Because This Is America

(Photo is from the CBS News site and is by David J. Phillip / AP.)

The following is by Dan Rather on his Facebook page:

Millions of our fellow Americans are hurting, fearing for their lives, health, and property in my beloved Texas. And the rest of us hear their cries for help, with empathetic hearts ready to aid.

We will pay an price, dedicate any resource to make sure the emergency response is what it can be. Because this is America. 

And then we will come together to rebuild lives, homes and communities. Because this is America. 

We will demand that our elected officials lead the way in trumpeting this American spirit. And if they falter, as we saw in Hurricane Katrina, we will judge them harshly. Because this is America.

In the wake of hurricane Harvey political divisions will seem far less important - Democrats will help Republicans, and Republicans will help Democrats. Because this is America. 

This is a time when people of all regions and demographics will offer comfort and support. Because this is America. 

Heroism and kindness know no politics, or race, or religion, or gender, or sexual identity. Because this is America. 

This is a time when the Federal Government can use its considerable taxpayer funded resources to pour help into an area in dire need. Because this is America. 

It is in our greatest crises that we see our collaborative spirit is most often reborn. Because this is America.

May we join hands and hearts in a spirit of community and care. May we recognize that that which pulls us apart is more than overwhelmed by that which should bring us together. May we all summon up the better angels of our nature. May we see confronting this challenge, and those that surely lie ahead, as our collective destiny. 

This is what unites us. Because this is America.