world's population. Yes, there are 'ugly Americans' out there, but guess what? They have been given the right to swagger a bit by the Marines on Iwo Jima, the Rangers on Omaha, the grunts at Da Nang, SFC Smith in Baghdad, Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon in Somalia and the more than 1 million killed in other wars. Wars we often did not have to fight, wars often freeing people who should have fought and freed themselves. We wait, often too long, before we strike, and when we do, we hit as hard and as fast as we can so the suffering and misery of war is not prolonged. And then, when we have vanquished our foe, after we have spent our own precious blood and treasure, we extend the hand of friendship. We sacrifice more of our sons and daughters, more of our gold to rebuild not only what we have of necessity destroyed, but also that which was destroyed by the tyranny of the former government.

How are we repaid? More often than not, our blood and sweat are forgotten and we are treated like the big bully Pepsi seems to think we are. No other country, no other people is more generous. No matter the problem, no matter the region: Aids, malaria, hunger, typhoons, tsunamis, whatever and wherever, you will find Americans, not just sent by the government, but by our churches, our charities and even individual citizens. We are, unfortunately, the example of good "Samaritans".

Samaritans, of course were the 'half-breeds', despised by true Jews and Gentiles alike because they did not fit into either culture. In Jesus' day, all the jokes were about those dumb Samaritans, those uncouth Samaritans. Samaritans even picked on themselves...

And today, there is no people, no nation that is considered as low-class or stupid as Americans. Americans are the butt of jokes the world over, and are maligned by 'holier than thou liberals' here at home. Like the Samaritan, we are despised and shunned. Until, of course, we find someone wounded and beaten beside the road. Until another dictator comes along to oppress his own people and threaten his neighbors.

Maybe, just once, we should look the other way. Maybe we should say, 'solve your own problems' and stay home in our nice suburban communities. But we won't, because to do so wouldn't be AMERICAN.