Why America Needs Heroes

A Review of Night at the Museum 2

Today is Memorial Day. It is a day that is, unfortunately, not even noticed over here in Europe. Memorial Day is a time when all Americans everywhere reflect on the sacrifices of American Servicemen and women in the name of freedom. It is also a day to be reminded of all the things that are right about America.

For example, our family saw a great movie last night here in Budapest: Night of the Museum 2. I highly recommend it. What is more compelling than the kid-friendly plot is the way American heroes are actually portrayed as, in fact, American heroes. I recently saw an Oliver Stone movie with my 17 year old son Ben which spotlighted what is wrong with America. Halfway through the movie Ben spurted out one accusatory word that summed up the movie: “Propaganda.”

With Oliver Stone’s movie as a backdrop, it makes Night of the Museum 2 an uplifting film as it portrays American heroes in a positive light: heroes such as Amelia Earhart, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, the Wright brothers, the Apollo space missions, the Tuskegee Airmen, Albert Einstein and more. Even General Custer is given a comedic role that allows him a quasi-shot at historical redemption.

Unlike the Oliver Stone movie, lines between good and evil are clearly drawn in Night of the Museum 2, (albeit the script is simple). The bad guys are shown as bad (including the notorious American Al Capone) and the good guys are good. There is no blurring of the lines between good and evil, or even a denial that good and evil exist, which is a world-view commonly found today in movies, government, universities and coffee houses.

And the movie is great fun! And I was not expecting its pro-America message. No movie is perfect. But Museum 2 is family-friendly and could be used as a home schooling American history lesson. And in this time when our President is apologizing for America, it is refreshing to be reminded of America’s great contribution and leadership.

“America is great because America is good,” is a quote attributed to French historian Tocqueville. But if America becomes a highly centralized mandated society, then we will no longer have a need to be good. American ingenuity and problem solving will no longer be required; rather a child-like reliance on big brother government will be all that is needed to survive.

Why take risks when the government will take care of us? Why pursue new frontiers when a stimulus check will arrive tomorrow? Why problem-solve when Washington promises to pay our rent and put gas in our car? We need heroes, risk takers and entrepreneurs who don’t want a stimulus check but the chance to solve problems, create solutions, forge new frontiers without government interference. All that is needed from government is to get out of the way. Big government negates our need for heroes; yesterday’s heroes may have no replacements. We are moving into an era when big government both creates and “solves” all of our problems.

Recently my 8-year-old son Quentin had a fever. We asked him what would make him feel better. He wanted his two big notebooks containing his baseball card collection and he wanted to listen to the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals baseball game over the internet (while wearing his Atlanta Braves baseball hat). What can be more American than a boy’s love for baseball? As a boy growing up my heroes were Freddie Patek, John Mayberry, Amos Otis, Frank White and George Brett.

God bless the USA and our heroes, especially those servicemen and women who gave their lives and who make America great! The next time you hear America’s National Anthem, please stand, take off your hat, put your hand over your heart, say a prayer and shed a tear for those who willingly died to make America great and to extend freedom across the globe!