Free Republic

Happy Birthday United States Army. June 14, 1775. Hooah!!

When I was a child growing up in the hollows of West Virginia coal country, we still called it Decoration Day. It was the day set aside to visit and decorate the graves of those who gave their lives in our nation’s wars. The guardians of our freedom rest in cemeteries across our land, at the places where they stood final muster in foreign lands, and some rest in places known only to God. Now we call it Memorial Day and sadly, most of our children neither know nor are taught about the significance of it and to countless more,...

What constitutes the true soul of America? What is our authentic nature? What gives our country its distinctive character? Answer each for yourself, but know that these are the questions the answers to which will decide our national fate. In a few months, we will have to answer them with our votes. In one of his political ads, Mitt Romney declared that the general election is not about winning the presidency; rather it is a battle for the soul of America. It is a very noble sounding proclamation for a political ad and neither the liberals nor its establishment republican...

When a promise or dream defines a national state of mind, a charlatan, with support of his equally fraudulent comrades, hoping to change the nation rather than lead it toward the promise and the dream will always try to define both to suit his self-interest. What is the American promise? What is the American dream? We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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 Declaration of Independence Is that not the answer...

It is an election year, a.k.a. the silly season in America. If you are a talk radio junkie, you may need to kick your habit until at least the second Tuesday after the first Monday in November. If you do not, some neurotic radio head may plant doubt in your mind. So much so that on election day you may declare that there is no use and stay home, thus guaranteeing that America falls on over the cliff which is now her wobbly perch. I enjoy listening to the people with great voices who talk for a living. They are...

That is the opening phrase of the Associated Press article announcing plans to further decimate our Armed Forces. And in the name of what? Frugality? It is the most irresponsible and dangerous act in recent history otherwise I might break into hysterical laughter. Once upon a time in the Army, thinking and planning was based on what is essential. Not how much something costs, but whether doing it or not doing it is difference between success and failure. Living and dying. If the objective is to simply cut the national budget, then you can hack and slash until you get...

Is the real issue hidden beneath a catchy headline “the war on Christmas?” A war on Christmas is a war against what we call a decorated tree. It is a war against what we call the school break that arrives each year around Christmas time. It is a war against public display of Christian themed decorations. It is a war of political correctness of whether one should wish you a Merry Christmas, offer you a sanitized season’s greeting, or refer to an alternative list of faith based and made up celebrations, all so as not to offend. To that extent,...

I spent the past week in the vicinity of our nation’s capitol. I was near enough that the stench settled on my location whenever the breeze was unfavorable. Fortunately, I did not have to enter politics’ den of iniquity. I have seen a sizeable chunk of our world. My travels confirmed some things for me. One in particular. Politics is politics. No matter the location, it is clearly and sadly a profession for and of scoundrels. Tailor made for unchecked and even protected criminal activity. To confirm that, you only need to look at what happens when a potential anti-scoundrel...

This is the time when Americans observe the state of our lives and of our nation and wonder what it is for which we should be thankful. As a matter of introspect, these thanks are too often for material things. But that is not what ties it all together. Is it? C. S. Lewis, one of the greatest minds of all time, could pack more logic into a single phrase than most could hope to achieve in a manifesto. His reasoning is clear and his point concise. For all things, be thankful. “We ought to give thanks for all fortune:...

“An honest man’s the noblest work of God.” – Alexander Pope Each one of us holds to a set of principles. They may not represent a mainstream set of values. In fact, they may be the direct opposite of what is considered mainstream. Attempting to define mainstream only adds to the confusion. Who defines it for us? Those who try to do so by telling us what most Americans want or what most Americans believe or what is best for most Americans. The problem is the leader or would be leader attempting to define mainstream for the rest of us...

… but it's tougher when you're stupid. That according to John Wayne. Out in our cities around the land, stupid people are cheering for communism, letting fly with anti-Semitic rants, calling for the destruction of capitalism, raping one another, stealing from one another, trying to burn Oakland with a complicit mayor, and generally being off put by homeless vagrants trying to get some of their food. Life is tough for these people. It will probably get tougher because they are stupid. Someday reality will rise up and smack them between the eyes like a piece of dimension lumber. For their...

And the fruit did not fall far from the tree. Hearing that Arlo Guthrie turned out to support the communist occupation of Zucotti Park was no surprise. Where else would one expect a 1960’s hippie anti war communist to be, besides Alice’s Restaurant? Like daddy’s song said, this land is your land. Private property? Who needs it? This land was made for you and me. As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there And that sign said - no tress passin' But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin! Now that side was made for you...

People who have been in this world awhile and experienced life in America at its toughest and at its best are expressing fear. I have been personal witness to it. It is fear of a revolution and not one in the spirit of the first American Revolution. They fear one that ends in death, destruction, and loss of their freedom. It is a revolution that “fundamentally transforms” the United States of America from a Constitutional Republic into a Chairman Mao-like communist dictatorship. One that extinguishes the true beacon of “hope” that the United States of America has been to the...

I have seen this bull crap before. You have too if you were alive and conscious during the 1960’s. Most of the brainwashed children of the privileged, who are out to destroy capitalism and are led by the likes of avowed communist and 911 truther Van Jones, have not seen this before. Ignorant, slothful, educated in communist re-education camps called universities and woefully unprepared for the society they believe they want. These useful idiots equipped with I-pads and I-phones await their tweeted orders while professing to hate the system that gave them I-phones and the Internet. It has hardly more...

According to the President, we are. I agree. America was once unapologetically Christian. A nation underpinned by Christian values. At the beginning of our country, and from the pulpit our pastors inspired revolution. Today, they fear the wrath of government and the Internal Revenue Service more than they fear the wrath of God should they utter a single phrase in opposition to the direction our government tries to steer us. So much for if we stand with You, no one can stand against us. Most Americans still claim to be Christian, but unfortunately it is a claim not supported by...

September 11, 2011 has passed. I have not checked the headlines this morning. It could be the world ended. It is a peaceful morning waiting the sunrise here in Wild and Wonderful. I did not make my typical Sunday afternoon post. I felt no need to share my where I was when story. It is the significance of what happened to us on that day that keeps it clear in my mind. Not what I was doing. I remember where I was when President Kennedy was shot too, but it has no bearing on the historical event. Just as it...

I have been waiting for someone prominent in politics to chat with you. People whose actions are driven by pollsters and political strategists rather than conviction are not likely to do that on my behalf. Like you, they only operate on their own behalf. Disheartening is it not? Thank you for the invitation to accompany you on your journey. As heartfelt as I know your offer is, I regret that I am unable to accept the invitation to come into your house or accompany you on your life’s journey. Maxine, I am a red, white and blue-American. That is probably...

I have written before about the leadership equation. The equation discusses necessary elements that combine to make a leader effective. The bottom line of leadership is the ability to influence others toward achieving specific goals or a vision. If the actions of the leader – demonstrated character and competence – fall short, the led will pull away from rather than follow. When the led pull away, failing leaders become desperate. Historically, dangerously so. As a leader hopes to influence outcomes, he or she must demonstrate some intangible attributes that further define his or her character. A leader motivates. How do...

America’s soul is individual liberty. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. – Matthew 10:28 (NIV) The meaning of America’s soul resides in the American heart. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. - Mark 7: 21-22 (NIV) At our Nation’s birth, we declared that our nation’s soul derived from unalienable rights endowed to us by our...

All I ever need to know about Washington I learned by observing the debt ceiling debacle. First and foremost, it is imperative for America’s survival to rid herself of career politicians. Our manufactured, bought and paid for political ruling class has our country on the verge of destruction. The people who caused the problems cannot be counted on to solve them because they do not understand that it is they who are the problem. Self-centered, power grubbing halfwits who would sale anyone or any nation down the river just to maintain a vaunted title and some sense of power. They...