I was appalled by Tommy Franks’ ignorant remark during his post-convention speech interview on PBS. While defending the Bush administration’s foreign policy, he said that “the U.S. is not a Third-World country; we have morals and values.”

There are many things wrong with this statement. First of all, how can he insinuate that the U.S. has superior morals and values when we insist on waging war around the planet? In addition, just because a country is labeled “Third World,” i.e. poor, does not mean that the people living there are bereft of values and morals. I would argue that people living under difficult conditions tend to exist in harmony with the universal values of generosity, community and respect.

During my travels, I have found people in developing countries to be extremely welcoming and generous. They have a strong sense of community, generally seek solutions that are good for everyone involved and have a great respect for education.

Of course, values and morals are subjective entities. I value community and education and believe that treating others well is how we should all live; therefore, I have found the people in developing countries to be of high moral standing and their values to be in line with my own.

Soon, I will be leaving Maine to teach English in Madagascar. I can only hope the Malagasy people will see beyond Franks’ statement and know that most Americans do not have the same arrogant and alienating worldview.

Jennifer Rawlings, Chesterville