I will always stand for the flag, and kneel at the cross.
Several weeks ago, during his morning message, our Pastor stated, "Freedom isn't free." I have heard that expression for so many years. As I get older, that phrase means more to me than ever. That morning Pastor Jim asked, "How many of you have someone in your family who is, or was in the military? I would like you to stand." I stood to honor my Father, my Aunt, Uncle, my Husband and my son. He added, "don't just look at me, but turn around and look at all the people who are standing." I turned around to see what he was talking about. I'm guessing more than half of the congregation was standing. He hesitated, and I sensed he was overcome by what he was seeing too. Some of those men and women did not come home. He asked those who lost a loved one while serving in the military to remain standing. Our church is small, by comparison, however there were more people standing that I realized. It did not have to be an immediate family member, but someone in their family or extended family.
When I learn about someone burning the flag, I literally see red. Or when I see on the news, people protesting something, anything, I often wonder why they stay in this country...if they were living in another country they would be punished harshly, maybe even killed for voicing their opinion, positive or negative. I am always amused when Jessie Waters (Waters World, Fox News), randomly interviews people on the street. He asks people to identify a picture of someone one. One day he chose Nancy Pelosi. The people he interviewed had absolutely no idea who she is. I remember one occasion when Waters asked a person why she was protesting, her answer...because it isn't right! When Jessie probed a little further, he asked, "what isn't right?" She said, "stuff, all this stuff." Hmmm, I guess that clears it up.
I know the 4th of July was several days ago, but I can't get the image of the people left standing, who have lost loved ones, fighting for that very flag people are burning, or protesting.
I don't know about you, but I will fight to the death to fight for my country. I will always stand for my flag, and I will continue to kneel at the cross. I think some people just have it backwards.
I am nearly as old as you are. I didn't lose anyone in war, but did lose two uncles who after World War II were seriously affected with PTSD and as a result lead ruined lives, even though one was honored in his hometown as a hero for serving for 101st Airborne.
The last time that our freedom was seriously threatened was during that awful war. Thankfully, the Cold War was a standoff that avoided nuclear annihilation (not our boys giving their lives) largely through negotiation that is still going on. The Vietnam War was a big mistake (I've been living with the Vietnamese refugee for 26 years who hated the communists. But most of her family is from the Hanoi area and one uncle, still alive, survived all those years of fighting the French and the Americans who had invaded their country for purposes of Christianity and anti-communism. She wishes the Americans had never come because so many Vietnamese and Americans died along with so many refugees like her who died trying to leave the country with no avail because the communists eventually took over the country anyway. Now turning very capitalist like the Chinese and Russians.
You may forget that this country started with protest. Awful things were done by our patriots, ruffians and ragged mobs, to the beautiful British flag and monarchy symbols. Our so-called freedom was really trying to avoid heavy taxes by the king and rules that King George imposed on us, people freeing economic and religious misfortune from all over Europe to take over this country from its longtime inhabitants, Native Americans who had no say in the matter, be killed and taken for their land. I learned recently that Indians provided huge amounts of food for the Continental Army at Valley Forge or they would have starved to death that winter. Why do we forget those good deeds? Write them out of history?
Our military since 1970 has largely been a mercenary force made up of primarily poor, immigrant and uneducated seeking offers of college and pay that they cannot get in civilian jobs. Overt displays of military strength are totally unnecessary when our military can beat up a small country in days and kill millions of civilians with collateral damage without any remorse, dehumanizing people for their culture or their beliefs. Is that freedom? Or is it bigotry?
Fox News has been proven to be a tool of the right wing conservative part of America that you subscribe to. Those interviews were pre-recorded and probably, carefully selected to prove the point that you are making. Jimmy Kimmel also runs interviews of people in the street and finds that generally most Americans are so tied up with their personal lives that they don't really know or care much about what is going on in government, unlike older conservatives like yourself. I still remember how ignorant my high school and college classmates were about things, important.
Nancy Pelosi is a target because she is Speaker of the House and third in line for the presidency. Before her, Paul Ryan was a target of abuse for the same reason and resigned, not running for a congressional seat again.
The Speaker of the House charge is to enforce the rules of Congress so that all parties are heard and that the process of lawmaking is fair to all the people, all the time. Not only just to the wealthy, landowners, churchgoers, military lovers, and longtime residents.
Mushroom Cloud, a fact-based historical novel, is the first book of The First Strike Trilogy: USA and the Soviet Union are building nuclear arms for a face off in a potential nuclear war in the late 1950's and early 1960's.
An illustrated developmental history of the American military chemical and biological protective respirator for use against war agents, this work provides photographs of actual respirator specimens and several useful appendices, in addition to its en
