A Tribute To America

The election of Obama as President of the US has shown to the world
that America is now truly the greatest nation in the world. The words
of Abraham Lincoln ring out in our ears today:

"Fourscore and seven years ago our forefathers came upon this continent and conceived a nation so dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal..."

Lincoln waged a civil war against white Americans who sought to
enslave the Black Americans. He risked perpetuating a division of the
country to free the Negro slaves.

And yet it was to be many years before his words were to ring out to
be true.

Today with the election of Obama to the highest office in the land--
with the greatest voter turnout recorded in American History, America,
and indeed the great American people, have vindicated themselves to be
the greatest in the world.

The greatness of the American people was also revealed in the last, dignified speech of Obama's rival, John McCain, who graciously conceded defeat and spoke out for the great values that have inspired the American nation to elect Obama.

Let us not forget the past -- when many a time, despite the enormous
blunders made by former US Administrations-- America was in the
forefront when feeding the poor of the world, America was in the
forefront when the world had to be rid of the horrors of the Nazi
holocausts..

But never, never has America been so great as it is now, with the
election of a man of black African Negro descent as its President, voted into power enthusiastically and lovingly by millions of Americans..

This should be enough to halt the America-baiters for a long long
time..

If I were ever to decide to settle down in the US it would not be for
the sake of the jobs or dollars or opportunities there, but it would
be just to be amongst such wonderful, loving folk who dwell in a land
where they sing:

"This land is my land,
This land is your land
From California
To the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest,
To the Gulf Stream waters,
This land was made for you and me!"

Priya Nath Mehta
M.Sc.,M.S.(Harvard)