To Honor And Remember
It is no accident that Barack Hussein Obama is the President of the United States of America.
Take a moment to think about it. I my lifetime we have gone from a country where a black guy could be arrested, or worse, for drinking from the “Whites Only” water fountain to a nation that elected one of the few true African Americans into its highest office.
In that same span of years we have gone from a country where many areas did not have even the most basic modern conveniences to a country where a technophobe like me can walk around with not only a telephone strapped to my hip but a mini-computer that has 10 times the capability of the NASA computer that landed men on the moon.
In far less than our 234 years of existence we have gone from a nation where barter was the main exchange in a business transaction to a nation that, like it or not, controls the entire world’s economy. The recent US economic downturn proved beyond a doubt that if the US economy gets a cold the rest of the world gets pneumonia.
We are a nation that has developed at light speed when compared to other countries. One doesn’t need to travel very far from our boarders to find people living in conditions that were thought unbearable 200 years ago. And in some cases even longer than that.
We are a nation that sadly takes for granted all that we have. And we have so much of it that illegal immigrants from around the world are willing to risk their very life just to enjoy a small part of it.
To what do we owe our remarkable freedom and unparalleled rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Do we owe it to our Founding Fathers who put it all on paper and gave us a guideline for national development? In part. Do we owe it to American ingenuity and our dedicated, unstoppable spirit? Of course we do, but how does that spirit thrive and continue to grow unabated? Do we owe it to God and His divine providence? Certainly we do, for without Him there would be no us. But as has been shown time and again in the development and protection of this great nation, while in biblical times God used a burning bush or His own hand to further His plan, in the United States sometimes he uses an 18 year old kid from Dubuque Iowa. Or a 23 year old college grad from Kearney Nebraska. Or a 38 year old father of 4 from Huntsville Mississippi.
Barack Obama is president today because thousands upon thousands of America’s finest paid the ultimate price to keep our nation and its people free to choose their own destiny. Every modern convenience we have is thanks to the blood spilled by an American military member who gave their all so that we could enjoy the fruits of a free nation. When was the last time you heard of a great innovation coming from Communist, Fascist or Islamic Extremist nation that did not involve killing more people more efficiently? Iran is not looking to use their fledgling nuclear program to develop a cure for cancer or to power the i pod chargers of its beleaguered citizenry. Everything we Americans have is thanks to those who gave all they had so we could have all we do.
At Casa Big Frick every day is Memorial Day. My flag flies 365 days a year to honor our country and those brave men and women who have fought and died to protect her. Unfortunately come Tuesday morning our neighborhoods will be lined with far more recycle bins overflowing with empty beer bottles than it was with American flags honoring those the holiday was meant for.
This is a holiday of honor, not remorse. It is a holiday of remembrance, not regret. It is a holiday of pride and gratitude for those who gave and of unwavering resolve that their sacrifice will never be forgotten or taken for granted.
"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived." – General George S. Patton, Jr
Memorial Day
