US might be the worst country — except for all the others

The title of David K. Wilson’s op-ed is captivating: “College campuses must not become places where truth is buried” (April 20). I agree colleges should be intellectual discovery zones where free speech and academic freedoms are intentionally safeguarded. But when some speakers are met on campus with student mobs trying to prevent them from speaking, I have serious doubts that our institutions of higher learning are living up to this expectation.

The history of this country has both glorious and terrible sides. For all of our faults, we have a country that has made tremendous progress during my lifetime toward meeting the ideals set forth in our founding documents, albeit several hundred years later than some desired. Millions from other lands aspire to live here. To quote Winston Churchill, “it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others that have been tried.”

Perhaps The United States of America is the worst country in history, except for most of the others that have ever been.

— John Laing, Havre de Grace