We The People - The Last Line of Defense

“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Our government, in its current composition, has failed us. Congress has allowed legislation to be put into place leaving decisions which impact the very foundation of our republic to bureaucrats who are unanswerable to the American people. The Executive branch has overstepped its constitutional authority, ruling by fiat and imposing its soft tyranny on the citizens. The judiciary, the last recourse in our system of checks and balances, has forsaken its role to uphold the constitution.  After rendering his tortuous legalistic contortions to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Chief Justice Roberts admonished the American people, "Members of this Court are vested with the authority to interpret the law; we possess neither the expertise nor the prerogative to make policy judgments. Those decisions are entrusted to our Nation's elected leaders, who can be thrown out of office if the people disagree with them. It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices."

And so, here we stand, the last line of defense, the last possible hope for the restoration of our republic to the founders’ intent. We the people, and especially those of us who comprise the Tea Party movement, must make a stand. Like those Spartans at Thermopylae, we must be willing to sacrifice all for a greater cause. 

The odds look daunting, but if we remember who we are as Americans, and if we come together, we can make things right.

America is a special place. We swear no allegiance to a king. We have no royalty.  Our nation was founded on an idea - that we are all created equal, and that we have certain inalienable rights which are endowed on us by our Creator – not by our government. We believe that governments derive their just power from the consent of the governed. Those of us who believe in the founding principles, who understand that divine providence had a hand in the formation of this country, realize that there is something ingrained in the American spirit, some inherent yearning for liberty, some desire to be left alone to make our own fortune, to seek our own happiness, coupled with a unique belief in charity, in extending a helping hand to those in need.

My friends, that spirit, that very essence of being American, can never be taken from you. Politicians may squander our treasure leaving us bankrupt, they may decimate our economy leaving us jobless, they may confiscate our wealth through burdensome taxation, and they may try to regulate every aspect of our lives in a veiled attempt to enslave us, but they can never forcibly take away our American spirit. 

The only way we can lose this God-given blessing is to surrender it, to turn our backs on it, to trade it in, if you will, for some empty promise of government largesse.  

Unfortunately, countless Americans, weaned on generation after generation of government handouts, perpetuated by the progressive liberal ideology, have indeed surrendered their spirit. 

They have accepted a new way of life, dependent on a bureaucratic leviathan for their every need, no longer the makers of their own dreams, no longer the guardians of their children’s future.  

And as more and more of these weakened Americans accept the yoke of enslavement in return for their vote, the more powerful the bureaucracy becomes, the more insatiable the hunger of the beast. So we must remain vigilant lest we too succumb to the siren’s song of the nanny state.

So I repeat, that spirit, that very essence of being American, can never be taken from you.  It is yours to hold forever. It can only be lost if you willingly surrender it, so cherish it, nurture it, draw strength from it, and pass it on to your children. Keep that flame burning, because if we all do that one thing, then come election day there will be a firestorm blazing across the nation, purging us of the charlatans and the corruption, and out of this cauldron, using the molds given to us by our founders, we will reforge this nation to its rightful form, and once again restore honor to America.  But each of you must keep your own spirit alive; you must keep the embers burning.

Enjoy Independence Day, remember what it means, remember who we are, and remember what is ultimately at stake. The future is now in our hands, and I guess that’s exactly where the Founding Fathers would want it to be. Do everything you can to assure that this Independence Day will not be our last.

“In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.” (The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America)

Nico

Charity - Alive & Well in America

This is Not The Bureau of Charitable Giving

Saturday, April 27, 2012

The alarm went off at 6:00 AM, 4 hours after I dragged myself to bed. The last thing I wanted to do today was get out of bed.  I knew it would be cold, it’s always cold on this special Saturday in April, so I put on a sweatshirt, my winter jacket, a hat and took gloves, just in case.  After 20 years of this, you learn.

Out I went, to stand in front of the local Dunkin Donuts, and there I was given my bright yellow vest and the old coffee can with the slit on top. I knew I wasn’t the only one doing this.  There would be someone in front of the bagel shop, the A&P, the railroad station and who knows how many other locations.  Relief would come every two hours. This was that special Saturday in April when the Knights of Columbus collect donations for the Intellectually Challenged.  We do a similar collection for crisis pregnancy centers in October, and rise to the occasion whenever we hear of a need for help.

As people came by, I was amazed at how generous most were, even in these hard economic times. My unscientific poll showed that +/- 80% of people who passed my way stopped and put something in the can. Some loose change, a dollar or two or three, an occasional five or ten.  The best was watching people with children hand the money to the child and tell him or her “Go put this in the can – it’s for people who need our help” and the child dutifully, if shyly, complied, learning a lesson about charity.

In our little corner of the world we historically raise about $4,000.00. Statewide the knights probably raise a few hundred thousand, and you can just imagine what we do nationwide.

Now, here’s the strange part, and this is not just about the knights – there are many, many charitable groups, churches and just good hearted citizens around the country doing the same thing.  I never asked for a donation – no, I just stood there and said “Good Morning.”  All I was, was a reminder that there are less fortunate citizens of our country out there, and I simply provided a venue for people to be charitable, if the spirit moved them.  I didn’t coax, I didn’t demand, I didn’t hold any preconceived notion that these people owed us donations.  It is their money, earned by the sweat of their brow, to with as they and they alone see fit. That’s how it is in a free society.

Whatever we take in, is passed on. No operating expenses, no bureaucracy to support, no overhead, we’re all volunteering our time.  If we take in $4,035.15, that’s what goes to our charity, plus a donation from our council.

When the donations are passed on, there are no strings attached, no regulations governing how it is to be used, no compliance reports to fill out and no guidelines that must be followed by the recipients. We trust the organizations caring for those in need to do their part as well. Charity – plan and simple – and it is a much a part of the American Spirit as is that yearning for freedom. Oh, and the best part – as people make their donations, they invariably thank me for doing what I do. Talk about Win-Win.

So when the intellectual elites say that only government can help the poor and the needy, here’s my suggestion – get out there on a cold Saturday morning when you’d rather be in bed, and meet the American people – not the bureaucrats pushing papers around and taking a piece of every dollar earmarked for the poor – no, meet the real American people – the most charitable people you’ll ever meet – and take a lesson about how this country works.

Or, you can continue to regulate every aspect of American life, threatening churches, non-profits and other charitable organizations for daring to discuss the policies being dictated by an overreaching government.  If you succeed and shut them down, then the poor and the needy will forever be at your mercy - God help them.

Nico

A Presidential Trifecta

The managed decline of America, the strategic game plan of the Obama administration, is right on course. As the possibility of a tough reelection looms on the horizon, President Obama has upped the ante and accelerated his mission to bring America to her knees.

With the uncanny ability of a pro, he is now making decisions that have multiple deleterious effects on the country.  By scuttling the Keystone Pipeline to appease his environmental supporters he has managed to place not one, not two, but three daggers into our country’s future.

Dagger one is clearly the loss of jobs. In an economy that is gasping for air, with an unprecedented number of Americans out of work, the Keystone Pipeline project represented some 20,000 jobs right off the bat, with countless ancillary opportunities being thrown off as the construction of a cross country pipeline generated jobs in construction, manufacturing, refining, and on and on. Organized labor, furious at the decision by their anointed messiah, had to be placated by Obama’s unconstitutional appointments of labor friendly administrators to the NLRB.

Dagger two deprives the country of a major source of affordable oil from just across our northern border from a friendly neighbor. As that oil gets diverted to Canada’s west coast, making it easily available to our economic adversary, Americans can expect to pay more for their energy. Another slap in the face for Americans who cannot even tap the reserves that exist within our own borders.

Dagger three is the unkindest cut of all, another breach to our national security. As our economy continues to tank and the president looks to slash the military, China will reap the benefits of new oil. We borrow money from China and the interest we pay them bolsters their economy and their military buildup. We take that borrowed money and turn it over to Saudi Arabia to buy their oil, while they in turn take our borrowed money and hand it over to militant Islamist Fundamentalists, to fund their terrorism of the West. We have in fact engaged in a vicious cycle of national suicide, funding our own demise, and sacrificing the future of our nation at the altar of radical environmentalism.

So call it what you’d like, a presidential trifecta, a triple play or a hat trick, President Obama has indeed perfected the art of national destruction. May God have mercy on America.

Nico

Regional Tea Party Rally - Oct. 1, 2011

We speak about American exceptionalism, and there is a fundamental truth that America is indeed exceptional, not because of its political class or its bureaucracy, but due to the American people. 

Those of us who believe in the founding principles, who understand that divine providence had a hand in the formation of this country, realize that there is something ingrained in the American spirit, some inherent yearning for liberty, some desire to be left alone to make our own fortune, to seek our own happiness, coupled with a unique belief in charity, in extending a helping hand to those in need.

It is this spirit, this drive for freedom that prompted the first settlers to cross an ocean to form a new life in an untamed new land in order to flee religious persecution.

It is the spirit that allowed the colonists to rise up against British hegemony in a revolt against burdensome taxation, and forge a nation that would be a beacon of hope for the rest of the world.

It is this spirit that drove the pioneers westward, spurred on by that rugged individualism that characterized a people who would make their own way. 

It is that same spirit, spurred on by Kennedy’s challenge to conquer space that culminated with the 20^th century cowboys, the astronauts of our space program, landing on the moon. 

And it is that same spirit that has caused American men and women to risk all, to make the ultimate sacrifice at the beaches of Normandy, on the island of Iwo Jima, in the jungles of southeast Asia and in the hostile environments of Afghanistan and Iraq, and on and on, in an heroic effort to come to the aid of their oppressed brother and sisters around the world.

My friends, that spirit, that very essence of being American, can never be taken from you. Politicians may squander our treasure leaving us bankrupt, they may decimate our economy leaving us jobless, they may confiscate our wealth through burdensome taxation, and they may try to regulate every aspect of our lives in a veiled attempt to enslave us, but they can never forcibly take away our American spirit. 

The only way we can lose this God-given blessing is to surrender it, to turn our backs on it, to trade it in, if you will, for some handout.  We here understand the folly of such a trade off – we understand that our liberty is precious, and that no amount of perceived government largesse is worth the surrender of that liberty.

So where does that leave us in today’s America?

Countless Americans, weaned on generation after generation of government handouts perpetuated by the progressive liberal ideology, have indeed surrendered their spirit. 

They have accepted a new way of life, dependent on a bureaucratic leviathan for their every need, no longer the makers of their own dreams, no longer the guardians of their children future.  And as more and more of these weakened Americans accept the yoke of enslavement in return for their vote, the more powerful the bureaucracy becomes.  The current administration, aided by their progressive cohorts in Congress, by organized labor, by the mainstream media and enabled by a Republican establishment that has no stomach for a fight, continues to up the ante, to impose their soft tyranny, in an attempt to get the holdouts, the concerned citizens of America, those of us in whose hearts still burns that indomitable American Spirit, to finally surrender to their will. 

It is out of this dire situation that the Tea Party movement has flourished, encouraging Americans of every stripe to rise up, to raise their voices, to stop the madness and to restore America to its founding principles. 

Make no mistake; it was the Tea Party that brought about the tsunami of change that washed across the political landscape last November.

It was the Tea Party that forced the struggle against Obamacare, causing the administration to spend precious political capital to get the legislation passed, and exposing blatant government corruption. 

It was the Tea Party that forced the fight in Congress over the debt ceiling from being just a rubber stamp. 

It is the voice of the people, expressed through the venue the Tea Party has created that has exposed the president, his policies and his minions as the reason why America is suffering today.

In today’s America there should not be such widespread unemployment, but for the Obama agenda. 

Business growth should not be stymied, burdened with overregulation and stagnant, loitering in a sea of uncertainty, but for the Obama agenda.  

The greatest economic engine in the history of the world, the bastion of capitalism and free markets, should not be borrowing billions of dollars from Communist China, but for the Obama agenda.

Illegal immigrants should not be allowed to cross our borders with impunity, and then be coddled by our government, nor should American citizens be killed by guns delivered to Mexican drug cartels by our own government, but for the Obama agenda.

The security of our ally Israel should not be severely jeopardized, and the threat of Iranian warships off the coast of our country should not be happening, but for the Obama agenda.

Americans should not be at each others throats, locked in a battle of class envy, and separated by race baiting demagoguery, except for a president whose rhetoric seems intent on fomenting flash mob confrontations and civil unrest.

In today’s America, concerned citizens, acting as our founders had intended, engaging in a debate over the current and future policies effecting us as a nation, speaking out against the harmful, willfully malicious decisions being perpetrated by this administration, acting in a concerted voice known as the Tea Party, should not be subjected to vile, hateful speech by the very people elected as our representatives.

We should not hear California Congresswoman Maxine Waters saying “The Tea Party can go straight to hell.”

Nor should we hear Indiana Congressman, Andre Carson, saying “the Tea Party wants blacks hanging from a tree.” 

Vice president Biden should not be agreeing to rhetoric saying “the Tea Party is acting like terrorists.”

 And president Obama, so quick to denounce strong rhetoric and call for civility after the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, has been significantly silent in the face of this vitriol, even taking the stage without comment after Teamster President Jimmy Hoffa Jr., remarked about the Tea Party “Let’s take these sons-a-bitches out…”

If you do not believe that your country is being fundamentally changed, that the constitution is being trampled, and that we are being led down a path that will leave America weakened economically, militarily and morally, it is beyond time for you to wake up and become involved. 

If you believe that you can wait until November 2012 to correct things, let me tell you that America, as the country we all know and love, will be unrecognizable by then if we all were to do nothing. 

You have an opportunity here today, with so many groups represented, so many local venues available to you to become engaged, to become part of the movement.  I implore you to take advantage of this opportunity.

But besides just becoming involved, it is equally important for us to frame the narrative, to counter the lies that are being spread, to move from defense to offense.  To do that you must become educated, aware and emboldened. You must find your voice and express your beliefs.  You must have a positive vision for America’s future and be able to articulate that vision. And you must live that vision. 

If the Tea Party movement is to continue to be effective, to be the one refuge where conservative ideology can flourish, then it must be pure to the founding principles and it must exhibit a moral character that is beyond reproach.

In today’s America, my Tea Party is all inclusive, open to every American who espouses the virtues of individual freedom, fiscally responsible limited government, personal responsibility and free markets.  There can be no exclusions, no exceptions, no doubts and no room for prejudice of any nature.  My Tea Party welcomes every race, every creed, every color, every social class, every sexual orientation, and every party affiliation that believes as I do, be it Republican, Democrat or Independent.

When the policies of this regime result in joblessness, it impacts every family, black and white, Christian, Jew and Muslim.

When businesses fail because of overregulation, bureaucratic red tape and excessive taxation, it hurts all business owners, the small mom and pop as well as the corporate giants and their stockholders.

When our borders remain porous and we remain beholden to foreign nations for our economic survival, our security as a nation becomes tenuous, threatening the well being and safety of all Americans, straight and gay, democrat, republican and independent.

When political patronage and failed initiatives, bent on promoting a Green Job agenda result in the waste of billions of dollars of taxpayer money, all Americans suffer.

My friends we are all in this together.  In the words of Ben Franklin,  “We must all hang together or assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”  Do not let those who would silence us have any excuse to paint us with the harsh brush of bigotry.  Set the agenda, frame the narrative, hold the moral high ground and act decisively.

Our movement is under constant attack, both from the left, who understand that we are not going away, and from the establishment opposition, who also see us a threat to their hold on power.

Our cause is just, our resolve unshakable, but we need more concerned citizens to join the fight.  My friends, if you are not part of the solution, you remain a part of the problem.  The current administration as well as the progressives in national, state and local governments has radically changed the fabric of our society.

If we allow this change to remain, we will have forfeited the inheritance of our children and grandchildren, which has been safeguarded and nourished by the sacrifice, blood and commitment of generations of American citizens.  If we fail to overturn the radical agenda of this corrupt regime, we will forever be branded as the generation that refused to fight, the generation that lost the Dream, the generation that forgot that this country was founded under a Divine Providence to forever be a beacon of hope and liberty to the entire world.

As I said earlier, that spirit, that very essence of being American, can never be taken from you.  It is yours to hold forever. It can only be lost if you willingly surrender it, so cherish it, nurture it, draw strength from it, and pass it on to your children. And always hold that bright vision for our future.

Let me leave you with this thought, since you are all gathered here today for a common cause and can support each other as you back to your homes, your friends and your families.  A year ago I attended Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor Rally at the Lincoln Memorial.  A half a million concerned, patriotic citizens gathered, prayed, and drew strength from each other then as you can now.  

If we each understand who we are as Americans, why we are here, why America is a special place, “that shining city on a hill,” and if we return to the founding principles, the traditions and mores of our Judeo-Christian faith, and begin to live our lives guided by the principle of personal responsibility, if we encourage entrepreneurship and free markets, if we fight for limited government at every turn, if we cherish our liberty, fight for it with every breath we take, and if we do it with confidence in America’s future, with a smile on our face, with a hand extended to our fellow Americans, and with a profound belief that all we have has been given to us by our Creator, then we can, and we will make things right.

Address at The Montgomery Tea Party - July 10, 2011

“THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER" and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.”

The words of Thomas Paine in The Crisis, December 23, 1776

Words written long ago, as a nation faced an uphill battle against overtaxation and oppression, remain as valid today as they were then.

It is encouraging to see you all here today publicly expressing your love of country and your understanding that the America that we all know and love is in great danger. Since you’re here I hope you are prepared to get involved.  Attending this rally, while it shows support for the grassroots movement to restore America to founding principles, is not nearly enough.  Please don’t go home today, pat yourselves on the back, and say that you have contributed or made a difference. The effort to restore fiscal responsibility to Washington and Trenton and the need to hold our elected representatives accountable for their actions and omissions will require far more work than spending a few hours here on this summer afternoon, and will require much more passion and dedication than summer soldiers or sunshine patriots.

We are facing an opponent, which you can describe as liberal or progressive, take your pick, that has a far different vision of the America which our children and grandchildren will inherit than we conservatives, and they have been mobilizing for years, building a ground game to get out the vote, indoctrinate the electorate, and silence those of us on the right. 

It is that same silence that is responsible for the position we find ourselves in today.  It is past time for those of us who embrace conservative ideologies to find our voice, to become emboldened, and to fight for our nation, for the Dream that we call America.

You can no longer wait for “someone” to do something, for “someone” to say something, for “someone” to stop the madness. You alone are the only someone that matters.

Take strength in your numbers, support each other, encourage each other to leave you comfort zone and speak out.  Look around you – could each of you have invited one or two other people to attend this event?  What would that do to the energy that a larger crowd can generate? How much stronger would the synergy be between each of you here?  

If any of you attended the rallies in DC in 2009, 2010 or Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor Rally you know what I mean. Surround yourselves with like minded citizens.  Understand that you are not alone.  Raise your voices and you will be amazed at how many people are out there just looking for a way to become involved.  Reach out to them – become the catalyst that ignites their passion.  If you do not become part of the solution, you become a part of the problem.

Understand that there is a price to pay for the God-given liberties we enjoy in America. That price is your involvement in the government of this nation and this state. You have a duty  to educate yourselves as to what is going on in our nation, to be ever vigilant to the actions of our representative and to mobilize yourselves to safeguard our liberties by raising your voice, exercising your vote, and bringing pressure on those chosen to represent us. 

I for one have grown tired of being told to be politically correct, to avoid the use of rhetoric that inflames, to be civil, to compromise, to just get along.  I will not guard what I have to say, while our opposition hurls epitaph after epitaph at us. I will not pull any punches while fear mongers on the Left use class envy and race baiting against us, I will not restrain my passions while every call for fiscal responsibility is met with accusations that conservatives want to kill children and seniors.

We are talking about our freedoms, which have been eroded through decades of progressive legislation, which is based on the redistribution of wealth and the growth of an all knowing, bureaucratic leviathan of a government, that will control every aspect of our lives. If you won’t fight for your freedom, what will you fight for?

Do you remember the movie Braveheart, the famous words of William Wallace to his troops before the Battle of Sterling?

“Yes. Fight and you may die.  Run and you will live, at least awhile.  And dying in your bed many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that, for one chance to come back here as young men, and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they will never take our freedom?”

Are those words too extreme for the battle we face today? Is the rhetoric too high?  Remember the words of Barry Goldwater, “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”

If you believe that we are merely engaged in a debate of ideas, that whatever the outcome, America will continue on as it has in the past, that our way of life will merely experience some slight inconvenience, then I suggest that you have not been paying attention the last two years.

We are at war, so far a bloodless war, for the very soul of America.  The winner of this war of ideas will determine the America that future generations will inherit. 

Will the idea of personal responsibility prevail over the idea of the nanny state, taking care of our every need in exchange for our freedoms? 

Will the idea of free markets, complete with entrepreneurship, and unlimited potential, prevail over government owned or subsidized businesses, selective bailouts with taxpayer money, and central planning by bureaucrats who have never risked their treasure nor run a business. 

Will the ideas of American sovereignty, secure borders, and respect for those who immigrate here legally and contribute to our society win out over the current politically correct pandering to those who violate our laws and cross our borders with impunity, resulting in their being rewarded with the fruits of our labor and given preferential treatment to legal, taxpaying American citizens. 

Will the idea that the Constitution is a sacred document and the foundation upon which our nation was formed fall to the idea that the Constitution is just an outdated piece of paper, no longer relevant in today’s society, and therefore no longer binding on the people or the government.

Imagine if you will the future that you will leave to your children, the inheritance that you pass down to your grandchildren under each of these opposing ideologies.  Will future generations be dependent on an all powerful government for their healthcare, their livelihood, their education, their housing, their every need, yet surrender more and more of their income, more of their responsibilities, more of their choices, and yes, more of their liberty in return, or will they be the makers of their own dreams,  their own future, responsible for their own lot in life, faced with unlimited potential and opportunity if they are willing to make the sacrifices, and achieve the goals necessary to be whatever they aspire to be.

We are indeed at war.  There can be no compromise.  There can be no partial peace.  How do we compromise on the loss of liberty and enslavement of our children to an unconscionable debt? We must defeat the liberal, progressive ideology that is neutering our country.  We must oust from office any and all, regardless of party affiliation, who do not espouse the simple tenants of individual liberty, personal responsibility, free markets, and a limited government, exercising fiscal responsibility and compliance with its Constitutional authority.

The Left will stop at nothing to win this ideological war, and with the support of organized labor, has a formidable ground game in place. The media, the supposed watchdog for the citizens, has prostituted itself to the status of a propaganda machine.  It will all come down to you and you and you and you.  Do not be lulled into thinking this can wait. 

America has survived external threats of all kinds. There is no outside force that can defeat this great nation.  Our greatest threat comes from within and it is supported by an ever increasing number of citizens who believe in entitlements without contribution, from a people infected with class envy and enslaved by their political masters who pander to their every need in return for their vote.  The current administration, as well as the progressives throughout national, state and local government, poses a greater threat to the survival of our republic than any foreign force we have faced.  Whether due to total incompetence or malicious intent, they are the clear and present danger we face today.

Let me quote the words of Cicero in 42 BC:   "A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and he carries his banners openly. But the traitor moves among those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the galleys, heard in the very hall of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor - he speaks in the accents familiar to his victims, and wears their face and their garment, and he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation - he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of a city - he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to be feared." 

My fellow patriots, America has been infected with a cancer that is destroying us from within.  Our government has been co-opted by a sleeper cell of radical socialists put in place decades ago.  If we allow this group to remain unchanged, we will have forfeited the inheritance of our children and grandchildren, which has been safeguarded and nourished by the sacrifice, blood and commitment of generations of American citizens.  If we fail to overturn the radical agenda of this corrupt regime, we will forever be branded as the generation that refused to fight, the generation that lost the Dream, the generation that forgot that this country was founded under a Divine Providence to forever be a beacon of hope and liberty to the entire world.

I cannot fathom telling my children and grandchildren that I allowed the destruction of this great nation to happen on my watch.  

Now, each and every one of you must ponder that same question. How will you respond to your children and grandchildren?  How will you react to this challenge?  Will you be the summer soldiers and sunshine patriots that Thomas Paine warned against back in 1776?  Or you will you take up your sacred duty as the rightful heirs and guardians of this Dream?

Let me leave you with this thought, since you are all gathered here today for a common cause and can support each other as you back to your homes, your friends and your families.  A year ago I attended Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor Rally at the Lincoln Memorial.  A half a million concerned, patriotic citizens gathered, prayed, and drew strength from each other then as you can now.  

If we each understand who we are as Americans, why we are here, why America is a special place, “that shining city on a hill,” and if we return to the founding principles, the traditions and mores of our Judeo-Christian faith, and begin to live our lives guided by the principle of personal responsibility, if we encourage entrepreneurship and free markets, if we fight for limited government at every turn, if we cherish our liberty, fight for it with every breath we take, and if we do it with confidence in America’s future, with a smile on our face, with a hand extended to our fellow Americans, and with a profound belief that all we have has been given to us by our Creator, then we can, and we will make things right.

There are no better words to close than the simple, eloquent words of Ronald Reagan:

You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done.

Thank you, and May God Continue to Bless this Great Nation.

...not a cloud to be seen - A Remembrance on the 10th Anniversary of 9-11

On September 10, 2001, Americans went to sleep having no idea that their days of domestic peace and security, their long-standing isolation from the forces of terrorism, would vanish forever in a few short hours. On September 11, 2001, American lives were forever changed and security became a nebulous notion, sometimes apparent, often no more than a hope, an apparition that we prayed would materialize into a reality while we wandered through an ever-changing rainbow of terror alerts.

We said that we would never forget the horrors of 911. We came together as a nation and swore that never again would we be caught off guard by those who would seek to destroy our way of life.

Today, the current administration seems to have forgotten the lessons of history. They cannot speak of a war on terror, they refuse to acknowledge that Islamic Fundamentalists are our enemy, and they continue to place obstacles in the way of those who would protect us.

A massacre at Ft. Hood, the Christmas Day Underwear Bomber, the attempted attack in Times Square, all written off as isolated incidents perpetrated by troubled individuals. Children and the elderly undergo invasive screening at airports, yet terrorists can simply walk across our Southern border, while the administration threatens sovereign states and law enforcement personnel with lawsuits and condemns the actions of Arizona lawmakers in that bastion of hypocrisy and ineptitude, the United Nations.

Those of us here today understand that the proud eagle, always vigilant, and with sharpened talons is the best protection against our enemies, but when we remove the talons and expose the soft underbelly, we surely invite attack by those who swear to destroy us.

Let us here today pledge that we will always remember, and come each Election Day, let us elect those who understand that the security of America is the prime directive, indeed the sacred duty, of our government.

So now I ask you to please come back in time with me. Clear your mind, close your eyes, and as painful as it may be, let me paint that terrible picture for you once again. Let it be indelibly impressed in your mind lest you ever forget. Let us begin with a moment of silence…...

Remember……

It was a gloriously perfect day. Crystal clear blue sky, not a cloud to be seen, the air crisp and clean. New Yorkers of every stripe, in their own inimitable way, hurried about their business, rushing off to school or work, to a morning run or a latte at Starbucks. Down the subway, chasing a bus, stuck in morning rush hour traffic, or scurrying across the crowded streets they came, converging on downtown Manhattan like bees to the hive. For some, the day held an important meeting, for others only the mundane daily grind. They came, thinking ahead to their evening plans – a trip to the gym, pasta or chicken for supper, a romantic evening with that someone special – never knowing that those plans would never materialize.

They also came that morning – filled with hate for Americans and their freedom, their pursuit of prosperity, their individualism and their attitude, nowhere else better portrayed than in New York. Their mission was simple – to kill those who cherish liberty and to destroy the dream that is America.

Remember the first newscast – a plane had crashed into the Trade Center. Surely an accident, it quickly became the focus of the morning news.

Remember watching the broadcast, the speculation, the queasy feeling of seeing the first tower on fire. As the broadcast continued a second plane appears in the background – why was it flying so low, so close to the skyscrapers rising from the bedrock below?

Remember the shock as the second tower was hit. Flames bursting out from all sides – the realization that this was no accident – the understanding that the unthinkable was happening before our very eyes, broadcast for all the world to see.

Remember thinking that this was the worst day of our lives, and soon realizing that it had merely just begun. A fire at the Pentagon? – no another plane on a perverted act of religious vengeance. Then a fourth down in Pennsylvania. Back to the smoking inferno in New York, we watched horrified as office workers, fleeing from the flames, stepped out onto a window ledge one hundred floors above, held hands, and jumped to their deaths, while far below firefighters and police ran into the fire and up the stairs in a valiant effort to rescue their fellow Americans.

Remember the utter despair as the first tower collapsed in on itself, the plume of smoke and debris filling lower Manhattan,

only to be followed by the collapse of the second tower, completing the devastation of the financial district and crushing the spirit of America.

Remember the immediate aftermath – air traffic halted, the market tumbled, the fear of subsequent attacks hung in the air, and the economic stability of the country hung in the balance.

But this was America. Unwilling to surrender to fear, defiant and proud, led by the sheer bravado that is New York, the country began to rebound. They came from all across the great expanse of our land, professionals and volunteers, men and women, the rich and the poor, every race, creed and color, united by the common bond that is America. Flags were raised and the ruins were cleared. Offices and schools opened. The wheels of commerce once again began to turn.

In Queens a special part of American culture and tradition brought the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets, bitter enemies, together on a ball field where rivalries were momentarily forgotten and players embraced. Emotions and tears flowed openly, starting with the opening pitch, continuing through Liza Minnelli’s passionate rendition of “New York, New York” in the seventh inning, and culminating in a storybook ending as Mike Piazza, the darling of the New York fans, won the game with a dramatic home run. At that moment it was clear that the Islamic terrorists had failed, and that America would rise up and reclaim its place at the top of the hill.

Remember the resolve as we mourned and buried our dead, united in prayer and purpose, and planned vengeance on those who would destroy us. There was a very special feeling coursing through the veins of the country then. All differences were set aside and political bickering was given a backseat as congress united, not as democrats and republicans, but as Americans.

Just as time heals all wounds, time also dampens our resolve. Vigilance gives way to complacency. Cooperation to partisanship. Volunteerism to entitlement. Leadership roles change, new agendas come into vogue, and the course of our country is altered. Where once we projected military might, we now drop our defenses and apologize for being the great country that we are. We coddle those who wish us harm and prosecute those who rose to the challenge and defense of the country in the face of pure evil. Traditions are jettisoned for a vague notion of change, and our sacred liberties are threatened by a soft tyranny that would transform the face of the nation we hold dear.

As we commemorate the events of 9-11, let us first mourn our dead, both the innocent victims and the heroic first responders who embodied all that is right with America. Let us remember the emotions and passions that wrenched us all on that faithful day – shock, fear, sorrow, despair – followed by rage, vengeance and resolve. Finally, let us also remain vigilant to all forces that would seek to destroy our nation, both via malicious intent or by misguided actions, both foreign and domestic, for we alone are the last defense of our liberties.

May God have mercy on the souls of those whose lives were lost on that tragic day, and may He continue to bless and to hold America close to his merciful heart.

Nico Rago

May They Rest in Peace....

Today the world is a lesser place, the forces of good diminished, the light of freedom dimmed.

Yesterday, a U.S. Army Chinook helicopter was reportedly shot down in the Tangi Joy Zarin region of Sayd Abad, Afghanistan, killing 38 people, including possibly 20 U.S. Navy seals.

We all know that these brave warriors knew the risks they took every day, but understood that they put their lives on the line for a greater good, a higher value than any individual life, including their own.  Yesterday, these heroes gave the ultimate sacrifice, and we should all mourn their passing.

So today, as you read this, put aside your trials, your tribulations, your thoughts and your plans, and take a moment to reflect:

Reflect on the fact that your lives will go on.  You will have your summer barbeque with friends and families. You will laugh and play and prepare for another week of work, just like you’ve always done….

Reflect on the fact that these warriors will never again see their friends, hold their families, see their children smile or plan their future….

Reflect on the fact that their families have seen their lives, their futures shattered, crashing down around them with no less horror than that experienced by those destined to die in that ill fated Chinook….

Reflect on the fact that our politicians have trampled the Constitution that these heroes swore to defend, that they have bargained away those sacred liberties that we all enjoy, safeguarded every day by the brave men and women of our remarkable military….

Reflect on the fact that our freedom, our way of life, our America Dream and the hopes and prayers of freedom loving people around the world have just become that much more fragile with the passing of so many courageous Americans….

Finally, stop and say a prayer for the souls of these fellow citizens who have lost their lives in our defense.  Pray that our Heavenly Father will gather their families to His merciful breast and give them the strength to carry on with their lives.  Pray that our politicians will once again understand their sacred duty to uphold the Constitution and to preserve the America we cherish. And, remember always, that we all have an obligation to our country, to a higher good, to a dream that has been purchased with American blood throughout the years.

May they rest in peace………