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Understanding The Worth Of Our Nation
Wagon Wheel
Member Posts: 633 ✭✭✭✭
Another article that I just can't NOT post. Sorry, it's long. It is one man's perspective, but full of truths and I would feel guilty if I didn't pass it on. I added the link at the bottom.
Understanding The Worth Of Our Nation
By Frank Salvato May 18, 2007
It is difficult to value something when its worth is unknown. The adage of one child being given a toy only to leave it out in the rain to rust, never understanding the toy's worth, while another child made to earn the same toy is found to take care of it, valuing its worth, is a fitting analogy. This basic truth applies to our American heritage and the continued welfare of our nation.
Most of us have never had to take up arms to protect our freedoms, our liberties, our rights as guaranteed under The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and The Bill of Rights, our Charters of Freedom. In most cases these gifts have been bequeathed to us from those of generations past who did have to serve, to protect and defend our nation and by those who valiantly volunteer to serve today. What is asked of us in return for this legacy of freedom is loyalty to the covenant between citizen and government, loyalty to our nation.
Today, our country faces both a threat from abroad and a threat, in the form of ideological conflict, from within. Some among us choose to accentuate the imperfections of our nation. Some condemn our culture. And still others literally champion our nation's defeat and demise. Those who choose to diminish the significance of the United States' contributions to the world, do so in ignorance of the intent of the documents that charted the course for this great nation and the ideologies and principles that provided the foundation for the creation of our governmental covenant.
September 11, 2001 signaled to the world that radical Islamofascists were serious in their declaration of war against the United States and her Western allies. As we move further away from Osama bin Laden's 1996 fatwa - his declaration of war - and as we progress in our examination of the inner-workings of this macabre ideology, it becomes increasingly evident that this conflict is a generational conflict and a confrontation as we have never experienced before.
Those who criticize the use of the term Global War on Terror have a point but their point is a matter of semantics and all who argue this point are not genuine in their dissent. Many of those who argue this point do so from an ideological standpoint, using the linguistic argument to divert from the intended meaning of the phrase.
The fact of the matter is that fundamentalist Islam fascism is being fought in countries around the world. From Iraq and Afghanistan to Somalia and Sudan, Indonesia and India to Paraguay, China, Russia, the UK, France and the United States, radical Islamists are training, planning and engaging in activities meant to cause harm to the west in general and particularly the United States and those who stand in her defense.
In the United States al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Muslim Brotherhood - to name but a few terrorist organizations - have set up regional headquarters in Boston, Chicago, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Tampa, Washington DC and over 38 other cities around the country. They are not only raising, laundering and funneling money back to the Middle East to support their terrorist organizations, they are setting up jihadi training camps right here in the United States.
Dr. Paul Williams' recent expose on the Islamist jihadi training compound at Islamberg, New York stands as a clarion call to the American people - and the US Government - to awaken from their politically correct stupor to the reality that radical Islamist jihadis are here, now, and training among us for future attacks on our nation.
Compounds (or hamaats) identical to the one found by Dr. Williams in Islamberg can be found in Hyattsville, Maryland; Red House and Falls Church, Virginia; Macon, Georgia; York, South Carolina; Dover, Tennessee; Buena Vista, Colorado; Talihina, Oklahoma; Tulare County and Commerce, California; and Onalaska, Washington. Dr. Williams points out that others are being built, including an expansive facility in Sherman, Pennsylvania.
At the same time, here in the United States we are engaged in what some experts are calling a culture war. Some would go as far as to call it a second Civil War for the fact that several elected officials, along with myriad activists, have acted to the detriment of our military and the well-being of our nation, cavorting with world leaders who actively call for our country's ruin.
This "second Civil War" is being fought on the ideological and political battlegrounds. The catalysts for this conflict are drastically opposing ideologies, very different visions for the future of our country and an ever-widening disparity between those who value our country and the principles on which it was founded and those who are unable to value them because they do not understand their worth.
One faction is invested in the ideology of one-world globalism, an ideology that draws heavily from the Socialist/Communist dogma in that they are inclined to embrace the idea of the global village or the "its takes a village" philosophy of governmental authority. They champion government as a vehicle for change over the idea that rights exist independently from government. This ideology rebukes much of the libertarian and classically liberal philosophies of those who influenced our Framers and Founders to create the great American experiment.
Another faction entrenches itself so thoroughly in the Laissez Faire segment of classical liberalism that they refuse to acknowledge there are many times when government involvement in societal affairs is beneficial, not only to the masses but also to the individual.
And the largest group among the United States' citizenry has been swayed over the past several decades, through the promotion of multiculturalism and political correctness, to identify more with their genealogical "roots" and with the suggestion that they are more members of an overriding global community than members of a cohesive American culture, thus facilitating the Balkanization of American society. This, in part, results in a great number of Americans being not only less concerned with the preservation of our American heritage, but thoroughly apathetic toward the American governmental process.
These three major groups identified, we are faced with the stark reality that 55.3% of our population is engaging in the governmental process, this percentage comprised almost evenly of those identifying with the active but opposing ideologies now battling this uniquely American culture war, while an alarming and potentially potent number ignore their civic responsibility of constitutional stewardship by being apathetic to the process altogether. In essence, all it takes to win a national election is to garner the support of a little over twenty-eight percent of those eligible to vote, as the majority of Americans stand hypnotized by a limited societal vision cultivated by the malady of civic apathy prevalent throughout the "Me Generation."
It is a difficult thing for any nation to endure deep rooted and defined ideological divisions. Add to that the external threat of an aggressive and militant ideology in the form of radical Islam fascism and what presents is a "perfect storm" for an effective deterioration and/or cessation of our unique society, our American heritage and our constitutional form of government.
What is desperately needed for our country to survive this unprecedented challenge, this "perfect storm," is an adequate understanding of the principles, ideologies and history that moved the Framers and our Founding Fathers to risk freedom, liberty, property and ultimately life, so that their dream of the great American experiment could come to fruition. We, the American people one and all, need to understand why they found so much worth in our nation's creation and why they valued this endeavor enough to risk dying for it.
The only way to achieve this much needed infusion of ideological enlightenment is for each American to invest some time in the accurate, first-source, fact-based examination of not only the Charters of Freedom, but the principles and ideologies embraced by our Framers and Founders in the creation of these remarkable documents along with the history that brought them to their fates. We must acquaint ourselves, even if briefly, with the works that moved them to action, the philosophies of Locke, Hobbes, Burke and even Cicero and Aristotle.
To exercise this very basic loyalty to our country is to move toward understanding the meaning behind the words of our Founding Documents. To understand the meaning behind the documents is to understand the worth of our nation. And understanding the worth of our nation allows us to value it, to want to defend it; it allows us to be uniquely American and proud to be so.
In an era when so few can be so devastating to this country, the greatest hope for freedom and liberty in the world, it can be considered our duty to embrace this civic responsibility.
Out of respect for all those who braved the creation of our nation and to honor all those who fought and died fighting for our continued freedoms we need to satisfy this very basic civic responsibility. There are no excuses for not doing so, regardless of your ideological bent, especially when our very survival is at stake. To refuse to do so can only be seen as stand against the principles on which country was founded. To refuse to do so is being unpatriotic and un-American.
CNSNews.com Commentary
http://www.cnsnews.com:80/ViewCommentary.asp?Page=/Commentary/archive/200705/COM20070518b.html
(Frank Salvato is managing editor of The New Media Journal.us. The views expressed are those of the writer.)
Understanding The Worth Of Our Nation
By Frank Salvato May 18, 2007
It is difficult to value something when its worth is unknown. The adage of one child being given a toy only to leave it out in the rain to rust, never understanding the toy's worth, while another child made to earn the same toy is found to take care of it, valuing its worth, is a fitting analogy. This basic truth applies to our American heritage and the continued welfare of our nation.
Most of us have never had to take up arms to protect our freedoms, our liberties, our rights as guaranteed under The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and The Bill of Rights, our Charters of Freedom. In most cases these gifts have been bequeathed to us from those of generations past who did have to serve, to protect and defend our nation and by those who valiantly volunteer to serve today. What is asked of us in return for this legacy of freedom is loyalty to the covenant between citizen and government, loyalty to our nation.
Today, our country faces both a threat from abroad and a threat, in the form of ideological conflict, from within. Some among us choose to accentuate the imperfections of our nation. Some condemn our culture. And still others literally champion our nation's defeat and demise. Those who choose to diminish the significance of the United States' contributions to the world, do so in ignorance of the intent of the documents that charted the course for this great nation and the ideologies and principles that provided the foundation for the creation of our governmental covenant.
September 11, 2001 signaled to the world that radical Islamofascists were serious in their declaration of war against the United States and her Western allies. As we move further away from Osama bin Laden's 1996 fatwa - his declaration of war - and as we progress in our examination of the inner-workings of this macabre ideology, it becomes increasingly evident that this conflict is a generational conflict and a confrontation as we have never experienced before.
Those who criticize the use of the term Global War on Terror have a point but their point is a matter of semantics and all who argue this point are not genuine in their dissent. Many of those who argue this point do so from an ideological standpoint, using the linguistic argument to divert from the intended meaning of the phrase.
The fact of the matter is that fundamentalist Islam fascism is being fought in countries around the world. From Iraq and Afghanistan to Somalia and Sudan, Indonesia and India to Paraguay, China, Russia, the UK, France and the United States, radical Islamists are training, planning and engaging in activities meant to cause harm to the west in general and particularly the United States and those who stand in her defense.
In the United States al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Muslim Brotherhood - to name but a few terrorist organizations - have set up regional headquarters in Boston, Chicago, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Tampa, Washington DC and over 38 other cities around the country. They are not only raising, laundering and funneling money back to the Middle East to support their terrorist organizations, they are setting up jihadi training camps right here in the United States.
Dr. Paul Williams' recent expose on the Islamist jihadi training compound at Islamberg, New York stands as a clarion call to the American people - and the US Government - to awaken from their politically correct stupor to the reality that radical Islamist jihadis are here, now, and training among us for future attacks on our nation.
Compounds (or hamaats) identical to the one found by Dr. Williams in Islamberg can be found in Hyattsville, Maryland; Red House and Falls Church, Virginia; Macon, Georgia; York, South Carolina; Dover, Tennessee; Buena Vista, Colorado; Talihina, Oklahoma; Tulare County and Commerce, California; and Onalaska, Washington. Dr. Williams points out that others are being built, including an expansive facility in Sherman, Pennsylvania.
At the same time, here in the United States we are engaged in what some experts are calling a culture war. Some would go as far as to call it a second Civil War for the fact that several elected officials, along with myriad activists, have acted to the detriment of our military and the well-being of our nation, cavorting with world leaders who actively call for our country's ruin.
This "second Civil War" is being fought on the ideological and political battlegrounds. The catalysts for this conflict are drastically opposing ideologies, very different visions for the future of our country and an ever-widening disparity between those who value our country and the principles on which it was founded and those who are unable to value them because they do not understand their worth.
One faction is invested in the ideology of one-world globalism, an ideology that draws heavily from the Socialist/Communist dogma in that they are inclined to embrace the idea of the global village or the "its takes a village" philosophy of governmental authority. They champion government as a vehicle for change over the idea that rights exist independently from government. This ideology rebukes much of the libertarian and classically liberal philosophies of those who influenced our Framers and Founders to create the great American experiment.
Another faction entrenches itself so thoroughly in the Laissez Faire segment of classical liberalism that they refuse to acknowledge there are many times when government involvement in societal affairs is beneficial, not only to the masses but also to the individual.
And the largest group among the United States' citizenry has been swayed over the past several decades, through the promotion of multiculturalism and political correctness, to identify more with their genealogical "roots" and with the suggestion that they are more members of an overriding global community than members of a cohesive American culture, thus facilitating the Balkanization of American society. This, in part, results in a great number of Americans being not only less concerned with the preservation of our American heritage, but thoroughly apathetic toward the American governmental process.
These three major groups identified, we are faced with the stark reality that 55.3% of our population is engaging in the governmental process, this percentage comprised almost evenly of those identifying with the active but opposing ideologies now battling this uniquely American culture war, while an alarming and potentially potent number ignore their civic responsibility of constitutional stewardship by being apathetic to the process altogether. In essence, all it takes to win a national election is to garner the support of a little over twenty-eight percent of those eligible to vote, as the majority of Americans stand hypnotized by a limited societal vision cultivated by the malady of civic apathy prevalent throughout the "Me Generation."
It is a difficult thing for any nation to endure deep rooted and defined ideological divisions. Add to that the external threat of an aggressive and militant ideology in the form of radical Islam fascism and what presents is a "perfect storm" for an effective deterioration and/or cessation of our unique society, our American heritage and our constitutional form of government.
What is desperately needed for our country to survive this unprecedented challenge, this "perfect storm," is an adequate understanding of the principles, ideologies and history that moved the Framers and our Founding Fathers to risk freedom, liberty, property and ultimately life, so that their dream of the great American experiment could come to fruition. We, the American people one and all, need to understand why they found so much worth in our nation's creation and why they valued this endeavor enough to risk dying for it.
The only way to achieve this much needed infusion of ideological enlightenment is for each American to invest some time in the accurate, first-source, fact-based examination of not only the Charters of Freedom, but the principles and ideologies embraced by our Framers and Founders in the creation of these remarkable documents along with the history that brought them to their fates. We must acquaint ourselves, even if briefly, with the works that moved them to action, the philosophies of Locke, Hobbes, Burke and even Cicero and Aristotle.
To exercise this very basic loyalty to our country is to move toward understanding the meaning behind the words of our Founding Documents. To understand the meaning behind the documents is to understand the worth of our nation. And understanding the worth of our nation allows us to value it, to want to defend it; it allows us to be uniquely American and proud to be so.
In an era when so few can be so devastating to this country, the greatest hope for freedom and liberty in the world, it can be considered our duty to embrace this civic responsibility.
Out of respect for all those who braved the creation of our nation and to honor all those who fought and died fighting for our continued freedoms we need to satisfy this very basic civic responsibility. There are no excuses for not doing so, regardless of your ideological bent, especially when our very survival is at stake. To refuse to do so can only be seen as stand against the principles on which country was founded. To refuse to do so is being unpatriotic and un-American.
CNSNews.com Commentary
http://www.cnsnews.com:80/ViewCommentary.asp?Page=/Commentary/archive/200705/COM20070518b.html
(Frank Salvato is managing editor of The New Media Journal.us. The views expressed are those of the writer.)
Comments
Welcome to the forum.
Ditto on the AR and... And... AND....
http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/paul-williams051107.htm
http://www.islamberg.org/
They are already here, and training!
Yes,........they are home bred "black muslims" largely! Pickenup said he had no problem with those words![;)]
Seriously,........look at what is going on in your own country, and they are being seeded out of the prison system, by Muslim clerics, that are allowed in there, to preach to them.
I sent out those links on the 11th. So far all I've seen on the news about it was a 1 minute or so segment by E.D. Hill on her afternoon show on Fox.
Sent this one on the 15th. Still haven't seen anything else in the news about this one.
FBI, security officials warn of growing threat from Islamic extremists 'next door':
Plots by American-based Islamic terrorists with no direct ties to international terror networks form a large and growing threat to the American homeland, FBI and other security officials say.
"The trend we're seeing is that we are uncovering more instances of people here who have been radicalized . where there is not a direct thumbprint of al-Qaeda," says John Miller, the FBI's assistant director for public affairs.
"If they look like the neighbors next door, it's because that's what they are," says D'Amuro, CEO of Giuliani Security and Safety in New York.
In eight cases, the accused plotters were native-born Americans, including about a dozen who were converts to Islam.
Intelligence analysts say the lack of an al-Qaeda-led terrorist strike here may signal that the group is waiting until it can mount an attack that will equal the 9/11 strikes in casualties and publicity value.
The whole story:
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20070514/1a_bottomstrip14.art.htm
And this one today:
Knowing full well that The President AND CONGRESS get regular updates by the FBI and Homeland Security on Domestic Threats they are in an all-out attack mode to Disarm Law-abiding "American Citizens", thereby rendering them defenseless to a KNOWN, impending, Domestic attack that Local or even State Law Enforcement is/would be unable to defend against. Your survival will depend upon YOUR preparation. Feeling Vulnerable?? You should!!!!
More on Jihad coming to the streets of America | Northeast Intelligence Network
Seven more arrested in St. Louis area weapons case:
http://www.homelandsecurityus.com:80/Jihad051707
The Original Article:
The case originated with the arrest of Mousa M. ABUELAWI, 22, of Creve Coeur, MO on December 29, 2006.
Eight Muslim men in St. Louis charged with buying automatic weapons and explosives.
"We're going to war" --Thaer Abde SUMAD, defendant
The "insider" reports are very troubling and are purposely being downplayed by official sources and go largely unreported in the media.http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/Jihad050307
Keep in mind that this Not the New Jersey Cell!!
TAQIYYA:
Taqiyya or dissimulation, is a form of deception, which Muslims use to conceal the truth. This Islamic concept to deceive an enemy (i.e., non-Muslim, infidel, *, etc.) is not only a common practice, but is considered a virtue among Muslims. It is used by all Muslims, not just Shias, as Sunnis will assert.
Keep this in mind when you hear Muslims condemn `terrorism' (make them define terrorism. It will rarely include Jihadis attacks against non-Muslims, especially those from the West). Keep this in mind when Muslims say Islam forbids the killing of innocents (non-Muslims are not considered innocent).
Remember what Muhammad said:
"Lying is wrong, except in three things: the lie of a man to his wife to make her content with him; a lie to an enemy, for war is deception; or a lie to settle trouble between people"
And the Koran:
"And when ye go forth in the land, it is no sin for you to curtail (your) worship if ye fear that those who disbelieve may attack you. In truth the disbelievers are an open enemy to you." (Surah 4:101)
"Let not the believers take for friends or helpers unbelievers rather than believers. If any do that, in nothing will there be help from Allah; except by way of precaution, that ye may guard yourselves from them." (Surah 3:28)
Everything being the fault of other people....non-voters ? Who, pray tell, should one vote for.? what level of corruption is HE comfortable with ?
Very true post.
I believe nothing will happen in regards to the Second until the people get really P-EED OFF ! As an example, we have all dealt with escalating gas prices but have done very little about it. Suddenly the gas prices have broke the $4 mark and are beginning to spiral out of control. Now, the people are starting to take a stand and become vocal. The people's voice will make its way to the White House eventually. Will anything be resolved ???? I don't know, we will have to wait and see.
Our problem is that there is no loud voice screaming out about our stolen Second Amendment rights. The founders were pillars of the community, wealthy and well known and respected people. For example, one might compare the stature of the founders to the CEO of Mobil Exxon Lee Raymond or Bill Gates of Microsoft. Let's say that these two individuals decided to go public with their disgust of how our government has degraded The Constitution of the United States down to toilet paper. There would undoubtedly be huge coverage by the media and a massive following of "THE PEOPLE". My point is that a few middle class "PEOPLE" will make small ripples that will fade away while the government strong-arm escorts them into damp dark prisons, however: people of stature in the community stand a better chance at making a tidal wave !
With all due respect I don't know Lee Raymond but Bill Gates is about the worst example I can think of to compare to the Founding Fathers. A Liberal, Leftist that totally supports Globalization. NOT!! You are right that we need some vocal support from the rich and powerful but I'm not holding my breath.
The problem with the "wealthy" is they don't lose their rights. What richy wants , richy rich gets! Remember , while the wealthy had the voice and intellegence to get ideas on paper, the "middle" class bled in that war, more them than richy rich. Today the wealthy have much to lose and little to gain, next to none will speak up for us.
Yeah like the bushes...
Attorney at Law
A right is something one can exercise in private, without having to get anyone's permission first, and without even having to disclose to anyone that one is, or is not, exercising the right. A right, and what one does, or does not do with it, is one's business and no one else's business. A right is also 100% immune from all forms of prior restraint and infringement. Civil authority can legitimately, and Constitutionally, punish, after the fact, behavior that is an abuse of the right. Civil authority cannot, however, legitimately, and Constitutionally, impose prior restraints on the exercise of the right. Such prior restraints reduce a fundamental right to a privilege.
To permit is to control. To permit is to convert a fundamental right to a privilege
How one exercises a right becomes a legitimate concern to civil authority only when one's behavior regarding that right actually harms another. Neither civil authority, nor anyone else, has any legitimate basis to complain about the responsible, non-harmful exercise of any right. This includes otherwise law-abiding citizens who merely carry a weapon in a public place for lawful self-defense without a CCW permit. The key is: what is the citizen's behavior, not whether he or she also carries a piece of government issued paper called a permit
Life is full of risks. Civil authority and citizens must be willing to take risks with Freedom, Liberty, and the Constitutional Rule of Law. The alternative is Oppression, Tyranny, and Any Rule of Law. The risks associated with Oppression, Tyranny, and Any Rule of Law outweigh those associated with Freedom, Liberty, and the Constitutional Rule of Law
Do you realize that when the U.S. Supreme Court declared that it has the sole power to determine what is and is not Constitutional, and that it, and all government, is cloaked with immunity, that the Judiciary perverted Mankind's greatest achievement-the Bill of Rights-and made you an unwilling party to a one sided contract, a contract of adhesion
If you are inclined to support more victim disarmament laws, why? Why are you more comfortable with only criminals and cops having guns instead of law-abiding citizens also having guns? Why do you want to move the United States toward a police state? Do you realize that when citizens are disarmed and the streets are safe only for police and criminals, that is the classic definition of a police state? Where is the virtue in this: the police arrive at a crime scene and find a strangled, raped female and a long-gone rapist? Is this not more virtuous: the police arrive at a crime scene and find a criminal assailant prone, bleeding, with two bullet holes in his chest and a live, unharmed female
After September 11, are not all citizens now on the front lines? If so, why does civil authority inexplicably treat us as cattle or the enemy or suspects instead of as citizens?
Firearms are inanimate objects made of metal, wood and plastic. They are incapable of human thought or emotion. They cannot form the intent to commit an "assault". The only thing a loaded firearm can do without human intervention is . . . . What? Answer: Self-destruct via a mechanism called rust. Self-destruction is the opposite of commit an assault. Where is the hard, verifiable, objective proof that any firearm in the history of firearms has done any of the following: Formed the intent to commit an assault? Loaded itself? Selected a target? Aimed itself? Pulled its own trigger?
Burn this into your psyche: An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject-and worse: a piss ant. Civil authority has to take a citizen seriously. Civil authority can ignore, flatten, incarcerate, and execute a piss ant. Which would you rather be: a citizen or a piss ant?
Burn this also into your psyche: A gun in the hand is better than a dispatcher on the phone or a cop in route.