The Ultimate Measure of Man

On so many levels, Barrack Obama is not the man Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned. If the "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenges and controversy," as Dr. King said, then Obama has failed as a leader, and a man. During the rare times of challenge and controversy that he did not himself create, he has acted selfishly and foolishly. I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Gulf Oil Rig disaster would have been mitigated by a Chilean president in a far more efficient and reassuring manner as far as Dr. King is concerned.

Sebastian Pinera is a name that will go down in history for a few good reasons. After the avalanche that caved in a Chilean mine in August, all were thought to be dead or beyond rescue. The President alone ignored his political advisors and took responsibility for the incident. For the first time in 20 years, a Chilean President mentioned Godly hope and prayer in some official context when he reassured the people that God would be with them in the search for potential survivors. He took aid from 12 different countries, and a private corporation in Pennsylvania supplied Chile with the necessary drill bit that got the miners out in the end.

I can not think of a more American thing to do than rally and rebuild after a disaster, and I must admit that watching the mine rescues chokes me up as much as videos of September 12th, 2001. Since last week, there are hundreds of thousands of Gulf Coast Americans who wish they had President Sebastian Pinera to handle the oil spill.

I don't know if Obama's refusal to accept any foreign aid when not suspending the Jones act was selfishness or foolishness, but he was certainly a Democrat when placing his union friends over the lives and livelihood of thousands. And when this extended the crisis to months beyond what it should have been, he had to look "for someone's ass to kick." The private corporation was his scapegoat rather than his crutch, which is wholly indicative of his attitude toward our future.

If our traditions of God, capitalism, and hope are being overshadowed by a south-of the-equator-country, we have problems. Surprisingly, this fits with Obama's vision for this country's "secondary status," and I want to thank President Pinera for making the world painfully aware of our impotence. America has something to contribute to the world. The Government may not, but at least private corporations in Pennsylvania have drills to contribute to mine rescues. In a time of dire tragedy, Obama would rather disregard our greatness and let people suffer than act contrary to his vision of a crippled country.

Martin Luther King Jr. sacrificed everything for American values, and his dream was of personal and national success through God and justice. Pray tell, which part of how Obama handled the Gulf Coast oil spill fits into this vision? President Pinera has been a model leader "for God and Country," and deserves our every respect because, unlike Obama, he can invoke the name of Dr. King without shame.