Corrine Thatcher's column Thursday on big, bad America was comical.

It's obvious that she ascribes to the "Blame America First" doctrine, which is so popular among the world's socialist whiners.

I'm curious, Ms. Thatcher, did you protest while delegates to the U.N. summit enjoyed their meals at Johannesburg's five-star Michelangelo Hotel?

Isn't it funny how the Third World (and some misguided Americans) can come together at a lavish beachside resort to bash the United States for its failure to give, all while 14 million Africans are threatened with starvation?

No wonder President Bush dismissed it as a waste of time.

Why aren't we helping those 14 million starving Africans, you might ask? Are we that selfish? Not exactly.

See, African leaders have refused our assistance. Zambia and Zimbabwe recently rejected an offer of 500,000 tons of grain from the United States, on the grounds that the grain may have been genetically modified.

Amazing, though, that genetically modified grain isn't killing off our population like, say, starvation, for instance. Or maybe it's just easier to blame America than it is to accept her help.

Despite Thatcher's claims to the contrary, America has been and continues to be the greatest force for good the world has ever seen.

We rebuild our defeated war enemies with our own money.

We respond when natural disasters hit other countries.

We give staggering amounts of money both as a nation and as private citizens to international aid organizations.

While we do have our faults, don't let anyone fool you into believing that America is anything less than, as President Reagan once said, "the shining city on a hill."