This is Michael Medved.

Otto von Bismarck, the Chancellor of Germany, once said that God offers special protection

to drunkards, lost dogs, children, and the United States of America.

We'll explore that special protection

and what it means in the American miracle.

Subscribe to the American miracle on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Around 2,100 B.C. E. E. Egypt's old kingdom faded into obscurity.

And also into legend. Thanks to the storytelling of the Greek historian Herodotus,

we have a tale of an ancient Egyptian queen, who took vengeance

upon those who had wronged her. The following is a short story published in 1928. It was written by a young man whom we know as Tennessee

Williams. It is called the Vengeance of Nitocrus. Hushed were hushed were the streets of many peopled Thebes. Those few who passed through them moved with the

shadowy fleetness of bats near dawn, and bent their faces from the sky, as if fearful of seeing what in their fancies might be hovering there.

Weird, high-noted incantations of a wailing sound were audible through the barred doors. On corners, groups of naked and

bleeding priests cast themselves repeatedly and with loud cries upon the rough stones of the walks. Even dogs and cats and oxen seemed

impressed by some strange menace and foreboding, and coward and slunk dejectedly.

All Thebes was in dread.

And indeed there was cause for their dread and for their wales of lamentation.

A terrible sacrilege had been committed. In all the annals of Egypt, none more monstrous was recorded.

Five days had the altar fires of the God of God's Osiris been left unburning.

Even for one moment to allow darkness upon the altars was considered by the priests to be a great offense against him.

Whole years of death and famine had been known to result from such an offense.

But now the altar fires had been deliberately extinguished and left

...