Thank you, Veterans!

"Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have."

America is the world's best in many areas.  One of our most important bests is our military.  The United States military is the finest in the world, and has been for centuries.  Since our founding, brave men and women have sacrificed their lives at home, sacrificed a normal life, to serve their country and fight for our freedom.

 

Our American military has been involved in seven major wars.  In each one, the goal that sounded with every gunshot has been the same:  Freedom.  Whether we were fighting for our own freedom or another country's, the American military has a goal of freedom that they spread abroad to every country they touch down on.  In the American Revolution, we fought for our own independence from England.  In WWII, we fought for the freedom of Germany from the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler, as well as the freedom of thousands of Jews that had been captured by the Nazis.  In the American Civil War, we fought for the freedom of slaves, as well as the freedom of the entire country by abolishing slavery.  In the Iraq war, we are seeking to destroy terrorism and in the process, free the world of that huge threat. 

Our veterans deserve thanks year round, but November 11th is a day set aside especially for them.  The entire country will remember them on this day.  Our veterans deserve our full, unwavering support.  Many of them come back from war with post-traumatic stress.  Too many of them come back without the means necessary to support their families, that they have sacrificed time away from to serve, after dealing with a major injury.  Some soldiers, sadly, even end their own lives here at home after surviving the war because they cannot deal with the images engraved in their minds after the war.  Our veterans deserve every ounce of support we can give them, and more.  It is beyond sad and pathetic that so many of them come back and are unable to support themselves.  Organizations like Wounded Warrior Project and Any Soldier are doing their part to support our troops and veterans; but the military men and women deserve every single Americans' full, unerring support.

Today, thank a veteran.  Think of and remember those who have given the "last full measure of devotion" for the cause of freedom.  It is because of their sacrifice that we can live in a free country.  They have taken months, and in many cases years, out of their own lives, sacrificed time with family, risked their own lives for the cause of liberty.  They fight for freedom for the next generation of Americans, so they, too, can grow up in a free America.  President Reagan stated our fight for freedom the best:  "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."  Every one of our veterans has fought for the very thing many take for granted. 

If you are a veteran, I want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart.  It is because of you that I was born in and can grow up in a free country.  There are really no words I can say that can fully express my gratitude to you!  You are in my thoughts and prayers.  All of America is indebted to you!

Taking Turns?

The race for the GOP Presidential nomination is speeding up as of late, with Herman Cain rising in certain polls and tying with Mitt Romney in others.  Many people are virtually handing the nomination to Romney, based on the fact that Cain has no political experience and Romney is the most polished in the field right now.  He's been running for president for six years; he should be the most well prepared, right?

Wrong.  This race is far from over.  Assuming that someone will get the nomination at this point based on their lead in the polls means nothing.  Polls can change overnight, and we are still 65 days away from the first nominating contest.  A lot can and will change between now and then.  Based on that, no one, not even those candidates at the bottom of the polls, can truly be counted out (well, maybe a couple of them could ;).

Mitt Romney has been the frontrunner that people began crowning with the nomination back in May.  It has just been assumed that he would be the nominee.  One of the reasons for this is that many people in the GOP establishment feel this is his "turn" at the nomination.  That idea really is as far-fetched as it sounds.  When you look back at history, though, there is definitely a pattern to this that has been followed and gone unnoticed.  In the 1960 election, John F. Kennedy beat Richard Nixon.  Later, in 1968, it was Nixon's "turn" in which he won the presidency.  Gerald Ford beat Ronald Reagan in the 1976 primaries, then went on to lose to Jimmy Carter.  In 1980, Ronald Reagan won the nomination and beat George H. W. Bush, who then became his vice president.  In 1988, H. W. Bush became president but lost reelection in 1992 to Bill Clinton.  Again, in 2000, George W. Bush beat out John McCain for the Republican nomination.  In 2008, apparently, it was John McCain's turn. 

I know that was a lot of names.  I hope you were able to follow it and see what it all really means:  the GOP establishment has found a way to work themselves into the actual nominating process, in ways other than simply choosing the actual nominee.  The people should be the ones who choose the nominee, based on our own vetting and our actual votes.  The establishment does not get to set up a list of people who will eventually be Republican nominees and the order they will do it in.  The media is a huge part of the nominating process as well, and may shape it in some ways to fit the mold they want it to, but at this point I believe the establishment is just as much to blame if the recent poll numbers are not correct.  The establishment needs to get out of the nominating process until the convention next year.  The people should be responsible enough to do their own vetting of the candidates and choose for themselves who they feel is the best candidate.

Mitt Romney has clearly been chosen as the establishment's candidate.  Herman Cain has, in a sense, been chosen as the media's candidate; their intentions are still fairly unknown.  Both of these "endorsements" may prove to be beneficial to these candidates, especially to Mitt Romney if the establishment decides to go against the peoples' wishes and choose their own nominee.  While he has been running for president for nearly six years, it has been made clear that Mitt Romney is not the peoples' choice.  He has consistently stayed at about 25% in polls and has changed his opinion on so many important issues, many conservatives have been turned off by his flip-flopping.  I, for one, am not a fan of his and do not feel he is the best possible person to lead our country out of this crisis.  At this rate, however, neither my nor your opinion will make a difference.  The establishment is pushing hard for Mitt Romney to be our nominee.  If we wish to stop that from happening, people will have to sound their true opinions loud and clear and let them know that "We the People" will choose our own nominee, not them.  We do not take turns trying to defeat incumbent presidents.  What we need is someone who has never run for the presidency before to come in and show the establishment that their choice is not always the right now.  Just something to note, both of the current frontrunners have run for president or explored a run before (Mitt Romney ran in 2008 and Herman Cain formed an exploratory committee in 1996).

President Reagan shares his debate tips

More Wisdom from Brilliant Minds

40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan:

"America is too great for small dreams."

"And you young people out there, don't ever forget that. Some day, you could be in this room-but wherever you are, America is depending on you to reach your highest and be your best because here, in America, we the people are in charge. "

34th President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower:

"Whatever America hopes to bring to pass in the world must first come to pass in the heart of America. "

"Dollars and guns are no substitutes for brains and will power. "

7th President of the United States, Andrew Jackson:

"One man with courage makes a majority."

"You must remember, my fellow citizens, that eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty, and that you must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing."

16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln:

"A man's character is like a tree and his reputation like its shadow; the shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. "

41st President of the United States, George H. W. Bush:

"If anyone tells you that America's best days are behind her, they're looking the wrong way."

43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush:

"This is a decent and honorable country -- and resilient, too."

Words of Wisdom from Brilliant Minds

"Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation.  You will have opportunities beyond anything we've ever known."  -Ronald Reagan.

"All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow in thought and mind."  -Abraham Lincoln.

"Do not pray for easy lives.  Pray to be stronger men."  -John F. Kennedy.

"Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged."  -Ronald Reagan.

"It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one." -George Washington.

"Plans are nothing; planning is everything."  -Dwight Eisenhower.

"Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans - born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace."  -John F. Kennedy.

"If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, we will be a nation gone under."  -Ronald Reagan.

"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."  -Dwight Eisenhower.

"And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."  -John F. Kennedy.

"Status quo, you know, is Latin for 'the mess we're in'. "  -Ronald Reagan.

"I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man."  -George Washington.

"He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help."  -Abraham Lincoln.

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty."  -John F. Kennedy.

"Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States."  -Ronald Reagan.

"It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible."  -George Washington.