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Good Citizens,
a Great Republic, and How One Speech Can Reinvigorate America
Pete Hegseth
Threshold Edition
May 3rd, 2016/ ISBN 9781476749341
History
Reviewed
by Elise Cooper
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In
the Arena by Pete Hegseth will make readers think about
what values are important to them. His motivation for writing
this book is taken from Theodore Roosevelt’s speech, “Citizenship
In A Republic,” specifically the quote “Man In The
Arena.” The address is used as a roadmap for addressing
the massive challenges facing America today. The author channels
Teddy Roosevelt’s thoughts into a call for action: to
actually win wars fought, that Patriotism is not a bad word,
America must have leadership abroad, and civic responsibility
is important.
Hegseth explained he stumbled upon the quote in college. “I
printed out a copy, framed it, and took it with me where I served.
It is a reminder to me about fighting for worthy causes. I found
it very motivating. I think it is ‘un-PC’ before
there was PC. Roosevelt’s beliefs can be applied today,
what people are craving for: a strong leader, strength, competiveness,
and belief in America. It is a reminder to people why they love
this country and a reflection on our founding father’s
ideals. It is no accident Roosevelt is on Mount Rushmore with
Washington, the leader in the fight for our independence; Jefferson,
the writer of the Declaration of Independence; and Lincoln,
the leader in the fight during the Civil War. I would argue
Roosevelt got this country off to a good start, that the 20th
Century was America’s century.”
Roosevelt talked about the dangers of division in a Republic.
“They fell, and the prime factor in their fall was the
fact that the parties tended to divide. Wide differences of
opinion in matters of religious, political, and social belief
must exist if conscience and intellect alike are not to be stunted.
The citizens of a republic should beware, and that is of the
man who appeals to them to support him on the ground that he
is hostile to other citizens of the republic, that he will secure
for those who elect him, in one shape or another, profit at
the expense of other citizens of the republic.”
To that end, Hegseth points out that Obama in 2008 spoke about
the US not being a collection of individuals or red states and
blue states, but today “we are more divided that ever.
He has pitted rich against poor, black against white, those
that don’t agree with his policies as war mongers, as
he attempts to advance his fundamental transformation of America.”
Roosevelt also speaks about what today would be called the rules
of engagement. He literally talks about those who refer to themselves
as “citizens of the world.”
“I believe that a man must be a good patriot. Experience
teaches us that the average man who protests that his international
feeling swamps his national feeling, that he does not care for
his country because he cares so much for mankind, in actual
practice proves himself the foe of mankind.”
An infantry officer in the Army National Guard, he is a veteran
of Iraq, Afghani¬ stan, and Guantanamo Bay who holds two
Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman’s Badge for his
time overseas. As someone who served their country, Hegseth
saw first hand how the rules of engagement have “become
so burdensome, cumbersome, and legalistic that they restrict
our war fighters on the battlefield. Are we willing to untie
the hands of our war fighters so they can actually fight Islamic
extremists? We worry more about oil truck drivers of ISIS who
are called innocent civilians. Our trigger pullers cannot engage
the enemy pre-emptively. We cannot bow down if we want to defeat
an enemy that uses civilians. We have to be willing to get our
hands dirty because of the shady tactics of our enemy. What
we are seeing now are the seeds of the sixties generation who
have never seen America as a force for good and saw America
as not special. The ability to defend ourselves is important
to maintain our sovereignty.”
In The Arena is a special book as it invokes the words
of Teddy Roosevelt and makes them relevant to today. Hegseth
takes the speech of Roosevelt and applies them to his 21st century
beliefs. The author hopes that readers who believe in strength,
leadership, and a good family structure will find this book
informative, inspiring, and educational. |
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