Yes, I am patriotic to a fault, if that can be called a fault.  I am Pro-America, Pro-Constitutionalism, Pro-Life, and Pro-God, so if any of that is so offensive you are repulsed I suggest you read no further.  You can hurl insults at me if you choose and I will do my best to remain civil and defend your right to believe what you believe and express yourself.  I will do so, providing you refrain from making it a personal attack on me or any others commenting.  If you engage in vulgarity and use vitriolic hateful language then I will not be tolerant.

Now, before I lose all possible readership let me address my deep gratitude to God and those who have served in the U.S. Military throughout our storied history as a nation.  July 4^th of each year we celebrate our American Independence and should be profoundly grateful for the sacrifices, service, and success of those men and women who fought for independence and hammered out the foundation for a Republic that would allow people to LIVE FREE!  Each time I hear the national anthem and see the American flag my heart beats a little faster as I call to remembrance what is being represented.  Without the vision, foresight, fortitude, and daring of those valiant patriots in 1776, we would not be enjoying the Freedom and Liberty we have today.

When I hear the anthem and see the Flag, I am reminded of those valiant warriors in World War I and II who placed their lives on the line to stop imperialism and tyranny preserving not only America but much of the world’s liberty and freedom.  Were it not for the love of country and liberty exhibited by those who fought against the Communism of Nazi Germany and the tyrannical Imperialism of Japan a very different flag would be likely be waving over our Capitol, schools, and public buildings.  No one would not be able to “resist” and “protest” as is being witnessed today.  We would not be able to live where we choose, drive what we can afford, and work in the vocations of our desire.  We would be puppets and pawns of the State and subjects of some despotic tyrant or emperor.  You can accuse me of being overly dramatic if you please but what I’ve portrayed is an unavoidable reality were it not for our Fighting Forces and American Spirit of Exceptionalism that prevailed in an undeterred commitment to Fight to the Finish and Win the Victory!

When I think of the many who have fought and served since the mid-1940’s after World War II ended my eyes become wet with tears.  I am grateful for their willingness to step into harm’s way for America and Freedom in the world.  I am a Vietnam Veteran, and my fellow vets were not given parades, not that we asked for them.  We were often called vicious and insulting names and treated worse than one would treat a rabid dog.  I am grateful that I did not experience the vilification that many of my brothers in arms experienced and my family and friends were supportive and encouraging.  After about a year and a half home I received Jesus Christ as my personal savior and that totally transformed my life.  I entered the ministry and went to Bible College and began a life of service in the role of pastor, evangelist, teacher, and other capacities.  However, I remained and remain 100% Committed to the Cause of Freedom and Liberty and each time I hear the national anthem and see the American flag tears come to my eyes, I choke up a bit and reflect on what those symbols stand for.

Those who feel the urge to burn the flag should realize that they would not have the freedom to engage in that act were it not for those patriots in 1776, WW I & II, and all the other wars and conflicts we have engaged.  If it were not for the Free Constitutional Republic that our Founders and Framers established they would find that to do what they do in protests and Anti-American acts would likely land them in a concentration camp, or before a firing squad.  In America, we have tolerated collaborators who in their protest trashed America on foreign soil.  In my view, that is treason and deserving of the just reward for that act of treachery but they have frequently been rewarded with fame and fortune and elevated to high places.

I am an American.  I was born here of parents who were both American citizens and they were children of American citizens dating back to pre-revolutionary war days.  One of the founders, Benjamin Rush, is a very distant cousin and I share much of the sentiment he expressed regarding both God and country.  In the America that  I grew up, there was a recognizable display of national and self-interest.  There was a sense of being our “brother’s keeper” and “neighbors” in the biblical sense.  We did not lock our doors and when a neighbor needed help we offered our assistance.  We wanted and believed that the best government was a government that kept out of the way and allowed us to produce the goods and services needed for the community and nation.  We believed that a man’s home was truly his castle and that what a man possessed was his to do with as he pleased.  We believed that it was honorable to honor those who served in the military, respect our elders, and pay our own way.  Many, in that time, did not see themselves as Democrats or Republicans but Americans and from time to time would switch parties in a vote or split their ticket depending on the candidates involved.  They voted for people based on those individuals expressed and demonstrated a commitment to a particular need or agenda.  They sometimes felt betrayed by politicians but not because the politicians did not drive the gravy train by their house, but because they created a gravy train in the first place.  Few, if any, wanted a handout from the government only an opportunity to pursue their dreams.

Anyone in America can succeed if they are willing to take the risk, make the commitment, invest themselves, their time and resources, and persist.  PERSEVERANCE is the key more often than being lucky and having something given to you.  From the beginning of colonial America through the Revolutionary War, World War’s I & II, and to the common era, America is the Land of Opportunity.  OPPORTUNITY sometimes knocks and those inside either are not listening or they are too self-absorbed to open the door.  If you have $100 MILLION and I have $1 DOLLAR I deserve nothing of yours and you deserve nothing of mine.  It is my view that if anyone is too lazy to work and chooses to sit on their duff thinking they are entitled to what I have labored for, they should be awarded the biblical mandate given by the apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 – “…if anyone is not willing to work, neither let him eat.”  No, I do not believe my Christianity is tainted by that position.  If we truly care about people we will not facilitate their laziness or hatred.  We are all “human beings”, part of the “human race” and our ancestry, each of us, dates back to Adam and Eve in the Garden.

I LOVE AMERICA and say that without reservation or hesitation.  I make no apologies for my patriotism.  Any party, politician, or person who takes a position that trashes this great nation and seeks to ‘fundamentally transform’ this Republic into anything other than what our Founders and Framers established earn my distrust and disdain.

“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.”

 GOD BLESS YOU and GOD BLESS AMERICA!