Wounded in Action……

America owes you an enormous debt of gratitude for your service and sacrifice. Our country would be in dire circumstances without the men and women like you who put their lives in jeopardy everyday to protect our freedom. As a Vietnam Veteran 63’-68’, I salute you!

During the 60’s it was “cool” to protest or avoid doing your duty to serve and protect your country. Those who were drafted into service, did their best. Still again, some volunteered to go to war. Today, there is another caliber of brothers and sisters like you, who stepped up and said “I am ready to do my best, to do my duty” to protect America from oppression, to maintain the freedom, the rights, and the joy that many Americans take for granted.

Everyday I give several thoughts to our Creator about our founding fathers words, and each and every American who has sacrificed to maintain our freedom and our lives. These sacrifices are not given easily, but they are freely given, so that our children may live in a world of peace.

I still can’t puzzle out why things happen the way they do, but to paraphrase Ecclesiastics 3:
“There is an appointed time for everything and a time for every event under heaven. There is a time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace”. God has given the sons and daughters of men this momentous task with which they must occupy themselves.

Every Saturday from 11 to noon, a group of veterans and families who have sons and daughters in the military gather at our county seat, the West Chester, PA county courthouse, in the rain, the snow, the cold, and the heat. We stand as ONE to honor those who bravely serve our country. We call ourselves the American Sheep Dogs. A sheep dog protects the flock of sheep from the wolves, the vicious predators, that prey on the helpless sheep. Our military are Sheep Dogs. Your gallant service provides the unassuming American with protection from the wolf, from evil. We are also believers that victory is always the answer and peace comes through military strength, our faith in God, and our colleagues in arms.

Minutes turn into hours, hours into days, days into weeks, weeks into years each and everyone precious, but filled with trials and tribulations – But you are never ever alone in this world’s journey. Words are easy to put onto paper, but your valiant service precedes you. We love and appreciate what you do, the things every service man or woman does for us everyday. All our troops, past and present, are our greatest strengths and our greatest patriots and as such, they represent the best of America. You all are one with us and will never be alone. Your brothers and sisters at arms are always with you.

For the injured and wounded, I know in my heart, your journey to recovery is not easy. I also know that being the soldier you are, the strength you garner from within, from God (who constantly tests us), from your loving and ever faithful family, and your fellow military you will defeat all the seemingly impossible obstacles placed in your way.

Again, my thoughts and prayers and of those of all Americans go with you every minute of every day.

May God Bless you and keep you and your family safe forever.

Brave American Military Heros

Mr. Bennett: I take umbrage at your opinion “About, heroes, bravery and courage, 07-16-2010 DLN” and by the way, it is your right in America to have an opinion. It is called the First Amendment.
The original Greek meaning of HERO refers to characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice — that is, heroism — for some greater good of all humanity. And BRAVE means possessing or exhibiting courage or courageous endurance.
Therefore your definition is an oxymoron, in that you are blatantly confusing bravery with heroism, which are one and the same.
In today’s opposition to cowardly terrorists whom want to destroy for the sake of destruction itself, our military men and women serve by volunteering, like the first defenders of our great Country and Constitution did to ensure ‘That all men be free and equal’. By definition all military personnel are heroes and should be honored as such.

Perhaps the sign you witnessed should have said “We Honor our Military”. Regardless they all are brave heroes. Sure there might be a bad apple in the barrel, but there are bad apples all over the globe wanting to take down the America we know and love. And without our military they would be successful in imposing tyrannical oppression on many innocent people in the U.S. and around the globe.

The Vietnam War, in which I freely served, was for many a cause to freely serve our country, for others a draft into service of our country (but they still served with honor – (heroes). For others, a chance to escape and run from their duty to protect our country from oppression. It was the individual’s choice to follow the correct path.

In any of our military actions, the United States of America has never overstayed its duty to help the oppressed free themselves from tyranny (the war). Once our job has been completed (the war is ended), we help start the oppressed to rebuild their county. With Japan, and Germany, the U.S. poured billions of dollars into helping our ‘enemy’ rebuild and become a self sufficient economic democracy.

In Iraq and Afghanistan, in addition to quashing cowardly terrorism will are helping rebuild a democracy through education, technology, economic, and health services.

I urge you to reconsider your progressive attitude and remarks, because without American’s willing to pay the price for your freedom, you might be hanging with a burning tire around your neck.

A Constant Tribute to our Military

Saturday June 26 was blazing hot in West Chester. A small reminder of what our troops in Afghanistan endure constantly – for the troops even more so with their 80 pound load of equipment, body armor, and weapons strapped to their backs everyday.

For the past several years, every Saturday at noon, a group of American patriots comprised of veterans – WWII to current, ordinary citizens, and family members of military, stand as ONE, at the Historic West Chester Courthouse, in tribute to all of our military brothers and sisters – The American Sheep Dogs.

This Saturday there was an especially heroic display of extraordinary patriotism and camaraderie, in that there were five different motorcycle organizations, comprising about 250 motorcycles joining together as ONE to salute, support, and applaud our military and their families. Additionally, trailing the bevy of motorcycles riding in formation, was a parade of vintage and custom cars led by a commemorative fire engine, flying a blue star flag – which represents all of the mother’s whom have sons or daughters currently serving in the U.S. Military throughout the world. A reception was held at the Knights of Columbus on Gay Street.

The point of this note is that without our military troops, past and present, America would not continue to be the finest free republic in the world. When trouble calls, our military members, from the lowest rank to the highest, spring into harms way to offer protection, helping hands, medical, and material supplies to the oppressed and overwhelmed citizens of the world. Our military does not discriminate between our own or others around the globe. Our unified goal is “liberty and freedom for all”.

We should all stop every day to give thanks to those whom are sacrificing their lives everyday (and those whom have made the ultimate sacrifice) to keep our nation the grandest, least oppressive, and most opportunistic nation in the world.

Stop subsidizing illegal immigrants

That fact is that illegal immigration is ILLEGAL under U.S. law, as it is illegal under other country’s laws. America tolerates illegal immigration more so than most other counties. Try it somewhere else and see where you ultimately end up; in jail or deported quickly. America has always been the melding pot for individuals from other countries. How do you think the thousands of immigrants who chose the correct path to America – over 12 million via Ellis Island alone – feel about those illegally sneaking into America?

The legal immigrants followed the law and became Americans by complying with our immigration process, studying the constitution, becoming educated, speaking English, working hard, adhering to our American values and heritage, and by following the correct legal path. These folks did the right thing. They are, in many cases, more knowledgeable about America, our ideals, methodologies, heritage, and principles than many Americans themselves – let alone illegal immigrants.

America has always been the first to provide relief outside our borders for war, famine, or disasters and has established a robust architecture to deal with internal calamities.

Now, unfortunately, many individuals, including illegal immigrants, in America today feel that there is a great American entitlement due them.

They want our health care for free. They want government assistance without having worked and paid into our economic system for it. They want to redistribute the wealth of those whom have worked diligently for it to those who do not want to work for their daily existence. On and on.

For anything to have real value, you must work for it, put some sweat into it. Put yourself into it. We want everyone to be eligible for the American dream. But, they must be willing to work for it and obtain it legally.

That dream can be achieved.

Our fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers did so, as can anyone in America, if they really want to work for it. Can you walk into a bank or retail store and just take an item without paying for it? Of course not, you stand good chance of being arrested for theft by unlawful taking. (Stealing) – The same is true of illegal immigration. They are stealing what we all have built and protected through hard work, charity, and self sacrifice.

It is true that there are some illegal immigrants whom have had successes in America and are law abiding people. But, unfortunately that still does not excuse the fact that they are breaking the law.

Our founding fathers, local, and federal governments have a set of rules (called laws) that anyone in America is supposed to abide too. Sporting games have rules (or laws), interpersonal relationships have rules (or laws), business transactions, etc., etc. These rules are to ensure that individuals are treated equally and fairly.

Those who do not follow the rules are breaking the law and are subject to penalty for doing so. There is also another set of rules called the Ten Commandments, which were set down to govern us in moral and ethical conduct. Those who break those commandments are subject God’s penalties.

We must secure our borders. Stop subsidizing illegal immigrants; remove those that do not belong and protect the American citizen, his possessions and resources and decipher and provide an equitable method to become an American citizen.

Lessons Learned

The only exact testimony of a man is his actions, leaving the reader to pronounce on them his own judgment.” Thomas Jefferson to L. H. Girardin, 1815.

I am not a Democrat or a Republican. A Liberal or a Conservative. I’m not anything. I believe in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence and those are the things that guide me. Now there have been some moments, recently when I’ve become fevered, but mostly I am adrift on the sea of political warfare, being slapped around in a storm just like the rest of America. I watched the last election cycle, to my horror, as innocent people were destroyed and taken advantage of for the purpose of political expediency. I hemmed and hawed, but ultimately I did nothing. Unfortunately, due to several recent episodes of outright reprehensible attacks on average citizens, I can no longer stand on the sidelines. So I speak now, for the sake of my own conscience. Perhaps I do it for the collective conscience as well.

LESSON 1: Government not controlled by the people is a government out of control.

“No government can continue good, but under the control of the people.” Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, 1819.
All things being equal, there are serious problems with Congress’ belief in their own omnipotence. They simply seem to have no sense of history. They, as with many Americans today, have either forgotten our history, selectively remembered it, or never bothered to actually learn it in the first place. Such a disproportionate lack of significance is placed on this subject, when everything we need to know in order to help guide our future can be found there. One thing history repeatedly teaches us is humility. Prideful leaders are almost always the construct of their own doom…and ours. Thomas Jefferson, arguably the greatest political mind in our history, believed that the citizenry were only true arbiters of government. And while the Federal Government purports to be for the people, they are not of the people.

Representative Jan Schakowsky, in response to the recent Tea Party protests, issued a statement blasting its participants, calling them “despicable” and the exercise of their First Amendment rights a “shameful stunt”. I would caution Ms. Schakowsky that stoning is not an advisable action when one lives in a glass house. In 2004, Schakowsky’s husband, Robert Creamer, was indicted on several federal charges, including a “shameful” kiting scheme that defrauded banks of 2.3 million dollars while he ran the Illinois Public Action Fund. This “despicable” criminal activity also just happened to occur while Shakowsky sat on the board of that organization.

Nancy Pelosi threw her two cents in, denying that the effort was “grassroots”, but actually an “Astroturf” Bush-wing conspiracy, paid for by us rich folk. Speaking of rich folk, Team Majority, a political action committee (PAC) that Pelosi controlled, was fined $21,000 in 2004 “for improperly accepting donations over federal limits.” Pelosi created the PAC so that donors could funnel illegal money to her campaign once they had exceeded their contribution limits. She also used this group to funnel money into other Democrat campaigns, including Chris Van Hollan (D-Md) and Julie Thomas (D-Md), who were both ordered to pay fines for illegally accepting campaign contributions. Coincidentally, Team Majority ceased operations before the fine could actually be issued to them. I guess when you’re “poor” like Pelosi; you don’t actually have to obey the law.

Janet Napolitano, however, fired the first volley by issuing a DHS report insinuating that pro-life advocates, returning military veterans, and most notably, those who were angry with politicians in Washington, were somehow a threat to national security. This “assessment”, without legitimate sourcing or merit, was released a week before the Tea Party protests in what can only be described as a “preemptive” move. A move Jefferson would not have debased himself to make. He would never have stepped on the neck of an average citizen who dared to question his actions. But in this political climate, libeling and discrediting your detractors is the most expedient way to silence them. Perhaps it was a miscalculation to expect police officials to keep the report under wraps, considering that a huge number of those men and women are, in fact, veterans.

These women, in their attempts to exclude Americans from the national discourse, have sunk so low that Beelzebub is starting to wonder where the draft is coming from. With the rally attendance reaching numbers exceeding 1 million, the politicians who attempted to marginalize protesters, must be scratching their heads. Members of the two parties have for centuries attacked each other, but never the people. They knew all too well that doing so would imperil their own political ambitions. Or, perhaps they knew it was just wrong. However, times are a changin’ and this generation of civil servants appear to deem themselves to be outside the reach of the people they are supposed to represent. Pathetically, as many are stipulating, they are simply out of touch. And they will ignore the people at their own peril. As citizens all over the country are clamoring for the heads of Washington politicians, it would do these women well to remember who their employer is. Their annual reviews will be coming up in 2010 and it looks about as promising for them as finding a Sequatchie that isn’t made of rubber.

LESSON 2: It is your right to speak your mind and no one’s right to impede you.

“No one has a right to obstruct another exercising his faculties innocently for the relief of sensibilities made a part of his nature.” Thomas Jefferson to Pierre Samuel DuPont de Nemours, 1816.

Considering how much disdain Susan Roesgen poured into her childish outburst at the Chicago rally, some are speculating that CNN has finally come out of the closet. I have witnessed some impolite, unprofessional and downright juvenile behavior in the passing weeks, but few that compare with the immature display that Ms. Roesgen engaged in on tax day. There are some who believe in civility within political dialogue, debating issues of merit and respect for political opponents. She is clearly not one them. And throwing a malicious tantrum has only made people look upon her with that same morbid curiosity they do car crashes. If Susan or anyone at CNN doubts this, they can simply do a search on YouTube. Footage of the incident that the embarrassed network attempted to have squashed through an erroneous DMCA claim is alive and well…and multiplying exponentially. As they would say in the interwebs, CNN has been “pawned.”

Ironically, the Susan Roesgen that berated a Tea Party protester for stating that Barak Obama was a fascist is the same one who blithely commented that a man wearing a Hitler mask with horns was a George Bush “look-alike”. This was the same Susan Roesgen who implied that FOX News was biased for sponsoring the Tea Parties while having applied for a job with the network on, not one, but two separate occasions. This woman, who in one breath became unhinged and yelled at a man holding his child, in the next declared that the scene was not “family” viewing. I would put forth that she was correct. It was not a scene for children. But having been the one who created it, she has little to complain about.

Not to be outdone, MSNBC’s David Shuster reported on the Tea Party events in a manner that can only be described as outright lewd. Shuster weaved his double speak into a crass montage of vulgarities and sexual obscenities that would have made a libertine blush. Regrettably, this exhibition was actually supported at the network. Feeling left out, Anderson Cooper hopped on the licentious gravy train by riding the coattails of Shuster’s beyond-the-pale attempt at humor.

Did it occur to either of them that there might actually be people watching or didn’t they care? Did they think they would be lauded for this repugnant show of indecency? Did they seriously believe that they would be regarded with any level of credibility after this? Congratulations gentlemen, you have dirtied the arena of ideas with foul language and the daft sort of conduct usually reserved for those who can’t control themselves. Your respective networks should put you in “time out” and from now on provide you with adult supervision.

Not surprising, Roesgen, Cooper and Shuster possess the same affliction that has infected the vast majority of the media. They fancy themselves enlightened and infinitely more informed than the American people in regards to…everything. Sadly, they categorically have no concept of our historical reality. Thomas Jefferson believed that leadership ability and political greatness could be found in all classes of society. He felt that natural governing talent was not solely born to the elitist population, but could be discovered even in the most common of the masses. Jefferson recognized that if those same citizens weren’t fit to serve in the highest ranks of government, then they surely weren’t fit to vote for who should serve in the highest ranks of government. He concluded: “Leave to the citizens the free election and separation of the aristoi from the pseudo-aristoi, of the wheat from the chaff. In general they will elect the really good and wise.” Jefferson was an advocate of the average citizen, as these three would profess to be. However, he never thought himself better than the common man, as these three clearly do. He stood for the people, not on them. For this group of adolescents, enlightenment is a buzz word that you toss around in columns and say to your friends at cocktail parties. Jefferson was a man of true enlightenment.

LESSON 3:
Those who oppose you will lie about you, but they do not define you.

“The uniform tenor of a man’s life furnishes better evidence of what he has said or done on any particular occasion than the word of an enemy, and of an enemy too who shows that he prefers the use of falsehoods which suit him to truths which do not.” Thomas Jefferson to George Clinton, 1803.

This takes us to our next circus attraction. After witnessing the vile ramblings between that bastion of political neutrality, Keith Olberman and his “learned” guest, Janeane Garofalo, I actually needed a shower. Garofalo, quite seriously, made the claim that everyone (with the exception of liberals, naturally) have neurological defects and are racists. Between Olberman’s “Shuster” schtick and Garofalo’s contemptible, bigoted diatribe, I felt like I had just observed two children flinging around their own excrement and was overtaken with the sudden awareness that I might have been standing too close. The one thing I find truly ironic is that individuals who parade around using hate to further enrich themselves, believe that we are the ones who need to improve our immortal souls. This is the same group that brings you the Oscars. A function that serves no other purpose than to invite entertainers to engage in a self-congratulatory orgy of the “look at me” variety. It does, apparently, allow these hypocrites an opportunity to wag their fingers at the people who have afforded them the very lifestyles they are blustering about.

And while those in the entertainment business labor under the delusion that their poorly-rationalized beliefs about the limbic system are somehow the apex of human intellectualism, the rest of us stand by in bewilderment at the audacity. How does one come to believe that their opinion is superior simply because they are famous? How does starring in a Hollywood film or producing a CD suddenly make one politically savvy enough to dictate to the rest of an entire population, what to believe and how to live? Evidently, it does give them the unadulterated freedom to malign and denigrate people while acting like hypocritical teenagers with learning impairments. Just ask Janeane.

Well, I have a message to the people who behaved in such an egregious manner in respect to the Tea Party events. It’s one thing to politely disagree; it’s another to make a fool of yourself by going on television and publicly ridiculing someone in a lascivious fashion. It’s not discourse when you are attacking people attempting to participate in the very system that protects your rights to free speech. It’s not thoughtful opposition when you work to defame those with whom you disagree, using cowardly accusations of bigotry and racism. This behavior frightens me, not because of their beliefs, but because of the ease with which they so unscrupulously attempt to destroy ordinary people who challenge those beliefs. At what point did it become acceptable to stop doing what is right, simply so that we could get what we want? When did reckless disrespect become tolerated behavior? Didn’t our parents teach us that this was disgraceful? At the very least it’s horrendously bad form and the sign of a spoiled and weak-minded community.

I also have a message for those who comported themselves with respect and dignity. Even now, when your rights are under assault from those who only value their own, Thomas Jefferson is with you, talking to you and advising you. He has never gone. His voice is breathing through this nation’s most treasured national documents. A man, who lived through far bloodier and more perilous times than you, is still whispering his wisdom in your ears.

“In endeavors to improve our situation, we should never despair.” Thomas Jefferson to John Quincy Adams, 1817.

Perhaps now is the time to listen.

The existence of God and morality

All life is precious and should never be taken for granted. Even animals. Having been in war and seeing the horror of death brings the understanding that war only accentuates the knowledge that all living things are a blessing from our one and only God in heaven.

The truth behind the existence of God; Composed of flesh and blood, man aspires to ultimately be immortal. We have created stories, guidelines, or methods in which we believe that we are able to become immortal. Christians call this belief Jesus; others call it Allah or Buddha. Does this make one better than the other or is just a set of rules that we all follow just so mankind can prosper?

Is faith a trait that is learned or is it an innate property that we all are born with, the ability to believe? That we can question is a trait, the ability to reason is a trait, but what frightens us is when we can not answer a question or understand the unknown. We study, we learn, but the fundamental idea that many of us have not learned is that faith is not immortality or heaven or hell but is our faith in ourselves and faith in our fellow man.

Many people hide in this world of God. God created us, made us who we are, and it is Him that we must ultimately answer too. We answer as not flesh and blood but as a spirit. We choose long before our mortal body goes wherever it goes. We leave behind our body and enter into a realm to which we cannot comprehend. Our minds well never allow us to comprehend immortality but our souls can, that is faith.

This faith belongs to no particular group of self righteous human beings that think that because there are rules that they follow, they are somehow better then others. God does not have a check list of who is good and who is bad, but rather he makes the decision about those of us whom have morals or as some call it a conscious.

This world is the first stepping stone that we take on our journey and to test that you can live in an imperfect world and still do the right thing without cheating your fellow man. This is faith in you, in this life. God gave us life. It is our choice whether we use it to its fullest or we cash in early and take the easy way out.

Life is a gamble much like stock in a company. Our stock has a value. This is a value that we create. The question that you must ask yourself is: What is the value of your stock. Are you a sellout? Are you willing to give up your morals or soul for an easy buck or are you willing to ride the roller coaster of life, following its rules, so you can exist with dignity and honor.

Life’s a bitch if it was easy it wouldn’t be called life. The sad thing is that many people die long before “life” arrives. This makes them droids, they have no objective, other than spending their whole lives searching for “life” with died green pieces of paper. Some call it greed. Some call it evil, but the truth is it is selling out. We can tell a thousand stories to try to believe in God, we can search to the four corners of the earth, find the grail, find the ark, but we will not find God. We may see the devil in a million forms. We may see evil in every corner, but we must stop looking from the outside and look inside, for that is real peace, the faith we all need. Because you believe in a certain way that God exists in this form or that form is futile in our feeble attempt at comprehending our true existence. It is nothing but our fear of death.

Life is death, but faith is our soul. For once look to the inside, not inside your flesh, but in your mind, your soul. Inside you is where every answer ever asked can be answered all but a simple truth, faith. That’s what you must believe in and then you will believe in yourself and in God.

Obamacare: the road to Marxist socialism.

What ever happened to self sufficiency. The settlers of the “Wild West” were not dependent on the government to provide for their well being. They migrated west to get away from “big” government and to have the freedom to create and maintain their own existence. They relied on each other and in some cases their church in time of need.

What happened to help thy neighbor? What we have now is coveting our neighbor and trying to get more than he has not by working for our own prosperity, but relying on government to redistribute the wealth. That redistribution is the center theme of socialism and ultimately leads to the fall or demise of that civilization.

The Europeans who became American citizens by migrating from Europe and developing their own businesses or working for existing businesses, inventing new methodologies and products were the mainstay of America’s growth and prosperity. Those days are gone now, because of the Obama socialist grab of our wealth, education, and land. This current administration will push big government entitlements to the American population by using any method that they can. Remember the saying they coined “No crisis should go to waste”. The government is creating the crisis.

Many younger American citizens have never experienced “work hard and you will succeed”. They expect immediate gratification. They have been indoctrinated to the belief that they deserve things they do not contribute to or are entitled to. They need to earn those rewards themselves. They have to relearn that they are responsible for their own actions.

If this health care is so good, why does the government have to hire 16,000 IRS overseers to ensure our compliance. Why do they feel they have to control your children’s education and its content? Why does the health care law create a special cadre of military style organization duplicating our current military structure and comprised some 20,000 “health care soldiers” with full military marshal law capabilities under the direction of the Whitehouse and not the Congress of the United States?

Control, control, control. My friends this is a sad day for America.

Vietnam Veteran – The Forgotten War

Vietnam Vet 63’ – 68’, who remembers what America used to be like and I want it back again. Suffered the degradation of being a Vietnam Veteran and do not want our troops to feel that way, when they come home.

Plus we need a smaller less intrusive government. We can take back what have lost- before it is too late.

Remember our founding father’s sacrifice and contribution to founding America.

Our U.S. Constitution must be defended, we must succeed in keeping it true and sacred for all time.

Nothing is free. You have to work for it – or it will be taken from you.

Courage and Compassion utilized correctly results in Unity: in other words: DO THE RIGHT THING

Freedom in America

No other democratic society in the world permits personal freedoms to the degree of the United States of America. American courts, especially the Supreme Court, have developed a set of legal doctrines that thoroughly protect all forms of the freedom of expression. When it comes to evaluating the degree to which we take advantage of the opportunity to express our opinions, some members of society may be guilty of violating the bounds of the First Amendment by publicly offending others through obscenity or racism. Americans have developed a distinct disposition toward the freedom of expression throughout history.

The First Amendment clearly voices respect towards America’s religious freedom. It also prevents the government from “abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble and petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Since the early history of our country, the protection of our basic freedoms has been of the utmost importance to Americans. A poem by Langston Hughes, “Freedom,” emphasizes the struggle to enjoy the freedoms that he knows are rightfully his. He reflects the American desire for freedom now when he says, “I do not need my freedom when I’m dead. I cannot live on tomorrow’s bread.” American’s recognize the need for freedom in its entirety without compromise or fear.

The American immigrants’ quest for freedom, brought them to our land, arriving with nothing but dreams and building America with the hopes of finding greater freedom or freedom for the first time. American’s of all backgrounds work and fight together for one cause: FREEDOM.

Our First Amendment gives us the right to protest and picket, or strike, perform public speeches and hold rallies. For instance, in March of 2000, more than a thousand community activists rallied to draft a “human” budget that put the needs of the poor and handicapped as a top priority. Totally against the principles on which our Republic was founded, but they were not prohibited from their protest. Rallies are an effective means for people to use their freedoms effectively to bring about change from the government. The current rising up of Americans through the “Tea Party” rallies is a non-violent method to tell our government enough is enough. STOP spreading the wealth. Protect our FREEDOM.

Our Founding Fathers crafted America’s founding documents to provide us, for all time, our broad right to free speech. We should assert our rights to free speech, to use them responsibly and boldly, to oppose racism, to oppose sexism, to oppose homophobia and bigotry, and oppose government intrusion into our daily lives, and to do so within the spirit of the First Amendment, not by creating an exception to it.”

The strong central theme of freedom of expression is the cornerstone of American government, culture and life. The American voice on freedom has been shaped throughout the course of our history by the initial democratic notions of our immigrant’s desire to maintain the freedoms that we enjoy today. Freedoms we fought long and hard for.

The freedom of speech has constantly been challenged and will continue to be challenged in the future. It is important that we learn from prior tests against our Constitution, by those trying to denigrate our constitutionally protected rights, so that in the future, authority will not violate our freedoms or oppress our liberty.

The original Constitution did not contain a bill of rights because the convention delegates felt that individual rights were in no danger and would be protected by the states. However, the lack of a bill of rights was the strongest objection to the ratification of the Constitution. They were introduced by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson to the First United States Congress in 1789 as a series of articles, and came into effect in December 1791, when they had been ratified by three-fourths of the States. The applications of the personal freedoms described in the Bill of Rights, particularly the freedom of speech, have been challenged repeatedly in American courts of law and elsewhere.

This freedom of speech was recognized as a vital element in a democratic republic society. Censorship and the infringement of First Amendment rights could not and would not be tolerated. American citizens took a firm stand against the government and its “authority” at important times when they could have yielded to oppressive violations of their rights.

We should maintain our heritage and continue to oppose any denigration of our Constitutional rights for all time.

Term Limits

In 1994, for the first time in 40 years, Congress was drastically changed. The Democratic majority was uprooted and new, lively, freshmen were instated with a job to undertake. As part of the Republican’s contract with America, these new Republicans had to revise the current Congressional term limit status. In undertaking this task, these men and women ran into a seemingly stone road-block. This roadblock consisted of long-term, career politicians who were unwilling to change. The problem was not that there were no Congressmen who were committed to real change elected in 1994 because there were, but Congress was highly dominated by long-term careerists in both parties who seemed to have more loyalty to the system than to their constituents. As Thomas Jefferson put it, “Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct.”

Over time, career legislators are more likely to promote the interest of the establishment of which they are part than that of the larger public. This fact is not surprising. If most of a persons time is spent meeting with lobbyists, constituents, and bureaucrats, that person may actually come to believe what these influential people are saying. This is why new blood needs to enter Congress more frequently, in order to avoid the highly influenced Congress that is filled with old people espousing old ideals. Needless to say the once optimistic freshmen were unsuccessful in their task, and it’s plain to see why. Until that changes, Congress is not going to change.

Congressmen need to get back to basics and realize that they are in office to serve their people, and not themselves. What would change Congress is term limits. By the middle of last year nearly half of the states had restricted, almost all of them by popular vote, the number of terms that their members of Congress could serve. But then the Supreme Court intervened. In U.S. Term Limits, Inc., et al. v. Thornton et al., a narrow five-to-four majority voided these restrictions, stating that “allowing individual States to craft their own qualifications for Congress would thus erode the structure envisioned by the Framers, a structure that was designed, in the words of the Preamble to our Constitution, to form a more perfect Union. Congress, naturally, refuses to approve a constitutional amendment on term limits. Most state legislatures also refuse to approve term-limit measures. And now the Supreme Court refuses to allow the people to approve term limits. This fact shows the importance of developing new strategies for subjecting members of the U.S. Congress to term limits. There are many ways in which this could occur, but before one can decide which might be the most effective, one must first realize why they are so necessary.

The election of 1994 was supposed to be one of dramatic change. Three dozen Democratic incumbents fell, but the overall House reelection rate still ran roughly 90 percent with 314 of the 348 members remaining unmoved, and the Senate reelection rate ran 92 percent with 24 of the 26 members up for election unmoved. Absolutely no Republican incumbents, no matter how flawed, lost in the election of 1994. These sad statistics show that no matter revolutionary the voters get, most incumbents still win, and careerists still largely dominate policy. Edward H. Crane states that, “Those who run for Congress these days are generally those who find the prospect of spending a significant portion of their lives as a politician to be an attractive option. Politicians are less likely to have a real life before entering politics. Many political pros start out as state legislators in their early twenties and never stop. Validating this statement was Senator Warren Rudman, a Republican from New Hampshire, who explained that he retired because “the longer you stay in public office, the more distant the outside world becomes. But he is one of the few to voluntarily step aside when his proper time was up.

According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, senior representatives are more likely than junior legislators to vote for pork and special-interest economic intervention. The National Taxpayers Union figures, in a recent survey, demonstrate that, on average, spending rises with terms served. Just as important, perhaps most importantly, is the corrupting influence of power. With seniority comes influence, and with influence often comes corrupting power. The constant worry of the upcoming re-election is also a contributing factor in a Senators actions, even the most ideologically committed representative may slip into putting his career before his ideology. Incumbency has become an invaluable aid to reelection because of the benefits of power, which usually mean using government to direct resources to their own districts to make themselves look good. Incumbents also raise funds and win votes by posing as defenders of individuals, organizations, and regions threatened by taxes and regulations which were imposed by other legislators, they usually do this to win votes in their districts or states. So, as they are in office they focus on reelection. Even legislators with very strong principles are likely to find themselves defending individual programs and projects as they attempt to make their people believe that they shun overall government spending and regulation. This manipulation of the people leads any incumbent to a very good chance of re-election, and in our current status, there is no end in sight for these career legislators.

Political careers in Congress can be battled in various ways. One could attempt to limit incumbents’ electoral advantages such as fund-raising, postal franking, and their large, very important, legislative staff. The people could also attempt to eliminate campaign finance restrictions which may allow a wealthy individual to donate as much as they want to a candidate they believe in making the incumbents War Chest slightly less intimidating. One other way that Congress could be slightly more regulated is by restricting the amount of lobbying taking place. While all of those possibilities might be helpful, they would not be easy to achieve. In order to tackle the real problem you must seek out the problem, and that problem is political careerism.

Today the entire political system is biased toward long-term legislative service. The only way to counteract that bias is term limits. The limits should be shorter rather than longer. Three terms for the House would, for instance, have a much more powerful transforming effect than would the six terms favored by many officeholders. Approximately 81 percent of voters who support term limits prefer three terms; just 15 percent favor six terms. Shorter term limits would better ensure distribution of leadership positions on criteria other than seniority, giving bright new Congressmen the hope of holding a position of responsibility before returning to private life.

So what can be done to change this horrible trend? The Supreme Court decision to void a state imposed limit on congressional terms requires either a judicial reversal or approval of a constitutional amendment. Neither would be easy to obtain but there are ways in which they might occur. A constitutional amendment can only come by either action by either Congress, whose members would be affected by such term limits, or two-thirds of the states. Supporters of term limits need to apply continuing pressure on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment. Obviously this strategy faces many barriers.

There is one other way in which an amendment can be passed in the United States. States can call for a constitutional convention to draft a term-limits amendment for submission to all the states for approval. Getting backing from the necessary 34 states will be no easy task. The problem with calling a convention is that once it is called it is very possible that term limits will not be the only issue on the agenda. This sets the United States up for a, runaway convention, in which those states could very possibly come out of the convention with a whole new Constitution instead of only a term limits amendment. Pressuring Congress might be by far the most advantageous choice. Even the mere thought of a possible Constitutional Convention may cause Congress to realize the people’s strong feelings on the term limit issue, thus forcing them to draft their own amendment in order to keep the states out of a Convention.

The problem concerning term limits will not just simply fade away. The longer there are incumbents gaining power, the worse off the people of the United States will be. The American people need to stage a political uprising by using their power to amend the Constitution and impose term limits on their legislators. This power can be direct through the convention or indirect by their overwhelming influence, but it needs to arrive soon. An end may be coming soon to this issue because of the great amount of public concern. Congress will do something soon, because if they do not, they are too afraid to see what the people will do themselves.