ClydeStyle

Category: Patriotism

  • A reason to be outraged?

    May 9, 2012 will be a day that goes down in history as another advancement in civil rights.

    President Barack Obama gave his personal feelings regarding same-sex unions. Before doing this, his administration has already done many things for gays and lesbians in regards to their civil rights. In addition, he has done quite a bit in his presidency for minorities and the disenfranchised.

    With that said, we need to remember the separation of church and state. Too many religious people will attempt to make this an issue for the church — it is not.

    What we can’t do here is forget what our constitution says regarding equal rights. If you believe in the fabric of what our forefathers wrote about “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”, and if you believe in the Holy Bible and you understand the teaching of free will and judgement day, you should be very understanding of the events of the day.

    Why you ask? Because no one I know voted for Obama because of his religious beliefs. I hope that no one has wasted a vote on any politician based on his spirituality.

    What you should have done is voted based on the political views they claimed and their ability to get those things done.

    But you don’t need me to tell you why you should vote. Instead, let me just remind you of God’s word.

    There are many people who believe in trying to do God’s job. You see, God never invited us to His judgement seat. God invited us to the love seat; forgiveness seat; and benevolent seat. These are the things that Christians do.

    We need to uphold free will — hand in hand with democracy! We need to make sure that we don’t create a scenario that backfires on us. How can I decide a choice for someone when I don’t want anyone to make choices for me?

    In this country, there are many organizations (like the KKK) that I don’t agree with. I don’t even think they should exist. And despite the evil things done in their history I believe in their right to exist. Why? Because I’m a Christian and I’m an American. As a Christian I know what the bible says and I know who has the final say. I know who will judge the quick and the dead and I’m comfortable with His judgement.

    As an American, my constitution is the standard and we have a history of being hypocrites. Just as other great Americans have done, I feel duty bound to speak up for the rights our troops are defending. People have the right to love and be with who they want. Whether I agree with it or not, they still have that right.

    We need to make sure that we are not trying to hide bigotry behind the cross!

  • Christian politics?

    Is it possible to be a Christian in politics?

    It seems like election time brings out the worst in us. We hear Christians speak of patriotism as if it were in the bible.

    We say things that are in direct conflict with the teachings of Jesus, but we still claim to belong to him.

    How can those who have much, not help those who have less? How could we think that Jesus would just be okay with this?

    Jesus said for us to love our neighbor as he has loved us. Jesus loved us enough to actual give up his life for our sins. He rose from the dead with all power in heaven and earth. His victory in the grave was so profound! In the midst of this victory, the apostle Paul explains (eph. 4) that Christ “led captivity captive and gave gifts to men.”

    These wonderful gifts were used to perfect the saints, equip the body for ministry and build up the saints.

    My point here is this, there is nothing we have that we acquired on our own. Without Christ, we are nothing.

    If I’m middle class and know that I HAVE because HE lives, then what right do I have to judge? How can I tell someone to simply pull themselves up by their boots straps when I didn’t do that? Many of the rich in our country are living off “old” money. Their grandfathers and great-grandfathers gave them a huge head start in real estate, finances, education and status. They were able to take these wonderful resources and grow them 10 and 100 fold or more.

    There is a great divide in our country between those that have and those that don’t. And the viewpoint of the rich regarding the poor seems so judgmental. I think Mitt Romney summed it up well in his statement that he doesn’t care about the very poor. Newt Gingrich followed up Romney’s comment by saying he cares about the very poor and opportunity needs to be shown to them so that they can “stop being poor.” I don’t think he realized what he said. Can they really just “stop being poor?”

    I see God using those who are poor and struggling in a powerful way. I believe these folks are there so that God can see the true intent of the rich. Will you help or will you hurt? 

    We would be foolish to believe that any of the candidates on either side really care about the poor when we are still spending far more money in foreign relationship and war than we do on the needy in our own country.

    I have been truly blessed to be able to provide for my family. And I am mindful and very much in touch with those that are struggling. As Christians we cannot say we honor God and turn a blind eye on those that are suffering.

    We all need to do what our scope of influence will allow us to do because in this economy, you never know when things can go south. And for those who believe they are untouchable, you are grossly underestimating God!

    Learn this lesson now before God takes you to school!

     

  • Truth or consequences?

    Jesus, on one occasion, said to let your yea be yea and your nay be nay.

    He wanted us to honor our words. If you say you are going to do something, make sure you do it. Keep your promises. Don’t say things that you do not mean. All of these things speak to the character of the one saying them.

    Our society has a hard time keeping its word. From government and politicians to the pulpits and preachers and everyone in between, we struggle to keep our word.

    It has been so bad that once we are found not keeping our word, the response is so callous and matter-of-factly stated, “oh well.” ” It happens.” “Get over it!”

    Wives are not keeping promises to manage the home; husbands and fathers are not taking care of their families; whole school systems have failed to keep their promises to educate; and the governments deceive.

    What judgment are we to face because of this? One of the seven things God hates is a lying tongue. We need not to make this too complicated. Imagine a world where everyone kept their word? Imagine a world where honesty is the most important thing and not profit?

    Don’t get caught living in lies! For we must realize that we are not merely lying to men, but to God and his judgment is coming.

    Let’s make 2012 a better year by presenting ourselves open and honest before God and mankind.

  • Was it all worth it?

    Finally!

    Combat troops are out of Iraq and by the end of 2011 the rest of more than 50K soldiers left will come home.

    It seemed like we were never going to get to this point. We heard words like “leave responsibly” and “finish the job” and so we waited  — patiently most of us – until the Obama administration made good on a campaign promise to end this war.

    The looming question being asked today is: “Was the war in Iraq worth it?”

    Some experts were quick to say “too early to tell.” Some war activists were quick to say “hell no, it wasn’t worth it.” The American people then began to line up and choose sides. Politicians struggle to try and say the “right thing” so as not to anger their constituents. We’re so predictable.

    Seven years after the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, our troops headed out like thieves in the night. No celebrations, no victory songs, no pomp and circumstances … they just left. Where are the ticker-tape parades? If the media didn’t tell us, we would have never known they were leaving. Many of the troops interviewed seem to just be glad they got out in one piece. I’m glad they did, too.

    Maybe they were thinking about their fallen comrades – more than 4,400 of them – which make us all, deep down inside want this war to be worth it. With a price tag of $750 billion of our children’s future spent, we try to remember the most important things and forget some of the things that haunt us now – and will continue to for a long time.

    We’d rather remember the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s statue or maybe even his capture or execution. We try to forget that we put him in power over there in the first place, or that we never found any weapons of mass destruction. I even feel like I lost part of my Christianity for cheering with friends the day Saddam’s sons were gunned down in a vicious shoot out.

    We’d rather remember the photos of the Iraqi people voting or their children going to newly-built schools. We don’t want to even talk about the number of Iraqi people who died because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whether it was from a terrorist bomb or one of our bombs, I’m still waiting on an official count of their numbers. We don’t even talk about it, which should let you know how bad it really is. It makes me sad to even think about it.

    The bottom line is that if we even have to ask this question, then we probably already know the answer. Was the Revolutionary War worth it? Were WWI and WWII worth it?

    If my son comes home from school crying because some kid bullied him and his father allowed it and I go and beat up the man and spank the boy in front of my son, was that worth it? If a felon attempts to rape my daughter and I shoot and kill him, was it worth it? When did violence become the first option in solving problems?

    NOBODY WINS IN A WAR and NO WAR IS EVER WORTH IT!

    The only lesson to learn here is that America needs to get the beam out of its eye before trying to get the speck out of another country’s eye.

  • Which Memorials Do You Remember?

    Okay, so this is the week we honor those who died in service to our nation.

    This tradition was started after the Civil War. Legend says that an organized women’s group began decorating graves towards the end of the Civil War.

    Memorial Day (in 1860 it was first called Decoration Day) was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

    Years later (1966), President Lyndon B. Johnson declared the birthplace of Memorial Day to be Waterloo, NY.  It was after WWI that Memorial Day changed from honoring just Civil War soldiers to anyone who died in any war.

    But I wonder about those who died in service to our country? Whether they died in war or were victims of what I call “American Circumstances.”

    American circumstances are situations that are unique to Americans and serve as a catalyst for positive change. Any event that led to the death of someone that eventually moved our country forward in a positive way would fit this category.

    Have we forgotten these fallen heroes?

    I’m thinking of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., which is different from the assassination of John F., and Robert Kennedy.

    The difference?

    King’s murder single handedly heightened the awareness of the struggle and pricked the consciousness of our nation. It brought Blacks and Whites together and changed our civil liberties to include all people. The death of the Kennedys simply made our nation lose trust in its government.  Conspiracy theorists had a field day with the inconsistent information distributed through the media by our government.

    Also consider the shooting deaths of the people at Kent State and the shooting deaths at the Columbine school. Although both were extremely tragic, Kent State’s shooting raised the social consciousness of our nation and set us for the defense of the freedoms we love. Death to protesters was something that wasn’t supposed to happen in our country. These deaths were not in vain. The Columbine deaths sent America into serious panic mode. New rules were resurrected and penalties were put in place in a very weak attempt to deter this violence. Of course it didn’t work. Several other shootings followed and all for the same reason – bullying. Whether on a college campus or on a military base, American suffered at the hands of these shooters our society created.

    Finally, let’s compare other plane crashes from the events of September 11. We tend to learn from every plane crash in history. Past plane crashes have contributed to many safety advances from the development of better engines to each plane having its own radar. September 11th gave us new rules, regulations and fear. We now jump through hoops to get on a plane and still to this day, terrorists are getting on planes with items other than Christmas presents.

    The point here is this: It’s important for us to remember those often forgotten heroes whose deaths moved us forward. These deaths – whether accidental or purposed – contributed just as much in the development of our country as any war did. If wars gave America physical stamina, then these above-mentioned deaths gave us mental toughness. We wouldn’t be where we are as a country without them. So please remember all who have served and/or died for the betterment of all our lives.

  • True Revolution

    This past Friday marks the 35th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. I look back at that war and wonder what the history books will actually say happened.

    Will it say that we were invaders who tried to take control of another country’s commodities? Will it say that we are baby killers? Will it call our government a bunch of liars? Will it actually say that we lost that war?

    I remember being in my elementary school and junior high school social studies classes and we would spend much time talking and learning about the two world wars. I remember learning about war heroes who eventually became presidents, like George Washington, Teddy Roosevelt and Ulysses S. Grant. I even remember hearing about the civil rights era and it was like they picked a figure (Martin Luther King Jr., or Rosa Parks), stuck with just their story and avoided all the other things surrounding those historical events – like the murders of Medgar Evers and Malcolm X.

    I wonder is there some council of editors who decide what should be written in our history books and what should be excluded? Is there another council that checks to make sure that what is written is not too offensive to the powers that be? Where is the censorship coming from? It seems as though the history books wait on the current events until most of those who would be offended or who are guilty, are at least too old to remember anything, dead, or just too old to be prosecuted.

    I thought about (when I was in the 5th grade) the John F. Kennedy assassination and for the longest time I couldn’t believe that one person was actually able to kill the leader of the free world so easily. Then once the internet got up and running, I was able to get some other perspectives. I remember thinking that the Kennedy family must have pissed off the wrong person back then. I even remember thinking that the mafia must have been behind all these murders. I thought that because I watched a lot of mobster films and Hollywood always had a way of making bad things look good. Al Capone was one of the coolest figures in history to me.

    I guess my point is this: There used to be such a thing as the power of the press.  In the 1700’s, Benjamin Franklin began a tradition in the newspaper business that set the tone for the industry. Corporations, politicians and organizations were kept honest because they knew shady practices would be questioned, statements would be checked for validity and any claims made would be investigated. Today, we tell the press what to print. I remember the horrible Fort Bragg shooting. If you recall the earliest reports, we were told that the shooter was dead. All media outlets reported the same thing. Later that evening, he was in the hospital in intensive care. How could this have happened?

    We need to be a society that cares. By caring I mean we need to literally give a damn about what is happening in our country. We need to get involved and question everything. The days of staying in the dark are over. We are actually smarter than 5th graders and we need to act like it. There are things going on in our nation that are suspect. We need to demand answers and hold leaders accountable.

    I’m not trying to sound like a tea bagger here. The difference is that they believe there was a time in our past where we had things under control and life was good. They actually think we were once in control of things and we dictated our direction.

    I am saying that we were never in control. There was never a time in history when America was “fair” to all people and we certainly never controlled the direction of the country. The revolution I’m calling for is new, active, open and real. It says that we need to decide first the type of country we want to be and then make every effort to be that country. And those that are opposed can go to … Canada?