Memorial Day Tribute

Every seven years I have the privilege of celebrating my birthday with the entire United States. I was born on May 31 prior to the National Holiday Act of 1971 which ensures a three day weekend for federal holidays like Memorial Day, now celebrated on the last Monday in May. On this post 9/11 seventh year celebration I’m reminded of a number of sobering truths from which this holiday was born – truths that make Memorial Day one of the most hallowed days of the year.

Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. It was first observed on May 30, 1868 when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery – just four and one half years after Abraham Lincoln gave (what he thought “the world would little note nor long remember”) his Gettysburg Address.

Lincoln spent his entire presidency managing a civil war that would eventually bring together a United States, a “nation under God … a new birth of freedom – and [a] government of the people, by the people, [and] for the people” that would not “perish from the earth.”

Less than a month after Lincoln was sworn into office the Confederates opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, and the Civil War began. Subsequent battles include Bull Run, Shiloh, Antietam, and Fredericksburg. There was Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Cold Harbor, and the March to the Sea. Finally on April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate Army and the war was over.

On April 14, 1865, just five days after the Civil War ended, The Stars and Stripes was ceremoniously raised over Fort Sumter. Later that evening President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. The now famous address he delivered less than two years before would come to include his own life and death among those he immortalized as “brave men who struggled,” the “honored dead” from which “we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion.” His desire was to “resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.”

After World War I the holiday was changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war. Americans from World War II, Korea, Viet Nam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, all join ranks with the brave men and women who gave their all for the “self-evident truths” that the Founders, Lincoln, and many others believe to be worth living and dying for; “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.”

The untold number of service men and women who died throughout the years trying to secure and sustain our freedom is symbolized by the “Unknown Soldier” whose tomb in Arlington National Cemetery receives a wreath every Memorial Day and officially marks the remembrance of all who “shall not have died in vain.” To their service we salute, to their memories we cling, to their sacrifice we laud, and to their spirit we ascribe the highest earthly reverence.

Bordering Insanity

Arizona is the 48th and last of the contiguous states admitted to the Union. As one of the “Four Corners” states, it has suddenly become the center of national attention because of the newly enacted immigration law, SB1070. I’m stupefied at the amount of controversy and madness over this seemingly elementary law. Even the President has, once again, bowed into the debate with confounding dismissal concerning the State’s right to guard its borders, protect its citizens, and enforce the law.

Perhaps it’s time for a “Nachos Summit.” Yes, organizers could invite the Eagles to sing Tequila Sunrise, On the Border, and Desperado. Governor Brewer could serve Corona, Noche Buena, or Negra Modelo. Oops! Is it alright to say Negra? Didn’t the President learn a lesson from his freshman comments toward the brouhaha over police officer Sergeant James Crowley arresting Harvard professor and so-called race-relations expert, Henry Gates? In case you missed it Mr. President: engage brain before opening mouth!

Commenting on the arrest Obama said the police had “behaved stupidly.” Really? A police officer responding to a call concerning a possible break-in – is that what you call “behaving stupidly?” Now in another jaw-dropping round of staggering diatribe our Harvard law professor / President thinks that the state of Arizona has engaged in a “misguided effort” to enforce existing Federal immigration law. Further, he believes the passing of SB1070 will “open the door of irresponsibility” by other states to enforce their laws too!

Are we starting to see a pattern here? Does the President have something against law enforcement? Doesn’t the 10th amendment limit his federal ability to interfere in Arizona? Habla ingles? The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

It's All Good! - Really?

Recently I saw a post on facebook from a friend at church that said, “Health Bill good for some, not for others! God’s in control anyway! Deal with it! It's all good!” I guess he had seen or heard one too many comments about the healthcare debacle that just took place in Washington and was trying to weigh in on the debate. The problem, is that my friend just didn’t have his facts straight. Also, it occurred to me that he, like many others, probably had no facts or idea at all what the merits of the bill (now law) were and was clueless as to what just happened to him and the people of this great nation. The following is a slightly edited version of my reply.

Many people are upset with the way Washington has handled this health care reform. EVERYONE wants health care to be reformed and improved. But the way they went about it is dishonest, unethical, and more than likely unconstitutional. This law, unless repealed and repaired, will cripple our economy and endanger our security and superiority in the world. Never in the history of our nation has such a large piece of legislation been passed into law without partisan support. Think about it: NO Republicans in all of Congress (Senate or House) voted for this legislation, and 43 Democrats voted against it. Doesn’t that make you wonder why?

There is a reason our government is based on checks and balances and it is to keep politically driven legislation like this from happening. The Democrats could not get the votes they needed to pass this bill because it is a BAD BILL! So instead of coming to the table to discuss it and improve it by talking WITH Republican lawmakers they did everything in SECRET in the back rooms of Capitol Hill. Don't you see? They are lying to you and me. They used underhanded techniques to by-pass the right way to do things and literally forced this legislation on the American people.

For example, did you know that this bill FORCES YOU to buy health insurance? That's right - they are not going to give it to you or anyone else for free. And if you don't buy it THEY WILL FINE YOU! The Constitution of our nation does NOT give them the right to force you or me to buy anything from anyone. This bill is a violation of the 10th amendment and is already being challenged by a number of states. Further, did you know that because of this law the IRS will have to hire over 16,000 new government employees just to manage this bill? (Just more big government).

So you see my friend, this particular healthcare bill is not good for anyone, because everyone deserves to have their freedoms protected and not trampled on by the very government they elected. And yes, God is in control, but that doesn’t mean He wants us to be irresponsible or uneducated concerning the affairs of our nation and the legislators who govern us. “Deal with it” may have sounded cool in the 70’s, but it’s no excuse for promoting feelings without facts. “It’s all good?” I don’t think so, but it can be if we learn what’s really going on and become involved in intelligent debate.

Obakabuki

You could say I’m a part-time etymologist because I love the study of words. In fact, I tend to get slightly excited when I discover a new one I can use. Oh what a feeling when just the right word is discovered to drive home a point in a paragraph. I like to think of it as “word crafting.” You know, you carefully sculpt precisely what you mean, so you can mean exactly what you say. Well, this week while following the progress on the health care reform summit in Washington D.C. I learned a new word, and it speaks volumes.

I’m not sure of the exact origin of the word, but I saw it in a tweet from Michelle Malkin. Of course these days many words are just made up on the spot to fit a specific situation. Some of them fade away and some of them find a place in the next publication of the dictionary. Sometimes new words are a combination of one pre-existing word with another pre-existing word. For example “chillax.” My daughter informed me that it’s a combination of chill (as in chill out Dad) and relax (as in Dad, relax).

The new word I discovered is like that: two known words put together to form one new word. Arguably the least used of the two words is “kabuki.” It’s a popular drama developed in 17th century Japan and is characterized by elaborate costuming, rhythmic dialogue, and stylized acting. The other word is Obama. He is the 44th President of the United States, 48 years old, and is quite skilled in kabuki. He practiced it at Blair House across the street from the White House last week. So what’s the new word? Obakabuki! Reported as a box office bomb, this play is ready for curtains.

Massachusetts: More Than A Feeling

I imagine when Barak Obama looked outside the morning after what is being referred to as a modern day Boston massacre, his sun was gone (or at least dimmed). Perhaps he “turned on some music to start [his] day, lost [himself] in a familiar song, closed [his] eyes and slipped away.” Slowly and surely, the days since the eve of his one year anniversary have revealed something amiss in the way he’s governing America. The liberal version of health care reform, cap and trade, and foreign terrorist trials in New York, among other political faux pas, are fading from his myopic view and the volume of the voice of the people is being turned up.

Finally those of us who cringe every time he makes a move toward socialism and leftist ideals can breathe a sigh of relief. Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts not only gives equilibrium to a frightfully unbalanced senate, but it brings about the kind of change that gives many Americans hope for the next three years. Finally, the proverbial “his day is coming / how much longer can he get away with it” public sentiment is coming to fruition. Obama’s hand has been called. His execution of disastrous decision making has been stayed. The voice of moral clarity and common sense cried out for a reprieve and the voters of Massachusetts responded with approval.

For most of Obama’s first year in office conservatives tried voicing their disapproval of his agenda only to be ignored, disparaged, and talked down to. But now members of his own party are joining the chorus. Echoing what many Americans have been saying all year, Rep. Marion Berry, D-Ark said “You’re trying to do too much too quickly.” Moreover, while railing at Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner concerning the bailout, Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass. said “It just stinks!” Rounding out the trio Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y. searching for clarity in what the Whitehouse really wants said “We’re not getting much guidance from the mother ship.”

In a recent article in the National Review Online, writer Yuval Levin while referring to the President’s demeanor at the State of the Union speech said he seemed “amazingly disconnected from the moment.” Levin opined that Obama seemed to depict the loss of the democrat senate seat in Massachusetts as resulting from the public being “downtrodden and depressed…” but Levin concluded “the public mood seems more like fed up.”

Clearly, it is time for the President to listen to all the people - from red states and blue. They have something to say and it is probably worth hearing. Hopefully, President Obama will give serious thought to the election in Massachusetts, because unlike much of the liberal sentiment clouding the path of just governance in Washington, what happened in Massachusetts is more than a feeling. It is the voice of wisdom, perseverance, and passion of the American ideal rising up to assume its rightful place in the pursuit and expression of freedom.

Aside From the Truth

I can’t imagine anyone being more unqualified for the job Barak Obama now holds. If all his liberal antics, inane narcissistic behaviors, and partisan herd building were to magically go away he still wouldn’t be deserving of steering the nation that leads the free world. Apart from his inexperience in leadership and management the conduct most unsuitable for him as President is his noticeable inclination to contest the truth.

No one wants to call him a liar, but what other expression is acceptable? What about fraud, fake, pretender, impostor, hypocrite, or phony? According to Snopes.com the first 100 days he was in office the President perpetrated no less than fifty “untruths.” Now after more than ten months he persists in deviating from the record. His most recent uncorroborated statement came in Tuesday night’s address to the nation concerning more troops for Afghanistan.

While shamelessly taking another jab at the previous administration this president obliquely proclaimed “Commanders in Afghanistan repeatedly asked for support to deal with the reemergence of the Taliban, but these reinforcements did not arrive.” This straight-faced pretension drew the ire of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, heretofore publicly silent, who said, “The President’s assertion does a disservice to the truth and in particular to the thousands of men and women in uniform who have fought, served, and sacrificed in Afghanistan.”

The former Secretary asked Congress to review the claim to “determine exactly what requests were made, who made them, and where and why in the chain of command they were denied.” Although Obama dithers with regards to decisions, apologizes for the acceptable, and bows before the undeserved, he seems to be quite experienced in duplicity. Rumsfeld, said the claim was a “bald misstatement” that cannot go unanswered. Perhaps he meant bald-faced lie.

The Manhattan Declaration

On July 4, 1776 the Second Continental Congress adopted a statement announcing the independence of the thirteen colonies, then at war with Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence proclaimed the American colonies to be independent states free from British rule. On November 20, 2009 another declaration was published. This statement does not assert freedom from rule, but freedom under rule. The Manhattan Declaration informs civil authorities that those who sign will adhere to their convictions and “under no circumstance abandon their Christian consciences.” The truths revealed in this declaration may not be self-evident, but are Spirit manifested, held dear, and avowed to have proceeded from their Creator.

The Manhattan Declaration was drafted by Dr. Robert George – Princeton University, Dr. Timothy George – Samford University, Beeson Divinity School, and Chuck Colson – founder of the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. The writers begin with a brief reminder of the propensity for Christians to “defend the weak and vulnerable” and to give determined effort to “protect and strengthen vital institutions of civil society.”

A combination of Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical Christians, the group is united to “reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good.” The proclamation also stands as a call for citizens, whether believers or not, to join in defending these truths which include (1) the sanctity of human life, (2) the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife, and (3) the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

There are no new truths in this declaration. But in response to the existing cultural assault these statements are reaffirmed and published for the good of society and the resolution of human dignity. Signers of the Manhattan Declaration are committed to honoring these truths fearlessly, in all circumstances, and regardless of the consequences as they pursue life and liberty.