Dear Larry: I was at a baseball game recently. Before the start of the game, the national anthem was played, and a black gentleman was on the field singing with such passion it almost brought tears to my eyes. While he was singing, I noticed most people were not paying attention. In fact, there were only a few people who seemed to adhere to the proper etiquette.

There were people who were laughing and talking; some still were eating and drinking; still others remained seated, hollering to people like me to sit down. What got me the most was a group of black people putting down the singer. They were calling him an "Uncle Tom" and a "sellout," and they were saying he was "trying to be white."

Larry, why do blacks hate this country so much?

I know America is not perfect, but it is far better than any other country on earth. I was in South America, and there was widespread poverty. There was so much that was wrong with the country I was in that I would be ashamed to admit I lived there. At a soccer match, their national anthem was played, and there was not one disrespectful statement or movement.

What is wrong with America? I believe we hate the hand that has brought us the good life. — Lacy

Dear Lacy: First of all, all blacks do not hate America. There are many black Americans who have given their lives to protect and defend our way of life. Every war this country has fought has had its share of black soldiers. They fought in spite of the fact that they would come home to suffer much discrimination. In spite of this indignation, they willingly served and did their duty.

What you observed is something else. This country has gone through almost 50 years of self-loathing and guilt for being so prosperous. Because of our zeal to make everyone feel valued and respected, we think that by speaking evil of our country and putting ourselves down, we will make others think we care about their values.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. We have gotten ourselves into a situation in which we are losing pride in our country. We are ignoring those values that make our country great. If we have a self-hate for America, what do you think others will feel? They will join you in your self-hate.

Our universities allow people from all over the world to attend. Our professors think teaching what is wrong rather than a balanced view is intellectual and academic. Unless we change the way we teach, I think universities should limit their foreign attendance. By the time they graduate, foreigners think less of America or even hate this country.

I have friends who were born in other countries. They speak reverently of their places of origin. They will bristle if I say anything negative about their corrupt governments or discriminatory policies. However, they think nothing of saying what is wrong with America. As an aside, I have asked them what they are doing here if their countries are so great.

I believe in order to change attitudes about this country, we need to start in our public schools. Our teachers need to follow correct curricula. Textbooks need to be changed so that our children will know the truth.

The truth is America is the greatest nation on earth. What is right about America is a thousand times greater than what is wrong about America. This world has benefited greatly from our existence.

It is time to get away from this self-loathing. God has blessed America, and his face still shines upon us. We need to accept our blessings and continue to make this world a better place.

To find out more about Larry G. Meeks and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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