Letter to the Standard's Editor

(Editor’s Note: This letter was originally published in the October 4, 2004 issue of “The New American”, and is being republished here with permission from the author. The dairy farm referred to in the letter is the Jim and Cathy Gelo farm near Postville.)

To the Editor:

I am writing in response to Steve Bonta's cover story "America's Hidden Strength" in the March 22 issue of The New American. Although I'm an American citizen, I have been living overseas since 1991. Nothing makes a person appreciate his country more than spending a significant amount of time away from it.

I have just recently returned from a six-week visit to the United States and had the good fortune of spending two of those weeks driving through six upper Midwestern "flyover" states with my family, showing them where I was born and where my roots are. Most of those two weeks were spent on rural highways driving through prairies, corn and wheat farmlands and cattle ranches. Almost without exception, the first visible landmark we noticed as we entered a small town (besides the town's water tower) was a church steeple that rose high in the sky.

It was refreshing to be able to fill up at gas stations where the owners trust strangers such as us passing through town enough to let us pump the gas before paying for it. It was thrilling to be at Mt. Rushmore amongst a crowd of fellow patriotic Americans who heartily sang (or at least mouthed the words) of "America the Beautiful" played over loudspeakers as huge floodlights illuminated the granite faces of four of America's greatest leaders against the dark sky. It was greatly encouraging to see numerous pro-life billboards and signs along many of the highways we were traveling on. It was perhaps most surprising to even come across a rather large monument engraved with the Ten Commandments on a college campus in one small town. Apparently, the ACLU hasn't noticed that one yet!

On a more close-up and personal level, one short visit to a relatively small, family-run dairy farm was further evidence of some of those greatest “hidden strengths” Mr. Bonta wrote about. We arrived at dusk during the evening milking time. First, we witnessed the free enterprise system at work right before our eyes - a family-run farm not dependent on government subsidies but only on the hard work and sweat of the whole family working together to get the job done. Such demanding work is, by its very nature, family-uniting. Despite being there at one of their busiest times of the day, this Iowa family (whom we had never met before) still displayed genuine Midwestern charm and friendliness by showing us around and patiently explaining the operations of their farm while they worked. On top of their heavy work responsibilities, the parents still find time to home-school their two children.

The vast majority of Taiwanese who do visit the United States join tour groups comprised of Taiwanese nationals, thus limiting their contact with Americans. Furthermore, most tours involve brief stops in large cities on or near one coast or the other. Still, many of those who get no further than southern California's theme parks and Nevada's casinos often tell me that they've seen America. I strongly feel that no view of America is complete without spending some serious time in America's “flyover country.” More than just the physical center of the U.S., it truly represents America's heart and soul.

Wayne T. Schams

Pingtung, Taiwan