In 1868, Decoration Day was
established to honor the battlefield casualties of
the Civil War. After World War I, Decoration Day
expanded to honor all fallen heroes. Beginning with
our War for Independence up through the first Gulf
War, 650,954 Americans have died on the battlefield.
If we add deaths from war time disease, starvation
or accidents unrelated to hostilities, an additional
538,503 fatalities brings America’s total cost of
freedom to 1,431,290 lives. Liberty is expensive.
I fear average Americans and most politicians ignore
the high price paid by others. When voters elect
officials promising to use government to deliver
freebies sucked from the wallets of others, we
cheapen the lives of soldiers drawing their final
breath on the battlefield. Sadly, one entire
political party and half of the second promote this
covetousness to maintain their positions of power.
Do you really believe 1,431,290 Americans paid the
ultimate sacrifice just so you could have
nationalized healthcare, subsidized housing,
extended unemployment, food stamps, and green
electricity? I do not, but here is the problem.
Last week, I heard a radio announcer summarizing an
op-ed piece stating virtually no one alters their
political opinions even when confronted with
irrefutable logic and facts. Thomas Paine warned,
“To argue with a person who has renounced the use of
reason is like administering medicine to the dead.”
If you always vote Democrat because Democrats are
for poor people, or vote Republican because
Republicans are for business you are immune to logic
and I have wasted the last nine years of my life
trying to explain the principles of American freedom
and limited government. It is time to return to
America’s original approach.
George Washington was a godly man and the painting
of him praying in the snow in front of his horse is
a very accurate, eye-witness account. General
Washington knew the probability of a rag-tag
assembly of farmers, merchants and indentured
servants defeating the most powerful and well
trained military in the world was nil except for the
dispensation of Providence, so he turned to God. In
1775, a full year before our Declaration of
Independence, General Washington ordered the
creation of America’s first flag; an all-white
banner displaying an evergreen tree below the motto
“An Appeal to Heaven.” As he knew the weak-kneed
caucus of the Continental Congress would never
support aggression against the crown, the flags were
affixed to the six privately owned schooners of
“Washington’s Secret Navy.” Within a short few
months, America’s “Lee” captured the British “Nancy”
and patriots commandeered an enormous supply of
muskets and munitions destined for the British
regulars stationed in Boston. This marked the first
of several miraculous events which launched our
great American experiment in freedom and this brings
me to my point.
America was founded by the grace of God and by His
actions she shall be restored. When I see
progressive, presidential candidates proposing
Biblical principles be edited so as to be trendy, I
see the magnitude of our problem. However, in face
of the violence inflicted on believers worldwide and
the intimidating threats and fines levied on
practicing Christians here at home, now is not the
time to be shy. Instead, be bold. Fence sitters can
be brought into the fold when they see courageous
Christians openly living their faith. Godly men are
gathering under the “Appeal to Heaven” banner and
are asking for God to save our republic. He always
has been and always will be our only hope and we
should join them in prayer this Memorial Day.
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