What’s Right with America?

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I was supposed to mention this, this morning, but I ran out of time. I have here, in my former nacho- stained hands, a poster put out by the Denver Art Museum-glorifying pot. That’s the Denver Art Museum, that’s supposed to be high class. Now you can get your rock and roll posters from the San Francisco Bay Area, from 1965 to 1971. Here, they’re glorifying The Doors, Who was the head Door?

Jim Morrison.

Yeah. What happened to him? He died of an overdose of drugs. Where’s he buried, by the way? Anyone know where he’s buried? He’s buried in Paris, in the same cemetery with Chopin. How’s that for a winner? I mentioned Chopin this morning. In Wisconsin, we call him Choppin, but same guy. Same guy. Some of you missed that this morning. That’s not right. Isn’t it amazing. Huh? You don’t think we’ve gone to pot? Huh? We’re going to pot big time, when the Denver Art Museum. Aye, aye, aye. It’s all the way through here, by the way. It’s really a psychedelic experience. It’s what it’s called up here, a psychedelic experience. They think we’re crazy. Aye, aye, aye.

Okay. Well, what’s right with America? This should be a short lecture, right? I could do this in about 25 seconds. But that isn’t the game, unfortunately. What’s right with America, to a great extent, has been passed. So you are not even going to experience some of this at your generation. But you’re the generation, friends. We got for you something you will never be able to handle. What is that? Debt. What’s our debt for you? We’re passing it right on to you, generational. It’s your generation. What are you going to get? Anyone happen to know? Well, you’ll see in the paper, it’s what? 17 trillion, my friends. If that were all, you’d be in good shape because you can’t even pay for that.

But the truth is, our debt for you is about 120 trillion. About 120 trillion, that will wreck the weekend-if you even have a weekend. But that’s another side of the coin, because I’m speaking on what’s right with America-not what’s wrong. But if I spoke on what’s wrong, it would take me five times longer than this one, and this one’s already up to 20 some pages. Yeah, 22 pages. Wow-we. Well, we’re not going to finish it today, because I’m only here for a short period of time. But I will send this to you if you want it. Just go back to that email address, and I’ll just send you what’s right with America. However, before I do, I need to ask a question. How many are not Americans? How many are from outside the country? Where are you from?

Ecuador.

Ecuador. Interesting. Interesting. Yes.

Egypt.

Cairo?

Yeah.

You better hurry back, man. It’s going up in smoke. Yeah. You know some of our friends from Cairo then, I take it, right? Over the years, we’ve had quite a few students there. Joseph, he’s working on his doctor’s degree at the university there. Yeah. Very interesting. Okay. So we have Ec, and Egypt. How many Canadians? Is there a hand back there?

It’s all the way back there.

Huh?

Just one.

Just one? Is she waving? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I see. I see. Okay. What’s right with America? Here we go. I’m going to argue, her founding was right-first of all. Are these notes in your thing?

Yeah, we have them.

Are they in your thing?

No, just the outline.

Oh, just an outline. Yeah, you just got a page. I got 22 pages here. Again, you can have it. Just write, and I’ll do what I can for you. Her founding was right, and I would say that we are going back to the pilgrims on this point. We’re only going to think about William Bradford, who wrote the book on the founding of Plymouth Plantation. Oh, I nearly forgot my punchline on those of you from other countries. You know what I’ve discovered over the years, speaking here? Those from other countries agree and enjoy this lecture more than most American kids. Isn’t that fun? Especially Canadians. They say, “Oh, whoa. There’s something right with America. At least they’re not going to attack us tomorrow. That’s good. That’s good.”

So if you’re just a hardcore American, this is going to go in one ear and right out the other, probably. Or maybe out your nose, that’s even worse. But I think every American citizen should at least have both sides of the coin, what’s right with America, what’s wrong with America. I think that will go a long ways towards setting the record straight in a lot of different ways. By the way, I’ve also discovered this, those who find so much wrong with America always compare America, not with other countries, not with other countries on any issue. Because if they did, they’d find out that it’s not as bad as they thought, it’s even worse than that country, and that country, and that country.

They compare America with perfection. Well there’s only one trouble with that, there is no such thing. When you compare America with perfection, friends, you can forget that thing right off the bat. I’m going to say that the pilgrims were a good source to begin with. The pilgrims knew a number of things that were in their favor, I believe. For one thing, they were here because of religious persecution, so they understood the importance of the freedom of religion. That didn’t take off until a hundred years later, but it became an issue when they were writing The Constitution.

They also were here as a socialistic experiment. A socialistic experiment? Yeah, that’s right. The pilgrims came and they were put into a socialistic time bomb. That thing failed in a hurry, people were starving to death. If they weren’t for the Indians, they probably would’ve. That’s the other thing that’s false, is that the pilgrims came over and slaughtered the Indians. No, no, no. In fact, the pilgrims, the ones who finally survived out of the whole experience, loved the Indians. Later on, we even set up universities for Indians. Some of you remember some of those universities, there still in existence today.

So I would argue, what’s right with it? I’d say the founding was right. See William Bradford, History of Plymouth. Then come up a hundred years, come to John Witherspoon. I’d say what John Witherspoon did was right with America. You know what he did? He founded a famous university. What was it? John Harvard founded? Yes. Do I see a hand back there? Yeah.

Princeton.

Princeton University. He is the father of Princeton University. I know we say, “What can one person do?” Don’t you all have that attitude too? You say to yourself, “Ah, what can I do?” Well, this is only one person. You know what he did? You want to hear what one person did? You don’t, but I’ll tell you anyway. He came here as a Scottish preacher at 45 years of age. So he did this after 45. Some of you aren’t even close. Me, I’m over the hill. I told you that this morning. My wife says, I am the hill. Yeah. Aye, aye, aye. But we’re still happily married.

Here’s one man, John Witherspoon, educated 114 ministers. 49 of his students became US Representatives. 28 became US Senators. 26 became state judges. 17 became members of the State Constitutional Convention. 14 became delegates to the State Convention. 12 became members of Continental Congress. 8 became district judges. 5 became delegates of the Convention. 3 became US Supreme Court justices. 3 became attorney generals. 2 became foreign ministers. 1 became Secretary of State. 1 became Vice President, and 1 became President. Who was that? Really? James Madison. What number was he? Number four. Would you say he did pretty well? Would you say he did well? A little preacher, just a little Scottish preacher, maybe with a little Scottish accent. I don’t know. I’m not a Scott.

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