Terri's Day means we have nothing to fear but fear itself

Every period of our nation's history has an establishing measuring point for the culture. It is something that has always embodied a defining moment, some salient point, which earmarks for America's soul when it is time to re-arm and recover its spirit.

Is it a mystery that Terry Wallis and his remarkable story of reawakening after nearly 20 years to an America that has literally passed him by is a new reminder of how precious it is to not give up on life no how long it takes or how miraculous it may seem to have faith. In Terry Wallis' world of 19 years ago, Americans and the world were still fearful, until President Ronald Reagan, now a virtual legend in our nation's recent history stood against the fear of communism and challenged the then "Evil Empire" to tear down the wall of Communism which had gripped the world for at least two generations.

America and the world needed a new reference point. President Reagan's firm defiance of conventional political correctness, which was at that time to acquiesce on bended knee and embrace failure and negotiate away freedom, and time honored values because to do otherwise would be to fear the possibility of success.

President Reagan knew that history demanded that the nation stand against the fear in whatever form it would transform itself into. He came of age during the Great Depression. This period was probably the most transformative period in America's history. Reagan experienced what millions of Americans experienced when another remarkable American President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933 surveyed the nation's consciousness and gave Americans new courage and faith in ourselves by stating in his first inaugural speech said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself"

But seventy three years and ten Presidents later America has indeed sunk into another depression which is much more severe than the economic mind numbing tailspin which the nation grappled with during the harrowing years of the 1930's.

This depression may have seen its true genesis in those dark days, when faith, family and freedom were being challenged by new "beliefs" being heralded by Margaret Sanger of Planned Parenthood, Roger Nash Baldwin founder of the fledgling ACLU, which in 1933 was celebrating its 13th birthday.

Many Americans look at the passage of time and the apparent "undoing" of America's "Culture of Life" as an ideological exercise, only cherished and fought for by conservative zealots who live in some fanatical world sandwiched between the eight years of the Eisenhower's Administration and the early years of the Kennedy administration, sort of pre-Cuban Missile Crisis. Culture of Life detractors believe those were the days which Culture of Life supporters would like to force-feed America. Many of these detractors superficially attempt to define contemporary Culture of Lifers as coming of age in this narrow sliver of a historical reference point, without understanding Culture of Life defenders draw upon their historical weaponry from all parts of our American history.

But these warriors of disbelief who worship at the alter of moral and principled relativism are actually the very ones who hasten the disembodiment of our nation's valued culture of life. They are the ones, which say that Americans should co-exist with its international neighbors and be guided by their godless legal constructs, which exist only to make our life easier in order to promote a culture of death.

I have spent the last several months writing and speaking about Terri Schiavo and the need for a national Terri's Day. I have seen even in my own state those who are well meaning, yet have backed away from even discussing what happened to Terri. It is as if they have to look over their shoulder to see if the ACLU thought police are listening in to see if they are going to say something incorrect, like "Terri was murdered."

You have to ask, what then? If said, would these same caring and compassionate supporters of the culture of life be sent to some type of mind adjusting gulag where all the other supporters of life, of family values, of English ... America's true language, of protecting our borders, or life are sent?

I have spoken with, met with, and even shared with many Americans across the nation who has felt isolated and alone, just as Terri's family did during those early years after Terri was hospitalized. For these Americans, at times it felt like their fear of isolation could be overwhelming because each person had a story from their own family's history, a reference point for their own fight for life, which was fought without fanfare, without support and without any real options, they thought. But they held onto one basic principle which guided them; while they anguished over the plight a family member, a mother, a father, a daughter, a son, a brother or sister or father-in-law; the god given right to live... the right to life.

So after almost three quarters of a century when President Franklin D. Roosevelt stood in the nation's capitol and delivered those remarkable words to help comfort a frightened, hurting, and in many ways isolated America... He said in those brief words, we were stronger than our fears, we were guided by our faith, by our cherished freedoms, by our value of family... the American family that stood with us through war, natural disasters and now depression, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself"

America, we have a clarion call that is issuing forth from those dark days, which brought new hope to America.

We in the month of our nation's celebrated independence we must let our young ones, our teens, our young adults and our middle-agers and those who may have forgotten the sacrifice that Terri Schiavo's death and now the reawakening of Terry Wallis who for over 19 years was barely conscious and has now regained speech and movement because his brain has remarkably spontaneously rewired itself, we must stand for life. Terry Wallis life was protected and the miracle of his brain growing tiny new nerve connections are not shadowy coincidences that can be easily explained away by doctors or scientists. His life and Terri's untimely and needless death are both reminders, that life and the culture, which must exist to protect it, are not marginal beliefs to be only held and discussed in secret. That protection of these ideals needs its own independence.

July 2006 is Independence Month and it is a reminder of the spirit of hope, of faith of family that we should begin willingly and openly share with each other and the lonely stories which we harbor inside because we fear that to share our hurt, our pain, our anguish and our confusion,,, that fear must be cast aside in order to protect loved ones, or strangers because as Americans we not remain shackled to the darkness of our self imposed fear and depression.

Not any more. Terri Schiavo and Terri's Day of Remembrance and Celebration of the Culture of Life belongs to each and every one of us, and now in this month of our nation's independence, each and every one of us can come out of the politically correct darkness, we can cast aside the fear and celebrate and share the light of life, the gift of life and rebuild retake and reclaim our American Culture of Life with the words, now given new meaning" We have nothing to fear but fear itself...we have everything to gain with Life itself"

America... In this our month of Independence we will fear no more. Support the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation: www.terrisfight.org or go to www.kevinfobbs.com because America we refuse to be afraid anymore.

Kevin Fobbs is President of National Urban Policy Action Council (NuPac), a non-partisan civic and citizen-action organization that focuses on taking the politics out of policy to secure urban America's future one neighborhood, one city, and one person at a time. View NuPac on the web at www.nupac.info. Kevin Fobbs is a regular contributing columnist for the Detroit News. He is also the host of The Kevin Fobbs Show ( www.kevinfobbs.com). Write him at kevin@kevinfobbs.com.

NOTHING could be further from the truth. These big-picture issues are the winds that fill America's sails, and those who see with prescient eyes beyond the tranquil blue horizon know that rough seas lurk beyond.

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