#100: NEVER DO THE TYRANTS WORK FOR THEM

~5 min

C’MON DEMOCRATS (AND INDEPENDENTS!), get it together and be proud to live in the most free, prosperous, and generous country in the world. Seriously!

SETH DILLON is the CEO of the Babylon Bee, a satire news site whose tagline is “Fake News You Can Trust.” Seth recently spoke at the Alliance for Responsible Citizens. As the world moves faster than leaders of organizations can think, adapt, and execute, satire and comedy become useful tools to help us make sense of what is happening around us. Only 28% of Americans have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the mass media to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly, according to a recent Gallup News poll. Republicans’ confidence in mass media to report news “fully, accurately, and fairly” is now at 8%.

If you have a few minutes, Dillon’s remarks are fantastic. He delivered a great line about the importance of a free and independent press.

“Make them censor you, never do the tyrant’s work for him.”

A Fact: There is no America without a free and independent press.

I’ve spent my entire career working with journalists. Many are thoughtful, principled professionals committed to the truth.

But over the past decade, I’ve watched the industry change. Influencers masquerading as journalists emerged. As advertising revenue declined, newsrooms shrank. The pressure to generate clicks increased. Incentives shifted. Cynicism and bias became more common, while rigor and balance often suffered.

That’s not true of every outlet or every reporter, but the media landscape today is very different.

The patriot in me still believes a trustworthy press is possible. In fact, the beauty of a free press is that no one has a monopoly on truth. The barrier to entry is low, better journalists and better outlets can always emerge.

WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD can someone get honored in a national institution for poking fun at political leaders? Bill Maher delivered remarks at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. where political humor was celebrated and Maher was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

“When either side gets mad at me because I put them in jokes — jokes that work — my message is very simple: You want to not get mocked? Stop being funny. My jokes won’t work.”

THE VIRAL VIDEOS of World Cup visitors experiencing and falling in love with America are oddly satisfying. Every time I watch one, I feel pride and patriotism. Surely Democrats and Independents don’t hate these videos?

They are compelling because they’re unsolicited and apolitical. They’re not trying to convince anyone of anything. They’re simply tourists sharing an experience. You like it because it’s authentic. These endorsements for Buc-ee’s, Costco, and In-N-Out, to name a few, are priceless because there’s no better marketing than a recommendation from a friend…er influencer.

They also reinforce a growing conviction of mine: We’ve been told America is uniquely broken. It’s a lie. We’re certainly imperfect, but so is every other country - and human - on earth. The difference is that our brokenness is not permanent. It can be overcome one citizen and community at a time. I’ve been to 44 countries. No one does it better than the U.S.

If you’ve already finished your Saturday morning NTL routine and have a few minutes to spare, I highly recommend this Americana rabbit hole. Let’s get you started with a sampling of my favorites or this banger of a song.

PATRIOTISM > NATIONALISM

• A patriot says, “I love my country enough to serve it.”

• A nationalist says, “My country deserves to prevail.”

RELATED: THE SUMMER I TURNED PATRIOT, an account of America from Josh Kaplan of The Free Press.

IN CELEBRATION OF AMERICA’S birthday, here are ten comparative reasons I’m grateful to be an American.

1. Free speech and a free press.
In China, criticism of the Communist Party can disappear you from public life. In Russia, journalists who investigate corruption risk imprisonment or worse. In America, we criticize our leaders every day on television, social media, and in print.

2. The freedom to worship.
Christians meet underground in parts of China. Uyghur Muslims have faced mass detention in Xinjiang. In Iran, converting from Islam can carry severe consequences and Christians are currently being persecuted. In America, churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples gather openly every week.

3. A military that keeps my family safe.
Ukraine reminds us what it looks like when another nation invades your homeland. South Korea’s existence depends on constant military deterrence. Much of the world’s shipping flows safely because the U.S. Navy protects the seas. The U.S. did attack Iran - after it tolerated Iran-backed terrorism for 50 years.

4. Capitalism.
The former Soviet Union collapsed under central planning. Venezuela’s socialist experiment devastated one of the richest countries in South America. Meanwhile, market economies—from the United States to Singapore—have created unprecedented prosperity. Capitalism isn’t perfect, but history suggests it’s the best engine we’ve found for lifting people out of poverty which is currently the lowest it has ever been in the world.

5. Beauty from sea to shining sea.
Few nations rival America’s geographic diversity. Alaska’s glaciers. Hawaii’s volcanoes. The Grand Canyon. The Rockies. The Great Plains. The Smoky Mountains. The Great Lakes. Two oceans. Fifty states with fifty different personalities.

6. Elections that are decentralized and (mostly) fair.
Many countries administer elections through a single national authority. America entrusts elections to thousands of local jurisdictions across fifty states. That doesn’t eliminate disputes, but it makes the system remarkably resilient and difficult to manipulate.

7. A judiciary that is predictable and (mostly) fair.
In many countries, courts serve the ruling party. In America, presidents lose cases. Governors lose cases. Fortune 500 companies lose cases. Our legal system isn’t flawless, especially our criminal justice system, but the rule of law is a great competitive advantage.

8. A true melting pot.
We talk about racism so much in America. Certainly there is work to be done. But did you know Japan is more than 97% ethnically Japanese? China is about 91% Han Chinese. South Korea is similarly homogeneous. America has no ethnic group approaching that level. People from virtually every nation, race, language, and religion live here or want to move here.

9. A culture of generosity.
Americans give away hundreds of billions of dollars each year through churches, nonprofits, universities, hospitals, and private foundations. Our tradition of philanthropy is unlike anywhere else in the world. We don’t simply expect the government to solve problems; we expect citizens to help one another.

10. The freedom to begin again.
Millions have crossed oceans, deserts, and borders to come here, legally and illegally (another post for another day), not because America guarantees success, but because it preserves the opportunity to pursue it. Here you can fail, start over, change careers, build a business, invent something new, or simply pursue your version of happiness.

Patriotism doesn’t require believing America is the greatest at everything. It simply requires gratitude for what we’ve inherited and a willingness to leave it stronger than we found it. May we remain worthy of the freedoms entrusted to us.

Happy 250th, America.

ANOTHER MILESTONE I’M CELEBRATING TODAY is publishing NTL #100.

I’m genuinely grateful for the encouragement, feedback, and conversations many of you have shared along the way. Thank you for reading.

One favor, if you made it this far: If NTL has been meaningful to you, hit the FORWARD button and send this edition to five people. Your parents. Your kids. Your siblings. A friend in another state. Someone you’ve lost touch with. A coworker. Even your favorite Democrat, Republican, or Independent.

America has plenty of voices telling us what’s broken. We could use a few more reminding us what’s worth celebrating.

TO SEE PATRIOTISM IN ACTION, check out Folds of Honor which provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of America’s fallen or disabled military members and first responders. It’s a meaningful way to honor sacrifice and a reminder that your freedom isn’t free.

A QUOTE WORTH READING:

“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.

- Benjamin Franklin

@renzistone33 on X, LinkedIn & Substack