What Is America?

Shortly before the 2008 presidential election, candidate Barack Obama proclaimed before a cheering crowd of supporters, “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming America.” That statement raises several immediate questions. First, does America need to be “fundamentally transformed”? Next, why does America need to be “fundamentally transformed”? And thirdly, what does Obama want to transform America into? To answer those three questions one must first know the answer to the more basic question, “what is America?”

America has a relatively short history when compared to the longevity of other nations. Many nations have indeed been “fundamentally transformed” over the years. Coups and revolutions occur with frequency across the globe. In fact, the nation of the United States of America was created following a revolution. In the late 18th century America was transformed from a colony of the British Empire into an independent democratic republic – an improbable, noble, and unique experiment in a government “under God”, a “government of the people, by the people, and for the people…” (see Gettysburg address). More than anything, America is an idea. America is an idea founded on the belief that man’s fundamental rights come from God – not from government. The rights bestowed upon man from God are many but the most fundamental of these rights, as clearly spelled out in the Declaration of Independence, are “…Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

When the Founding Fathers finally crafted the Constitution of the United States in 1787, Benjamin Franklin, one of those responsible for the document, was asked what had been created. His reply, “A republic, madam, if you can keep it.” Many of the Founders insisted that a Bill of Rights, ratified in 1791, be incorporated into the document so that there could be no question about the most fundamental rights of men. Over the years, many Americans have fought and died at home and on foreign soil to preserve the republic and make it strong. The idea that “all men are created equal”, put forth in 1776 when Thomas Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence, has since spread across the globe as perhaps the most powerful moral and philosophical belief to ever serve as a foundation for the government of men.

Unfortunately, there are now too many in this country and around the world who no longer believe in this greatest experiment in human history. Rather, they believe that only government – not God - can bestow blessings upon the governed. Today, judges and politicians routinely overrule the Bill of Rights in order to impose a “progressive” agenda upon American citizens. Egalitarians want to redistribute wealth and replace individual responsibility and liberty with governmental largesse. More and more, politicians determine how we should live our lives – how much money we should make, what we should eat, what kind of cars we should drive. Individual liberties have been discarded for the “collective good”. President Obama and our political leaders want to grow the federal government and run our lives. This is the fundamental transformation of America they intend to impose upon us.

Our only hope is to find and elect representatives who will return America to the principles upon which the country was built – a return to the Bill of Rights. Rather than transforming America, we need representatives who will restore America. We need to reclaim our God-given rights and stop those who would steal them from us.

That Will Never Happen In America

What if I had told you in October 2008, before the last presidential election, that before Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office, the federal government would be in control of both the mortgage and the banking industries? That 19 of America’s largest banks would be forced to undergo “stress tests” by the federal government which would determine that they were “insufficiently capitalized” so they must be supervised by the government? Would you have said, “C’mon, that will never happen in America”?

What if I had told you that within Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office the federal government would be the largest shareholder in the US Big Three automakers – Ford, GM, and Chrysler? That the government would kick out the CEO’s of these companies and appoint hand-picked executives with zero experience in the auto industry and that executive compensation would be determined not by a Board of Directors but by the government? Would you have said, “C’mon, that will never happen in America”?

What if I had told you that Barack Obama would appoint 21 “Czars”, without congressional approval, accountable only to him – not to the voters – who would have control over a wide range of US policy decisions? That there would be a Stimulus Accountability Czar, an Urban Czar, a Compensation Czar, an Iran Czar, an Auto Industry Czar, a Cyber Security Czar, an Energy Czar, a Bank Bailout Czar, and more than a dozen other government bureaucrats with unchecked regulatory powers over US domestic and foreign policy? Would you have said, “C’mon, that will never happen in America”?

What if I had told you that the federal deficit would be $915 billion in the first six months of the Obama presidency - with a projected annual deficit of $1.75 trillion - triple the $454.8 billion in 2008, for which the previous administration was highly criticized by Obama and his fellow Democrats? That congress would pass Obama’s $3.53 trillion federal budget for fiscal 2010? That the projected deficit over the next ten years would be greater than $10 trillion? Would you have said, “C’mon, that will never happen in America”?

What if I had told you that the Obama Justice Department would order FBI agents to read Miranda rights to high-value detainees captured on the battlefield and held at US military detention facilities in Afghanistan? That Obama would order the closing of the Guantanamo detention facility with no plan for the disposition of the 200-plus individuals held there? That several of the suspected terrorists at Guantanamo would be sent to live in freedom in Bermuda at the expense of the US government? Would you have said, “C’mon, that will never happen in America”?

What if I had told you that the federal government would seek powers to seize key companies whose failures could “jeopardize the financial system”? That a new regulatory agency would be proposed by Obama to control loans, credit cards, mortgage-backed securities, and other financial products offered to the public? Would you have said, “C’mon, that will never happen in America”?

What if I had told you that Obama would travel to the Middle East, bow before the Saudi king, and repeatedly apologize for America’s past actions? That he would travel to Latin America where he would warmly greet Venezuela’s strongman Hugo Chavez and sit passively in the audience while Nicaraguan Marxist thug Daniel Ortega charged America with terrorist aggression in Central America? Would you have said, “C’mon, that will never happen in America”?

Okay, now what if I were to tell you that Obama wants to dismantle conservative talk radio through the imposition of a new “Fairness Doctrine”? That he wants to curtail the First Amendment rights of those who may disagree with his policies via internet blogs, cable news networks, or advocacy ads? Would you say, “C’mon, that will never happen in America”?

What if I were to tell you that the Obama Justice Department wants to limit your Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms? What if I were to tell you that the federal government wants to reinstate the so-called “assault weapons” ban which would prohibit the sale of any type of firearm that requires the shooter to pull the trigger every time a round is fired? What if I were to tell you that Obama’s Attorney General wants to eliminate the sale of virtually all handguns, which most citizens choose for self-defense? Would you say, “C’mon, that will never happen in America”?

What if I were to tell you that the Obama plan is to eliminate states’ rights guaranteed by the Tenth Amendment and give the federal government sweeping new powers over policies currently under the province of local and state governments and voted on by the people? That Obama plans to control the schools, energy production, the environment, health care, and the wealth of every US citizen? Would you say, “C’mon, that will never happen in America”?

What if I were to tell that the president, the courts, and the federal government have ignored the US Constitution and have seized powers which the founders of our country fought to restrict? That our last presidential election may have been our last truly free election for some time to come? That our next presidential election may look similar to the one recently held in Iran? I know, I know what you say, “That will never happen in America”.

America Is the Solution - Not the Problem

President Obama has recently been traveling throughout the world apologizing for America’s supposed arrogance, aggression, unilateralism, and other sins. In Europe Obama proclaimed “In America, there is a failure to appreciate Europe’s leading role in the world. Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.” This shows an amazing sense of naiveté and a complete ignorance of American and world history. Is Obama totally unaware of 20th Century events in Europe where America came to the rescue of the Europeans time and time again? While he was conducting his European apology tour perhaps Obama could have spent some time visiting the World War I battlefields of France or the beaches of Normandy which were soaked with the blood of “arrogant Americans” during World War II. Perhaps he could have toured the former Pershing missile sites which saved Eastern European countries from the expansionist clutches of the former Soviet Union during the Cold War or the territories which suffered endless Balkan wars eventually resolved only by the intervention of a “dismissive America”. Yet, instead of reminding the militarily-weak European nations of the numerous times America has saved their bacon, Obama is more interested in inflating their egos while bashing former president Bush and tarnishing America’s history. Obama seems to be more interested in reinforcing his own cult of personality than standing up for America’s history of self-sacrifice, courage, and defense of the principles of freedom.

America was born as a noble enterprise which stood for the inalienable rights of all human beings. America threw off the chains of a repressive monarchy and rejected the misguided policies which led to the subjugation of people throughout the world. America welcomed with open arms millions of impoverished and enslaved immigrants from all continents and countries. When European dictators threatened to engulf Europe in the early 20th Century, Americans gave their lives and much of their national treasure to stop them. When evil totalitarian regimes in Germany, Italy, and Russia waged wars against other European countries and enacted genocidal campaigns against one race of people, Americans once again came to the rescue. Not once did America seek to create a world empire or seize conquered lands for herself. Instead, democracies were established in the defeated countries and, once again, American treasure was freely given to insure the future success of these fledgling democracies. For close to 40 years following the Second World War, Americans gave their lives in battles throughout the world to prevent the spread of totalitarian Communism which was responsible for the deaths of millions of people in China, Russia, North Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam, Cuba, and much of Africa, Eastern Europe, South and Central America. Again, when Muslim fascists waged wars of terrorism against civilians throughout the world, it was America which led the fight to defeat them.

This is America’s proud legacy and one that president Obama should be reinforcing rather than denigrating. When Nicaraguan Marxist thug Daniel Ortega recently conducted a fifty-minute anti-American diatribe, Obama simply sat in the audience calmly taking notes. When Iranian nut-job Ahmadinejad recently gave an anti-Semitic rant against Israel in the United Nations, several representatives from Western nations at least had the moxie to walk out on him in protest. However, when Ortega charged America with terrorist aggression in Central America, Obama simply sat and endured the humiliation. When Venezuelan clown Hugo Chavez eagerly greeted Obama with an enthusiastic handshake and a present of a 30-year-old anti-American book written by a South American Marxist, Obama’s response was a huge smile and a comment that he enjoyed reading. When Obama later had the opportunity to address the same audience which had welcomed Ortega’s rant, he said nothing to refute the anti-American sentiments. In a further act of contrition, Obama seems ready to welcome the brutal Communist regime of the Castro brothers in Cuba back into the fold of respected world governments. He stated that we cannot be prisoners of “past disagreements” and “stale debates” as if the struggle between freedom versus enslavement was a thing of the past.

Obama seems intent on winning new “friends” by denigrating his own country, blaming his predecessor for America hatred, and ceding America’s leadership in the world. His need to seemingly put down his own country in order to elevate his personal prestige is narcissistic, at best, and extremely dangerous, at worst. America has undoubtedly made mistakes in the past but she has also taken great strides to admit and correct those mistakes. America’s heritage and history as the greatest force for freedom and democracy in the world should not be denigrated by president Obama. It’s time for him to stand up and affirm to everyone everywhere that America has been and, God willing, always will be the best hope for the world.

War Is Hell

Here's the problem with war today, as I see it. Many in America (and most of the civilized world) no longer understand the consequences of warfare. We have become so sensitive to civilian death and suffering that we (and our ally Israel) attempt to conduct an antiseptic war where no one is harmed except verified enemy combatants. Those who are most critical of America and Israel's prosecution of the war against the Islamo-fascists who wish to destroy our democratic way of life want to hold us to an impossible-to-achieve standard of humanitarian conduct. Today, even one inadvertent civilian death is regarded as an atrocity. Our enemy has no standards of behavior to which he must conform in waging his war against us. Therefore, we are not waging war on a level battlefield. Critics demand that we adhere to the standards of conduct outlined in the Geneva Conventions yet the enemy is not a signator to the Conventions and does not abide by any of those standards of behavior. This double standard is absurd. Would General Patton have attempted to defeat Field Marshall Rommel by using only one tank against Rommel's one hundred? Would General Eisenhower have forewarned the civilians on the coast of France to evacuate prior to the launch of the D-Day invasion so that they would not be inadvertently hurt during the battle?

Those who wish to impose these standards on the conduct of war need to study history so that they might understand how war has been waged in the past. They will find that the Hellenic and Roman armies of Alexander and Caesar did not attempt to minimize civilian casualties during their wars. In fact, they often encouraged their armies to kill all civilians living in enemy territory; destroy their livestock, cats, dogs, and food supplies; and burn their villages to the ground. Captured enemy combatants were either enslaved or, more often, tortured and put to a slow and agonizing death. These were the accepted rules of war for the majority of conflicts up to and including those of the 19th and early 20th century. During World War I, the combatants used poisonous nerve and other toxic gases against one another, resulting in terrible suffering and death. During World War II, Allied and Axis air forces dropped bombs on large metropolitan cities such as London, Berlin, Dresden, and ultimately, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

There is no such thing as a "clean war". During the War Between the States, General William Tecumseh Sherman observed, "War is Hell." He was absolutely right. War is hell - atrocities are committed, civilians die, prisoners are tortured, and horrific weapons of mass destruction are deployed. No sane person wants war. Today, however, we are fighting against a fanatic religious movement that does want war. They glorify "Jihad" (holy war), recruit children and the retarded as killers, and promise paradise for those who kill themselves in the process of committing atrocities against civilians - men, women, and children. They purposely hide and launch attacks from civilian-occupied villages, towns and cities. They store their weapons and hide out in schools, mosques, and hospitals which most of the civilized world regard as "out-of-bounds" for warfare.

When captured, our military (and civilian) personnel are tortured and executed in grotesque ways. However, we hold ourselves to standards of conduct regarding prisoners which are impossible to achieve. Even a single case of a captured militant being subjected to torture brings forth demands for judicial prosecution of our military and political leaders. Torture, for critics of the war, includes strip searches and sleep deprivation, exposure to extreme temperatures, hearing insults about family members, and, most egregious of all, waterboarding (simulated drowning). I have witnessed waterboarding and can testify that no one drowns, no one is physically harmed, and vital information is usually obtained from the subject - information that has saved military and civilian lives. Many of our military personnel are subjected to the technique of waterboarding during their combat training.

Now, war critics want to close down the holding facility at Guantanamo for those enemy who were captured in battle. They want to release the prisoners so that they may take up arms once again to fight against us. More than 60 of the enemy who have been released have done exactly that. How many members of our military and how many civilians have been killed by those released terrorists? Soldiers who were captured and exchanged during the War Between the States were released with the stipulation that they could not return to the battlefield. Both sides agreed to this condition. No such agreement has been or can be agreed upon with the prisoners at Guantanamo because they hold such agreements in contempt and would never abide by them. They have no code of conduct. But they know that we do and use that to their military advantage.

Our military has conducted the most honorable war in the history of warfare. We have gone out of our way to minimize civilian casualties, to safeguard mosques and Muslim holy sites, and to treat captured enemy combatants with respect and kindness. We use modern technology to pinpoint military targets and avoid civilian causalities as best we can. We do not level mosques, schools, or other buildings where we discover caches of enemy weapons. We give enemy prisoners meals that are the equivalent or superior to the food we give our own soldiers. We provide them with copies of their holy book and allow them to worship while in captivity. Yet, thanks to the American press and war critics, much of the world regards our military as a horde of torturers and barbarians.

It's about time the American public demands a politically-free prosecution of this war. It's time we honor those who are doing their best to insure that there is not another 9/11-style attack on America. The future of our country and our way of life depends on our winning this war and eradicating those who wish to destroy us. Please let us all wake up and realize that this is war and war is hell. The alternative to winning this war is worse than hell.