My Perspective of the State of the Union

I am a Desert Storm and War on Terror combat veteran who served over twenty years on active duty as an Infantry non-commissioned officer in the Army. I grew up in a country that I knew to be a beacon of hope and sanctuary for freedom loving people everywhere...a country that in my lifetime vanquished the cold grip of communism and the cold war. I am proud of my country and feel honored to have defended her through some difficult times.

Today I fear that my children and future generations of Americans may never know the sheer joy and exhilaration of waking up each day as a youngster in the country I once knew. I can still feel the warm glow of Saturday mornings waking up and watching cartoons on the television as my mom made pancakes, sausage and eggs. I would then go out to play in our neighborhood with the other boys and girls….usually cowboys and Indians or cops and robbers with our toy guns. In the summer, we would pitch plastic tents in the back yard or make forts out of old wood crates and cardboard boxes, and watch the stars at night. Our parents were not too concerned about our safety…in those days, grown-ups were very protective of children and were quick to correct them or take them by the ear and return them to their parents if they acted up or were disrespectful to others. I always felt safe around adults, particularly teachers and clergy. I had plenty of heroes to look up to…Audie Murphy, John Wayne, Tex Ritter, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers to name a few. These were adults who took on the bad guys and defended women, children and the sick & poor against all kinds of evil.

Politics were for grown-ups, but I remember watching the national political conventions on television as delegates proudly cast their ballots for presidential candidates amid much fanfare and state flag waving…without so much as a mention of their sexual orientation, racial background, or feelings about healthcare or global warming. The concern of these adults and most Americans was fighting the threat of communism, tyranny, and poverty while preserving the family and our free and open market system.

Consider the above in light of what we face in our “free” society today: the food police tell us we can’t eat eggs and sausage (unless synthetic, fat-free/cholesterol free). Showing American Indians on television is insensitive and defamatory. Cowboys are out since they remind us of George Bush and come from Texas or Arizona. Playing cops and robbers is too violent for children and promotes gun violence. Playing with homemade toys or structures not approved by the government is dangerous so wood crate forts are definitely out (along with the cardboard since it must be recycled). Children are no longer to be corrected by just any adult…they now have “rights” and can say or do most anything to anyone because of the threat of lawsuits. School officials and teachers hide behind the mythical shield of "separation of church and state" and fear of legal reprisals if they should discipline students or restrict their behavior in any way. Parents often compound the problem of the schools by shirking their responsibility to raise their children and set good examples through their own behavior….hey, it’s the anything-goes, do-your-own-thing, love-the-one-you’re-with society, right?

And who are the heroes and icons our children get to choose from today? Maybe you would pick people like Barak Hussein Obama, Johnny Depp, Lindsey Lohan, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Ronald Regan, or Rush Limbaugh; you’d be wrong. Time magazine picked these names as the most beloved Heroes & Icons in 2010:

Heroes & Icons
1. Michelle Obama
2. Chesley B. Sullenberger
3. Richard Phillips
4. Seth Berkley
5. Michael Eavis
6. Leonard Abess
7. Hadizatou Mani
8. Rick Warren
9. Van Jones
10. Somaly Mam

With the notable exception of Captain Sully Sullemberger, maybe the choices by Time Magazine really do reflect what the American People are looking for today in their culture…celebrities, victims, revolutionaries, cultural warriors, artists and community organizers who can change the world. After all, with Hollywood producers and directors who can rewrite the history of Pearl Harbor, WWII, JFK, Richard Nixon, Vietnam, the Cold War and our founding fathers, is it so terrible that our President thinks that there are 57 states and bows to foreign heads of state? It is actually not all the fault of Hollywood and the media that bad films are made and make money…they also make some remarkably good movies that just don’t get the headlines and “push” from the media. Take for example the HBO movie “Taking Chance” that follows the path of a fallen soldier killed in combat in Iraq as his remains are returned home. It is a moving story of personal courage shared by those whose lives are touched by this fallen warrior. It serves as an old fashioned reminder of how precious life truly is and how extraordinary are the men and women who love their country enough to risk their tomorrows for our today. We need more inspirational films like this one to fill in the gaps left by our failed educational system that rewards bureaucracy and stymies the factual teaching of American history and principles. And when it comes to making “creative” films, how about leaving the gore of Alien, Halloween “thrillers” and all the sordid themes of victimization, rape, murder, incest, mutilation and CSI remains examination out of films…it does nothing to advance society or enrich our childrens’ lives.

And while I’m at it, how about a change in our attitude towards politics? Politics should be about defining the mood and needs of the people who consent to be governed. It is not about those who govern, nor is it about the arrogance of power…it is about the responsibility to reflect the will of the people in the conduct of governance. It is time to return the American spirit to the ballot box and demonstrate once again that government in America is of, by and for the people…period. It is not a lifelong sanctuary for the ambitious, the arrogant or the greedy among us but rather the opportunity for a select few to serve one’s fellow citizens who have likewise pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to preserve the nation. Government must be trimmed to perform the essential functions intended by our founding fathers as outlined in the Constitution and only those other tasks specifically granted by the people from time to time.

I can only hope that my children and future grandchildren can help reverse the spiral of our country into the socialist abyss. If we and they cannot, then the last great hope for the world may truly be lost in a generation. Now is the time for all good men and women to stand together for America's future and move forward as a united Patriotic Tide.

"Ghost"

Debts and Debt Collectors

Many of us are probably in debt and sometimes wonder how we will ever get out of it.  I know that I only have about 8 months left on my truck and am praying that it continues to provide excellent transporation like it has.  I have forever left on my farm it seems.  It has gotten to the point lately that I wonder what the credit people were thinking when they grant us the means to buy things.  It is all dependent on a credit score that probably none of us truely understand or care to even try to understand.  We figure that as long as we are making the payments on time that everything is ok.  I read an article on the internet tonight about a lady who turned the tables on a debt collector.  That debt collector now owes her over $10 million dollars.  She realizes that she will probably never see any of the money.  I have noticed that a lot of these companies have sold the debts that owed them to debt buyers.  These debt buyers can sometimes go to extreme measures to try to collect the money.  The don't seem to be held to the same obligations that real banks, credit unions, and loan companies are.  I have run into that problem with the loan on my farm.  We orginally had our loan through Chase (yeah I know) and they sold it to some company in California without telling us in advance.  We didn't get anything from the new company until we were a month behind (according to them) even though we had sent our payment to Chase for that month.  I received 22 pieces of literature and numerous phone calls from the new lender and all of them started with we are seeking legal action and foreclosure against you since you have not made your payment.  Great way to start an new (longterm) relationship right?  It took me almost six weeks to get this all straightened out and yet when I filed taxes this year I found out that I was shortchanged on the money that they owed me for overpaying.  I will be only too happy to pay this loan off.  It's crazy when sometimes you hope that there would be a huge computer problem and all the records would be erased.  It's funny what you wish for when the future doesn't look as bright as we would like it.

America Calling!!!!!!

Hello?

America?

Are you there?

This is freedom calling.

Have you forgotten about me?

Perhaps we have, as Americans,forgotten about our long lost friend that we so fondly call 'freedom.'  Freedom is more than a guarantee, it is a state of mind, an emotion, and it is a rare commodity.  It gives us the independence to be self regulating and allows us to decide what the best is for ourselves, our family, and our future.  There is nowhere else in the world where you can experience freedom as boundlessly as you can here, in the United States of America.  In the famous words of Ronald Reagan, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."  Our freedom needs to be protected and watched over.

So why is it that so many Americans have lost sight of Freedom, in the name of being comfortable, having rights, and being ignorant t the perversion of our government?  Ah, yes, our government, the very structure put into place to ensure that our freedoms never get taken away, diminished or re-interpreted.  They promise no protection of our freedoms, but protection from ourselves, from our decisions and of our rights (which, by the way, they designate to us),

Isn't it clear?  They said, "you don't have the ability to save money for your retirement", so they tax us for social security and spend our hard earned money until we get to the age that they say we can retire at and slowly and systematically dispense our own money back to us.  That is, if you qualify to get your money back.  Social Security along with other government entitlement programs like welfare, unemployment and 'Obama Care' are basically the ways of the government saying, "you're too stupid to know what to do with your money, and we know better than you, so let us PROTECT you from yourself by providing you with these 'free' services."  In the infamous words of Thomas Jefferson,

"When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny."

America, it is time to wake up.  Wise up, And rise up.  Educate yourself about what the government is serving up to us.  Ask yourself how this is going to affect your freedom, and where it's going to stop.  Does it stop with another revolution?  Or does it stop with enlightenment?  We have a duty, as American citizens, to protect our freedoms and the things we believe in.  What do you believe in?

Message from Uncle Sam

I WANT YOU!!!

YES, I MEAN YOU!!

I want you to give back to me the America I Love.

I want you to embrace the Constitution of the United States of America.

I want you to go back and read what the Founding Fathers intended.

I want you to realize how precious your vote is, a vote not to be wasted on a politician: whom you know little about his or her thoughts and, actions.

I want you to think about all those who fought and, those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

I want you to stand up and protect that, which so many fought to preserve.

I want you to understand, it is now your turn to ensure their efforts were not in vain.

I want you to speak about this Nation in positive terms and praise, remembering, politicians come and go, Our America is to remain a beacon of light forever.

I want you to take on the responsibility of teaching, America’s Greatness to our children. Do not leave it to others, for they will not care, as much, as you do.

I want you refresh your own memory, with the history that I created for you.

I want you to thank every Military Veteran and, Active Military person that you meet.

I want you to thank your Creator for this incredible Land, that we are richly blessed to call home. 

Lovingly, Uncle Sam.

P.S Please remember to pray for our Military,they have done a magnificent job since we became a Nation.

Information Age

There have always been times in our history where an era has been defined by what the advancements that are happening at the time.  You have the industrial revolution which has in effect revolutionized all other advancements even to this day.  The industrial revolution started in the late 1750's and is continuing to this day be furturing the advancements in our society.  One of the advancements is our ability to be better informed about what is transpiring in our world every day.  You only have to read a paper, watch the news, or surf the internet to find out just about anything you want.  This is called the information age and it has helped make the world a smaller place.  At the same time though it has made it easier to share knowledge and also to steal that same knowledge.  You can do an internet search on just about any topic using a multitude of search engines to find out about any subject matter you are interested in.  Some of these sights are full of useful factual information and some of them are just full of jibberish.  The key is being able to tell the difference as you are researching any subject.  This information age has really brought the world to your doorstep.  During WWII you heard about the war by listening to your radio or you saw some film when you went to the theater.  It was all days old news.  During this latest War on Terror we have embedded reporters who are bringing you the fighting as it is happening.  Does that take it too far?  Are we placing our young men and women in a more dangerous situation?  Those questions are above my pay grade.  I like to be informed about the news and to keep myself up to date with what is happening in the world.  The rest of my family really doesn't care.  Unless it is affecting them they don't care.  Even while I was deployed to Iraq this last time they didn't watch the news to stay informed about what was happening over there.  I know that they care in their own way but at the same time that can be troubling to an individual because actions speak louder then words and their actions say "so what".  Enough about me though.  I just think that people should be more informed about what is transpiring in the world and have at least enough knowledge about those events that they could be proactive in a discussion instead of having that "deer in the headlights look" when you are talking about worldly events.  An informed individual is a benefit to the people around them.

American

     What does it mean to be an American?  Is it the same as being a United States citizen?  From my thinking and again this is my point of view I don't think that they are the same.  I say this because from what I see and read today we have too many hyphenated people.  What I mean by that is African-American, Mexican-American, Muslim-American.  What is wrong with just being American.  It used to be that there were block parties and you interacted with your neighbors.  You knew who your friends were and you could say anything to them.  Today our society has developed into a Public relations nightmare.  People are afraid to say what they really feel because they don't want the confrontation or the heartache that goes with it.  People are going through life like an actor in a play.  In a way it seems like a silent jihad is taking place.  We don't have to worry about the enemy destroying our way of life because we are doing it to ourselves.  The enemy doesn't have to cut our throat because of all the bleeding hearts in our society now we are slowly dieing.  This is only my point of view and maybe my thinking is wrong.  It just seems like we care more about how we treat the bad people then we do about the good.
     Just take this for an example.  If you had an altercation with a minority (you put your hand on his shoulder to get him to stop doing something illegal) and he pressed charges against you.  Would you be perceived as innocent or guilty?  Would our liberal media try you in the paper and on the news without knowing the full story?  Would you life basically be over as you know it?  These are just some of the questions that run through my mind when I read the internet and the watch the news.  It is no wonder we no longer really help others.  We used to get together as a community and do a barn raising.  They used to build a complete barn in just a couple of days.  Why?  Because everyone was involved.  Sometimes progress isn't for the better I think.  Just the rumblings of a concerned citizen of America.

Sacrifice

Tuesday my youngest son will be going up to the MEPs station in Kansas City and signing up to be in the United States Army.  He is choosing to go and I am so proud of him.  I have never forced my sons to follow my example and join the military and yet each of them did of their own accord.  My oldest is in the United States Air Force and currently in Great Falls, Montana guarding missile silos.  He is on orders to go to portugal in December and is very excited about the opportunity.  My second son is in the United States Army in Hawaii working with computers.  It is time for him to reenlist and he is exploring his options.  I am extremely proud of these three young men.  They have made it their responsibility in life to serve and possibly fight to protect our rights.  I was reading my copy of the Army Times this morning and started looking at the pictures of the fallen fromour war on terror.  I only looked at the Operation Iraqi Freedom pictures since that is where I served so much of my time.  Most people might know one or two people who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.  It was an emotional morning as I counted the number of fallen who I had served with and knew personally.  An Infantry platoon has 30 people in it and there are 3 Infantry platoon's in an Infantry company.  You can see by this example that when I say I knew and served with 58 people who have paid that sacrifice I am referring to almost two thirds of an Infantry company.  It makes me very sad, guilty, proud, and relieved all at the same time.  Knowing that there are men and women such as those who paid that sacrifice who willing join the military each and every day.  I know this because I have known three of these individuals for all of their lives and would gladly stand by their sides any day of the week.  I know that by my sons joining the military that they have placed themselves into the breach to defend our freedoms.  I know that at any time their time on this earth could come to an end and yet you can't deny that they enjoy each and every day of what they are doing.  I am the same as any parent out there who would gladly change places with the ones they love if they are in harms way but my heart beats proudly knowing that I have such strong sons to carry on the mission of defending this great nation.  I hope other people realize the sacrifices that our young men and women go through in order for you to go about your daily lives.

School Shootings

I was cruising the internet today when I saw the breaking news of a shooting in a California Christian School.  Initially it was said there were at least five people hurt and later it was reported that 5 people were killed.  This seems to be an escalating problem in our society.  After reading this article I did a search of other shootings and found a very disturbing trend.  Some so called experts will say that the people involved in the shootings have watched too much violence on TV or at the movies.  They have played too many violent video games.  I for one will say that those excuses are crap.  I have served 5 years in a war zone and that is more violent then any TV show or video game.  In those situations there is no starting over at a saved spot or just waiting until the next movie where you will see that actor and he is alive and well.  Another excuse you hear is that the person was picked on all the time and they didn't have many friends and so on and so on.  When do we as a society place the blame where it really should be placed?  Don't parents have the ultimate responsibility of teaching their children right from wrong?  Aren't they ultimately responsible for watching out for the welfare of society?  I know that my wife and I talk to our kids to see how their days went and how they are physically and mentally.  We are constantly in touch with our sons even today and two of them are thousands of miles away.  They have grown into very fine young men.  This subject strikes close to home for me because my youngest son was going to Joplin Memorial school a few years ago when there was a shooting there.  I was mad when this happened but not at the student so much as at the school administration and the parents of the shooter.  We as parents have this obligation from the time that we choose to become a parent.  Maybe we need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we are doing the best for our kids and society that we are able to.  If the answer is yes then congratulations and keep up the good work.  If the answer is no then you have some work ahead of you.  I wish you the best of luck.  Lets keep these people in our prayers.