11 Nov 09 Veterans have done their part are we doing ours?

At the eleventh hour this Veterans Day we paused for a moment of silence to remember those many individuals who have sacrificed their time and sometimes lives to defend our freedoms. I am very grateful for the many people from our founding fathers, and the many soldiers who stood at the ready to gain our independence, to the soldiers today who have taken the battle against terrorism overseas, these people are directly responsible for the many opportunities that we have in our country today.

As I stopped to ponder what we were fighting for in each of the major wars in history, I began to think about how well we are doing on the home front to protect the freedoms we enjoy.

The revolutionary war was the beginning of independence and freedom for this country. We were colonies of England and were being unfairly taxed. Our homes were not our own if the troops of the crown needed to be quartered. It was time that we have rights, primarily the right to govern ourselves. I can’t imagine the courage it must of taken to join a rag-tag army to take on the most powerful military in the world. Through their efforts, persistence, and I believe the hand of God, we gained our independence from England, and established this great land of opportunity.

In WWI and WWII we fought to protect ourselves and our allies from tyranny. After the first world war we did what one would expect, we punished Germany severely, and made it near impossible to recover from the war. This caused great unrest and led directly to the rise in Power of Adolf Hitler. Through the loss of many lives and the tremendous efforts of our soldiers we were able to defeat Germany. In a little more time we were able to secure the surrender of Japan. Learning from the mistakes of the past we helped rebuild Japan and Germany and as a result have developed strong allies.

In Korea and Vietnam we were fighting against the spread of communism. Although these efforts did not turn out the desired outcomes, the spread of communism did stop.

Just 20 years ago the Berlin wall fell, marking a significant turning point in the cold war. Communism was a failure and many people living under the shadow of communism regained their freedom. Unfortunately living under the cloud of communism put these people in a very difficult situation. And all these years later have not fully recovered from its shadows.

In Iraq and Afghanistan we were fighting to protect ourselves from terrorists. We took the battle to their own soil to keep our country free. We must be doing something right because there has not been another successful attack since 9-11. The stated goal of the extremists that are involved in terrorism is to destroy the unbelievers. We must convert to Islam or die. This is the opinion of the extremists, and should not be confused with the beliefs of mainstream muslims.

How are we doing with our liberties so many soldiers have fought and died for? Are we now free from oppressive taxes? Do we truly have ownership of our homes? If your answer is yes what happens to your home if you don’t pay taxes? Are we free from rulers who have to much individual power? Are we avoiding the pitfalls of communism, particularly the redistribution of wealth? Are we keeping private industry private and keeping the government out of it? Are we staying focused to rebuild strong countries in the aftermath of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to ensure we have stable allies when were done? Are we defending our freedom of religion, and right to express our religious views in public places?

Our soldiers have done and continue to do their part, but if you answer the questions above honestly it is clear that we are not holding up our end of the deal when it comes to protecting our freedoms and liberties. It is time that we stand up and do our part to protect us from communist ideals, excessive taxation, religious oppression, and tyranny.