This was not a big news story, so you may have missed it. Understandably, it didn’t receive the sort of national attention that it should have gotten. It’s important because it speaks volumes of what’s wrong with us in this country. It’s short -- it will only take a minute or two for you to read it:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,397645,00.html

The article doesn’t say what percentage of the labor force is Muslim. I’m willing to bet that it’s less than 10% of the membership of this labor union local. But the exact percentage really doesn’t matter. The article does say that it was labor that was pushing this negotiation. So the labor union leaders made it a "top priority" to get a paid holiday that is currently relevant to a fraction of their membership in exchange for a holiday that is supposed to honor the working people of this nation, specifically including labor union members, which would be, um, 100% of the labor union membership. So let’s see… help me with the math here .. and don't forget to carry the bum. And the answer is: Let’s take something from everyone and trade it for something that only matters to a minority of the people. Does that work for you?

It’s not just that the labor union wanted to come out on the wrong side of the current culture war that our troops are fighting in the Middle East. It’s not just a confused and contorted way of promoting a religion that has shown itself to be intolerant of our American customs and traditions. It’s also appeasement. It’s also pandering. Somehow, labor leadership thinks it’s OK to take something away from everyone to give to a few. I can understand how they would get this notion -- it’s the same principle as welfare and other government entitlement programs.

But if history has shown us anything, and apparently it hasn’t, we should know that appeasement only leads to more aggressive behavior by the very folks we were trying to appease. Basically, if you give a dog a bone, it doesn’t go away. It might lie down while it enjoys the bone. But then the dog comes back. It only gets bolder and wants more bones, and maybe some of that meat you have there, too.

Why are we so ashamed of who we are? Why is it so shameful to stand up and say that Capitalism and Christianity have been good for America? And that America has been good for this world? Why do we want to wring our hands over trying to get everyone to like us? We have a Presidential candidate who wants to chastise the good people of this country for using what he believes is more than our “fair share” of the energy in the world, but overlooks that we use that energy to feed everyone else around the world. We are not selfish, slothful people. Americans are generous to a fault with our bounty. What’s so wrong about that? Why should we be embarrassed for ourselves? I don’t want Eid-al-Fitr off from work. It’s not my way. I don’t want to drink that Kool-Aid.

It’s OK to want to show that we are compassionate, understanding, tolerant people. Even towards intolerant people. The American people have nothing to apologize for. We are imperfect, but we are the best there is.