Tomorrow we celebrate and recall the sacrifices our founders made to ensure the people could forever be free. The Fourth of July would indeed be just another day under the Queen of England were it not for the determined men who put everything on the line to secure freedom. Decades later, in places like Gettysberg and Vicksberg citizens once again were compelled by their principles to sacrifice everything in the name of freedom and preservation of our United States. An account of the mettle of some of these men was penned in a book, “Every Man Did His Duty,” reviewed in the small hometown paper, The Mankato Free Press; Quoting the author, Wayne Jorgenson:
“There was a mystique to the Minnesota men — the character they had compared to what I call the ‘city boys’ out east. The ones who came out here in the 1860s, they were farming, logging, surviving, shooting guns. All these pioneering traits made them stronger and better soldiers.”
Inspired by an inherent longing to be free, the same pioneering traits of the Minnesota men have been the backbone and strength of our country since its beginning. This spirit is evident in the men and women who serve in our military. It is evident in ordinary citizens as they go about responsibly and productively ordering their own lives. It is evident in the entrepreneurial spirit that drives innovation and opportunity and that has created a better standard of living for all of our citizens and in the world. Freedom’s power and value are greater than any possession. Tomorrow we give thanks and celebrate this great patriotic gift.
As we hang our flags and join with family and friends to show the pride we feel in being American this week, let us also remind ourselves of the sacrifices our citizens continue to make to ensure that freedom remains our continuing blessing. We can find an example of that original pioneering spirit in the life of a young veteran recovering from injuries he received while serving in Afghanistan. U.S. veteran Sgt Travis Mills, a quadruple amputee, is a man with a passion for life. (video)
May God bless Lee and his family and may God continue to bless the United States of America. I am indeed both humbled and proud.
I hope this comes through. Happy Independence Day everyone, especially to our Vets.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/bennyjohnson/how-to-thank-a-solder-by-george-w-bush
Wonderful Peggy, thanks for sharing. What a terrific idea for celebrating on the Fourth!
The vets sure seem to love President Bush. I miss the strength and honor of his leadership. He made mistakes, as all men do, but he was a leader…he did not run when presented with difficult choices.
http://www.youtube.com/v/6TPgJSZf5Vw?version=3&autohide=1&autoplay=1
I love this one, Unusual Patriotic Tribute.
Sorry off topic.
Jack, listen to this. Sound familiar?
Rush Limbaugh on the ‘Biggest Mistake the Republican Party Made in 2010′:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/07/03/rush-limbaugh-on-the-biggest-mistake-the-republican-party-made-in-2010/
I think he’s right on target. I remember some very prominent republicans putting the Tea Party down, seems like on of them was Romney.
Rush concluded by saying he was not entirely sure why the party ran from TPers:
I think that “or something” can be explained by a campaign to label TPers as racists.
White people have feared being labeled racist since the civil rights movement of the sixties. Even when blacks deserve, or earn, criticism white cower for fear of that damning label.
Fear is a lousy motivator.
The big TP rally in DC that attracted over a million TPers from all over the country scared both parties.
Republicans backed away from a natural ally, economically and socially, for fear of being associated with racists or racism. It would be understandable in a sane world. We are not living in sane times. We are enduring a careful planned and calculated (soft) war for our very survival as a constitutional republic. Republicans in high places had not comprehended that the ideological threat was severe. They had not perceived the radical methods of their opponents. Had they done so they might have acted differently.
Democrats simply plotted a counter move to steal back momentum for the “voice of the people” image the TPers were creating. The community organized 99% rally was supposed to become the contrasting, non-racist, true voice of the little people….Every prominent Democrat quickly took to the microphones to praise and cheer them on. The media picked up the banner and ran with it.
A few Republicans, looking like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights, murmured similar, short lived praise.
When the 99% street thugs began to reveal their incivility and extremism, support from Republicans backed off. But by then Obama’s organizers had already sufficiently damaged the TP image and the media had also done its ravaging work. In April of 2011 Gallup announced 47% of American had an unfavorable view of the TP. All prominent voices for the conservative messages of the TP had similarly been under attack as extreme, bigoted, and racist. They American people never really got a chance to hear the TP message. This is how community organization under the Saul Alinsly method works. Open and honest competition is completely undermined or eliminated.
In the background, the IRS had already begun it’s intimidating, barrier building work for TP/conservative organizations. TP voices and campaign contributions were effectively silenced and stopped. The scheme worked. Other factors contributed to the Republican loss but the Republican turnout for the election was abysmal and the Democrat/media scheme played a significant part.
As for racism, here is where racism lives in Obama’s “transformed” America:
The community organized Zimmerman trial is another example of the Obama’s racist atmosphere. Union thugs sent to intimidate during the first Tea Party town halls were similarly community organized.
On this Fourth of July day in the year 2013 it is with great sadness that I look upon the social order that this president has created. It does not resemble in any way the dream expressed by MLK and the majority of Americans who abhorred racism and stood tall behind him.
We look to our Constitution, as the solid foundation, to offer hope that this fundamental community organizing transformer will soon pass by and, like a unpleasant dream, fade from our collective memory. Americans of faith look to God for comfort as we continue to steadfastly endure…we can use Sgt Travis for inspiration.
To all my fellow warriors past, present, and future…
http://thewarriorsong.com/originalvideo.html