Tag Archives: War

History, Politics & Current Affairs

Fighting for Freedom

It is devastating but right and beautiful that the U.S., Canada, the UK, and other nations give brave service people a day every year to remember what they have given for us, and to thank and bless them for their unimaginable bravery and willingness to put others’ lives before their own. My deepest thanks and gratitude to all who have served, been wounded, sacrificed, and died to keep this nation a Constitutional republic. I bless and honor those who have fought and died to help other nations stay and become free countries that upheld the rule of law, extended justice and equality to their citizens, and gave refuge to those who escaped from fascism and other horrible political systems to find a better life. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”—and those whom he (or she, or they) would count as friends.

On this and every Veterans Day, I hold my Grandpa George’s World War I dog tags in my hand and remember what he did for this country. I am grateful to the members of my own family who’ve put themselves in harm’s way to serve their country, including my father, my Uncle Woody, my Cousin Mike (currently serving), and both of my grandfathers. My Grandpa George, who was born of a German immigrant mother and a Swiss immigrant father, spoke only German at home, and was still reading his beloved Goethe in blackletter German script on his deathbed. Grandpa and his nine siblings were deeply steeped in German literature, poetry, and music. How horribly painful it must have been for him and his family to see him go to Europe to fight against and kill his mother’s former countrymen when they invaded France during World War I. And how many millions of other U.S. service members have given everything, everything, everything they have to protect us, to keep other nations free, and to fight against invasion, aggression, terrorism, fascism, communism, and religious extremism? Bless them and the many millions more at home who suffered, feared, sacrificed, and grieved for those they loved who went to war and gave up everything for us.

Their sacrifice is beyond imagining. Let’s be worthy of it. Let’s stand up for our nations’ freedoms, laws, values, and constitutions. It’s the very least we can do to properly thank those who served and died on the battlefield to make and keep the U.S. and other nations democratic republics. Let’s continue to fight the good fight in honor of our ancestors—and for those who are still to come.

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My grandfather’s World War I dog tags, given to him when he joined the U. S. Army in 1917.

Articles

We Are Already at War

Russia is developing smart rockets that could send nuclear warheads to the U.S. and kill 250,000 people at a go. Recent reports say that Putin already has the ability to shut down parts of our power grid. We now have evidence that Russia infiltrated U.S. voting machines in 2016.  The U.S. just withdrew from a major nuclear treaty with Russia, and Putin has used extensive social media posts and ads to groom the U.S. to be as unprepared as possible for further Russian attack and infiltration. He’s trying to foment a civil war here by backing white supremacists and the NRA and polarizing Americans. 

Russia is already at war with us. And our Republican leadership is actively aiding the enemy. 

We are woefully unprepared for what is coming. Fear has led too many to support a sociopathic authoritarian president who purposely confuses and stokes mass hatred. Our system was not built for a mass breakdown in faith or for takeover by a party that actively subverts the rule of law. I often fear that we may not rally enough to recover, short of civil war and invasion by foreign oppressors that might inspire us to fight back. But the invasion is underway, and all we have to show in response is Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi biding her time and Democratic candidates saying nice words while the president and his cronies dismantle our nation. 

Those who run this country in our names make sure that children are left abandoned in the streets or tortured in cages, ripped away from parents, forced to live in filth, then made to disappear. National agricultural research labs were slated to be dismantled this week as a large swath of the country’s top agricultural scientists were forced from their U.S.D.A. jobs; their experiments and studies will be left to rot. All of Alaska’s sea ice disappeared this week, yet Trump continues to press for more fracking and coal mining. Trump writes love letters to murdering dictators and alienates all of our major allies. He fires heads of major government agencies and never replaces them in a dictatorial move to centralize all power under himself. 

What will it take for us to see what the world sees: We have a reckless madman at the helm who is actively destroying our nation’s morals and infrastructure. He is spitting on the Constitution, on the values of equality and respect for diversity that we hold dear, and on everyone who has sacrificed to build this nation, safeguard it, and uphold its laws and ideals. 

Our country is convulsing, and we wring our hands but deny it the care it needs to survive. We are in an undeclared state of emergency. We must remove Trump from power as fast as is constitutionally possible. We will still have divisiveness and hatred and homegrown terrorism to deal with—we will not be out of the woods. But stopping this madman is a necessary first step.

Congressman Jerrold Nadler says an impeachment investigation is underway. Please let your senators and House representatives know that you support this effort. Please speak out against the evil done in your name. Please vote against the terrorist-in-chief and his enablers.