Ah, the fourth day of July, 2009. Bring on the barbecues. Uncork the champagne. Rev up the RV. Party like it is 1776!

 

Stop! Before we party hardy, I would like us to take a few minutes to examine the state of our nation. I truly hate to break into the revelry with sobering thoughts about the dismantling of the country created by the first “revelers” of 1776, but as a loving citizen, I must. Call it tough love. Back then, those first soon-to-citizens had real and lethal fireworks with which to contend, with all of those mortar shells flying through the air from the British Army. But they persevered, and here we are two hundred and thirty three years later, not sure whether to uncork the champagne or leave it on ice.

 

Mixed in with the confetti, I am seeing our freedoms fluttering through the air, being snipped with a gargantuan pair of scissors called “change.” “Change” has come in the form of the government taking over a presumably private company, thrusting the government into the car making business. With the takeover of Government, er General Motors, does that mean that the US is joining China in the hybrid business, hybrid as in a mix of capitalism and communism?

 

Speaking of China, maybe as part of this program of “change,” we had all better start practicing Mandarin. China just about owns the U.S. Just ask those Chinese students who had a good chuckle at the U.S. secretary of the Treasury when he was on his “hat in hand” tour of China. I was mortified that a representative of the U.S. government was eliciting laughs as he was expounding about the serious business of finance, trying to engender trust in the current methods of “curing” the financial disease the world is experiencing. Those students were highly amused by the “your money is safe” rhetoric.

 

We have arrived at a state of the union where even some students not yet out in the real world of finance realize that a country cannot survive by continuing to print money, sell toxic assets to itself, and borrow and borrow and borrow from a country whose economy was put on steroids by U.S businessmen and women looking to exploit cheap labor. Those students were probably thinking about which parts of U.S. industry they would take over as their country takes over more and more of US assets.

 

The last laugh may be on those US businessmen and women who began turning capitalism into cannibalism by feeding on the financial flesh of their victims, AKA fellow citizens. The hosts, fellow citizens, have been gnawed down to the financial bone, and cannot afford much of what is being offered, not even the cheap Chinese goods. According to an Economic Policy Institute study, 2.3 million jobs were lost to China over the past seven years. I am not going to call for a boycott of Chinese-made/manufactured goods. As a matter of fact, I am with the Chinese. If, as a country, you have businessmen of foreign countries knocking on your borders to let them in to exploit, er offer work to your willing workers, it would be foolish to ‘just say no.” When opportunity knocks, open the factories and let opportunity in! Import US dollars in. Let them out for purchasing U.S. “securities,” and own more and more of the “land of the free and home of the brave.” Xie xie (thank you)!

 

“Land and assets for sale or for stealing” should be more on the radar than is the case. Foreign ownership of American landmarks, industry, tolling booths, is at an all time high. On this day of “independence,” the American people are now more dependent on their government than in any time of their history. The role of government has been expanded from fixing potholes and maintaining security to taking over car companies, much of the financial industry, and firing Inspector Generals.

 

The bailout bonanza was supposed to yield thousands upon thousands of jobs. A ratio of a little over one hundred thousand jobs “saved or created,” to somewhere around two million “stimulated” right out of the companies that received bailout money, is more deadly than Russian roulette. Math is not my strong suit, but even I know that millions of folks forced out of work is not going to translate into dollars spent to revive the economy. That “unholy alliance” of jobs outsourcing, “illegal immigrants in-sourcing,” and the slow march to a society of rich and poor, without a middle, is going to lead to a country collapsing on itself. Are we there yet? Almost.
 

Enough of this doom and gloom! Let’s return to the July 4^th parties, now that we have the serious stuff out of the way! This is such a festive time that the new president has sent out invitations!

 

Hold everything! What is this I am reading, that Iran got an invite to July 4^th parties to be held by U.S. embassies around the world? Why Iran? Didn’t the president of Iran “advise” America to limit its interference to its own borders? What part of that is not sufficiently clear? Are the overtures by the U.S president part of a wider masochistic foreign policy? Is it “kick me some more, because I still have one good leg left to stand on?” Geez!

 

Maybe someone will need to rethink this invite. There are plenty of fireworks enough going on in Iran. In a “democratic and fair” election, the president of Iran was declared the “winner” about two minutes after the polls closed. Now the police are enthusiastically maintaining law and order. So far, about two dozen Iranians, and probably counting, have been “eliminated.” A US State Dept spokesman has declared that the US needs to know more before condemning the actions in Iran. I guess the escalating deaths do not merit condemnation.

 

Hold the presses! The policy of not “meddling” has been stepped up an inch. The Iranian regime was “advised” to let its people freely protest. This latest admonition has fallen on deaf ears. The regime and its enforcers are clamping down even more repressively. The posturing that has moved from “no meddling” to “condemnation” of the crackdown on the protestors in Iran, is turning out to be nothing more than, well, posturing?

 

But hey, the invites, which were never accepted by the Iranians, were retracted! I admire the smidgen of ‘testicular fortitude” being exhibited by the “retractors,” but that is like inviting someone to a wedding. They do not RSVP, and you send a letter stating that you are taking back the invitation. That’ll show them!

 

I became sidetracked by that “unusual” overture to Iran, but I mean it when I say that the celebrations shall now begin in earnest! What can we celebrate? We can celebrate that we still have young men and women willing to die for us. There I go again. I am veering off into territory that it not exactly “party” fare. Instead of confetti and fireworks, can we light a simple candle for Pvt William Long, whose life was robbed from him by a “homegrown” Muslim extremist? I was surprised and yet not surprised by the miniscule coverage that this act of terror received.

 

Let us also light candles and place in our windows so that ILT Michael Behenna can find his way home from Leavenworth prison, to his parents and other loved ones. His “crime” was shooting a Muslim prisoner in self defense. Are we to infer from Ranger Behenna’s harsh twenty-five year sentence, that he would have been held in high esteem if he had not protected himself, and had been brought home in a body bag? Based on the coverage of the murder of Pvt Long, I don’t think so. Stolen lives or stolen honor, our warriors always pay a dear price for protecting us.

 

I promise that I will end this article with reasons why we can celebrate this birthday. Here goes. This nation is still the nation where millions of folks from all over the world, if given a choice of homeland, will choose to come. It is still our freedom that attracts them. It is still “my country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty!” It is still the land of opportunity. It is still a Judeo-Christian country, where countless numbers of citizens still believe in the tenets of the Ten Commandments, and practice them. It is still the country of the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Mount Vernon, and Colonial Williamsburg. On this July 4^th Holiday weekend, here are some suggestions for paying homage to America. Please pay a visit.

 

www.valleyforge.org

 

www.statueofliberty.org

 

www.mtrushmore.net

 

www.arlingtoncemetery.org

 

www.mountvernon.org

 

www.colonialwilliamsburg.org

 

www.musclecarcity.net

These and other such monuments are lasting testaments to why there is cause for celebration. What is the “secret weapon,” immortalized in those monuments? It is the people known as Americans. The US has been bountifully blessed with many citizens of sturdy character, who most assuredly cannot be described as “summer soldiers” or “sunshine patriots.” Quite frankly, it is the grit of its citizens and God’s grace that will go a long way to helping this nation celebrate another birthday with joy and pride! This land is still the land of millions who love this country, and will gladly give up their lives for it. Let us celebrate it while we still can. Light up the red, white and blue fireworks! Fly that Flag!

 
Happy Birthday “land that I love!” And….many more!

        

Five days ago I first posted about watching a woman die on the streets of Tehran. Then, she was nameless, but the sight of her bleeding on the streets, as the life drained out of her, had quite an impact on me. I literally watched her die. Here was the situation of a  regime feeding its already bloated ego, by mowing down a defenseless young woman, whose only weapon, was her vocal chords. Her vocal chords were silenced, but she is "talking" louder than she did while alive. This young woman is now known worldwide. Her name is Neda. This could become a name that the grand designers of repression in Iran, will come to fear.

Thomas Jefferson said it best: The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time by the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure."

Neda's blood has refreshed the withering tree of liberty in Iran. Those grand rulers may win this skirmish, in what could turn out to be a protracted and intractable struggle.  But, they and their supporters are going to learn that once that freedom genie is let out of the bottle of tyranny, it will not be so easy to force it back in. The grand rulers do have plenty of force in the form of guards, militias and other assorted "law" enforcement minions, force sufficient to suppress any rebellion. especially when the opposing side is "armed" with stones. As a refresher on how stones could mow down even a giant, they may want to check out the Bible, the little story about David versus Goliath. David was the one with the stones. Goliath is the one who did not live to tell about the fight. 

Five days after the murder of Neda, the grand oppressors  have clamped down even further on any freedom of expression. Professors have been arrested. Some foreign diplomats have been expelled. All foreign correspondents have been banned from reporting any news of events unfolding in Iran, unless it is something as mundane as a grand oppressor getting a haircut? I may have struck a nerve there. They probably have locked up all of the barbers!  Are there any more killed, than the twenty or so Iranians already reported as killed? We don't know. We may never know. Ever since that "free and democratic" election, "freedom" is becoming more and more elusive in Iran.

Ironically, the grand ones in Iran, may have been granted a temporary reprieve from world scrutiny by the death of a celebrity. This death has driven all other news, including the strangling of the protests (and protestors) in Iran, from the world news stage. Michael Jackson, pop star extraordinaire, died today.  Although the death of Farrah Fawcett of Charlie's Angels fame, preceded his, it was his death that pushed all other events, including the repression in Iran,  from television screens. May both of these two souls rest in peace.

As famous as those two superstars were, it is the murder of a young woman in Iran, that remains uppermost in my mind. We are a celebrity-driven society, and I can understand the need to pay homage to the king of pop, and an angel of Charlie. However, please do not let the grand oppressors off the hook. Mourn the celebrity deaths, but return to the vigil and vigilance of events in Iran. Let not this struggle for freedom, be transformed into a death watch for that tree of liberty in Iran,  already nourished with the blood of Neda and her countrymen and women.

I really wonder if those of us in the rest of the world, will ever know how many gallons of Iranian blood watered the tree.  This time, it was the blood of patriots that provided the "natural manure" for the Iranian tree of liberty.  Next time?

        

Yes, I know that the saying is "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," from the United States Declaration of Independence. As the title suggests, this post is not about independence in the US. It is about the kind of life, relative lack of liberty, and the 'pursuit" of death on the streets of Tehran, that I am seeing playing out on the television.

I saw a woman die on the streets of Tehran. She "pursued" death and it caught her. Why am I describing the killing of this woman as her "pursuit" of death? This is my roundabout way of paying tribute to those Iranians who flooded the streets of their capital city in defiance of the Grand Leader of Iran. I will not spend time trying to get his grandiose title correctly. This woman and the thirty or forty who were murdered by representatives of their government, knew full well that they were not going to be treated to snacks. Quite the reverse. They were smacked around, bloodied, and the "lucky" ones died. "Lucky" because if the Grand Leaders do not back down, those Iranians who remain in the land of the living, may come to wish that they were killed. "Liberty" could be the least of their worries.

As I saw the carnage on the streets, I began thinking what if that happened in the US, the land of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?" How would we as a nation react to suddenly waking up one morning and instead of a president, governed by the US Constitution, we have a Grand Leader, who gives orders to break up any protests by "any means necessary?"  Would the authorities perform their "mandate" to stop the marching on the streets, with such vigor? What would be the body count? Would I be as brave as that woman, to go marching on the streets, knowing full well that I may not return to bake that chicken that I have marinating in the refrigerator?

I don't want to find out. I pray to God that He, undeserving though we are, do not let us find out. I pray that He preserves this democratic republic of the United States of America, that we do not forget how this country was founded through His grace, on the principles of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." I never want to see the blood of my fellow citizens flowing down the streets, while other citizens are too cowed to even realize that their unique country has been destroyed.

I have learned three lessons from the situation in Iran, or more specifically, had those lessons reinforced. The most tangible lesson is the power of the World Wide Web. Despotic governments are going to try their best to close off communication, but isn't It ironic that Internet sites that were intended for "social" networking are becoming unwitting participants in social upheaval? Those Grand Leaders in Iran, are finding out that those intrepid "social" networkers are always a step ahead of the attempts of the Grand Leaders, to clamp down on communication. Like little birds tweeting in the forest, the Internet Tweeters are tweeting out what was supposed to be kept hidden.

The second lesson that came forcefully home to me is that God did indeed create us with an innate desire for liberty as one of our "unalienable rights."  This thirst for liberty is not governed by geography, color of skin, type of creed, or even cultural indoctrination. We all just want to be free! Totalitarian governments, and even non-totalitarian governments, should take a lesson from this Iranian struggle. Even if it is thirty years later, the hunger for freedom will burst out of the lockbox. The Grand Leaders with all of the forces that they control, may very well win, but as Shakespeare warned:  "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown." Oh, another quotation from Shakespeare, that they may want to check out: "Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once."

This last lesson I will keep close to my heart. As I looked at those citizens of Iran, being bludgeoned by their "law" enforcement personnel, I vowed that we in the US have to ensure the preservation of our nation. I can only thank God that I live in the United States, still "land of the free, and home of the brave," where I can still enjoy my "unalienable right" to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." May I never have to find out what went through the thoughts of that lady as she was slaughtered on the streets of Tehran.

        

Back in 49 BC, Julius Caesar had a choice between crossing the Rubicon River, or not crossing the Rubicon River. Crossing the Rubicon meant certain civil war. Julius Caesar crossed. Eventually this river crossing led to the mighty Roman Empire.

Way before Julius Caesar made his fateful decision, Joshua led his fellow Israelites across the Jordan River, on the instructions of God, and God, Who truly can make oceans recede, unlike some pretenders to His throne, caused the waters of the Jordan to form a wall, through which the Israelites crossed over into the land that their Lord had ordained for them to possess.

What do these two crossings have to do with 21st century America? America is not crossing into civil war, or even establishing an empire, or packing up and leaving to "possess" a God-ordained land, in a physical sense. But, figuratively, America is at a crossroads, and the wrong decisions could lead to its citizens being dispossessed of the land, and the rights that God did give to them, via the sacrifice of the Founding Fathers.

On June 17, 1963,  a crossing of sorts was made, when that famous atheist, what's her name,  got some willing accomplices in the judiciary to toss prayer  out of public schools.  Prayer to The One True God was deemed unconstitutional in US public schools. Score one for God. He could have crushed this nation then. But, He gave us free will, so He did not intervene. He was freely tossed out. He was replaced with condoms on cucumbers, guns and violence, gangs, and illiteracy. Say what you will about the Bible. It is literate and whoever spends time reading it, will gain not only literacy but wisdom.

In our wisdom, we decided, again with an assist from the wise ones of the courts, that women had a right to choose. Choose they did. Some fifty million babies came out on the wrong end of that choice. But, maybe those unborn babies are the lucky ones. They will not get to endure and mourn the possibly imminent destruction of what is still a unique nation. They will not be on this earthly realm to witness the reincarnation of what could have been their birthplace,  into yet another failed nation. They got to go straight to Heaven and "kick back" with Jesus. God forbid that one of these days, with the federal government taking over so much of our lives, that a China type "family planning" pogrom, er program, could be instituted where girls become an endangered species. Ask those millions of Chinese men looking for wives, how well that manipulation of God's role as Creator worked out.

Speaking of federal government take over and crossing over, we are doing a reasonably good impression of a democratic republic crossing over into a quasi communist nation. What else is one, accustomed to "land of the free," to think when the head of a private company, is "invited" to step down from leading that private company by the president of his country, not the president of his company? I misspoke. It happened because indeed president of the country and president of the (car) company, appear to be interchangeable and simultaneous positions.

Having crossed over into that firing territory, the next firing, this time of an Inspector General, was even more surgical and swift. This IG received one hour to clean out his desk. Practice makes perfect. The government version of the firing is that the president had lost confidence in the IG, that the IG was "confused and disoriented" at the last meeting that he attended. If I were as "confused and disoriented" as that IG appeared on the television programs on which I saw him, I could be running the world! He appeared pretty spry and articulate to me.

So wither now America? Should I begin a countdown to "America-geddon?" When the leftist ruler of one of your Latin American neighbors, is joking about your president being more to the left than he is, more than one commentator is describing Russia as being more capitalistic than America, do you continue through the Rubicon into a river of failed socialist regimes, or do you allow God to part the metaphoric waters of godlessness, socialism, greed, immorality, infanticide, and illiteracy that threaten to engulf our beloved land, and lead the way to a continuation of the freedoms fought for by the Founding Fathers? You like choice. You have one to make. For the sake of your progeny, hopefully you make a choice that allows this country to remain " land of the free, home of the brave" or even a reasonable facsimile. 

Sing along with pride: 

        

No, the “Denizens” are not our new neighbors. They are you and me.

 

Denizen: a person admitted to residence in a foreign country.

Citizen: a native or naturalized person who owes allegiance to a government and is entitled to protection from it.

 

While Americans are still considered citizens of the United States, today they’re not all that certain about their status. Why is this? After all, our citizenship derives from being born on American soil (native-born), born to verifiable American parents (natural-born), or naturalized (having earned citizenship by legal entry). Most of us fit quite neatly into those categories, so what’s the problem?

 

Now I’m not referring to the ongoing search for proof that our new president is a U.S. citizen and, in fact, eligible to hold the office of POTUS. That determination will take a judge with “testicular fortitude,” to borrow an expression from the new secretary of state, or with the wisdom of Solomon.

 

My contention that citizens have become denizens – strangers in their own country – has to do with the increasing alienation our populace is experiencing, a condition created by their government, and also by the abdication of their duty as citizens to hold their government accountable. Many ordinary folks are feeling alienated, feeling that they are losing their birthrights.

 

Just who is this person making this contention? I am a proud, naturalized citizen of the US, the nation that I fell in love with, the nation that used to be governed by the Judeo-Christian principles upon which it was founded. I am calling on Thomas Jefferson, one of our Founding Fathers to assist me in outlining the case for what I perceive to be, the descent of this nation into hitherto unknown social, financial, cultural and spiritual “change,” that I am finding hard to believe in. As President George Washington did, Thomas Jefferson also warned us, with words of wisdom, very prescient for these times in which we live.

 

We all now live in a country where the president travels to foreign soil and declares: “We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation.” He has now further declared the US could be “one of the largest Muslim countries in the world.” When did this transformation take place? Is Sharia Law next? He does this when the U.S. is still in danger, threatened by fanatics of a religion that shall not be named, who have made their intentions to kill us, crystal clear. I felt confident in moving to this country, and becoming a citizen, that I would be living in a Judeo-Christian nation, and would be free to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Did I make a miscalculation? Why would the president try to downplay the roots of his country, or is he unfamiliar with those roots?

 

We all now live in a world where the president of Iran declares, without fear of consequences: “The American empire in the world is reaching the end of its road, and its next rulers must limit their interference to their own borders.” To emphasize his point, he is developing nukes with impunity. Then there is the “leader” of North Korea, brazenly firing missiles with the capacity to hit America. They both know that “interference” on the part of the US Ruling Class, is being limited to the lives of US citizens. Political impotence is not impressive to dictators.

 

As far as the president of Iran’s warning that American is coming to its end, he is very fortunate that I was not born here and therefore cannot legally become president. As president, instead of “tea and croissants” diplomacy, I would make sure he became familiar with the name Enola Gay.

 

I live in a U.S. where Bibles of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were destroyed by the U.S. Military establishment in Afghanistan, because of a complaint from a TV station and a group of atheists? Had that been a book of the religion that shall not be named, this never would have taken place. Wake Theo Van Gogh from the deep, deep sleep of the dead, and ask him how any perceived denigration of the religion that shall not be named, works.

 

Then I read a story happening right here in my backyard, where a preacher who was holding Bible studies in his home is probably going to be forced to obtain a “major use” permit in order to continue his Bible sessions. Is the so-called “hate crimes” bill – better known as the “Protection of Pedophiles” Act – Exhibit #666 in the unrelenting attempts to destroy the First Amendment rights of this Judeo-Christian land?

 

Thomas Jefferson said it best:

 

“Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever."

 

We have mortgaged our souls, our financial independence, our mental and emotional inheritance as a nation that used to have that “can do” spirit. How is it that about half of our citizens are not working and collecting a check for not working? How can we tax the other half into oblivion to support pet projects, bailouts for domestic and foreign companies, and programs that have proven consistently ineffectual?

 

I beg our legislators not to declare any more wars on domestic issues, any more deals, new or slightly used, in which We the People always lose. In the War on Poverty, poverty won. There are more kids living in poverty now than before the war was declared.

 

Again, Mr. Jefferson:

 

 “A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.”

 

“The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”

 

Dare I mention the war on drugs? Drugs won that war also. We now have more illegal drugs flooding the streets than when this war first began being waged. As for legal drugs, there is a bit too much synergy among the pharmaceutical, medical and political establishments. However, with the proposed nationalization of healthcare, we may finally win the war on drugs, legal drugs, that is. That victory could come about, If the proponents of “comparative effectiveness” have their way, and those old folks on drugs are “involuntarily terminated,” as they will be, when their prescriptions and/or high-cost technology treatments are discontinued. They will have ceased to be effective, “comparatively” speaking.

 

Patriot Carolyn is not going gently into the night of “comparative effectiveness.” She e-mailed her own analysis to the Ruling Class, listing the ages of the members, and highlighting in red those who fall neatly into the “comparative effectiveness” guidelines. The Ruling Class really is not concerned though. The members will be untouched by “comparative effectiveness,” courtesy of their shrewd, ironclad construction of a system whereby the members of this class, have their own health care, their own pension plan, and exemptions from laws that they pass, laws for the denizens to obey. That seems to me like a system of “comparative accountability!”

 

Thomas Jefferson warned.

 

“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent,”

 

By the way, it is immoral for our elected representatives to actively encourage mass, uncontrolled “migration” into our sovereign country, by failing to enforce laws already in place for legal immigration. This immoral action is turning the citizens of our country into de facto denizens in their own land.

 

Speak, Mr. Jefferson:

 

“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”

 

“If the present Congress errs in too much talking, how can it be otherwise in a body to which the people send one hundred and fifty lawyers, whose trade it is to question everything, yield nothing, and talk by the hour?”

 

I continue to pray that more and more of our population will return to learning the history of their country, to appreciate the great gift that God has granted this nation, its very birth against seemingly insurmountable odds. America is blessed beyond reason, and we are giving it up without a whimper, letting it slide into corruption, godlessness and venal behavior. I hope that We the People will have the courage and wisdom to avoid the temptation to replace the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob with little gods, no matter how attractive the outer packaging of those gods.

 

For the last time, once more I call on the wisdom of Thomas Jefferson:

 

“The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time.”

 

“Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.”

 

“Every generation needs a new revolution. I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it.”

 

“Our country is now taking so steady a course as to show by what road it will pass to destruction, to wit: by consolidation of power first, and then corruption, its necessary consequence.”

 

“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

 

Amen, Mr. Jefferson! Armed with those words from the Declaration of Independence, as my buckler and shield, I will not be putting in any application for a “major use” permit for my God-given and constitutionally guaranteed “unalienable rights!”

        

On Mother's Day - May 10, 2009 - I decided to pay tribute to the fallen heroes of our Military by soliciting stories from relatives and friends of some of those heroes. The responses started coming in about half an hour later - a virtual vault of priceless, precious memories.

Patriot Evie urged:

"Start your article with this, - I had to memorize this poem when I was in the fourth or fifth grade....it is awesome...."

In Flanders Fields

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918), Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up your quarrel with the foe:
To you from falling hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

I received this gem from Patriot Dayna:

"Ercille...a few years ago, I wrote this poem for Memorial Day, and it's copyrighted...."

One More Day (revised) by Dayna Meserve - Poetry.com

One More Day
War bonnets donned
Their bayonets fixed
Cannons poised and ready
Generations of soldiers
Sleep at dawn.
Sleep, sleep mighty men of valor!
The dawn will exact its terrible
Price of blood and smoke and cries
Of the wounded who languish in pain
Longing for the blessed relief of death.
With stealth and caution abandoned
Enemies come face to face with the cry
Of victory on their lips, teeth gritted
Against the fear in their hearts
With longing for home in each mind.
At the end of the day, darkeness covers
Dead and wounded in a blanket of secrecy
Only light will reveal the truth
That lingers on the lips of the survivors
Who dream of living one more day.....

When I "grow up," I aspire to be Patriot Carolyn. She wrote the following about her younger brother who gave his life for his country.

"My younger brother Martin was finishing his first year in the Air Force when Peace
was declared in World War II. They held the caadets almost a year up in Minot AFB
before releasing them. He went back to Georgia Tech for a year, maybe two (I got
married that year). Then he re-enlisted when he got his Bars. He married [but] really
loved flying. He flew Thunderjets with the Thunderbirds in their air shows. He and his
wife had a son and the boy was probably a year old, or maybe a little older, when my
brother was sent to Germany. He was to rotate flying the Berlin Corridor, and teaching
Belgium cadets how to fly the American planes they had bought from the United States.
On his last patrol, he apparently saw something offbeat and flew to check it out. It was a
group of Russians and they shot him down. He ejected from his plane but it was too low
for his chute to open and his body was punctured when he landed on top of a huge tree.
His wife said that she was in Berlin at the time and felt a strange tremor go through her body....and
she knew something bad had happened to him. He was Major Wm Martin Jones. We all
felt that he had really given his life for his country."

About two years ago I was sending mail to young Sgt. Matt Blaskowski as part of an outreach program that involved sending letters to our troops in Afghanistan. I was warned by Patriot Leta Carruth, who had sent me his name and one other, not to expect a response. For months, I faithfully mailed St. Blaskowksi encouraging letters about happenings in the U.S., and declared my undying gratitude for his heroic service. In the Post Office one day, about to mail my usual Priority package to Matt, I realized that I'd forgotten to send him a graphic of a young soldier walking down the red carpet with the caption: "Meet Our New Rock Stars - American servicemen and women! I sped back to my home to retrieve this important missing picture. But in checking my e-mail, I found a horrifying note from Leta, telling me that Sgt. Matt Blaskowski had been killed in combat.

Time stood still. I sat at my computer in a state of shock, staring at the envelope I intended to send him, and wept.

If I tried to list the heroes who have sacrificed their lives for our country, their names would reach from "sea to shining sea," and well beyond. On Memorial Day - while we barbecue, hit the highways, surf the waves, and engage in all manner of enjoyable activities - too many of our heroes are entombed in the ground, beneath the sea, or survived but have to endure both physical wounds and psychic scars created by attacks on their reputations by self-righteous prigs (in all senses of the word), whose idea of 'serving" their country is by raiding its financial wealth!

Whenever I hear about a Veteran who gave his life or her life, I anxiously wait to be reassured that the parents of this Patriot have other children. I know that no other child can replace the one who is lost, but I still hope that the other children will comfort their parents and help them to keep the memory of their hero, alive.

From the outpourting of first-person and heart-wrenching stories I've received, I have gained ever deeper insight into why the great Republic of America, endures. How did we get so lucky to have this caliber of "servants" bleeding and dying for us?

We have had an unbroken chain of true "public servants" as guardians of our freedom - without them having exacted tribute of any kind. Their bones are scattered in various cemeteries around the globe. A recent article sent to me by Patriot Grama Sheila that tallied the number of American war dead in their final repose on foreign soil, including Flanders Fields. The total is close to hundreds of thousands. In many of those conflicts, we had "no dog in this fight," but we sent plenty of brave American warriors to defend the lands and lives of others.

As much as enemies of the U.S. and our Military - both foreign and domestic - try to bury  the reputations of our brave men and women in a blitz of innuendos of alleged wrongdoings, it is safe to say that in any part of the world, folks would be more open to surrendering to a squadron of U.S. Troops than the troops of their of their own homelands. They know that despite the propaganda, they will be treated with decency, kindness and justice by the American Military.

Yes, I am aware of Abu Ghraib, a blemish, but certainly not a yardstick by which to measure the reputation of the finest Military in the world. As Jesus dare the cadre of men, righteous in their own eyes, to cast the first stone at the woman being accused of adultery, I invite those who have expressed their outright "loathing" for the Military, to open their closets, and see how many pieces of evidence of "loathing of country," with about a battalion of borderline treasonous skeletons, will come parading out! I have become accustomed to and grown to expect near perfection from the mere human beings who make up our Military. I have not been disapointed. For those who expect perfection from the men and women in the Military, trot out your perfect selves first, and put yourselves in harm's way. The line for perfect human beings forms to the left. It is empty. I will wait.

Memorial Day is about fallen Veterans, but I must share the story of Lt. Brian Brennan of the 101st Airborne Division, who fought off death. Again, I have to thank Patriot Grama Sheila for sending me the link to the CBS Video of a truly inspiring story. About a year ago this month, Lt. Brennan was fighting for his life. He and his fellow troops, traveling in a Humvee, were hit by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Brian suffered an acute brain injury, a collapsed lung, internal bleeding, and a ruptured spleen.....also multiple fractures of his left arm and a shattered femur. His legs had to be amputated. I would have curled up in a fetal position and drifted off into death. In fact, the news video showed Brian curled in an almost fetal position. His family, his friends and his military family never gave up on him. While he was in his near comatose state, General David Petraeus encouraged him by quoting to him the word "Currahee," the Cherokee word that means "stand alone," and the motto of the Band of Brothers regiment in the 101st Airborne. Today, Lt. Brennan is training to run.

America, we are not worthy. But, we are truly blessed. Let's make this Memorial Day a day of true respect, admiration and awe for our Military.

        

Calling for "stillness," calm, or suggesting calm, in the midst of financial, political and now  a possible health crisis, probably sounds like a passenger on the Titanic telling her fellow passengers that it was "just an iceberg."

What are we facing?

• Banks and other businesses are closing
•  folks are being thrown out of jobs
• swine flu, which has nothing to do with animal swine, is "globe trotting;" ("animal" swine is not a misprint)
• capitalism is being trampled by socialism
•  "God" is now the new four-letter word

And I am asking for "stillness/calm?" I am doing just that because unlike on the Titanic, my "Life Vest" does not need inflating. My Flak Jacket is not man-made. My King stands alone. He is Immortal, Invisible, All-Wise, and He alone can command oceans to recede.

Yes, you guessed correctly. I am speaking about The One True God. There are many pretenders to His throne and He is probably marveling at their audacity and stupidity. He could crush them like the bugs they are, but He is gracious and merciful, and that is why He is God. In my earthly limitations in godly behavior, when I see  the atrocities waged against His people by those pretenders,  I would have been preparing the locusts, frogs, flies, scorpions, rodents and gnats, in a spirit of vengeance and rage. However,  I have learned to follow His lead and believe Him when He states: "Vengeance is Mine. I will repay."

I will not go into a litany of the bad behavior of current  "leaders gone wild," on a global scale. How is this for irony? I am "listening" to the story of Hitler's attempt to create a "perfect Aryan nation," by his program of breeding babies for the Fatherland. I am no psychologist, but my theory for his behavior was his lack of self esteem. Imagine looking in the mirror and realizing that you, the architect of "perfectness,"  could not qualify as a premier example of the  "perfect Aryan" that you were trying to create! Adolph must turn over in his grave when he hears me describing him as the "funny-looking little man with the weird moustache!" Enough of him. We all know how World War II turned out. He lost.

With the leisure of 20/20 hindsight, we can spot Hitler a mile away, but what about current leaders? There are no current Hitlers. Sure it is fashionable to ascribe Hitlerian qualities to  this or that leader, but he was kind of unique, and so far although sometimes imitated, he has not been truly duplicated.  Leaders these days, if they have any Hitlerian aspirations, have studied their history. They know what to avoid while perhaps achieving the end results of their actions. They are more subtle and suave. But, as Hitler found out too late, they may find out that God did indeed imbue his creatures with a sense of liberty, and although outspent, outflanked and possibly outmanned, many will find a way to "free" liberty.  If King George III of England, were alive, he could give first hand testimony of the divine hand of providence enveloping his nemesis, George Washington. There is hallowed precedent.

So remember my fellow lovers of liberty, although you weep now, we know:

Psalm 30:5 (King James Version)

        

As a Christian, I am rejoicing because My Lord and Savior rose from the tomb, after a Good Friday where He willingly surrendered himself to a cross, to rescue this flawed human being (yours truly), and anyone who believes in Him, from a life of eternal damnation.

In addition to the defeat of death, that His Resurrection symbolizes, which is the main cause of my celebration today,  I am also celebrating our Military, and its role in the latest pirates vs the rest of the world sea saga. Our Military got the go ahead from their commander-in-chief, to do what was necessary, to free Captain Richard Phillips, from the Somali pirates who held him in captivity in a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean.

I am not equating this rescue or the actions of Captain Phillips with Christ's sacrifice on the Cross. There is no comparison or equality. However, coming as it did, in Holy Week, this hostage drama does have some elements of the events of Holy Week. Captain Phillips turned over his life to the  pirates, in order to save his crew. He willingly offered himself as a hostage, fully cognizant that he could very well not make it to Easter. He waited for five days with his life hanging in the balance, in the custody of men, who in a fit of caprice, could have ended his life. He bravely attempted to escape but was recaptured. I can just imagine that his hope of being rescued, alive, became tenuous at best. 

Today as my Pastor ended his prayer of intercession, including Captain Phillips in that prayer, a member of the congregation, shouted out to the Pastor that the Capt had been rescued. Spontaneous applause rang out! We were all thrilled at the outcome. When I managed to get to read a report of the news that not only had the Capt been rescued, but three of the pirates were no longer sucking up oxygen, I uttered one word: "Good."

I am not rejoicing that the pirates are dead. Today is a day to celebrate life. "Good," means that maybe now the pirates and their ilk will realize when they see the American Flag flying over a ship, look for another "source of income."  Once the bureaucracy gets out of the way, the US Military will take care of business. "Business" was taken care of today. 

I am going to rejoice that Christ is alive!  I am going to rejoice that Capt Phillips is free. I am going to salute him for being a leader. Quite frankly some other captains may have just had everyone surrender. He performed his duties in a heroic manner. He has already stated that he is not a hero. Sir, you are.  

I am also going to salute our Military, in this specific instance our Navy, especially those Navy SEALS and snipers of the USS Bainbridge! I think that I can safely say that as Captain Phillips did, these Navy rescuers will say that they are not heroes. They are.

The surviving pirate must be muttering to himself: Why, why, why did we mess with the Americans???? Survivor, all I can say to you is that you made a bad "business" decision!

I can think of no better way to rejoice than to listen to the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah, that glorious ode to Christ my Savior!


 Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
 Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

The kingdom of this world
Is become the kingdom of our Lord,
And of His Christ, and of His Christ;
And He shall reign for ever and ever,
For ever and ever, forever and ever,

King of kings, and Lord of lords,
King of kings, and Lord of lords,
And Lord of lords,
And He shall reign,
And He shall reign forever and ever,
King of kings, forever and ever,
And Lord of lords,
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

And He shall reign forever and ever,
|: King of kings! and Lord of lords!
And He shall reign forever and ever,
King of kings! and Lord of lords!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!

-

        

Rejoice, huh? What exactly should we as a nation be rejoicing about? What do I as an individual have to be rejoicing about? Let us all count the ways that we should not be rejoicing?

Just in the past week, Americans have been described as "arrogant," "derisive," and "dismissive." Now who is that person once again dumping on Americans? Isn't that yet another example of the usual "anti-American rhetoric?" Is the one whom some described as "vertically-challenged," the president of Iran, spouting his usual words of "wisdom?" Actually, no. That "dump" came from the newly-elected president of the US, so it does not qualify as "anti-American." In case there are any doubts in any minds as to how to qualify his remarks, the US Press will assure us that it is not. Could it be that I just stumbled upon two things for which we should rejoice? We have a duly-elected president and a free press? Yes, rejoice, I hope.

Why should we be rejoicing when there is the ongoing saga of that American ship captain being held by Somali pirates, while a US Navy ship is standing by, seemingly helpless, even when the captain tried to swim away from his captors? I feel confident that just as that captain made his daring bid for freedom, that left unfettered, our fighting men and women would "remedy" the hostage situation, by whatever means are necessary. Should the cynics see this as confirmation of a case of political correctness, part of the new "croissant and tea" diplomacy, part of the remaking of the American image overseas as a "non-Christian nation.....bound by ideals and values", and is it as long as they are not Judeo-Christian values? Has anyone gotten on the hotline to the afterworld to let the Founding Fathers, almost all of them Christian, know of this "reconfiguration?"

The Founding Fathers should not feel too bad that their legacy is systematically being corroded. They are in good company. The God Who led them to found this country, finds Himself being relegated to the "offensive" category. Mention His name in say, the workplace in some companies, and one could face punishment "worse" than death, the loss of a job! Try setting up a creche in some communities, and be prepared to face a chill colder than any in Antarctica.

Should we be rejoicing when the number of babies killed in the womb, through no "choice" of their own, could end up rivaling the billions of hamburgers served by that mega fast food chain?  Should we be rejoicing when the family structure is under assault, and different configurations of "marriage" are being allowed? On a personal note, should I now file papers to marry my Mustang, the car? Our "marriage" has lasted longer than many of the human-human variety. That Mustang treats me almost like a husband by driving me around, and the only "treats" that I have to give in exchange, are a couple gallons of gas, and an infrequent tune up. This is one "union" of which Ford, the automaker, can be proud! Neither I, nor my "partner in this transaction," require retirement benefits, health care or stocks.

So, does the "once mighty" US have much about which to rejoice, in a era when its president is on camera appearing to bow down to a Middle Eastern potentate, its currency is bearing a strong resemblance to monopoly money, without the "monopoly" part of the equation, its electric grids appear to have been compromised by cyber attacks, many of its citizenry are shedding jobs faster than one can say government bailout, and every two-bit dictator out there is making menacing noises, including the noise from a rocket launched into space? The short answer is: "Yes!" Unequivocally Yes!

Just one more question, before the affirmations come pouring out......What is there to rejoice about?

There is but One Answer. We, including yours truly, can all rejoice because of Him, Whom I call My Ultimate Flak Jacket! Who is this person I am making sound mightier than all of the military forces of the world combined, more than all of the wannabe kings and queens of this mortal realm, Who can actually have a good chuckle at all of the pretenders to His throne?

Yep, you guessed right the first time. It is God Almighty Who sent His Son to save our sorry souls from eternal damnation! His Son, Whose victory over death and the tomb, we Christians joyfully, gratefully, exultantly celebrate! It is Easter and we will rejoice! In this sometimes pathetic world, we are certain to have tribulation, but Jesus has overcome the world!

I will step aside now and let bona fide scholars share why we should rejoice! I extend a special invitation to the pretenders to His throne, to take a very careful reading of this first Psalm.

Psalm 2

 ¹Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

 ²The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

 ³Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

 ⁴He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.

 ⁵Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

 ⁶Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

 ⁷I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

 ⁸Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

 ⁹Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

 ¹⁰Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

 ¹¹Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

 ¹²Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.



Note to pretenders: He really does walk on water, and the ocean will recede for Him and Him only.

Deuteronomy 12:7 

        

You are sitting at your desk trying to do your job to the best of your ability, but cannot help thinking when the axe will fall, and upon whom. You have heard the rumors for days now, that the company is in deep doodoo. One executive even left rather hurriedly, but not before picking up a suitcase with his bonus money. Actually the grapevine said that the money was deposited into his checking account. How do folks find out these things? You are wondering bonus for what? Isn't a bonus given for doing a good job, and the company overall is doing well, because of your contribution?

Then you remember. This is 21st century America. Bonuses are handed out to executives precisely because the company is not doing well! You should have had a V8, as that ad used to declare when one experienced a "senior moment!"

So after that momentary lapse into office politics, you try to regain focus and decide that no matter what, you are here to do a job, and you will do it! The thoughts return. You have a spouse and kids to help to support. One kid has a birthday coming up. You begin bargaining with God. "God, if you let me keep this job at least until after little Billy's birthday party, I will never tell another lie!" I mean really, how do you tell a five-year old kid that the birthday party that had been planned for weeks, could be postponed indefinitely, or at least until he turns six?

Your chance to keep that bargain with God, comes sooner than you would have hoped for. A coworker wants to know your opinion of the folks who are doing an apparently successful job of running the company into the ground. God does have a sense of humor. Buddy boy, you want to bargain? Here is your chance.

You begin with the customary company line about being onboard with the policies and then you realize that you and the coworker quizzing you, could be among those to be thrown overboard, and even more importantly, you have made this bargain with God. What is a person to do? You remember in time that God is Almighty and all-knowing. You dust off your memory of that Commandment, about not "bearing false witness." You tell the truth.

You tell the coworker that, in your humble opinion, the inmates should be running the asylum because those in charge are crazier than the inmates! The co-worker is amazed. What has come over you? You, who always agreed with the emperors that they looked fine in those clothes (corporate decisions), when your own eyes were telling you that there was an absence of clothing (planning and strategy)?You, who because of the promise of a bonus, would praise the latest hare-brained scheme to the high heavens, and when it failed as you thought that it would, blamed the heavens for being too low to earth?

Well, you kept your bargain with God. You passed the first test. You now go home to the spouse who is worried. Temptation rears its head. You are about to declare that things look good. Your vow which is beginning to feel like an actual being, is suddenly standing at your side....waiting. You turn temptation aside. You confide in your spouse that little Billy may not have that birthday party.

You get ready for bed. That is when you notice that the spot that had been mildly itching is almost throbbing. Is telling the truth, unaccustomed as you are to it, beginning to manifest itself in hives? There is confirmation next morning. If you are breaking out in hives from the struggle to not easily fall into a lie, as is your habit, should you revert to your natural instinct to tell white lies just to get along? No.

Even if you are laid off, you live up to that bargain. Kids are a lot smarter than we think. If you are honest about it, you will realize that little Billy's party was more about his parents wanting to give him a party, than about him even asking for one. The big affair that was being planned can be scaled back. Toss a few hotdogs on the grill. Put them in some rolls. Add some bags of potato chips. Bring out the soda. Ready. Set. Party. Little Billy and his friends will be happy.

Sometime during that next day at work, armed with your new found satisfaction in doing a simple action such as not lying, you recall that there was a time when God was central in your life. Somewhere along the way, you sacrificed His teachings if they got in the way of your climb up the corporate ladder. You had no qualms about turning around "do unto others as you would like them to do to you,", in your judgment, to the more workable, "do unto others before they do to you."

You decide that since there is a great possibility that you may just have to lean on God quite a bit to get you through possible unemployment, you may as well reacquaint yourself with Him, and hope that He has forgiven you for your neglect. He has. You rediscover reading His word. You are actually beginning to be optimistic about your future.

Your coworkers notice a difference in you. They are assuming that you know something that they don't. You do. You cannot bring up God in the workplace, because as some have begun noting, "God" is now the new four-letter word. But, you take a bold step. You decide to share The Reason for your new-found optimism. Your co-workers are impressed. They want to know more. During break time you tell them more.

The "suits," as they are referred to, deliver the news. A private investor was found. Yes, despite the government being in the business of "investing" in companies, there are still private investors. So, for at least the next six months, if not longer, the company will be in business. This investor is going to have a "meet and greet." He wants to personally interact with the folks who, as he puts it, "are the ones who really make things work." You find out later, again through that reliable grapevine, that he decided to invest in the company because of the dedication, and skill of the workers. He had one stipulation. The "dunderheads" who almost ran the company into the ground, will be elsewhere "pursuing other interests," or running other companies into the ground, whichever is more accurate!

Little Billy is going to have his party, minus the expensive stuff that he could not care less about.  You continue to read God's word.

Your favorite passages are:

Philippians 4:6-7