Is America still "exceptional?"

Thoughts about Haiti Relief Efforts

A Republican has replaced “the lion of the Senate,” the late Ted Kennedy. The mind-blowing come-from-behind win last week for Senator-elect Scott Brown over Democrat Martha Coakely, the liberal Massachusetts State Attorney General, is certainly one for the record books. To be sure, Mr. Brown is the current poster boy for conservative candidates across the country who have questioned if traditional common sense values can prevail at the ballot box in liberal states.

But after the “Massachusetts Massacre” fades from the headlines in the next few days, a continuing nightmare some 700 miles south of Florida in the nation-state of Haiti will still be of concern to most Americans—liberal or conservative.

At the outset, aid for earthquake victims began pouring into Haiti from two chief sources: The United States plus the rest of the world. America’s initial pledge of $100 million was answered by combined pledges totaling $43.4 million in relief from the European Union, the United Nations, and some 13 mostly western nations including the Czech Republic ($277,300) and Slovenia ($72,710).

When early lists of donor nations began to appear on the worldwide web, it was apparent that only nations with Christian roots or leanings were involved in relief efforts. Except for Iran’s Red Crescent which committed to dispatch 30 tons of food, tents and medicine (about a trailer load and a half), none of the 57 Islamic states showed up on any of the first responder lists.

Objecting to such reports and calling them lies, Islamic PR groups have since extracted spare change from a few member states. As of this date, we can report that at least 9 Islamic states have cobbled together approximately $4.6 million dollars for Haitian relief—just shy of the $5 million that Irish telecommunications company Digicel has donated so far.

Several Asian countries are also reported to be joining in relief efforts, including China, the world’s second largest economy, and India, who together will send $2 million to Haiti—about what Finland is sending. South Korea will pony up about $1 million.

Bottom line—America is the 800 pound gorilla when disaster strikes. Private U.S. based organizations are sending along another $275 million above U.S. government aid, demonstrating, as always, that America is there when the world needs help.

Does that make America an “exceptional” nation? Well, as FOX News says, “We report. You decide.”