July 4, 2022 (Updated from the original 7/1/14 post)

 

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." -- Thomas Paine.  Wrong, wrong, wrong!  People in this country reap the blessings of freedom without undergoing the fatigue of supporting it every day.  Many pull a welfare check and see nothing wrong with making everyone else pay for them to lounge around and do nothing to support this country that gives them all of these rights and freedoms.  A few are on welfare because they have to be, and that is acceptable.  Those that aren't on welfare, abuse their freedom by disrupting funerals of the soldiers that died for their right to disrupt a funeral of soldiers that, well, as you can see, it becomes an endless loop.

What Paine says, however, is absolutely correct.  Freedom is not free.  The minute we start to believe it is, we become complacent.  We allow ourselves to take the easy road.  The easy road is where we don't have to think for ourselves.  The easy road is where we redistribute wealth and everybody is "equal" and nobody wins first prize for fear of making all the losers feel bad.  Oh, my GOD!  This is us!

See if this sounds insanely familiar:

"The present state of America is truly alarming to every man who is capable of reflection.  Without law, without government, without any other mode of power than what is founded on, and granted by, courtesy.  Held together by an unexampled occurrence of sentiment, which is nevertheless subject to change, and which every secret enemy is endeavoring to disolve.  Our present condition  is, legislation without law; wisdom without a plan; a constitution without a name; and, what is strangely astonishing, perfect independence contending for dependence.  The instance is without precedent; the case never existed before; and, who can tell what may be the event?  The property of no man is secure in the present unbraced system of things.  The mind of the multitude is left at random, and seeing no fixed object before them, they pursue such as fancy or opinion presents.  Nothing is criminal; there is no such thing as treason; wherefore, everyone thinks himself at liberty to act as he pleases."

-- Thomas Paine, "Common Sense," January 10, 1776

History has an uncanny habit of repeating itself.  It does so for one very good reason - we no longer teach history to our young people, and even if we did we are too thick to learn from our mistakes.  I know there is a butt load of liberals out there that just gasped their lungs so full of rarefied air they are in the midst of a coughing jag.  They would argue the opposite, that we do, in fact, teach history in school.  I'm not discussing the bullshit that educators make up so all of our children are happy.  I'm not talking about the Iwo Jima statue that has an African American helping to hoist the flag pole, the African American that was added so we'd feel a warm "all-inclusive" fuzzy.  No, truth be known, he was never there to grab the flag pole.  

We keep the Holocaust down to one paragraph so we don't overburden young, tender minds with the possibility of monsters among us.  I'm talking about factual history; the history that is brutal, bloody, racist, sexist, and full of sociopaths that think they are the second coming of Jesus when they are only the leader of gullible narcissists believing their leader to be rational (sounds like our current President).  Surprise!  Well, we'll just write them out of history, make them kinder and gentler, or just flat out lie.  No one will notice because they're all too stupid to realize we've done it, or too indoctrinated and programmed by the socialist hierarchy to even care.

Go back to the "insanely familiar" quote, above, and read it aloud to yourself.  Do it line by line and think about each line as if it stands alone.  This is the country we live in at the present time.  Consider the line, "The instance is without precedent; the case never existed before; and, who can tell what may be the event?" It is no longer without precedent, the case has happened before, and the outcome was a declaration of independence.  The season is upon us again, I fear.  In the recent news we must admit, "Nothing is criminal; there is no such thing as treason; wherefore, every one thinks himself at liberty to act as he pleases."  Sadly, this seems to include the President of the United States.

I fear there is a rebellion brewing in this country.  Financially we are going to feed on ourselves until there is nothing left.  The welfare state is unsustainable; history has proven it time and again.  Communism is unsustainable, even Fidel Castro said it was a grand idea that didn't work.  Socialism is unsustainable, although Vladimir Putin would like to bring back the golden years of the Soviet, it will only die another painful death later on down the road.  Nobody learns from history!

This July 4th, don't just drink the kool-aid like the millions of other mindless Americans willing to commit a slow, painful suicide buried under governmental control of every aspect of life.  Do something totally novel.  Think about your country and the condition it is in.  Put politics aside and ask yourself, "Are you willing to die for an idea?"

My son is a liberal, yet he bought a "full auto" kit for his AR-15.  Be conservative with your ammunition.  One-shot, one kill.  This is conservative thinking.  I fear for his life during a revolution.  

Seven months after Thomas Paine published his book, the Continental Congress declared independence from tyranny and was willing to die for the idea of freedom.  Many were happy to continue under English rule; but, the majority saw the writing on the wall and opted for freedom from an oppressive government.  

Does this ring a bell?  If not, you haven't been paying attention to your government or the cost of living, which are the same thing.

There is a silver lining to the doom and gloom, however.  Liberals, really don't want to fight.  Those on welfare are too busy eating Oreo cookies, getting fat, and watching television while they wait for their next check to arrive for doing absolutely nothing.  The President, will just draw another meaningless line in the sand and end up doing nothing because, to him, it really isn't happening.  In short, any revolution that occurs will last about as long as it takes a General officer to declare the government null and void, and since most Americans feel it meets this criterion already, this should be fairly easy.  No one gets hurt and no one dies, because the country has become too damned lazy to give a shit.  

And, besides, it will never happen here, right?  We're a tolerant lot, aren't we?  Think about it.  Gays, Islam, same-sex marriages, sex changes, aborting babies, Republicans, and Democrats, liberals, and conservatives, and let's not forget the multitude of religions that all think they're right and all the others are wrong and damn to hell for all eternity anyone who dares disagree.  Tolerant?  Really? Not on a bet. 

Note to my readers:  As always this is just an opinion, the validity of which is almost always in question, as it should be.  We should always question, everything and everyone.  More importantly, we should consider our own ideas and opinions instead of buying into the bullshit of others, especially when those others think that, just because they hold public office, they must know what they're doing.

Try to have a happy 4th of July!  I know I will.

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Praise God!  Do I hear a hallelujah?  Oh, hell yes!  Amen!

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with the United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and, finally, a senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Western Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research.

Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony:  tolerantpastor@gmail.com