Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Bending like a reed


Between breaking the rules outright and living strictly by the letter of law, I’m choosing to bend as a reed. With the ever-increasing expansion of government and it’s imposition upon our lives, the analogy of a reed that bends or a rigid stick that breaks seems very applicable to my life as both a concerned citizen and a soldier. Concerning the latter, I have sworn an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. When opposition arises against the founding principles of our government, I feel that is incumbent upon the men who have chosen to defend our country to do likewise in regards to their freedom granted by way of our Constitution. To stand against the onslaught of radical ideologies that view the work of our founding fathers and their concepts of God-given rights as fundamentally flawed violates no part of the aforementioned oath.

Although service members are directed against openly speaking out against individuals in elected office, we may continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with other freedom loving citizens and oppose those doctrines which seek to silence alternate viewpoints, cripple our prosperity, and limit our freedom. We still have a voice. And as George Washington once stated: “When we assumed the Soldier, we did not lay aside the Citizen.”

The now silent voices need a constitutional defender like Mitt in the White House.

JD

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Free to Fight, Not to Write

Ouch. I feel like I've been kicked right in my [blogspot]!

As I began work on introducing a military theme to my obviously political and pro-conservative website I had the lingering memory of someone once telling me about being an active duty military member and our ability to express our political views.

On May 26, 2008 Thom Shanker of the New York Times wrote:
"The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has written an unusual open letter to all those in uniform, warning them to stay out of politics..." Something tells me this NYT reporter may have been grinning ear to ear as he wrote this article.

The JCS Admiral Mullen wrote:
“As the nation prepares to elect a new president, we would all do well to remember the promises we made: to obey civilian authority, to support and defend the Constitution and to do our duty at all times.”“Keeping our politics private is a good first step,” he added. “The only things we should be wearing on our sleeves are our military insignia.”

“I am not suggesting that military professionals abandon all personal opinions about modern social or political issues,” Admiral Mullen wrote. “What I am suggesting — indeed, what the nation expects — is that military personnel will, in the execution of the mission assigned to them, put aside their partisan leanings. Political opinions have no place in cockpit or camp or conference room.”

Other than a few sentences, much of this statement holds up well with our charge as service members. As members of the United States military we are obliged to obey our leaders both elected officials and our superior officers. We have been known to place mission first as we sacrifice our comfort, our time with family, and even our lives. But to be told that our political opinions must remain silent or confined solely to our homes strikes a far different note.

The military is in no way isolated from the outside world or from other citizens who routinely express their opinion. Yes, we accept any lawfully given order by those in our command regardless of our philosophical or moral objections. But, does that mean we are not to offer a differing opinion or perhaps another course of action? Isn’t that akin to saying a company commander can’t break from a policy of driving the speed limit on an Iraqi road when he detects an increased threat? Are we expressly forbidden from defending what we see as our American way of life? What law are we violating when we stand up to those who accuse of us being war criminals or baby-killers? And what recourse do we have when our own elected officials are making those statements?

Apparently I am not allowed to show disapproval for Rep. Jack Murtha’s statements when he accused the Marines at Haditha of "cold-blooded murder and war crimes''. He has protections allowing him to participate in defamation of character by way of the Speech or Debate clause. I have no such protection.
I can not address my opposition to Sen. Harry Reid’s claims that the war was lost while his words emboldened and encouraged our adversaries in a time of war. I am only authorized to sit and smile.

And apparently I stand on the precipice of a court martial (not kidding) if I defend our military by opposing the comments of then Senator Obama about Afghanistan. I must not voice my disagreement with the idea that the job we were doing was so inferior and strategically flawed that we were “just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there.”

But in the Joint Chief’s defense, he was more than likely attempting to address the issue of a growing undercurrent in military opinion concerning the anti-Iraq war sentiment that continuously assaulted their senses from an agenda-driven media. But, if his intent was to enforce a strict “no-politics” policy, then I have no other recourse than to shut my mouth and drive on in my military career to never again stand up for what I believe in public discourse.

Perhaps now is the time to me to cling to my guns, my religion, and my antipathy towards others in the privacy of my own home.

Regardless, I still need to speak in defense of my country, please see my next posting, "Bending Like a Reed."

*Ehem*

…But, despite any possible future censorship, my wife pointed out that it doesn’t stop her from voicing her opinion or from posting some ideas I share with her…

God Bless America and my patriotic wife!

JD

Monday, March 9, 2009

December 6, 2007



First of all, thanks to Jenn at http://www.nyformitt.blogspot.com/ for all of her hard work in maintaining such an up to date collection of all things Romney over the last few years and for her gracious welcoming as "a new teammate to the fabulous ring of pro-Romney bloggers..."

I'm happy to add my voice to the many others who have worked so hard to support the cause for electing the most experienced and well prepared conservative republican into our nation's highest office.

The photos seen above were taken on December 6, 2007. The overwhelming outpouring of support and gratitude was especially poignant on this particular day. Those of us in attendance to this fundraising conference had just witnessed Governor Romney give a most inspiring and insightful speech on our nation’s foundation, it’s greatest principles and it’s protection of religious liberty. The "Faith in America" speech rang as a familiar tune in American ears throughout the country. It was likened unto great speeches by former Presidents and founding fathers by leading conservative commentators, various news reporters, and the crowd that Governor Romney was soon to encounter.

The explosion of applause was deafening. Everyone there dressed in their sharpest attire erupted into the most raucous cheers amidst a most authentic and heartfelt appreciation. Our very own conservative GOP rock-star had arrived and we had greeted him as such.

As he began to speak to the crowd (a task in itself given that we were rather reluctant to take our seats or stop clapping) we were treated with yet another rousing speech. We listened with an increased admiration for his personal struggle to preserve our nation’s most sacred principle of religious liberty. While addressing matters of national security and the defense of our country he glanced over to the table where my wife and I sat and said “…and I see we have a man in uniform with us here today. Please stand and be recognized. Thank you for your service to our country.” I so greatly appreciate to this day the unrestrained patriotism and support that poured out from the crowd at that very moment.

But as was expected from our man Mitt, he chose to go the extra mile. Through a swarming crowd of enthusiastic well-wishers he and his staff gathered us together to take pictures with myself and my wife.


After which she did not hesitate to tell me how handsome he was up close and in person. And I believe she made mention of it the day after, and the next day, and the next day, and the next…

JD
Mitt Romney for President

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Holding onto Hope


For two days and two nights Nick Schuyler clung onto the engine of an overturned boat in the Gulf of Mexico. He had witnessed two friends and fellow football players drift away into the open ocean to never be seen again. He had also struggled to pull William Bleakly onto the boat with him as the relentless ocean waves crashed upon them. Bleakly, who had been Schuyler's best friend since sixth grade had given Schuyler one of three life vests that he had rescued from underneath the capsized boat, the other two he gave to the two others. The only item he clung to was a cushion. In the midst of Nick lapsing in and out of consciousness, Will too eventually succumbed to the water and disappeared.

Drifting alone on a savage ocean 35 miles away from the shore, Nick's thoughts turned to his Mother as he defiantly exclaimed, "I will not let you go to my funeral!" He clung not only onto that ship's engine in that moment but he also held strongly onto hope.

One of the underlying reasons why many conservatives don't hang their heads and bemoan the fate of the recent election is that we too are holding strongly onto our hope for a brighter future. That hope has always been a part of who we are as a nation, as a people, and as brothers and sisters fighting for a common cause. Our core beliefs are not a simplified mantra of hope and change born of the desire for great upheaval and revolution. Ours is the bedrock of our very being.

Much like the man clinging onto his boat's engine, we too may be encompassed by tragedy and turmoil but we do not despair. Our will for survival only grows stronger.

History bears witness to the failures of government when they reach for greater control. When the empowered elite suppose they know best how to govern the very lives of their citizens they so often see the work of their hands fall apart in short order. Men and women will always yearn to be free and to cast off anything and anyone standing in their way. With our current situation in this country our will is growing stronger; stronger to cast aside those who impose their will upon us, stronger to meet the challenges of the day of our own accord and stronger to hold tightly onto the hope we have for ourselves, our children, and our nation.

In this country there are many excited voices to uplift and encourage you to see that our best days are ahead of us. It is because we have the hope of economic prosperity, the re-strengthening of our families and military, and a return to the principles that guided our country in the days of Ronald Reagan. Ours is a bright future.

JD
Mitt Romney for President

Friday, March 6, 2009

Our Foundation


The current nature of our government which has embraced the mantra of "change" is nothing less than an adherence to a self-serving ideology espoused by those who are antagonist to our nation's founding principles.

Our nation was built upon a strong foundation. The inspired men who risked their lives in opposition to the governing philosophies of fear, control, and dependence were given the greatest opportunity afforded to man in our recent history. They set forth to establish a land where liberty would reign. And this land of freedom would be open to all who would abide by its precepts. The guiding principles were firmly rooted in the understanding that our independence was reliant upon our continued desire for righteousness, our pursuit of a higher purpose beyond ourselves, and the willingness to defend our God-given freedom with our words and with our very own blood.

As a nation we have been charged with maintaining our own prosperity, the fate of which has always been of our own choosing. If we are to sacrifice our liberty on the altar of "change" then we will have abandoned the foundation of our land and our house will be as that which was built upon sand.

As a new era of government control begins to spread as a blinding veil over the eyes of an unwary nation, the vision of our founders seems all the more prescient. Now, we who have cried out in choruses for our fleeting independence seek to be heard as our fore-fathers once were.

To whom should the sacred trust be given to guide a nation in such a time of trial? Has a wave of buyer's remorse washed over many of whom have placed their faith and hope in the promises made by a man of "change"? Do more men now look to those leaders who evoke the spirit of our very foundation? One such man was trampled under foot during the defense of his faith, a glaring rebuke of our predecessors long fought battle against such tyranny.
As desperate hordes eagerly clamored to crown a new king, many new witnesses to our nation's ongoing struggle were born. We have seen the change in recent days that herald the arrival of economic and social decay and increased government control, and the need for strong new leadership may never have seemed so clear.

And it is my hope that the greater majority of Americans will one day cast off the false assertions of "change" and choose a leader who aspires only to return us to our great foundation given to us by way of our founding fathers through the divine guidance of our Creator.

JD
Mitt Romney for President