July 4: Opinion for Consideration (Updated from 7/1/2014)

Consider Thomas Paine's 1777 quote, above: "Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."

Wrong, wrong, wrong!  People in this country reap the blessings of freedom without undergoing the fatigue of supporting it... every day.  Most pull down a welfare check and see nothing wrong with making everyone else pay for them to lounge around and do nothing to support the country that gives them all of these "rights and freedoms" they didn't earn.  

A few are on welfare because they have to be, and that is acceptable.  Those that aren't on welfare, and abuse the freedom they have, can be seen disrupting the funerals of soldiers that died for their right to disrupt a funeral of soldiers that, well... it becomes an endless loop.  What Payne 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 considered "equal" even though they're not, and nobody wins "first prize" for fear of making all the losers feel bad for not winning.  

Oh, my GOD!  This is us!

See if this also sounds insanely familiar in the here and now:

"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 dissolve.  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.  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.  There is a butt load of liberals out there that just gasped their lungs so full of rarefied air they are amid a coughing jag.  They would argue that we do, in fact, teach history in school.  

But, I'm not discussing the bullshit teachers 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 even though an African American wasn't helping to hoist the flag pole. The Holocaust is one paragraph, so we don't overburden tender minds with the possibility of monsters among us.  What I'm talking about is factual history; the history that is brutal, bloody, racist, sexist, and full of sociopaths that think they are the "second coming of Jesus" when, in fact, they are a leader in a country full of gullible people expecting this moron to be rational.  Surprise!  We will write them out of history, or we'll make them kinder and gentler, and no one will notice because we're all being indoctrinated, or we're all too stupid, to realize we've done it.  The truth is, we have programmed ourselves to not even care about history when we should.

Read the above quote, from Thomas Paine, aloud.  Do it line by line and think about each line as if it stands alone.  This is the country we are living 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.  It seems the season is upon us again, I fear.  In recent news, we must admit, "Nothing is criminal; there is no such thing as treason; wherefore, everyone thinks himself at liberty to act as he pleases."  Even 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, before his death, communism 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! Why should they, when we don't teach it.

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

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.  It is sounding all too familiar, again.

There is a silver lining to the doom and gloom, however.  Liberals 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 current President, will just draw another meaningless line in the sand and end up doing nothing because he'll say 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 the government meets this criterion already, this should be fairly easy.  No one gets hurt and no one dies, because we're all too damned lazy to give a shit.  

And, besides, a revolution will never happen here, right?  We're a tolerant lot, aren't we?  Think about it.  Gays, Islam, same-sex, marriages, Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, and let's not forget the multitude of religions that all think they're right and damn to hell for all eternity anyone who dares disagree.  Tolerant?  Think about it, and have a happy Independence Day!

"And what country can preserve it’s liberties if it's rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure."

-- Thomas Jefferson

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 view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions, 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.

I fervently 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 offered. After twenty-three years of military intelligence, I have come to believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is a 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 United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Following his service career, he spent 17 years working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. He also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

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 a weapon for his war on intolerance... he chose the pen. He 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 personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

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