American Greatness is American Goodness

[MeDotOrg]

I ran across this YouTube video, an old 60 Minutes segment about a Russian Dentist who was a German POW in a camp that housed both Russians and Americans. Each Friday the Americans each received 5 kilos of food from the Red Cross. The Russians were given 1 liter of turnip soup and 1 liter of water. The Russians were slowly starving to death. The Americans devised ways to smuggle some of their food to the Russians, even though it put the U.S. camp at risk of retaliation when the Germans found out.

The depth of the bond that Russian Dentist felt for his fellow American prisoners is palpable in the interview. As an old man he still remembers the names of the Americans who helped him.

If you want to see a little bit of goodness in America, it's a great story.

[MeDotOrg]

I ran across this YouTube video, an old 60 Minutes segment about a Russian Dentist who was a German POW in a camp that housed both Russians and Americans. Each Friday the Americans each received 5 kilos of food from the Red Cross. The Russians were given 1 liter of turnip soup and 1 liter of water. The Russians were slowly starving to death. When a Russian Prisoner would die, the Russians would stand him up the next day for roll call, so that the prisoner would be counted for the food rations. The Americans devised ways to smuggle some of their food to the Russians, even though it put the U.S. camp at risk of retaliation when the Germans found out.

The depth of the bond that Russian Dentist felt for his fellow American prisoners is palpable in the interview. As an old man he still remembers the names of the Americans who helped him.

If you want to see a little bit of goodness in America, it's a great story.

[Jersey Girl]

Of course there is goodness in America. I noticed one of the comments not far under the video you linked to.

It’s important not to confuse the government of a country with the people of that country.

I had a phone call a week or more ago with someone scheduling me for an echo. Apparently the young woman was working remote. It was well after dinnertime that she called and we spent nearly an hour talking about the pandemic and how people were helping others get through this. I told her about the woman on my community Facebook private group who posted one morning that she had 300$ in cash, was going into town to pick up a few groceries and told folks to tell her what they needed and that she would meet their requests until the money was spent. Our pizza place that supplied free pizza to frontline workers for months, delivering stacks of pizza to area hospitals, fire stations and such. The woman from my gardeners group who hung a Walmart bag of seed packets on my mailbox one day because I was desperate for seeds and wasn't supposed to be going out at all. One man posted a collection of his sweaters for anyone who wanted them--they went like hotcakes. I had a chance to donate the 7$ in cash I had left early in the first lock down through the pizza place to a family whose son suicided and had no money for burial costs. The pizza place let us piggyback their orders to get jugs of bleach. People were sharing sourdough starters, eggs, goats milk, and produce. I managed to deliver a plant to another gardener who wanted to start houseplants. This Christmas a young mother boxed up tons of extra clothing and asked me for empty Amazon boxes and preschool items for a young child who was taken from her mother due to neglect so that she could have Christmas presents. I'm pretty sure that young mother's mother raised her right and so is she raising her child right by engaging her child in service to others.

These may seem like small gestures compared to the Russian/American story that you linked to but they mattered to someone and the generosity of others mattered to me. This whole entire year (and I think I remarked on this on the previous board) I have had the sense that the government has been hovering "up there" somewhere screwing around while the rest of us have been doing what we can to take care of each other here on the ground and getting each other through this. All over I have seen people sharing what they have with others. They are still doing it.

But we folks on the ground don't make the news.

The politicians and the crackpots make the news. The more salacious the story, the more air time it gets. The good things are obscured down the bottom of the website pages. They are there. Most of the politicians don't "get" us.

Biden gets us. I know without question that he does get us. You speak of goodness? There is goodness in a man who runs for office at an advanced age, who didn't need to run for any other reason but because he thought he could help and from day one, he has been busting his ass trying to get things done for us. The truth is that he started busting his ass long before he took the Oath. You can see it in the level to which he prepared before taking office.

Yes, there is goodness in this country. There is even goodness on this board. But you have to be paying attention to notice it. ; - )

[Gunnar]

Thanks, MeDot and Jersey Girl for reminding us once again that there really is goodness in America, despite all the divisiveness deliberately encouraged and exploited by Trump and his administration, mainly for the benefit of Trump, his family and wealthy friends and donors. Though our country, in its past, has made some deplorable missteps, it has made notable contributions to humankind and progress. And few, if any, nations in history have been more compassionate and generous to its defeated enemies than the U.S.A. was to its defeated WWII foes, which has prompted the often repeated witticism that the best thing that can happen to a nation is to lose to America in a war, and inspired the farcical comedy, The Mouse that Roared.

I agree that our new President, Joe Biden, seems far more concerned with what is truly best for the American people than Trump, whose obvious main concern was how he and/or his family and wealthy friends could extract the most personal benefit and power from his presidency. This is, by now, especially in the light of recent events, so glaringly obvious that it boggles my mind how many people still either can't or won't see it.

[Chap]

I agree that our new President, Joe Biden, seems far more concerned with what is truly best for the American people than Trump, whose obvious main concern was how he and/or his family and wealthy friends could extract the most personal benefit and power from his presidency. This is, by now, especially in the light of recent events, so glaringly obvious that it boggles my mind how many people still either can't or won't see it.

Wake up!

It has been explained to you quite clearly that Biden, Harris, Clinton and all the rest of them were arrested by the military at the command of Our True and Eternal President, who mercifully spared them from the death they deserved at the price of an oath that they would be obedient to him in all things, while acting as if they were in control.

So all that good stuff that is happening now is just President Trump showing his love and care for all of us. Praise his name, and render thanks unto him from whom all good things come!

[Gunnar]

Wake up!

It has been explained to you quite clearly that Biden, Harris, Clinton and all the rest of them were arrested by the military at the command of Our True and Eternal President, who mercifully spared them from the death they deserved at the price of an oath that they would be obedient to him in all things, while acting as if they were in control.

So all that good stuff that is happening now is just President Trump showing his love and care for all of us. Praise his name, and render thanks unto him from whom all good things come!

Wonderful! You do indeed have a penchant and gift for parody, just as you previously told me! Are you, by any chance, a descendent or reincarnation of Jonathan Swift?

[canpakes]

Gunnar, the title of this thread perfectly encapsulates what ‘American Greatness’ should really embody. Thank you for that.

[Moksha]

... the best thing that can happen to a nation is to lose to America in a war, and inspired the farcical comedy, The Mouse that Roared.

Long live the Duchy of Grand Fenwick!

[Philo Sofee]

This is a terrific thread! Thanks to all you GOODNESS filled people for filling it in with your stories! It helps to read stuff like this. We need more of it every week instead of all the carping that we have had for the last four long years.....

[Gunnar]

This is a terrific thread! Thanks to all you GOODNESS filled people for filling it in with your stories!

Especially to MeDotOrg, for starting it!