Tag Archives: July 4th

Critiquing “God Bless the U.S.A.”

Unlike so many ungrateful and uneducated, particularly the hate-filled liberal left and the creepy, cringe-worthy, pro-baby-killing activists, I love America!

Yes, I love my country! And just like Lee Greenwood, “I’m Proud to be an American!”

However, regarding Greenwood’s famous song, there are some points I’d like to address. It’s not that I dislike the song; it’s just the fact that Greenwood got a couple of things wrong.

Lucky Stars

Below is the first verse of “God Bless the U.S.A.” Let’s begin with that.

If tomorrow all the things were gone
I worked for all my life
And I had to start again
With just my children and my wife
I’d thank my lucky stars
To be livin’ here today
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom
And they can’t take that away

Truly, there are not many places on Earth where a person could start with nothing (more than once) and wind up a success. Yet, despite her detractors, America is a place exactly like that. Literally, the framework of this nation exists to encourage those on the bottom rung to strive for the top of the ladder.

So, yes, I’m proud to be an American, where not only am I free (for now), but so is everyone else. America is a land of second, third, and fourth chances!

However, it wasn’t luck of any kind that secured our liberties. Today, I thank my God to be living in this great nation!

The stars had nothing to do with it.

Stands for What?

Greenwood sings, “’Cause the flag still stands for freedom, and they can’t take that away.” Well, that’s not the case anymore, is it?

There used to be a day when the Stars and Stripes meant hope, rescue, safety, and yes, freedom. Wherever the American flag was hoisted, freedom would be defended. But so many in this country have been lied to or are lying. They think the flag represents oppression, violence, subjugation, slavery, racism, etc., etc., etc.

Yet, they have the freedom to run their mouths without fear of losing their heads. Ironic.

Stars and Stripes or Rainbow?

That leads me to the second verse, or at least one line from it.

“Well, there’s pride in every American heart…”

Not so, Mr. Greenwood. Not so.

Oh, sure, I’d say that the majority of America feels a sense of pride for our nation, but these days there are more people praising Lenin, Che Guevara, and Mao Zedong than ever before.  

And then there’s the month of June. Anyone got “Milk”?

Where’d You Get That?

Finally, let me speak to a statement in the chorus. It is the highlighted one below.

And I’m proud to be an American
Where at least I know I’m free
And I won’t forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me

And I’d gladly stand up
Next to you and defend her still today
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land
God bless the USA

One of the biggest misconceptions concerns the source of true freedom. For that matter, I dare say most Americans fail to understand a very basic and fundamental reality regarding their freedom.

What most fail to understand is that our freedoms, the ones guaranteed in our Constitution and fought for everywhere from court rooms to battlefields, are from God, not government.

The “men who died” did not give us the right to be free: God did. It was our Creator who designed us to intrinsically long for liberty – liberty from oppression, slavery, and chains of any kind. God also gave us the liberty to accept Him or reject Him, which is at the heart of our First Amendment and the very reason the Pilgrims came here.

Our Constitution is not a document which grants freedoms. It is a document written to uphold and protect the inherent, self-evident liberties available to all.

As it was written, “We hold these truths to be self-evident” that we were created by our God with certain “unalienable rights,” among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Only in America, where these rights have been treasured and protected for so long, do we now have those who hate the very place that guarantees their right to preach its destruction.

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How to be a Free and Happy Nation

Ever wonder what preachers used to preach around this time of the year? Check out a few excerpts from a message preached only 18 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

We could learn a few things.

“A people under a free government will be happy, as long as they are virtuous and wise.  They may become vicious and corrupt.  They are then liable to be influenced by private connections, party spirit, bribery or flattery, promises or rewards, or the artifice and intrigue of crafty and designing men.

When this is the case, they give up their security, lose their liberty, and sink into slavery….

“…Our free government was a happy, but a costly purchase; let it not be lost by drowsy inattention, and implicit confidence…

The day is coming, when liberty and peace shall bless the human race.  But previous to this, truth and virtue must prevail, and the religion of Jesus must govern men’s hearts. Then the horrors of war will cease, and the groans of slavery will no more be heard.  The rod of the oppressor will be broken, and the yoke will be removed from the shoulders of the oppressed.  The scepter will be wrested from the hands of the wicked, and the pomp of  the proud will be brought down to the dust.  The whole earth will rest and be quiet: they will break forth into singing…” 

– from “The Happiness of Free Government and the Means of Preserving It,” preached by JOSEPH LATHROP, D. D. on July 4th, 1794

I think the “vicious and corrupt” are now running the show. As a result of our “drowsy attention” we have elected men and women of the lowest character, thereby giving up our security, our liberty, and the hope of freedom-loving people around the world who look to us as a shining city on a hill.

We are sinking into slavery.

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Time to Exercise My 1st Amendment Right: I Will Tell You What I Believe

Unacceptable Fear

This morning, after I typed the name of the title and the heading just above, I took the picture you see: that of my laptop, a “Keep America Great” hat, and a painting called “Blue Tears” (one I did in honor of fallen police officers – just those who died in the line of duty by gunfire last year).

On this day, the day we celebrate the birth of this great nation, The United States of America, I decided to lay all my patriotic cards on the table, and then some. Hence, the picture of a pro-Trump (and pro-America) hat, along with an artistic statement of support for Law Enforcement (Police).

Unfortunately, because of the incredible threats of intimidation and backlash, along with the literal danger of physical harm, I have never posted a picture of this hat. But today, because I do not want to live in shame or fear, I will claim my right to tell you exactly what I believe with regard to this country.

Fear is unacceptable. Silence in the face of intimidation is cowardice.

What I Believe About . . .

Jesus

He was a literal, historic figure who was God incarnate, yet with a human nature. After being born of a virgin, He lived a sinless life as the “second Adam” and Lamb of God who would be crucified for the sins of mankind.  He is alive, today, after resurrecting from the dead in accordance with prophesy and His own promises. According to John 14:6, there is no other way to eternal life than through Him: the historically verifiable person who walked the shores of Galilee 2000 years ago and shed His own blood as a ransom and for an atonement that no other man past, present, or future could accomplish.

The cross of Christ is the answer for every problem in the world today. The gospel is the most important message we can share with every man, woman, boy, and girl in the world. And it is this gospel of Jesus Christ, as displayed in the inerrant, infallible Word of God, which is the same “good news” to every culture, every tribe, and ever person on earth, regardless of color or country.

But beyond that…

Police

There are far more good cops that bad ones. More people die every day from medical malpractice than all police acts of violence combined. Anyone marching in the streets calling for the end of hospitals? Every man and woman who put on an the uniform and shield (badge) deserve respect and honor until they do something to deserve otherwise. I #backtheblue.

Defunding Police.

I personally think this is one of the most ignorant and stupid suggestions of all time. Those who support this idea are about as bright and mature as the 4-year-old who thinks he’d be better off on his own without parents to keep him out of the cookie jar.

Black Lives Matter

Of course they do! And, to make it clear, I understand that for many what this means is that “black lives matter, TOO,” just as much as everyone else.

But when it comes to the Black Lives Matter organization founded by self-proclaimed “radicals” Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, I believe it is an anti-American, anti-nuclear family, danger to American and Western society, particularly the very freedoms every color of American fought and died for. I also believe the whole premise of this organization is built on the false narrative of “systematic and institutionally-sanctioned racism.”

President Donald J. Trump 

I didn’t vote for him in the primary election – I voted for Ted Cruz. However, I did vote for him over Hillary Clinton in the general election. Faced with the choice between what each promised they would do if elected, I knew I could not support Clinton.

President Donald Trump is NOT the greatest danger to American civilization and the safety of the world. For that honor all you need to do is look at those who topple monuments to historic figures who fought against slavery while supposedly protesting those who supported slavery.

Uninformed fools will cut off the very branch of the tree that supports them.

Hating 45 (Trump Derangement Syndrome)

Let’s be honest, folks. If you hate President Trump, it’s probably because you are either pro-abortion, hate any restriction to your sexual autonomy, want to silence any religious voice who disagrees with your sexual proclivities, or you simply believe the constant twisting by the main-stream media and radical-left celebrities who fear their sexual autonomy might be limited.  On the other hand, maybe you were so invested in electing the first woman president that the shock of losing broke your brain.

Grand Funerals

Being buried in a Bronze Promethean casket from Batesville ($24,000 min.) doesn’t make you a good person or erase the fact that poor decisions can have catastrophic consequences.

Confederate Monuments

Ironically, those who call for the removal of these monument are supported by the very Democrat party to which those who supported segregation and racism belonged. If they insist on tearing down Confederate monuments, then they should certainly include Democrat icons such as Pres. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (who interned Japanese Americans in camps), Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson (who used the n-word more often than “Jesus Christ”), and Sen. Robert C. Byrd (form Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan).

But truth be told, it’s not about racism or trying to erase a painful past; it’s about erasing and eradicating who we are as a nation and replacing it with something radical, oppressive, atheistic, and Marxist.

Racism

How do I define racism? Well, I believe racism is the belief that one particular “race” is either superior or inferior to another. What racism is NOT is the preference of one ethnic culture over another. It is NOT racist to be inclined to the characteristics of one ethnicity over another. Racial profiling is NOT racist if it is based on statistics, especially when the overall benefit to the profiling will positively affect every ethnicity.

Racism is sinful, unbiblical, and an affront to the very nature of our Creator God. Having “prejudices” for or against particular cultural norms is NOT being racist; it’s showing preference. However, you can be a racist and be prejudiced at the same time, but it should not be assumed that one is automatically a racist if he/she has certain prejudices. For example, I married a white woman because I am white and preferred (had a prejudice toward) women who have the same skin color and cultural customs as myself. That was not a “racist” choice.

It is NOT racist to note our physical differences, either. Just as long as our physical differences are not used as an argument to suggest that one “race” is inherently better than another. God has designed each of us, and there is nothing wrong with acknowledging the fact that we are not all physically the same. It is wrong, however, to suggest that one color of human should be subjugated to another, for we are ALL equal before God.

Gun Violence and Guns

The old adage is still true: “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” Anti-gun laws (which are in opposition to our 2nd amendment to the Constitution) do nothing to change the heart that pulls the trigger. That same heart can thrust a blade or swing a club.

“When was America ever great?”

When it acknowledged the right you have to publicly ask a stupid and uninformed question without fear of government retribution.

“America, America, God shed His grace on thee! And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.”

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Believe it or not…

Believe it or not, there are still some Americans who love their country. 

Happy birthday, America!

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Alcohol and Fireworks: A Retrospective

Things reportedly heard on July 4th…

after a long day of BBQ…

and a few too many “adult beverages”…

before, during, and after shooting off fireworks.

  • Wooooooooo!
  • ‘Merica!
  • Don’t point that at me!
  • Launch it from yer hand! You chicken?
  • Woooooooo!
  • Yeah!!! Stick one in the fire ant mound!
  • Daaaaayam, bro! Does it hurt?
  • We need to save some of these to shoot down the drones.
  • Roll Tide!
  • Hey, man! Where’s the gasoline?
  • I’ll light it…you hold it.
  • How fast is the fuse?
  • Anybody seen the baby?
  • Put it on your head! I dare ya!
  • Dude! Get the Roman candles! I got an idea!
  • I bet you can’t hit me with it!
  • Duuuuude. Just don’t tell anybody, man.
  • Hey! Watch this!
  • You ain’t hurt. Just stick it in the cooler…it won’t burn long.
  • Hold still a second! I wanna take a picture of it!
  • I made this one, myself! Just light it and run.
  • If I look at it, it’ll start hurting. What’s it look like?
  • Anybody know the number for 911?

A word to the wise: Drinking and explosives don’t mix.

 

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The REST of the Story

Happy Independence Day, Everyone!

Today I want to share a video recorded a long time ago, long before iPhones and iMovie. It is a video of the radio personality most of America came to love and trust, Paul Harvey.

In this video Mr. Harvey eloquently – seriously, you just have to love how he speaks – describes “the rest of the story” behind the phrase, “Our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”

THIS is the kind of stuff that made America what it was, what it is ceasing to be, but what it could be again.

 

A Few Quotes

“For my own part, I sincerely esteem it [the Constitution] a system which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests.” – Alexander Hamilton (1787 after the Constitutional Convention)

“The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” – George Washington, 1789

“We have this day restored the Sovereign to Whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come.” – Samuel Adams, 1776 (at the signing of the Declaration of Independence)

“We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!” – John Adams and John Hancock (April 18, 1775)

“I do not believe that the Constitution was the offspring of inspiration, but I am as satisfied that it is as much the work of a Divine Providence as any of the miracles recorded in the Old and New Testament.” – Benjamin Rush

And this last one is key…

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here.” Patrick Henry

God Bless America!

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