The Dying Citizen: How Progressive Elites, Tribalism, and Globalization Are Destroying the Idea of America
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- Create Date：2021-11-07 00:19:21
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Victor Davis Hanson
- ISBN：B09GW7NFRG
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Reviews
Bryson Fico
，
An excellent book chronicling the rise of democracy and the threat leftist progressivism and globalization pose to its destruction。
Jim
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give me more
Jim Dowdell
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An excellent text book representation of the civil war （he declines this designation） and of the destruction of western civilization。
Jonathan
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3/10 “They apparently couldn’t fathom that nearly half the country had different opinions from them。” Oh wow， you’ve almost become self aware David。 You were so close to applying this to yourself。 So in brief， Hanson is anti-immigration but pro economy （somehow failing to see that these are contradictory viewpoints）。 He believes that Fox news is "center right"。 “Most immigrants aren’t felons” But we can’t be to careful。 And gun violence？ "Its not that bad， and theres nothing we can do about it a 3/10 “They apparently couldn’t fathom that nearly half the country had different opinions from them。” Oh wow， you’ve almost become self aware David。 You were so close to applying this to yourself。 So in brief， Hanson is anti-immigration but pro economy （somehow failing to see that these are contradictory viewpoints）。 He believes that Fox news is "center right"。 “Most immigrants aren’t felons” But we can’t be to careful。 And gun violence？ "Its not that bad， and theres nothing we can do about it anyway。" Despite every other large economy solving it thirty years ago。 Basically this comes down to Hanson complaining that Trump was hard done by， and people were nicer to Obama， so why weren't people more helpful to Trump？ Somehow， he must have missed the eight years of vitriol and hatred spewed at Obama by his cow-workers。 The partisanship on both sides is disgusting， made only worse by people like Hanson who pretend it's one-sided。 What's more， he should understand that the role of the dissenting minority is an integral part of a democracy， and the only real way to avoid totalitarianism。 Hanson is obviously intelligent， so I'm sure he's thought of both of these points， but chosen to ignore them。 He's writing for a right-wing audience， and therefore has the luxury of ignoring centrists or leftists。 Trump was spoiling for a fight， found one， and acted surprised and that it was more than he could handle。 Regardless of his policies， I'm hoping the Trump presidency will prove an aberration as far as tone， as it's clearly not a benefit to the country。 It's disappointing to hear Hanson try to convince himself and his audience that Trump was good for the country。 Again， entirely aside from politics， it is almost impossible to argue that Trumps rhetoric was helpful to the nation。 This blind obeisance to a 3rd rate television star is more than I'm willing to pretend to be ok with。 Clearly there are issues on the left， Biden and Hillary were about as bad of candidates as you could imagine， but that does not somehow make Trump an acceptable new norm。 I've gotten a little off-topic， so I'll end with this， Hanson is clearly to knowledgeable about policy to continue pretending Trump had one worth toting。You cannot move to France and become a Frenchman， or to Japan and become Japanese， the only place you can do that is America。 。。。more
Tony
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Citizen or Peasant， You DecideVDH surveys the ways in which all Americans， unable to purchase citizenship elsewhere， are being steadily degraded into subjects of a fickle global elite。 His prescription is to restore the rights of citizenship in our Republic by judicious exercise of citizen's attendant responsibilities。 I hope we are equal to such exhortation。 From a manuscript point of view， the production seemed rushed。 Though the chapter outline is sound， each chapter's execution could be more Citizen or Peasant， You DecideVDH surveys the ways in which all Americans， unable to purchase citizenship elsewhere， are being steadily degraded into subjects of a fickle global elite。 His prescription is to restore the rights of citizenship in our Republic by judicious exercise of citizen's attendant responsibilities。 I hope we are equal to such exhortation。 From a manuscript point of view， the production seemed rushed。 Though the chapter outline is sound， each chapter's execution could be more powerful。 This plus too many catchphrase and "big word" repeats and at least one material distortion subtracted one star。 If you do not relish subservience or， as Orwell wrote， "A boot stamping on a human face forever，" then contemplate and resolve to restore American citizenship。 Hanson's book may help you do that。 。。。more
Jane King
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Very well written。 Mr。 Davis has much insight into the mess that our polititians have gotten us into。 Very right wing but honest and bold without the drama。 Makes one pause with fear that as a country we are at risk。
Cav
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"Today only a little more than half of the world’s seven billion people are citizens of fully consensual governments enjoying constitutionally protected freedoms。 They are almost all Western—or at least they reside in nations that have become “westernized。” These realities explain why millions from North Africa risk drowning in the Mediterranean to reach Europe and why millions more uproot from Mexico and Latin America to cross the southern border of the United States。 Call their exodus from the "Today only a little more than half of the world’s seven billion people are citizens of fully consensual governments enjoying constitutionally protected freedoms。 They are almost all Western—or at least they reside in nations that have become “westernized。” These realities explain why millions from North Africa risk drowning in the Mediterranean to reach Europe and why millions more uproot from Mexico and Latin America to cross the southern border of the United States。 Call their exodus from their homelands a desperate quest for greater income， freedom， or security—or simply for a chance to be an unfamiliar citizen somewhere else rather than a certain serf， noncitizen， or subject at home。。。"The land of the free， and the home of the brave。 Uniquely founded on the ideals of liberty， individual rights， and self-determination; the core ethos of America are under attack， says the author。 I agree。Author Victor Davis Hanson is an American conservative commentator， classicist， and military historian。 He has been a commentator on modern and ancient warfare and contemporary politics for The New York Times， Wall Street Journal， National Review， The Washington Times， and other media outlets。He is a professor emeritus of Classics at California State University， Fresno， the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow in classics and military history at Stanford University's Hoover Institution， and visiting professor at Hillsdale College。 Victor Davis Hanson: Hanson gets the writing off to a good start， with a decent intro。 He begins the book with the quote above。The writing in the book proper begins by detailing the lack of affordability of life in modern America。 High housing prices will prevent many people from ever owning their own homes。Historically low birth rates are resulting in a declining population。Many young people are overburdened by record levels of student loans and other debt。He mentions a paradigm shift in the employment climate， as well， noting that the recent decades have seen a decline in tenure-track employment at institutions of higher learning。The book continues on， examining the debate surrounding immigration to The United States。 Hanson notes that the Overton window around this discussion has shifted recently， also taking a hard turn left。 Border enforcement and the deportation of illegal immigrants was a Democratic talking point just a decade or so ago。 He says that these talking points have now shifted into a drive for open borders among some on the political left。At the heart of this book is discussion surrounding the culture war。 California， one of the country's （and the world's） largest economies， has become ground zero in this battlefield， taking a hard left recently， embracing "progressive" policies; including widely expanded social support programs， and increased taxation。Increased social welfare policies， higher taxation， and increasing tolerance of drug abuse and criminality were supposed to result in a higher standard of living for all。 Many of these policies were also aimed at creating an affordable environment for California's residents。 However， despite sounding good in theory， many of these policies have not yielded the fruit promised when they were implemented。 In fact， many have had directly contradictory results from their original intentions。Hanson says: "Indeed， the state’s golden geese continue to fly from California at a rapid clip—at least five million in the single decade between 2004 and 2013， or at a rate of almost ten thousand a week。 The rates of departure have only increased。 Some census estimates suggest that seven hundred thousand fled California in 2018 alone， at a rate of over two thousand per day。 The usual complaints of the departing are exorbitant taxes on the middle class， poor schools and infrastructure， high crime， costly fuel and food， and astronomical housing costs。 In many state-by-state rankings of the “business climate” （categorized by regulations and taxes）， California now rates in the bottom tiers。Or put another way， under the ideology of open borders， as long as people in Central America or southern Mexico deem California preferable， it will draw newcomers， many of them entering the United States illegally。 And as long as the state is seen as far less attractive than a dozen or so other states， millions of California residents will continue to leave。 The state’s population may remain largely the same， but it will likely become apoorer， more culturally and economically bifurcated， and ultimately more medieval place。More specifically， California recently voted to raise its gas taxes by 40 percent and by July 1， 2020， had the highest gas taxes in the United States—with still further gas tax rises scheduled over the next ten years。 Yet even as more revenue arrived in state coffers， the more residents were warned of an increasing shortfall in funding for road construction and repair。。。。。。Progressive California ranks as the third-highest state in the nation in terms of inequality， according to the so-called Gini coefficient that measures purported levels of income and capital wealth disequilibrium。Nearly half of the nation’s homeless live in California—a state that professes to have the most progressive policies concerning the poor。 About one-third of all Americans on public assistance reside in California。 Approximately one-fifth of the state’s population lives below the poverty line， largely as a result of massive illegal immigration from the poorest regions of southern Mexico and Central America， which lowers wages and increases social entitlement costs。 About one-third of Californians are now enrolled in Medi-Cal， the state’s health care program for low-income residents。 Many of the latter are illegal residents， who suffer inordinately from diabetes and kidney complications requiring dialysis。California’s social programs are magnets that draw in the indigent from all over the world， who arrive in search of generous health， educational， legal， nutritional， and housing subsidies。 Some 27 percent of the state’s current residents were not born in the United States。 Some 5。5 million Californian immigrants were estimated to be eligible to vote in 2020。"Despite fighting a Cold War （which was often not very "cold"） for the better part of 60 years， against the destructive ideology of Marxist socialism/communism， many in the intellectual， media， and celebrity classes have now embraced this line of thinking。In Mao's China， the peasants rose up against the so-called "landlord" class。 In Stalinist Russia; the "kulaks" became "enemies of the people，" and were liquidaded， or sent to the Gulag。 Dozens of millions of people died in these man-made tragedies。In today's America， Marx's class struggle between the bourgeoisie and proletariat has morphed into a new conflict。 This neo-Marxism has assumed the form of a racial class struggle， as a proxy for the historic economic class struggle。 The landlords of old have now been substituted with "white" people， and the peasants， with "people of colour。"Radical new philosophies， like Critical Race Theory， and many other "critical" theories， are just re-branded， or cultural Marxism。Hanson talks about the roots of this identity politicking。 He mentions that much of the Critical Theory that has spread through western institutions had its genesis at The Frankfurt School in Germany。 Herbert Marcuse was a central figure in exporting this radical new branch of philosophy。The United States of America， and most of the rest of Western Civilization are multicultural， multiracial， and multireligious societies。 People from all backgrounds call these countries their home。Historically speaking， having large numbers of disparate identity groups cohabitating in the same areas is not a recipe for social cohesion。 This is where the term "Balkanization" comes from。People are inherently deeply tribal creatures。 Clashes centered around tribal identities are at the heart of many （or even most） large-scale human conflicts。 Religion， nationality， race， ethnicity， ideology， and even sports team affiliation - are just some of the ways that we all sort out who constitutes an "us" versus a "them。"The aforementioned tribal classifications are fundemental aspects of most people's identities。 Further to the above point， Hanson tells the reader of the recent rise of identity-driven politics in the west。 Many leftist "progressives" forward a worldview where these tribal classifications， specifically， race - are extremely amplified。 This constrained vision sees society as a group versus group， zero-sum， oppressor versus oppressed world of never-ending tribal conflict。 Contrary to the colour-blind vision of civil rights activists like Martin Luther King Jr， who dreamt of a world where tribal identities like race would no longer be important - this new vision demands that all things be viewed through the lens of race。 While the past has， without a doubt， seen many injustices perpetuated towards ethnic minorities， is punishing people who had nothing to do with those injustices the correct way to redress this historical problem？ If we are to live in a multi-racial society as the hyper-tribal beings we are， is focusing all of our efforts on what divides us a prudent course of action to achieve the social harmony and social cohesion that any society needs to thrive？ If we demand that everything in society be viewed through the lens of race， racial oppression， victimology， and group conflict， will the result likely be one of more social harmony， or less？？If the goal is to have people of disparate backgrounds and identity groups live together more harmoniously， will constantly pitting racial group against racial group， and driving tribal conflict have the effect of making things better， or worse？？Hanson also spends a bit of time here talking about much of the recent hysteria surrounding former American President， Donald J。 Trump （DJT）。 A contentious and extremely polarizing figure， any talk of DJT is sure to spice up your dinner conversation。There are many reasonable criticisms that can be made of DJT， to be sure， but much of what has been taking place over the last ~3-5 years has been far detached from any semblance of reason。Coined "Trump Derangement Syndrome，" or TDS by some， this social contagion is a modern-day moral panic。Many on the political left have made hyperbolic comparisons of DJT to Adolph Hitler， seemingly unaware of Godwin's law。 Hanson mentions that many psychiatrists also have violated the Goldwater Rule by attempting to diagnose DJT as mentally unfit， despite never having examined him personally in a clinical setting。The book also briefly talks about the overwhelming left-wing bias in journalism。 Leftist thought has hit its stride in that institution， and recently achieved a tipping point。 Hanson mentions the unprecedented negative press coverage of DJT。 He also mentions a few of the more prominent examples of "fake news" used to push the leftist "narrative，" including the "Hand's up！ Don't shoot！" mantra of Black Lives Matter， which was based on a false premise。Some more of what is covered here by Hanson includes:• Efforts to remove Donald Trump from office based on the ~4+ year false narrative of "Russian collusion。"• Efforts by many on the political left to overturn the American Electoral College; in order to achieve their desired election results。 • Attacks on the First and Second Constitutional amendments。• The desire to decriminalize illegal immigration。• The widespread looting， arson， and other assorted violence that engulfed swathes of many large American cities in the wake of the death of George Floyd， Jr。• Anti-liberal "hate speech" laws。 • The censoring of conservative voices on social media。• The impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump。• The cultural relativism and hypocrisy of globalists like Bill Gates。• Globalism and cultural relativism。 The fawning over criminals like the Boston Bomber， and tyrants， like Kim Yo-jong （sister of the North Korean dictator） by the leftist media。• The 2020 American Federal Election。• The ongoing reverberations of the 2019 COVID pandemic。The great American experiment is currently undergoing one of its biggest stress tests。 Can the liberal doctrines of freedom of speech， meritocracy， personal freedom and liberty that founded the land of the free survive the current age of hyper-partisan political polarization？ Rendered largely complacent by a prosperous economy， many regular people are not interested in getting involved with this conflict， IMHO。 Cancel culture has also effectively managed to muzzle many professionals， who justifiably fear losing their livelihoods。Where will this all end up？ I'm not sure。 Will the great American Experiment survive？ I guess we'll have to wait and see。。。***********************The Dying Citizen was a decent read。 While most of what is covered here will not be new to those who have been closely following the culture war， those relatively new to this topic will undoubtedly find much of value here。I did enjoy this book， but felt that it could have benefitted from a more rigorous editing。 The audiobook version I have clocked in at just over 15 hours， and I found Hanson's writing a bit dry at times。 A decent chunk of the writing here could have been removed without affecting the overall presentation。I would still recommend this one to anyone interested。3。5 stars。 。。。more
Jerry
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Citizenship is something we take for granted。。。just as we 'know' that grocery store will have shelves stocked with items from which we can choose。 But how certain are we that these shelves will offer us choice？ We assume so because that's they way it's always been for us。 The slogan 'Change' and the pledge to transform were central to the Obama and now to the Biden presidencies。 But change to what？ Transform into what？ Until January 20， 2021 we didn't know。 We thought we knew something about the Citizenship is something we take for granted。。。just as we 'know' that grocery store will have shelves stocked with items from which we can choose。 But how certain are we that these shelves will offer us choice？ We assume so because that's they way it's always been for us。 The slogan 'Change' and the pledge to transform were central to the Obama and now to the Biden presidencies。 But change to what？ Transform into what？ Until January 20， 2021 we didn't know。 We thought we knew something about the guy in charge of change and transformation because he's been in the public eye for almost 50 years。 We're learning， painfully， what we really didn't know。 Professor Victor David Hansen probes the issues of change and transformation by taking us to the roots of citizenship， of democratic governance through the early days of the current administration。 In his civics lessons we more fully appreciate the role of the citizen our democratic based system of governance and its fragility。 Citizenship is a responsibility that when taken centers the control of ones' lives in the citizens hands; when ignored cedes that responsibility into the hands of a very few who use it to their ends。 When that happens， the grocery store shelves offer only what the masters decide the citizens， now subjects， will have。。。like it or not。 。。。more
Joseph M。 Boucher
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A wonderful look at how things really work。 Mr Hanson is perhaps my favorite living historian。 His erudite and well-considered analyses are worth more than the price and time in getting and digesting his book。 Agree with his positions or not， you cannot disagree with his facts。 For those concerned with facts over narrative， this is essential reading。 If you disagree with his conclusions， fine， but you can't discount his plain and deep thinking on these topics。 Worth reading more than once， and w A wonderful look at how things really work。 Mr Hanson is perhaps my favorite living historian。 His erudite and well-considered analyses are worth more than the price and time in getting and digesting his book。 Agree with his positions or not， you cannot disagree with his facts。 For those concerned with facts over narrative， this is essential reading。 If you disagree with his conclusions， fine， but you can't discount his plain and deep thinking on these topics。 Worth reading more than once， and worth recommending to friends on both sides of the aisle （if such can exist anymore）。 。。。more
Dragon grl85
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I love reading what VDH has to say。 Always thought provoking and challenging！
Russ
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The premise is that our current politicians and large business interests are quickly killing the idea of the American citizen。 Hanson is a renowned classics scholar so I trust his insight when he pronounces that there has never been a citizen as free and equal as an American citizen。 Greece and Rome tried the idea of citizenship and both ultimately caved to forces much like our own。 The failures led to centuries of inequity and suffering for most of the "citizens。" Hanson's analysis and empirica The premise is that our current politicians and large business interests are quickly killing the idea of the American citizen。 Hanson is a renowned classics scholar so I trust his insight when he pronounces that there has never been a citizen as free and equal as an American citizen。 Greece and Rome tried the idea of citizenship and both ultimately caved to forces much like our own。 The failures led to centuries of inequity and suffering for most of the "citizens。" Hanson's analysis and empirical evidence supporting the analysis is first rate and well delivered。 But so what。 In the end， he doesn't provide any solutions or direction。 Is the purpose to merely raise awareness。 Nothing is more wasteful and unproductive than raising awareness。I used to enjoy these types of books as they validated by beliefs with actual empiricism。 However， making a proper diagnosis is only the first step。 I'm still waiting for one of these books to actually come up with the hard work of the solutions。 。。。more
Richard Munro
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very well done。 Am reading it for second time taking notes。 Very factual。 Very learned。 An important book。
Jack
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excellent bookVDH has once again provided a critical analysis about how changes over the last 20 or 30 years have affected the value of citizenship and what we can expect if the continued move toward progressive policies is not stopped。 Beyond that， he addresses the non stop effort by Trumps political opponents to unseat him， based almost entirely on their hatred of him rather than on anything he did， or didn’t do。 criticisms of Trumps handling of the pandemic by the democrats seem misplaced now excellent bookVDH has once again provided a critical analysis about how changes over the last 20 or 30 years have affected the value of citizenship and what we can expect if the continued move toward progressive policies is not stopped。 Beyond that， he addresses the non stop effort by Trumps political opponents to unseat him， based almost entirely on their hatred of him rather than on anything he did， or didn’t do。 criticisms of Trumps handling of the pandemic by the democrats seem misplaced now that Biden’s results seem much worse。 The use of impeachment as a political weapon and the weaponizing of law enforcement t and intelligence agencies is also presented along with an assessment of the damage this has done and is doing to the country 。 VDH looks at us with a historians eye and a comparison with Greece ， Rome， and Macedonia， as well as a look at the socialist and communist utopias that we’ve seen in the past。 This is really a good book。 As an aside， I split this between kindle and audible。 The reader on audible mispronounced so many words and names that it got really annoying。 Just saying I’d stick to kindle or hard copy on this one。 。。。more
Brian Brawdy
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The book is so well done it makes you just shake your headIt’s been said that once a handout is codified in law， no future politician will ever rescind the statute。 Seems that once a lie is told by the deep state， it also will never be retracted。
Linda Galella
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Are you a resident or a CITIZEN？ This is the question you’ll be able to answer after finishing “The Dying Citizen”， by Victor David Hanson。Hanson is a senior fellow of military history and classics at the Hoover Institute at Stanford。 He traces the history of citizenship back to its earliest days and follows the path to current conditions。 It’s a heavy going and reads very much like a text book in parts。 I was quite shocked to learn that most Americans have no clue what the First Amendment is， w Are you a resident or a CITIZEN？ This is the question you’ll be able to answer after finishing “The Dying Citizen”， by Victor David Hanson。Hanson is a senior fellow of military history and classics at the Hoover Institute at Stanford。 He traces the history of citizenship back to its earliest days and follows the path to current conditions。 It’s a heavy going and reads very much like a text book in parts。 I was quite shocked to learn that most Americans have no clue what the First Amendment is， what the 3 branches of government are or who key historical figures are like Ulysses S。 Grant or Dwight D。 Eisenhower。The book is broken up into 6 lengthy chapters that discuss:1。 PEASANTS - shrinking of the middle class2。 RESIDENTS - distinction between immigrants， residents & citizens; their right and laws3。 TRIBES - national identity vs。 tribe identity; racism， bias and patriotism4。 UNELECTED - deep state， media， bureaucratic elite growing in power5。 EVOLUTIONARIES - dismantling the Constitution6。 GLOBALISTS - threat of globalism and loss of freedom， democracyEach of these chapters is full of historical data leading up to our current situation with enough documentation to fill the last 20% of this volume。 IMO， the best part of this book is the author’s epilogue。 Hanson had cause to pen a lengthy update during the final editing process。 In this chapter he pulls all the pieces together and summarizes including the last few months: “The stakes were no less than the preservation of the American republic itself。” A worthy read 📚 。。。more
Dave
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In his forthcoming book， the Dying Citizen， noted historian Victor Davis Hanson cogently explains the roots of citizenship in the ancient Greek democracies and traces the modern-day threats to citizenship in current America。Hanson begins his treatise by discussing the citizens of the ancient Greek republics who were， for the most part， middle-class people who saw themselves protected by laws rather than by transitory goodwill or the patronage of aristocrats and were thus enabled and emboldened t In his forthcoming book， the Dying Citizen， noted historian Victor Davis Hanson cogently explains the roots of citizenship in the ancient Greek democracies and traces the modern-day threats to citizenship in current America。Hanson begins his treatise by discussing the citizens of the ancient Greek republics who were， for the most part， middle-class people who saw themselves protected by laws rather than by transitory goodwill or the patronage of aristocrats and were thus enabled and emboldened to produce and create。 That idea of citizenship with responsibilities and rights has been expanded over the past 200 plus years to include the poor， women， and minorities， creating the free-est country in the history of the world。Yet， now that idea of citizenship is threatened by the shrinking of the middle-class in a world where jobs have been shipped overseas and the middle-class of the most affluent and technology advanced state （California） cannot afford a home and cannot afford to raise their families there。 Without the middle-class， the world becomes the rich elites who do not need the protection of government because they are transnational and can go anywhere and the impoverished uneducated who have not learned the values of democracy。Secondly， Hanson points out that there is a dilution in distinction now between citizens and residents so that those who come here illegally have the same rights as those who were born here and those who followed the rules。 This illegal immigration has resulted in jurisdictions where they openly defy federal law， weakening the rule of law and the protections of law that so many have counted on。 It has also resulted in untold thousands of criminals among the many essentially decent people who have crossed the border illegally， but in such numbers that even a small minority of criminals have caused unimaginable havoc and suffering on those who relied on the government to protect them from criminals。The third threat to citizenship and democracy that Hanson identifies is the breakdown of Americans into separate identity tribes as opposed to one national identity。 This， in turn， causes harm to patriotism and to adherence to shared values and history。 He notes that “the story of the United States was never just a simplistic psychodrama” of different racial groups warring， but often a tale of class antagonism。 Notably， though， the founding documents offered a “sanctioned pathway out of bias to a fairer and more racially blind society。” Multiculturalism fragments citizenship into racial categories and divides us further。 Opposed to tribalism though is individualism and the American ideal is to each be treated on their own merit， not based on shared characteristics。The fourth threat to citizenship identified in this book is the unelected whether that is the ever-growing power of the deep state， the unelected bureaucracy which thinks it knows better than the ordinary citizen。 “The bureaucratic threat， then， to classical citizenship is an ascendance of a virtual unelected aristocracy or rigged oligarchy that exercises power in a manner that does not reflect consensual government。” These powerful elites have also of late taken root in the journalistic industry which no longer purports to be neutral and whose biases are now clearer than ever and more partisan than ever。The fifth threat is called evolutionaries， that is， those who would do away with our common heritage and throw out the baby with the bathwater， trashing the constitution， the amendments， the makeup of the Supreme Court， the freedoms we hold dear。 Elites now are piecemeal attacking the First Amendment， the Second Amendment， and wielding whatever power they deem right to suit their ends。Finally， the sixth threat to citizenship is globalism whereby the elites have decreed that all civilizations are equal and that there is nothing to be admired about the free United States。 In service of globalism， it is often the middle and lower classes that suffer as their jobs are shipped out of country and their lives are hollowed out。 Globalism also results in submission to world bodies dominated by Iran and North Korea where the idea of human rights is not serious and our sovereignty is gifted to international bodies who do not have our interests at heart。Thus， there are today a number of ever-escalating threats to freedom and democracy and our way of life and we had better recognize the thin ice we are skating on before our freedoms are crushed in the pathway of someone else’s idea of a better world。 。。。more
Jane
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