Clarksville Now - Freedom

Clarksville Now - Freedom

A new year's resolution

This year, 2010, has been filled with a lot of ups and downs. Our country has been put the the ringer thanks to events such as the BP Oil spill, but has also celebrated the end of the war in Iraq and a historical mid term election just this November. One thing that has made this past year great for me, personally, was the ability to involve myself more in the world around me. I have learned more about American history, fiscal policy , patriotism and freedom than even before. And more important that learning about it was learning about what it means to me. 

In 2010, I felt what it was really like to put my hand on the pulse of our nation and feel the heart beat of America . And friends, I am telling you, it does not beat in Washington, DC. I beats in me, and in you and in every American citizen who still believes that a handshake is still worth something. Patriots, who believe morals are more valuable than the dollar and who serve God, family and country, in that order, are the pulse of this nation.

So, looking forward to 2011, I wonder what cards we are going to be dealt. But one thing I know for sure. The cards have not been dealt yet. I urge you to pull your chair up to the table, make your bet, and bet it all on America. And know that it is always a winning bet. The more Americans who put their faith and trust in things like freedom, honor and values then the bigger the pot we stand to win. Now, I warn you, sitting at this table comes with a great responsibility. You must arm yourself with education. What a powerful tool. You must find out what you, too, believe in. Read a book, listen to talk radio, educate yourself more about Americans of past and present that you admire and want to emulate. If you do these things, then you know that you have made a safe bet. America will stand with you. And we, as citizens of the United States of America, will win. By knowing what we value and what we believe in, then the pot is ours for the taking and in cashing it in, we will restore our honor. 

I invite you to walk with me hand-in-hand into 2011, not as friends, or family or strangers, but as Americans. We, together, can serve God, family, and country. I encourage you to set an example to yourself, your family, your community and your countrymen. Let your children see you pray and be vulnerable to our God. Tell then stories about real heroes like David, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln instead of pop music stars and reality TV personalities. Tell them that you have to work hard to succeed in life, but that it's possible if you believe in yourself. Tell them that freedom isn't free and about the men and woman of the armed forces, fire and police departments who make sacrifices daily to preserve it. Tell your friends that you are proud to be an American. Wear a flag on your lapel. Fly one in your front yard, or in front of your business. Be a voice in your community. Go to your town hall meetings, call your congressman, support small business. Make a promise by shaking someone's hand and mean it. Make this your resolution for the new year. Be the example. It starts with you and end when we no longer believe, or have our honor or our integrity. Preserve it for your children and grandchildren. Let this be OUR year. The year of the American.

Pay the price, or Unite

    If freedom isn't free, then what exactly does it cost? Blood? Live? Bullets? Maybe money or power? Perhaps it is a combination of all of these things.
    When you buy a home, you pay for it with money. When you sell that same home you would expect to receive money in return for the deed. So, if we bought our freedom with the blood, sweat and tears of other Americans, what are you willing to sell it for? Are you willing to hand it over for money? How about power? Or maybe in the name of security? I wonder what the men and woman who died fighting for our freedom would think about some of the things we ate willing to give up our freedom for. Have we fought on the battlefields of the world so that we can protect ourselves from ourselves? Have children walking among us have lost their mothers and fathers so that people who are not even citizens of this country can come and bask in the light and warmth of liberty?
    I don't know about you, but I love freedom. And I’m not willing to give it up so easily and cheaply. It is precious and it is rare and we have paid the highest price for it. So, let us have pride in our investment. Let us not hand it over in the cause of being comfortable, secure and 'taken care of.'
    Let us take care, instead, of ourselves. We, as Americans, must stand united. We don’t' have a choice. There are a lot of differences among us, and that is okay, but our principles, values and love of freedom can bring us together again. Just as it did our founding fathers who with divine providence mutually pledged to each other their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. Would you take that pledge today? Under the care and guardianship of God, do you pledge your life to each other? Do you pledge to contribute your fortune to the charities and maintenance of this great nation? How about your sacred honor? Do you live your life honestly? Do you tell the truth even when it hurts you, because it is the truth and the truth can set you free? Ask yourself these questions, and if you dare to say 'yes', then stand firm on your decision. Stand united with other Americans who pledge the same thing. We must unite, America. United-we stand, divided-we fall.

Don't Blink

I equate a lot of what I see going on in this country to a staring contest. They are staring you down. Waiting for you to blink. We can't blink. Each time we do, another grain on sand falls through our hands. They are stripping our freedoms away one blink at a time. We are supposed to be the most prosperous country in the world, thriving and growing. Instead we grow our government at the expense of our freedoms. We are going broke and we are not doing anything about it. We just keep blinking, allowing them to continue with their back room deals and justification of actions. I wonder if you could even find a liberal that could list to you the enumerated powers of the federal government. I bet you couldn't. That's because the new progressive movement survives solely on powers which they have granted to themselves by ignoring our constitution. I bet democrats like John F. Kennedy wouldn't even recognize his political party today. It doesn't  stand for anything, but itself. And I'm telling you, they are just waiting for you to blink. Don't blink. Don't flinch. Stand strong. Stand firmly on things that you know to be good and true. Maybe they don't exist in Washington anymore, but they things that are good and true are alive inside us, the citizens of America. Americans, stand united....don't blink.  

Be the Change

It is impossible to expect from other people that which you cannot expect from yourself. In the words of Gandhi,"be the change you want to see in the world." 
The same holds true with our families. How are we supposed to teach our children to be honest, moral, and polite, if we ourselves are not? We, as Americans, must stop looking outward for all of the answers and start looking inward instead. We must hold ourselves responsible and accountable for our actions. And as much so for our inactions I once heard a quote that said, "to not act is to act and to not speak is to speak." I find this to be unbelievably true. Are we not saying alot when we say nothing at all. Who is responsible when we sit and watch events unfold that we know and feel are wrong, but yet we do nothing to change them. No one has held us incapable of having a voice to be heard, but ourselves. And we alone have the ability to say 'no more.' Make that choice in your life. Speak. Act. Be the change. 

Educate Yourself

If I was a supporter of the democratic party, I would be exhausted. Exhausted from having to defend my vote. I listen to a lot of news and talk radio and it seems like each liberal that comes on lacks an actual argument or point. Instead they are full of defense. I wish they would spend as much time educating themselves about the subjects as they do defending someone else's view. It's time we educate ourselves. The people sitting in Washington are humans just like you and me and there is no reason why they should consider themselves more intellectually superior to you and I. It's time that we start demanding what we want from Washington rather than them demanding from us what they want. What do you want from Washington?

Clarity

Today was one of those days that I had to step back from my life and take a look from the outside looking in. Recently I made quite a few statements about being upset about the President taking away cost of living increases for all federal employees. Now, don't get me wrong, as a federal employee this stinks for me, but I had to think about it as an American first, and an employee second. Having thought about this I suppose what Obama is trying to do is a positive for his administration (assuming there are no hidden agendas). We need to make the hard cuts, the tough sacrifices and the ugly decisions. And if that means that I have to give up a family vacation to do it, well then, that is the least I can do in the name of freedom. I know that I have everything that I need and the Good Lord will make sure of that. I fear, however, that we are running out of Americans to lean on. Who else can take a cut? So many people are out of work and on food stamps and unemployment as it is. The government is bleeding us dry. I refuse to bleed to death. This isn't how it is suppose to be. I wonder who Mr. Obama is taking his direction from? I hope in all of the directions he is probably looking that he is spending most of his time looking up.