A Freedom Fighter

We are in a battle for the soul of America.  There are two profoundly different sides in this war.  One side, made up of ordinary Americans—We the People—believe in the limited government specified in the Constitution and in the God-given right of individuals to direct their own destiny. 

The other side, made up of the current Federal government, all branches of which are run by extremely liberal Democrats, believe that a handful of Ivy-league educated idealists know better how to run every facet of our lives than we do.  These "leaders" have NO experience in the real world; all they know is theories which have been proven unworkable every time they've been tried in other countries and have led to horrible suffering and death for citizens who dared to criticize their governments. 

Freedom works, every time it's tried.  There is no perfect system of government because humans are inherently imperfect.  But our democratic Republic has been a beacon of light to oppressed people throughout the world for over 200 years.  We the People do not want a handful of overly educated and power hungry bureaucrats to steal it from us and our children.  Millions of men and women from the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror have suffered and died that we might be free.  We owe it to them and to the generations coming after us to do all in our power to preserve these freedoms. 

YOU can make a difference on November 2nd of this year.  We the People have an opportunity to replace some of the politicians who are destroying our freedom.  Here in Kerrville, Texas we are represented in Washington D.C. by Lamar Smith, who has become more and more conservative since Obama took office. 

But in Senate District 23, which encompasses a huge piece of Texas from the northern part of San Antonio (UTSA area) all along the border to El Paso, the current Democrat Congressman is Ciro "Zero" Rodriguez, who has voted for every bailout, health "care" legislation, and every other bad bill presented in the House over the last 18 months.  He is on Nancy Pelosi's team to destroy our Constitutional Republic. 

His opponent is a conservative, freedom-loving, Constitution-following Republican named Francisco Canseco (everyone calls him "Quico" which is pronounced "Keeko").  He needs our help!!!!  If you are interested in keeping your God-given rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, please contact friends and acquaintances who live in SD 23 and ask them to vote for Quico Canseco.  OR help him with a donation, no matter how small.  OR help his campaign as many across the nation did for Scott Brown in Massachusetts.

Here's Quico's website so you can read about him:  http://www.cansecoforcongress.com/

A Call for Help in Preserving our Freedom

At yesterday's "Hands Off Texas" rally in Austin, Ted Cruz read the first letter that Col. Travis wrote from the Alamo asking for help when the 13 day siege began.  The words struck me as they never have before; we are surrounded, as Travis and his men were, and each of us must do our part to stir up the love of freedom in the hearts of our fellow Americans:

February 24, 1836

To the People of Texas & all Americans in the world

Fellow citizens & compatriots, I am besieged by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna.  I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man.  The enemy has demanded a Surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken.  I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the wall.  I shall never Surrender or retreat.

Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & every thing dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch.  The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days.  If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country -----

Victory or Death

William Barret Travis
Lt. Col. Comdt

Happy Birthday, America!

When the Israelites were freed from Egyptian slavery, it was not their might that did it.  It was all the power of GOD through Moses.  It did not happen overnight, either.  GOD had allowed Israel to be enslaved in order to bring them back to Him, and at the time of their deliverance He sent a series of miraculous events to remind them Who was in charge.

After they were freed, the Israelites were commanded in the law given by GOD through Moses to remember this deliverance and His care for them through a series of feast days and other events.  One, called the Jubilee, happened every 50th year:  "And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.  It shall be a jubilee unto you..." Leviticus 25:10

When the Continental Congress proclaimed independence from England on July 4, 1776, they acknowledged the hand of GOD in all their dealings.  Even so, the birth of this nation did not happen overnight.  It took a huge commitment and unbelievable sacrifice on the part of a minority of Americans over many long years of battles (more lost than won) and deprivation before the goal of independence was realized.  Perhaps this nation became free through such tribulation in order that we might remember it was GOD's might, not ours, that accomplished it.

On this 234th birthday of the United States of America, I pray that we will humble ourselves and not trust in our own strength, but pledge "our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor" to the One Who created everything and from Whom come our lives, our freedoms, and our inalienable rights.

The Star Spangled Banner

On this day in 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as our official flag.  In honor of Flag Day, here is our National Anthem--all FOUR verses:

The Star Spangled Banner
lyrics by Francis Scott Key 1814

Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
‘Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Freedom isn't free

Those words can become trite unless we ponder their meaning and the sacrifice that millions have given so that we, their posterity (descendants) might remain free.

From the Revolutionary War through today's War on Terror, those who have fought and died or been horribly and permanently injured on our behalf have been mostly young men (and now women).  Teenagers, early twenties at most, but all in the prime of their young lives.  They gave up their futures fighting for a cause greater than themselves.  It humbles me profoundly.

What are we doing to ensure that their sacrifice was not in vain?  We are the guardians of that precious gift of God--freedom.  Most of us are not called upon to defend it by giving up our lives, as our heroes have done.  But we have a duty to keep their memory before us always as a reminder to see our freedom as a blood-bought gift, very similar to our soul's salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Honor the dead.  Pray for the living who are in the midst of the fight.  And don't take for granted our legacy of freedom; defend it for generations to follow.

My favorite patriots

Here's an updated photo of the Young Patriots Fife & Drum Corps plus our commander, General Washington, just before we marched to the Kerr County Courthouse in pouring rain for a T.E.A. party.  I just finished our newest recruit's official blue waistcoat, so at our next event at the local Veteran's Hospital next week, he will have the uniform, just not the period drum.

Doing our part to educate Texans about the Revolutionary War era....

How big should government be?

After reading an article in this weekend's Parade magazine, I had to comment on their website in answer to their question, "How big should government be?"

The best government is that which governs least; government should stay out of the citizens' way and provide only those things that individuals cannot do alone, namely national security. When government does what individuals should do, it robs us of our creativity to solve problems and our compassion to help our neighbors. Our allegiance should be to the rule of law, not to power-hungry individuals, for even the best-intentioned public servant will become corrupted over time when tempted by unlimited power over the national treasury.

“A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." President Gerald R. Ford (a paraphrase of an original quote by Thomas Jefferson)