Perhaps
you, like me, have been appalled at the anti-American behavior advocated and
taken up by liberals and political members of the Democratic Party as the
mid-term election approaches.
Apparently, having lost an “managed” election for President, and a
steaming, riotous, lying effort to keep a President’s nominated judge from
taking his place on the Supreme Court, the Democratic Party has further
blackened its reputation by riot, upset and thoroughly uncivil behavior toward
those of opposing political opinions.
To make it
worse, the leadership of the Democratic Party has publicly urged that Americans
be mistreated, that Democratic supporters “get in their face,” be thrown out of
restaurants, and declared “civil behavior” on their part will only be restored
when they win.
This is a
story of one man’s efforts to stand up to that, to refuse to knuckle under to
bullies and demagogues. It’s a story
with a good ending, even though not thoroughly understood by its author.
You see, I
spent 30 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, then upon retirement 17 years with the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a federal civilian. That got me to four battlefields. I then was called into the ministry as a
Pastor. Besides my own service to the
nation in uniform, there is that of my father, grandfathers, uncles, aunts, lifelong
friends that constitute a solid investment in the freedoms and liberties of
this grand experiment we call the United States of America. Some of those investments still lie in
foreign soil around the world, gone but not forgotten.
Although
every American has the right to be appalled and angry at this decidedly
un-American activity taking place in our society, and being egged on by the
Democratic leadership, I feel a special commitment to my nation to stand tall
and declare “not on my watch!” Perhaps
some of you feel the same. If so, surely
you are aware you have every God-given right to express yourself in a legal and
civil response to this travesty being advocated by liberals and the Democratic
Party. This is not the America we fought
for. Our citizens, our duly elected
politicians, and our police men and women should not be put in harms way by
this over-the-top behavior. That is NOT
the American way.
Liberals
and Democrats, masked and as individuals, have made a mockery of America, to us
and to our enemies around the world.
They have talked about blowing up the White House, been photographed
carrying a mock severed head of President Trump. A Broadway Play depicted the assassination of
President Trump that asked publicly, “How long has been since an actor
assassinated a President?” Music videos have
been released about assassinating President Trump. Conservatives and
Republicans have been attacked as individuals and shot to death at a music
concert, and seriously wounded at a baseball game. A Hollywood actor goes on television and
announces “somebody needs to take out Trump”. They ask "Where's John
Wilkes Booth when you need him?" A Republican
Party Office was set on fire. The Trump
family members received suspicious packages depicting poison in the mail, along
with death threats to Secretary of Defense James Mattis. No less than Democratic Senator Maxine Waters
said “you get up in their face at the mall, in restaurants, at gas stations and
you tell them Republicans they’re not welcomed anywhere”. Republican spokesperson Sarah Sanders and her
family were harassed at a restaurant, instructed to leave and chased down the
street. Republican Department of
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was harassed and chased out of a
Mexican restaurant. Trump adviser
Stephen Miller’s life was threatened and he was chased out of a restaurant. Attorney
General Pam Bondi was harassed and chased out of a theatre. Republican Senator Rand Paul was attacked and
beaten up in his own yard. Two
Republican senators, Rob Portman of Ohio and John Boozman of Arkansas, were
harassed in their own yards and on their own doorsteps. A 71-year-old female staffer for California
Representative Dana Rohrbacher was knocked unconscious by an angry group of
liberal protesters.
Is this
the America we fought for, the America my friends and family members died for?
My
response, and the reason for this missive, was a fairly quiet and determined one.
Besides “liking” in support every post
I saw on Facebook that took issue with this behavior, I wrote a short meme that
I began to share everywhere. As one with
nearly the cap of 5,000 “friends”, I have access to many, many pages, as do
they. And so I shared, liberally.
The meme
said simply: “Violence, verbal and physical,
has long been the hallmark of the Democratic Party. Reject such un-American
behavior.” I began to post it far
and wide. But then a funny thing
happened. As I pasted it as a response
to the like posts of others, I would get a red exclamation point and the
message “This could not be posted. Try
again.” Trying again was a joke. It could not be posted. Okay, I went on, posting in other pages. Same red exclamation point. Unable to post. Try again.
It went on and on like that.
Now,
many probably know the Marine Corps’ official motto is “Semper Fidelis”; Always
Faithful. And we are, to our God, to our
nation, its Constitution, our Corps and to ourselves. But there is another motto among Marines, a
grittier motto, a “git’er done” saying that carries us forward despite ambush
and treachery: “Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome.”
And
so I continued on. In an ambush Marines
don’t stop, lay down a base of fire and stay there until the enemy is
gone. We fire and maneuver through that
ambush. I continued page by page, red
exclamation point after red exclamation point.
Until suddenly, it stuck. It
published. What happened?
Now,
I know that Facebook hires a vast array of minions who operate by constructed
algorithms to “police” the conversations and posts. (And I’ve already told you more than I know
about that.) I’ve had some of them send
me a message now and then that I was “taking advantage of the system.” Of course I was, that’s what it is there for,
whether they agree with my opinion or not.
I would not want you to think I am attacking Facebook, because in a
democracy, the voluntary airing of free speech is vital to our continuance,
just as a free press is vital, although I think the current incestuous news
media is endangering that. But that’s a
discussion for another day.
Actually,
I much rather believe that somewhere “out there” in the vastness of Facebook
there remain those minions still true to the principles of the original creator
of Facebook, dedicated to providing a free platform for opposing ideas and
conversation, a growing electronic discussion that allows people to blow off
steam and yet remain a cohesive family of Americans. And that, perhaps, is why the red exclamation
points stopped. There may well be a much
more complicated, and perhaps truer explanation, but if so I’m not aware of
it. All I know is that I was given back
my “right” to free speech.
So
to end I simply want to encourage each of you to exercise your American rights
to speak up, to improvise, adapt, and overcome efforts to make you sit down and
shut up.
I’m
not advocating embarrassing people in restaurants, or disrupting peaceful
meetings, or any of the treachery-laden activities the Democratic leadership
has been advocating. I don’t believe
fighting fire with fire gets you anywhere but burnt. The current ashen status of the Democratic
Party is a fair example.
My
Lord Jesus Christ tells us to love our enemies, those who oppose us, for
thereby we heap coals on their heads.
And I do believe the Democratic Party is on fire. I pray for them. Without prayer, without my Lord I’d have a
hard time loving such hate-filled people.
March
on. Make yourself heard. America is worth it.
