The United States of America has been a blessing to our citizens and to the rest of the world for more than 200 years. Our founding principles have lifted millions out of poverty, guided us to outlaw slavery, empowered us to defeat the Nazi war machine, and inspired millions of men and women to risk their lives around the world to secure those liberties. Because of America’s legacy, the physical embodiment of our values represented in our flag, is proudly flown by freedom-loving people around the globe from Cuba to Hong Kong.
Why then is it so hard for our leaders — especially those representing this great country on the international stage — to proudly and unequivocally stand up for America’s greatness, or even its goodness? Why did Gwen Berry, the Olympic hammer thrower heading to Tokyo to represent the United States, turn her back on the flag during the national anthem? Why are some, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, standing with the communist regime in Cuba instead of the protesters who desire the liberty that so many Americans take for granted? Why is the Biden administration asking the UN Human Rights Council to come and lecture us on human rights when it has failed to condemn the genocidal Chinese Communist Party’s regime?
Put simply, it’s because the left has been increasingly buying into anti-American Marxist doctrines in the name of “wokeness,” with many in the public square following suit. And it’s more than just shameful; it’s empowering our adversaries and making us less safe.
Let’s face facts: President Biden and his administration have fully embraced the leftist “woke” view of America, and doing so has made us more vulnerable than ever before.
Instead of the Department of Defense being focused on developing our armed forces into a united and lethal force ready to defend America’s security, we now have a Chief Diversity Officer appointed by the Secretary of Defense whose sole purpose is to make sure our forces are diverse enough.
Instead of condemning the corrupt UN Human Rights Council for routinely covering for some of the most oppressive regimes, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a formal invitation for the UN Special Rapporteur to come to the United States and study “contemporary forms of racism.”
Instead of proudly proclaiming to the world the universal significance of the foundational truths laid out in the Declaration of Independence and codified in the United States Constitution that all men are created equal and endowed with unalienable rights that are granted by God and not the government, our U.S. Ambassador the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that “when we raise the issues of equity and justice at the global scale we have to approach them with humility” and that “white supremacy” is weaved into our founding documents and principles.
Additionally, President Biden recently stood before the State Department Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and said “it is imperative that we address systemic racism and white supremacy” because when we work with other nations to push back authoritarianism’s advance “we’ll be much more credible partner because of these efforts to shore up our own foundations.”
In reality, it’s those foundations that make this experiment in self-government great in the first place. Our foundational truths speak to all who strive for a common benefit of self-government. While we haven’t always lived up to the principles put forth by our founding fathers, it is imperative that we recognize because of these fundamental values, we were able to fulfill their promise through the elimination of slavery and Jim Crow. Our founding principles are indispensable to human flourishing, and we have a moral responsibility to defend and preserve them. Instead, President Biden and his administration are actively distorting America’s legacy by perpetuating the message that we owe an apology to the world and that our founding principles are intrinsically evil.
And while our nation’s “leaders” continue to endorse the progressive “woke” ideology, we increasingly put ourselves in a vulnerable position, handing our adversaries a weapon to use against us.
When Secretary Blinken expressed the U.S’s concern over China’s actions in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Taiwan during his opening monologue at the United States-China meeting in Alaska, China’s representative Yang Jiechi promptly responded by bringing up the Black Lives Matter movement. He said that China had made steady progress in human rights and hopes that the United States will do better and that “there are many problems within the United States regarding human rights, which is admitted by the U.S. itself as well.”
Because our leaders have welcomed the “woke” 1619 Project’s narrative about America hook, line and sinker, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan could not forcefully stand up for America and call out the death and destruction caused by the Chinese Communist Party. Instead, he shamefully accepted China’s evaluation and said we look hard at our own shortcomings and “constantly seek to improve.”
Vladimir Putin followed a similar tactic after his negotiation with President Biden. When asked by a reporter about the status of human rights in Russia and the imprisonment of Alexis Navalny, he pointed to the US’s use of Guantanamo Bay and referenced the Black Lives Matter movement.
To stand against our adversaries we need to unequivocally reject the left’s woke ideology and unapologetically stand up for the greatness of America. When our leaders are dedicated to our founding principles, we will be stronger and more effective on the international stage. Our military will be stronger and more united, and we will continue to be the beacon of liberty to freedom-loving people around the world. As George Washington said in his Farewell Address, “the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”
Congressman Roy is the Representative for Texas’ 21st Congressional District. He serves on the House Judiciary and Veterans Affairs committees and is the Chairman of the Republican Study Committee Health Care Task Force.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.