“Sacrifice, not service!”

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
On Line Edition

# 4 – “Sacrifice, not service!”
Week of October 26, 2009

I cannot understand the logic of designating September 11th of every year as simply a day of “service”. If we are to set aside that sad date on our calendars, we should consider other, more rational options.

I suggest the following options to those who wish to change this historic holiday to a day to serve others. Tender these suggestions to those who must have forgotten the thousands of innocent men, women and children who were senselessly murdered on September 11, 2001.

Option # 1: Support

Ask Americans to support law enforcement and fire departments. It is a travesty that we pay the very people who are most critical to our survival in an emergency so little. In a time when athletes pull down salaries rivaling payrolls of businesses employing hundreds, the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to save ours often must have a second job or have a working spouse to take care of their families and put a little away for their old age. Support is definitely a good choice.

Option # 2: Safeguard

More than ever, we need to adopt an attitude of continual vigilance. I worry when our intelligence services personnel are threatened with criminal prosecution for having protected us so brilliantly for the past eight years. It is not an accident that the forces allied against us have failed to pull off another heinous attack. The idea that our “values” would hamper us from using all available resources to head off another 9/11 is ridiculous. If you were to check into history, President Abraham Lincoln abandoned the writ of habeas corpus during the Civil War. I suppose these suit-happy chaps would have served Honest Abe with a subpoena, too. Safeguard is a great choice!

Option # 3: Speak Out

When did we get to the point that doing what is right was relegated to the realm of so-called “political correctness”? If you see something suspicious or hear something threatening, report it immediately. Your keen observation could be critical. Don’t delude yourself into believing that we are too remote or rural to be at risk. What better way to terrorize America than to set in motion a series of simultaneous attacks on small towns across mid-America?
Speak out.

Option # 4: Show Strength

America needs to signal that she will not tolerate any group or any nation bent on destroying her. Some world leaders openly express that wish. It is up to us to encourage our Congress to achieve peace through strength. Maybe we have forgotten that all-important “big stick”. Be strong.

Option # 5: Substantiate

Do not accept anything you hear or read on its face. Check it out. Go for the facts. Confirm the information. Don’t be afraid to confront the person or organization responsible for false or misleading information. In the words of Ronald Wilson Reagan, “Trust, but verify.”

It is right to defend America. War isn’t pretty. People die. Often, innocent people die. Ridding the planet of Hitler, Nazism and Fascism cost millions their lives. The unspeakable attacks of 9/11are mere samples of what the world will suffer at the hands of radically militant Islam. Ruthless and determined, these enemies remain relentless. They are patient. As Americans, we are easily angered, but complacent over time. The terrorists count on that. Don’t be led astray by baseless threats or assumed safeguards. Substantiate!

Option # 6: Stand

Stand for your beliefs. Do not let anyone dilute your core values or your allegiance and love for America. Patriotism is not a dirty word. You take for granted every day a lifestyle that is the envy of countries around the world. Be firm in your stance. Verbalize your love and respect for your country. If you disagree with your elected officials, let them know. Don’t sit at the kitchen table and complain. Write, e-mail or call them. Be heard. Don’t be passive and assume that everything will work out for the best. Without voter input, elected officials are left to their own decisions, and those decisions could be diametrically opposed to the majority of their constituents — if they are silent. Stand for what you believe.

Option # 7: Savor

Savor your blessings as an American. Never take for granted the fact that you are free. It could disappear if we neglect to any threat to our freedom
— whether from within or without.

While each of these options is credible on its own, the best strategy is to combine them all. Don’t be goaded into accepting any commemoration of 9/11 that ignores the fact that thousands died and ARE dying daily. These selfless men and women fight and die to protect you and your family and spread freedom around the globe to insure that others breathe and live free.
Don’t be a bystander. Get in the game. The stakes are too high if you sit on the sidelines. This is every American’s fight. It is YOUR fight.

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