LIBERTY...LOST

First published December 20, 2011

In my much younger days, there was an expression that simply stated "It's a man's world"  and in many ways it was. There were better job opportunities for men. The family bread winner was traditionally a man. You could usually assume that when a man and woman performed the same work, the man earned more money than his female counterpart. In those days even the military enforced this dichotomy, men on one side of the line, women on the other. The "Man's World" concept was further reinforced by statues we carved to honor great men who had led and served our Republic. Today we look back on those quaint old days when indeed it was a man's world. Thankfully that phrase is no longer in use, due primarily to the fact that it is no longer a reality. Most of our statues and memorials still honor men but that too will change in time.
I'll let you in on  a secret only a few know: My two favorite statues are of women. Lady Liberty and Lady Justice.

Lady Liberty with her torch of freedom held aloft, stands in a harbor beckoning to the worthy in far off  lands, welcoming  the best the world has to offer to the shores of America. In all the years this magnificent Lady has greeted the weary she has never guaranteed wealth, happiness, fame, nor success to anyone. These rewards must be earned through individual effort, courage and determination. Any person who would migrate to this land must find these things for himself or simply not have them, because this is the nation where happiness can be pursued, but not necessarily captured.

What the Lady with the torch does offer to the inbound traveler was not to be found in the country he left behind. She bequeaths to each and all new arrivals the opportunity to find success and the right to live as a free person in a free land. Many are the immigrants who, upon arrival, have stooped low to kiss the ground of their new found home never looking back on what they have left behind.

The other lady I admire from afar is Lady Justice. She will in silence stand with quiet dignity, by our halls of justice, forever holding high the scale balancing right and wrong. She sees not the beautiful nor the ugly, not the rich nor the poor, nor the color of skin of any man or woman. Justice has always been illusive, but justice for all is the cause she must forever seek. Perhaps in her quest for equality she will lead us, one day, to a better world. When and if that better world becomes a reality, we can follow in her footsteps and maybe find the courage to leave mistrust, fear, prejudice, and our suspicious minds along the way, and follow a symbol of morality into a better tomorrow.

Time worn figures of marble and granite are a living testimony to the awe and appreciation every generation bestows  upon such people. They stand proudly before us as each in his own way demonstrated the courage, determination and loyalty we demand of  heroes. It is not the brave deeds of men, but the noble spirit of mankind that will forever be glorified by the presence of these two Ladies. Their statues stand as symbols of the highest ideals of humanity. In honoring the concept of what they represent, we reach for heights in the human spirit, and find the better part of what makes us Americans.

One of many American military cemeteries that adorn Europe

This nation was forged in the fury of battle, as brave men struggled and died to break the bonds of tyranny. Throughout the following centuries the youth of America have not been strangers to yet more battlefields in far off lands, as they laid down their lives freeing their fellow men. We have known sacrifice and endured many hardships but over the years these two Ladies have stood there, inspiring us all and asking only that we give our best effort.

Time and misfortune have placed many obstacles in the path of America, but the danger we face today is the result of a self inflicted wound. In a time of weakness and doubt we sought leadership in a new President, and found Barrack Hussein Obama. This man feels no loyalty to the people who elected him, nor to the nation he took an oath to serve and protect. Instead of Obama meeting our expectations and keeping his promises, he has seized so much power in so little time that many have come to fear him and his plans. The transformation he has planned for our nation will totally end the America we love, and the freedom so many have died for.

Over the centuries fate has seen fit to lay many challenges before us, but  through it all, Americans have always proven equal to any hardship. Today we face yet another obstruction and this one is far more dangerous than anything we have yet encountered. I fear the situation is so precarious that, should we fail, all that we hold dear will  perish into the dark realm of collectivism. This world has admired our country for so long, but now the admiration has turned to confusion. The very fabric that has held this great nation together has been weakened. Marxism and freedom cannot coexist! One or the other must give way and which one will be determined by the strength or weakness of our people.

Although many are the times when America has gone into harm's way, we as a people have remained steadfast in our beliefs, but today we face a danger from within that threatens to divide our people. This weakness of spirit, this divisiveness that grows, this corruption in high places, is what Abraham Lincoln warned us about, and we must come together as fellow Americans. If we fail, then the world our grandchildren inherit will be nothing like what we grew up in. We have yet time to change the outcome of our mistake, and change it we must, or sad will be the legacy we leave for posterity.

Allowing Allah to admire him

The problem has reached such a fervor that some states have mentioned secession. Lincoln died a martyr, confident that he had put an end to such a notion. But now, in the short time that Obama has reigned we have learned to mistrust of our own currency, and are buying gold and silver out of fear, but not nearly as fast as we are buying guns and bullets. Even our news media has split into different camps. A scant few have the courage to broadcast the truth, but most have already sold their souls for thirty pieces of silver, and are eager to turn a profit by selling ours.

Anyone who knows anything at all about history will recall what happens to a country, and its people, when leaders grow corrupt and put their own welfare ahead of their duty. The lust for undeserved power and unearned money has brought ruin to many people and many nations. For over two hundred years we have remained aloof from such petty politics and served the better part of man's spirit. History records us policing and saving the world when things got out of hand. Then we rebuilt nations destroyed by men willing to forsake morality in the name of tyranny. Tyranny, hunger, and oppression always seemed so far away, and always "over there." Many are the times that I have heard Americans say, "It can't happen in America." How I wish that were true!

The founding fathers knew well it could happen here and that is why they wrote the Constitution as they did. Those wise men of old designed a system of government where if one branch of government was gaining too much power it could be offset by the intervention of the other two. The system is imperfect but it has worked reasonably well until now. Until just recently we had a man in the White House, a House of Representatives, and a Senate, all of which promoted the same  radical philosophy. That is where the waters get murky and treacherous. When overwhelming numbers can bypass checks and balances, the republic is in grave danger. When morality is supplanted by expediency, when laws are disregarded to gain a bigger voting block, when noble sounding words are but a smoke screen for conspiracy, then I have news for you my friends. It is happening here, and if we don't soon stop it, this once great nation will become the Islamic States of America,  under the rule of Obama The Heartless!

"Study history or you will be forever doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past." How I wish I had coined that phrase. All of the wisdom attributed to Solomon would just about equal the wisdom found in that one simple statement. Take a look at your friends. How many would be able to tell you the significance of the following numbers? 1776, 1812, 1861, 1917, 1941. Do you know what makes them so unique? If you don't you should learn their importance before you vote again. If more of our citizens looked to the past and heeded lessons learned, we would most assuredly have a brighter tomorrow. This country is on the verge of becoming not the benefactor of history, but the victim.

Take a look at Washington DC. Nothing makes any sense, at least not from the perspective of  maintaining our freedom. We have a national leader who loves to make speeches, and he is good at it, but put his speeches up against an American history book, and I can disprove everything he says. A prime example is his now famous apology tour. We are in the middle of a financial disaster and Air Force One does not fly on a low budget. Around the world the man went, apologizing for all of the evil that we have perpetrated on the people of other nations. I welcome him to open a history book and point out all of the abuse we heaped on the world. It exists only in his mind, and it was taught to him by his America hating, Marxist parents, and the Islamic schools of his youth.

Although this petty dictator blames the United States for all that is wrong in this world, the simple fact is that we have opposed dictators since our inception. The Axis Powers, Germany, Japan, and Italy tried to force their will on countries they plundered. We set out on yet another freedom crusade. Along the way many good American men and women lost life and limb. Wars are won only by destroying the enemy. We did that. Then after crushing the tyranny that their leaders had spawned, we rebuilt their shattered nations. That is the American way, but Obama feels we owe them an apology. What he should have done was say "Hey guys. Look at all we've done for you. Don't you think that after all these years, you could apologize for what your countries did? And it really wouldn't hurt to say Thank you." He and I must have read different history books.

He, having done nothing to earn it, was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. It may sound odd but I think that he was right to accept it, but not to reinforce to his own arrogant posture. He should have accepted the award with all humility and announced to the world that this peace prize would forever stand in our nation's capitol as a monument to all of the Americans who have fallen in battle maintaining peace, and freeing the oppressed throughout the world.

creative commons

Presidents do not bow to foreign dignitaries. Hussein Obama does, and in doing so he belittles every soldier that died in the Revolutionary War. Over two hundred years ago they shed their blood in battle so that we, as a free people would never bow again. I could be wrong about one thing: I do believe the man we elected to lead us hates this country, and I hope I'm mistaken. One issue about which I am quite certain:  He is an utter disgrace to everything Americans hold dear.

Many generations of a free people have drawn inspiration from the image of Lady Justice. If our descendants are to taste freedom as we have, then Americans must rally and stand up for what is right. If Americans still possess the courage that our forefathers have shown throughout the years, one day, Lady Justice will judge those who have harmed the Great Republic, and her scales will once again be brought into balance. Until that day comes we stand, no longer a free people, but a nation oppressed by our own government, and for that Americans, as a whole, can blame none but themselves.

Sometimes, I cannot help but feel that when the sun goes down and city lights twinkle through the night, Americans forsake the streets, and as they return to their homes something solemn happens. There in the twilight where none may bear witness, Lady Liberty and Lady Justice from their lofty perches look down upon what is happening to the country they have served for so long. Then, there in the gathering darkness, a darkness such as America has never before known, these noble Ladies stand alone in their isolation and weep.