Duty, Honor, Sacrifice

This is more than a Memorial Day post. This is a call to duty. For over 200 years patriots have bled and died in the defense of this nation and the God given freedoms it has enshrined in it's Constitution. Our military has done their job-to protect us from threats abroad-and they have done it magnificently. They have done their duty by us and it is time to step up and do our part.

What is our part? Our part is to maintain the republic. To keep the nation as free as it was when it was founded and we have failed. We can put a stop to the tyrannical push of our current federal government, but we must do it now. We must reclaim our Constitution while we still may or suffer the loss of all that has been fought for over the past 200 years.

We owe this to those who shed their blood and gave their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to found and protect this nation. We owe it to our posterity. There is no excuse good enough for our failure thus far. There will be no excuse we can offer if we do not reclaim our nation.

"I have children and a family to consider". - So did the founders. Many lost their families, their wives, their children and never heard from them again.

"I want to obey the law". Then do it. The U S Constitution is the supreme law of the land. Without the rule of law there is no safety or security to be had. It is our duty to uphold that Constitution and to refuse to cooperate with any federal laws that are made contrary to it. In addition, kindly remember that every single man who signed the declaration of Independence was a traitor to England and could have been shot on sight.

"I don't want to make trouble." Trouble is here with or without you. The only question is, will you bestir yourself to oppose it, or will you allow it to run roughshod over your and your family's God given and constitutionally affirmed rights?

" I think that congress will sort it all out with a little more time." How much time do you think they need? So far, this Congress has authorized the NDAA . They have failed to repeal obamacare with all of it's egregious mandates. They re-authorized the patriot act. They are not challenging any of mr. obama's executive orders nor his eligibility-which should have been the first thing they did upon their swearing in, were they to keep their oaths.

"I don't know enough about this stuff to know what is the truth."  Then learn. Learn fast, because you don't have much time anymore. Start with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Then move on to your own state's Constitution. then the Federalist and the Anti-Federalist Papers and other writings of our founders.

" But everyone will laugh at me and call me names." Then man/woman up, put on your big boy/girl pants and decide with whom you stand - the communists and followers of Islam that are currently attempting to conquer this nation or the patriots who want to restore it.  

"From the day on which an accommodation takes place between England and America, on any other terms than as independent States, I shall date the ruin of this country. a politic minister will study to lull us into security by granting us the full extent of our petitions. The warm sunshine of influence would melt down the virtue which the violence of the storm rendered more firm and unyielding. In a state of tranquillity, wealth, and luxury, our descendants would forget the arts of war and the noble activity and zeal which made their ancestors invincible. Every art of corruption would be employed to loosen the bond of union which renders our resistance formidable. When the spirit of liberty, which now animates our hearts and gives success to our arms, is extinct, our numbers will accelerate our ruin and render us easier victims to tyranny. Ye abandoned minions of an infatuated ministry, if peradventure any should yet remain among us, remember that a Warren and Montgomery are numbered among the dead. Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say, What should be the reward of such sacrifices? Bid us and our posterity bow the knee, supplicate the friendship, and plow, and sow, and reap, to glut the avarice of the men who have let loose on us the dogs of war to riot in our blood and hunt us from the face of the earth? If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquillity of servitude than the animating contest of freedom--go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!" ~ Samuel Adams

Will we see the end of this republic or a new beginning?

The bottom line, on this Memorial Day is that, our fellow citizens have fought and bled and died to maintain and preserve our freedoms from enemies abroad. Now it is our turn to restore the freedoms that the Lord has given us here at home. If we had kept our wits about us, never would the federal government have been allowed such leeway, but we did not. Thus it now falls to us to make the painful and hard decisions that are  necessary to restrain or replace our federal government in order to save ourselves and our posterity from the tyranny that is daily imposed upon us in ever greater amounts. May we turn from the wickedness that has flourished under the philosophy of moral relativity and may the Lord be with us again or we shall surely fail.

" As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.

   Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

   He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.

   God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.

   He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant.

   The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.

   Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

   But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee." ~ Psalm 55:16-23

What Separation of Church and State?

Congratulations my fellow citizens! We now know what faith Mr. Obama truly claims as his own. He is an American! What's that you say? America is a country not a faith?

Not according to the man sitting in the oval office who declared today that “Being an American is not a matter of blood or birth, it’s a matter of faith,”

To be fair, this was a speech he was giving about the illegal alien situation, which doesn't really make it much better, but gives you some context. However, if this president is really proposing the idea that citizenship is a matter of faith, then why have immigration laws at all?

Either way, had a conservative said something this out of whack, this out of touch and this nonsensical, the mainstream press would have been all over him or her. (Not to mention the ACLU. Where's the outrage over this psuedo establishment of a state religion? Where are the objections over their precious Jeffersonian out-of-context "separation of church and state"?)

Truth is objective, not subjective. Something either is true or it is not and no amount of idealistic bibble-babble can change the truth. Citizenship is, in fact, a matter of blood and birth. One may become a citizen of this nation by sacrificing one's citizenship in any other nation, but faith has nothing to do with citizenship. Except, perhaps, for citizenship in the kingdom of heaven.

"Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding."~ Prov 22:23

Immigration and Fairness

I was recently reading a post on Vanishing American's blog. One of the commenters said: "Also, the people on VA's site are against ALL immigration. We don't want refugees, legal immigrants, or illegal immigrants. Maybe some O-Visa people here and there, but that's it."

I had to stop and think about that. Am I someone who is against all immigration? Am I a racist or a xenophobic, spoiled, rich, American who wants not to have to share the blessings and advantages of living in this country, as was the implication in my reading of that comment?

I find that I must disagree. I do appreciate VA's intelligent observations on immigration and assimilation, but for myself, I am not against all immigration. I think and believe that every individual is inherently worthy of my consideration because we are all made in the image of God. I do not want to speak for VA or her commenters, which is why I am posting this on my own blog rather than as a reply on hers.

I think those who value and wish to preserve the history, heritage and ideals of America should be welcome. But why should I welcome someone, who is not willing to live those ideals in order to change their own country, into mine?

There is also the culture barrier. Someone who is used to having to pay bribes (for example) to get government assistance in a matter, will bring the assumption that bribes are necessary here. It will not even occur to them that it is not the case, or that it is a citizen's responsibility to expose anyone who would take bribes. This places a temptation before our law enforcement community, who, after all, are just people.

What about those for whom violence is a daily and familiar occurrence? Those who find it acceptable to kill a family member for honor are not likely to go out on a limb to uphold a legal system that does not allow such behavior.

Those who come here illegally plunge themselves and their children into a never-ending cycle of victimization and criminal activity. There is no way for them to participate as fully functioning members of a self-governed society.

That is why those individuals who suffer from political persecution have been welcomed in the past. Because they have made the attempt to change their system and suffered for it. We then have a reason to believe that they understand, or at least have the ability to understand the burdens of citizenship in a self governed country. Refugees and illegals have not shown this drive towards freedom, nor can we expect them to.

That is the danger brought by immigrants. That is how they destabilize our system. This is particularly relevant in light of the arrest of the governor of Illinois yesterday. As Americans, we know that law enforcement does not work in a vacuum. It works, only when citizens participate. It also requires that citizens risk persecution to assure that law enforcement is functioning as it should. Someone in Chicago is paying a price for turning that man in to law enforcement to protect the rest of us. The higher up the corruption goes, the higher the price that must be paid to restore the system. That's the sacrifice required of American citizens.

I think, that, in large part, is also why we hear so many people basing their arguments these days on the "fairness" of an action. It is because we, as Americans, have been conditioned from an early age to question authority and to want to make things "fair" for everyone. I think that the citizenship issues behind that urge to require "fairness" from the world in general have been lost over time.
I think, that for myself, I am going to start being very careful about using the word "fair" in reference to political issues. I think I am going to concentrate instead on the idea of doing what's right. Right and fair are not equivalent. I think there is a connotation of sacrifice in the phrase"doing what's right" that is completely missing from fair. In fact, it is not fair that an individual often has to suffer for doing the right thing.

Those who are simply being persecuted because that's how their system works or who just want a job that pays enough to support their family are not fit citizens for a country that relies upon it's citizenry for regulation. If folks want to come here, they need to take up the duties of an American citizen, not just the benefits.

Perhaps, if we, as a nation, cannot quell our suicidal tendencies to embrace destruction in this manner, refugees should be offered a place of safety for a limited time during which they are required to learn and exercise the responsibilities of citizenship here. Then send them back home to fix their own countries. I have no doubt that their countries of origin will cry "foul" and say it's not "fair" of us to interfere in their sovereignty in that way. Our response should be, no, it's not fair, but it is the right thing to do. If you cannot make your country a safe enough place for your people to want to stay there, then we will help your people to accomplish that goal. Even if the adults don't get it, I'll bet their children would and in 10-20 years, we would see fewer refugees.
"Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt."~Exodus 20:21

Show Me the Birth Certificate

Yes, Mr. Obama, save us all some time, tax money, (Judges and lawyers are not cheap), and troubling rumors, show me, show America, your original, undoctored birth certificate.

But perhaps even more telling, show me your passport, you know, the one you used to visit Indonesia and Pakistan as a younger adult. Because, really, that's the more telling argument isn't it? I know that our system is skewed towards making an allowance for the mistakes of parents in the case of a child's citizenship status. If your passport shows you to be a citizen of Indonesia at that point in your life, then that would mean that you had renounced your American citizenship. By the laws of our nation, that's not something you can take back. I have no interest in any current passport which you may have obtained using the same document you posted on your web-site, but I have a great deal of interest in seeing the passport you used to travel in countries that were not allowing U.S. citizens to visit at that time.

So yes, by all means, produce your real birth certificate, but I'd like to see proof that you never renounced your American citizenship as an adult too.

"Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.
But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him." ~Numbers 15:29-31

Has the American Experiment Failed?

I was at a family event about a week ago and a cousin said this to me: "Don't you think the American Experiment has failed?, we should just give up."
My immediate answer was "No, I think the tree of liberty just needs a little water and fertilizer." The conversation went on for a bit and then moved on to other things without any resolution to our differences on that topic.

I thought about that conversation on the trip home. This cousin had lived out of the country at one point, for his employment. Not too long after his return, he had commented to us that America is definitely the best place to live and that we don't really appreciate the lifestyle and freedom we have here.

Given his experience, I have to wonder about his willingness to throw in the towel. If he thinks the American experiment has failed, where would he rather live? If, as I suspect, he would prefer to live here, then shouldn't he be looking for things that he can do to help to revive the American experiment rather than lamenting it's loss?

Perhaps that's the view that conservatives need to embrace. We need to look at the alternatives to the United States. Then we need to renew our commitment to preserving what we have and making it better. We need to use that view of the alternatives to inspire one another to step up to those duties of citizenship which have been sadly neglected and shamefully disrespected.

"So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. "~Luke 17:10

Where Have All the Adults Gone?

This is what I find myself asking these days. I volunteer with youth and families and it seems to me that fewer and fewer parents are acting like adults. Decisions about where and how their children should spend time seem to be too difficult for a number of them. I'll grant you, that as the former latch key kid of a single mother myself, I made most of my time decisions (or had them made for me by our financial circumstances) but Mom always had the last say on whether or not something was acceptable. (She may not have been able to enforce it while she was at work, but there were consequences if we deviated. We also all went through Scouts-it was non-negotiable and she became a leader to show us how important those values were to her.)

Nowadays, I hear a lot of parents commenting that they let their child make all the decisions about how to spend their "free" time.
These comments often sound something like this: " Well, he wants to do all these things, but I told him he had to choose three." There is never any mention made of the suitability of those choices to the talents and abilities of the child, nor the long term effects of that activity on the child's life. It all seems to be based on what the child wants to do or thinks is fun.

Lest you get the wrong idea, I am not against allowing a child to have a preference, or pursue a hobby or interest. I do, however think it is the parent's job to make sure at least 2 of those 3 or 4 activities are going to help the child develop values, habits, talents and skills that will positively impact the rest of their lives.

This is prime time as far as ability to learn goes. Simply throwing away the opportunity to use an activity that could instill values and character that will enhance your child's life because "he didn't want to" doesn't make sense. You make them eat their vegetables even though they don't want to. Why is this different?

Here's an example: My own son asked for piano lessons when he was 6. I thought, okay, we'll see where this goes and if he has a talent for it. (He was already in Scouts for character building-my choice, not his.) His teacher said he was a fast learner and had some talent. When he was 8, he came to me and said he didn't really want to take lessons anymore, because he wanted a break and wasn't sure he wanted to keep playing. I said "Too bad - I already signed you up for summer lessons. If I think that it's too stressful for you after a year, we'll discuss it again." He had demonstrated interest and talent and had invested 2 years of his time in learning this skill. I thought throwing that away because he "wanted a break" was a bad idea. That is an appropriate decision for me to make as his parent. If he had shown signs of stress or fought me over it in a consistent manner over the next year, I might have allowed him to stop. But his waning interest had been just a blip and he got over it and went on.

He is now a teenager who teaches piano lessons to others. He is making a steady income from this talent and his invested time. (He is also still in Scouts and has had some absolutely awesome experiences through that program.)

My point is that children do not have the experience or knowledge to make appropriate decisions about what activities are going to serve them best over their lifetimes. It is a parent's duty to guide and shape their child through those activities into solid, responsible citizens. Too many parents today refuse to take that duty to heart, preferring instead to be the "cool" parent who lets their child do what he/she wants.

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." ~ Proverbs 22:6