Be the Standard Bearer

It looks like a Peter Max tribute gone wrong. This is far from pleasing, with the blood-smear-like stripes and sheepish "O" with lines a bit too crisp to match the rest of the design. The colors are faded, like his posters and peeling bumper stickers. The thing is just ugly, but it's far more than that.

The U.S. flag code is usually ignored, save for the most patriotic and of course, the military. Most of it isn't even known to the average person. The code isn't punishable by law and thusly, viewed as more of a suggestion by most. Our flag code prohibits defacing of the flag, use of the flag on merchandise and even clothing. Olympians draping the flag on their shoulders has become accepted, but such things are discouraged by the code. What Obama's cronies have done here is not a 're-design' of our flag, as it has only 7 stripes and is the wrong colors, but rather a vague representation. That, in itself, isn't the issue as this is done quite often. The issue is the "O".

Anyone who argues in defense of Obama's throw-away campaign fund-raising poster is unlikely to get the offense. They see an 'inspirational' image much like Shepard Fairey's HOPE poster. They don't see the implications, the fact, much like this flag from earlier in the year, that Obama is the focus in an emblem of this country. Obama is the focus, the grounding element. This, dear reader, is huge.

Since his nationwide debut, Obama has been setting himself up as the leader of a political cult. He's 'branded' everything, put his creepy "O" on all he surveyed. Obama sees himself as the owner of his position, something only on privileged loan to him. He sees himself as appointed royalty when any political office is one of subservience to the American people (or it's supposed to be). To Obama and those around him, he is America. There is no need for the 'generic' patriotism of the past, Obama is here and we have a face to worship, a person to place above all others.

What's lost on Obama's acolytes is that the American flag is a symbol of all of us. It is a timeless banner of freedom and sacrifice. It affords everyone the opportunity for valor and independence. To place any one person in focus in reference to the flag is an assault on everyone. Venerating any one person or the idea of one person in a political sense is just a hop, skip, and stumble into dictatorship. The flag came first because freedom came first.

There may be some who believe America to be incapable of recovery. There are some who believe the cult of personality is too strong. I don't believe that. Though frightening in its implications, this 'flag' is a misguided stab at notoriety that won't last past November. It will be tossed out or end up at yard sales or thrift stores. The intention behind it, however, is a bit harder to sweep away. It's important for us, those who know what the flag truly means, to fight for those ideals. We cannot give up and run from the war. Since the founding of our great nation, standard bearers have carried our flag into battle. They have run headlong into the firefight and been cut down, but someone was always there to grab our banner from the mud and keep running. Be the standard bearer and hold her high; this fight is far from over.

10 Years

In August of 2001, I took a trip to New York City. I had just returned from two weeks in Italy and I was exhausted. I got one day of rest before I hopped back on a plane with my mother, aunt, cousin, and niece to visit the Big Apple. Before then, I'd only seen the city in passing, having flown in and out of Newark for Europe. We were visiting to take in a concert at Carnegie Hall, the music of 'Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?'.

We crammed ourselves in a small hotel room a few blocks from the Hall. We attended the concert, had a wonderful night, and set out the next morning to see the city. We visited Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. FAO Schwarz was lots of fun and Tiffany's was beautiful (from the outside). We had a deli sandwich near Soho that was second to none and a cannoli in Little Italy. I loved Rockefeller Center and the breathtaking St. Patrick's Cathedral. Times Square was so bustling and bright and I finally got to see the Macy's. We hiked to the first bastion on the Brooklyn Bridge and back and as we stopped to rest near a hot dog cart, I saw the Twin Towers jutting into the sky and knew I had to get closer. I begged my party to walk just a bit further and reluctantly, they agreed. It was hot, our feet were sore, but we pressed on.

As we approached the center, my chin tilted higher and higher. Until then, I'd restrained myself from looking up. I thought it kept me from seeming like a tourist. But those towers were just so impossibly tall! My family was impressed too, but not as much as I was. I loved buildings and architecture. I stopped in between the towers and took a slow spin. I was dizzy with admiration. Paying no mind now to who saw me be a 'tourist', I got down on the stones of the Center and took a photo. The top 15 or so floors of both buildings were all that would fit in the frame.

We took the subway from the Center station and left the city behind. I remained amazed for some time, remembering the unearthly monoliths of glass and steel. On that morning, weeks later, I was at college walking back from my first class of the day when I saw one of the school maintenance workers stalking across the courtyard cursing. He wasn't normally the type to show such emotion. I asked him what was wrong and he told me. He yelled it, his fuming, trembling voice bouncing off of every surface. I stood there for a few moments, not knowing what to think. As I rushed to my dorm room, I shook my head. This couldn't be right. I remember standing in front of my television watching it all unfold. I had just been there. I had just seen those towers. I had just felt the cool stones on my tired back, surrounded by workers and other tourists. We were smiling.

September 11th, 2001 was a day that knows no equal. There will always be gaping hole in Manhattan, no matter how things may change. The skyline would never be the same; America would never be the same. I thank God for the opportunity I had to see the city as it should still be. I thank God for the lives that were spared, for the courage of America that day and the strength in the days afterward. I pray to God now to protect our nation from feeling that kind of pain again. God bless America and God keep us.

The Gravitation of Atlas

"A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not the desire to beat others." -Ayn Rand

With the advent of the Tea Party, there's been a lot of talk about Ayn Rand's work and Atlas Shrugged in particular. The first in a presumed three-part film series opens in theaters, appropriately on April 15th. With all the conservative and Tea Party buzz around Atlas and Rand, it stands to reason that some would be defensive of what they see as a co-opting of ideas they believe aren't rooted in conservatism. They site Rand's atheist beliefs and her focus on objectivism. Some call her a Libertarian, some say she was simply an individual. Others will readily tell you she had more in common with Margaret Sanger than she did with Sarah Palin. These people aren't wrong, they just fail to see the truth behind the conservative connection to individuality and works like Atlas.

The tax day opening of the film is an allusion to the theme that so many equate with the Tea Party; the belief that one should be able to keep their reward for hard work. So many Americans who see more and more of their tax dollars going to fund the comfort of those who simply refuse to work find solace in this theme. Many see it as glorification of selfishness, which taken on it's own, could certainly cause one to negate the importance of others. But this, like other sub-themes of Atlas, should not be the main focus. Respect for self and desire to be rewarded are outcomes of respect for the individual and must be kept in check.

No, individuality and flourishing potential is the true balm for the conservative heart, not the much maligned self-centered haughtiness, or the hand-over-fist monetary gain, or even the defiance of fat-cat government foes. Conservatives are drawn to and support the individual because they believe in exceptional innovation and drive. This is the fuel of the trail-blazing American spirit. These things lead to personal success, an idea that strikes terror into the liberal 'everyone is equal' mind. But what liberals fail to see is that personal success naturally leads to broad, culture-wide success. Without personal success and innovation, we wouldn't have any of the things that make us comfortable, happy, and safe today.

I don't believe Ayn Rand was anything other than what people say she was. I don't see her as a conservative and I don't see her work and beliefs as infallible. To do so would be to acknowledge her as some sort of deity, which would be foolish and illogical. Every story and every self-developed belief system is colored and poisoned by that person's life experiences. No one will ever have a life like Rand's, therefor her beliefs can never truly be shared fully by anyone else, not in a healthy way at least. Rand's abilities to paint success seem to have stopped at domination, selfish power grabs, and amassing of fortunes. This is unfortunate as it causes some to be instantly turned off from her work. But when approached with a level, objective mind, this can be put aside as a product of the writer's emotion.

A story, no matter how epic and sprawling, must be used only as a supplement to an ideal, not the complete framework for it. To believe everything someone writes or says to the letter is to completely negate one's individuality. Somehow, I don't think Ayn Rand would have liked that to happen. I don't know how she would feel to know her work is a rallying cry for the Tea Party and that being said, no one else can know for sure either. But as we individuals set our eyes on the horizon, we see the light of potential; knowing that in each of us is the power to make America exceptional once more. Denying the individual is what has quelled our pioneering fire. Imagine what we can do when we are allowed to flourish and do so together.

We Are All Socialists Now

"We Are All Socialists Now"
graphite on paper

"Do you know how it worked, that plan, and what it did to people? Try pouring water into a tank where there's a pipe at the bottom draining it out faster than you pour it, and each bucket you bring breaks that pipe an inch wider, and the harder you work the more is demanded of you, and you stand slinging buckets forty hours a week, then forty-eight, then fifty-six - for your neighbor's supper - for his wife's operation - for his child's measles - for his mother's wheel chair - for his uncle's shirt - for his nephew's schooling - for the baby next door - for the baby to be born - for anyone anywhere around you - it's theirs to receive, from diapers to dentures - and yours to work, from sunup to sundown, month after month, year after year, with nothing to show for it but your sweat, with nothing in sight for you but their pleasure, for the whole of your life, without rest, without hope, without end ... From each according to his ability, to each according to his need ..." - Chapter 10 'Sign of the Dollar' from Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Last week, I read an article at Big Government about an art student at Pratt named Steve DeQuattro. This student is experiencing the huge double-standard in the arts world. Artist, musician, actor, dancer, it doesn't matter. If you hold conservative beliefs, you could be the next Michaelangelo and the 'elites' would treat you like dirt. The arts are awash with prejudices. There is plenty of room for art for art's sake, as long as it's the sake of liberal propaganda. A work can be positively confounding and devoid of all skill and still be hailed as a masterpiece if it's making a 'statement' the art community condones.

As an artist, I know the culture can be tough. A few years ago, I began doing some political pieces, but I didn't publicize them. Most of them don't even feature my real name. Now, I find I am doubly careful. I've been an unemployed graphic designer for almost a year through no fault of my own. I'm desperate to find work in a town drowning in recession and graphic design over-saturation. Though I feel compelled to share my emotions through my art, I'm scared that a potential employer may find it. There is simply very little respect for creative dissent when it falls to the right of the middle.

Perhaps that feeling of being trapped helped inspire this piece. Two people, bodies strong, but faces gaunt, are chained together. They're blindfolded because it's so easy to lead the blind. He holds a hammer; she carries a sickle. They both drag a broken and beaten Liberty by a metal noose. Everything is lit from underneath, as if they tread on a bridge above a river of flame. I returned to my non-digital roots for this piece because the graphite is so visceral.

As someone who struggles with the dichotomy of belief and need for employment in a field that rarely shares my belief, I know what it's like to work in chains. I spent years wearing a blindfold, simply participating in the daily grind, hoping to make it another day. I'm inspired by Mr. DeQuattro's courage. It's not easy to defy something that seems so insurmountable. And if I manage to find employment again, I hope I can continue to express myself in pieces like this and not fear for my livelihood. I do not have the courage quite yet to spread this around under my real name. It will never be in my portfolio. I share it now in cautious solidarity. If I'm found out, which is distinctly possible, I suppose it will be for the best. But you're not alone Steve. You were never alone.

You Don't Scare Me, Bully

Bullies are nasty things. Insecure individuals releasing their frustrations on the innocent has no basis in logic. When a child is bullied, our hearts go out to them. We see our own experiences reflected in their tear-filled eyes. But bullying is not quarantined to only the young. One has to ask oneself, what happens to child bullies when they grow up? For that answer, we don't have to look too far, especially right now.

The mainstream media, most liberals, and many other politicians exhibit the classic signs of being bullies in big-people clothes. Jack Conway, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Kentucky, is someone you might expect to find holding another person's head in a toilet. That swirly victim at present is Rand Paul. Being the son of someone so polarizing like Ron Paul can't be easy, small physical stature aside. Rand isn't a stranger to bullying. He seems to be a seasoned pro when dealing with senseless slander, but why should we sit back and let this kind of thing continue? We profess to be a society that's sickened by undeserved violence. We condemn the actions of child bullies, yet when that undeserved violence is wielded by a liberal or a liberal-sympathizing member of the media, we accept it. We shake our heads, say 'tisk tisk' and let it remain. The memory of the event is quickly buried under memories of countless events like it every day.

The 2010 mid-term elections have seen some really sad bullying tactics. An angry male Democrat calls his female Republican opponent a 'whore'. The liberal machine, media in tow, exploits the distant and irrelevant history of an otherwise normal woman, Christine O'Donnell, in order to make sure her liberal opponent is sent to Washington. An angry elitist Democrat resorts to physical contact with his Republican opponent during a debate. Congressional fat cats send their significant others on heckling missions to rattle their opponents. If Washington and the road to Washington were the halls of an elementary school, these politicians would be spending a lot of time in the Principal's office. But if Barack Obama is considered the Principal, I guess that disciplinary trip won't do much good.

And so, it is up to us, the 'parents' of this nation. Our priorities need to be set right. After Rand Paul's first-and potentially only-debate with Jack Conway, he refused to shake Conway's hand. Conway's attack ad was just too grotesque, his methods far too mad. Though some may view this action as rude on Paul's part, I say it's about time. The reason bullies continue to wreak havoc is because the victims don't stand up for themselves. This isn't a case for marshal law, no. Rather, this is a case for common human decency. We're told we have to lead by example, but when the bully is blind, they can't see that example. The media, liberals, and many in the government are blind. They have lost any sense of right and wrong. It's time those of us who are willing to fight to suck it up and do so. The next time someone attacks your faith, your patriotism, your intelligence, or your freedom, give them a lesson in the truth. Bullies are bad, no matter their age, and we can't let their behavior continue.

9/11: What I Learned

I read a Care Bears storybook from my childhood the other day. This story was about a boy who was being bullied at school. Of course, the Care Bears encouraged the child to befriend the bully because the poor bully was just misunderstood. The two became friends and everything was great in the end. Unfortunately, that's not always how it works.

On September 11th, 2001, I was in college. I was walking across the courtyard and caught sight of one of the school maintenance men. He was muttering and cursing to himself. We asked him what was wrong and he told us. Everyone crowded around televisions, tears refusing to fall because the shock was so great. I had seen the World Trade Center only a few months earlier on a visit to New York. My heart and my innocence broke that day as I watched the billowing smoke.

You see, Islamic extremists are bullies of the worst kind. They don't bully because they're calling out for help. They don't bully because they secretly want to be friends. These people bully because the fabric of their fiercely held faith tells them to. They are instructed in no uncertain terms to wage war on those who are different from themselves. That morning, they waged war on people just like you and me. It could have been us choosing a death by falling dozens of stories as opposed to burning alive. It could have been us, killed by debris while trying to search for survivors. It could have been us on those airplanes, hijacked by suicide Jihadists.

When we were children, we were taught that bullies aren't anything to be afraid of. If we 'killed them with kindness,' they would leave us alone, maybe even be our new friends. Perhaps we learned that by reading books like the one I mentioned. But these bullies, we must fear them. We must fear them enough to have no misunderstanding of their motives. In our hearts, we need to have that terrible morning run a loop to remind us of our fleeting freedom and our fleeting lives. Our children and our children's children count on us to be discerning about lessons like these. A school bully? Sure, being friendly and non-confrontational may work. But these people were never interested in being our friends.

If we value our lives as free-living and free-worshiping Americans, we will educate ourselves about these people. We will read the Qur'an instead of burning it. We will set aside our 'live and let live' dreams and wake up to a 'they live and we die' reality. Humans are animals first and animals who have never been taught mercy cannot show it. The more rope we give them, the more rope they have to hang us with. Do not forget that morning, that bright September morning. Do not forget that someone just like you and me took their last breath because of intolerance and hatred at the hands of one of the biggest bullies the earth has ever known.

Do Unto Others

Common decency isn't so common. Manners and kindness seem to have become things of the past. But why? Why don't people think of others anymore? With the rampant trend of 'touchy-feely' liberalism in this country, people should be more considerate; but in truth, it depends on what 'group' in which you belong. If you're in the right group, you get plenty of consideration. But that's not what the Golden Rule is about, now is it?

From simple, everyday things like not saying 'please' and 'thank you', to things like blatant discrimination, we've become heathens. We're all out for ourselves. Even when people show 'consideration' for others, it seems that consideration is out of fear or some kind of personal gain. There's nothing done simply out of kindness anymore. An example of where common decency has lapsed is the Ground Zero mosque.

This country boasts freedom of religion and as one of our founding freedoms, that religious openness is just fine by me. But what about equal respect for everyone and all religions? Favoritism to Muslims out of fear or anything else shouldn't take top-billing over the memory of the people killed on 9/11. This isn't simply a case of free worship, this is a case of Muslims wishing to build in a place they know for a fact will cause irritation and not caring at all about said irritation. And where is the outrage about the Muslim's disrespect? Of course, there's plenty of outrage by the 'public', but not enough where it counts.

We have laws that keep sex offenders away from schools. We have laws that take drivers licenses away from people who have caused deaths by drunk driving. But when it comes to the touchy subject of religion, unless you're Christian, you are allowed to have anything you wish. I say let them build elsewhere, as is their right, but please, if you want us to respect you, respect us as well. That is, after all, how the Golden Rule works. Do unto others...

With the stroke of a pen, revolution begins.

Flag of our Fathers
original digital art by x_1013_x

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." -The Declaration of Independence, 1776

America, it's time for separation. The people who govern us no longer represent us. We have, by rights of our own electoral mistakes, allowed people into our government who want only to grow government's power and expand the capacity of their own coffers. In 1776, our founding fathers did the same. They declared their independence from a tyrant who wanted no more than to keep them under his thumb. I'm not purporting succession, but we must pull away from those who wish us harm and draw closer to those who truly support freedom. As the founders outlined in the Declaration of Independence, I will outline here the acts which support my feelings.

Members of Congress and the President have expressly broken the laws of process as put fourth in the Constitution of the United States.

They have convened in partisan, closed-door proceedings to deliberately stifle debate and obfuscate the public.

They have used bribery to coerce votes.

They have falsified findings and documents to erroneously support their efforts.

They have inveigled a once free press into reporting widely only what the government deems acceptable.

They have allowed into the governing process those with threatening beliefs and agendas.

They have supported the use of taxpayer funds to finance propaganda.

They have provided money and protection to organizations who blatantly ignore the law and oftentimes use physical and mental violence as methods of coercion.

They have overstepped their boundaries of commerce by injecting themselves into the private sector.

They have exploited misfortunes to emotionally manipulate the public.

They have slandered the reputation and names of their political foes and gone unpunished.

They have many times ignored the cries for assistance from our allies in order to appear more favorably to our enemies.

They have shown blazon disrespect for our history, our national symbols, and the memory of those who have died for our freedom.

Our outcry for accurate representation has fallen on deaf ears. Our pleas and demonstrations have been met with slander and injury. Our elected leader has exhibited all the traits that could be applied to a socialistic dictator and is in no way fit to represent the interests of a free people.

A revolution is upon us. Not a revolution of muskets and blood but of votes and knowledge. We know our enemy, their injustices have been displayed for us. We must rise up against our oppressors and take back our freedom!

The 3/22 Project

Today I feel much like I did on September 12th, 2001. I was terribly wounded, but filled with a renewed sense of patriotism. I was ready for a fight. Last night's vote on healthcare reform was an act of domestic terrorism. The Democrats abused every tactic they could to get their legislation passed. They ignored the cries of the American people and they ignored the Constitution. You see, we were of no consequence to them. They had an agenda, a goal, and nothing was going to stop them from achieving that goal.

From the smoldering ashes of our Constitution, we must rebuild. We must pick out the strong principles that were placed in our founding documents, principles that are impervious to the selfish fire of socialism. We will rebuild stronger and wiser. That building starts now.

You are very important. No matter who you are or what you do in life, you are important. Participation at all levels is key. We have to start at the bottom in our communities and go from there. If you can work for a campaign, do so. If you can only contribute a little money, do so. If you have a talent you think can get a message across, by all means, use it. Song, art, writing, blogging, anything.

And as important as you are, the next generation is more so. It is imperative that we teach our children about true freedom. They have to know the reward for hard work and the sacrifices we all must make. The greatest lesson we must teach before the liberals have a chance to indoctrinate them is that they are the only guardians of their prosperity. Freedom is up to them, success is up to them. No government promise can sustain their soul.

I am reminded of a scene in "An American Carol" where Michael Malone meets George Washington. The general speaks of freedom and how you cannot take such things for granted. As they walk through St. Paul's chapel, Malone asks why the place is so dusty. The doors open to reveal the source of the dust: the ruins of the World Trade Center. Washington says, "When you meet the almighty, only the truth will do." The truth is this: our country needs us now. Freedom needs us. If we allow our truths to remain silent, we will lose our freedom. Speak now, or forever hold no peace.

Silent Soldier: Our American Flag

Silent Soldier
original poem by x_1013_x

Through musket blast and canon roar,
the crash of bombs on foreign shore,
the flag has flown as it’s flown before;
glorious and tall.

Through hunger, cold, and haunting fear,
soldier’s loss, a mother’s tear,
it stands for all that we hold dear;
heeding freedom’s call.

Though history and years ahead,
what is silent and what is said,
purest blue, white, and red,
the flag will never fall.

Our current President seems to think very little of our flag. The flag was born of our battles for freedom. Without those battles, Obama wouldn't be president. Not just the struggles for racial equality, mind you, but the wars before America was founded and every battle since. After all, you can't be president of something that doesn't exist. He balks at wearing a pin, forgets to salute, and now seems ashamed enough of the stars and stripes that the U.S. military relief workers in Haiti have no colors under which to gather. Why he has this aversion to the flag is anyone's guess, but to me, the flag is everything it should be: a reminder that freedom must be cherished and the sacrifices made to gain that freedom should never be taken for granted.

Placing undue emphasis on the material things in life is rarely a good thing. Men have fought and died for less than cloth, that's for certain. But if someone can't have a little respect for something as storied and gallant as our flag, how can we expect them to respect our founding documents? No matter what happens in the coming months or years, the flag will stand true. It has seen us at our best and now, I fear, it's seeing us at our worst. But as long as there are those of us who remember what the flag symbolizes, there is genuine hope.

A Smokescreen of Human Compassion

Fear mongering is a foreboding term. It is a tactic used by everyone, from your parents to world powers. Fear mongering is when you use someone's fear of something as a means to a result. For years now, the left has accused conservatives of fear mongering when it comes to matters of national security. Hey, if a heightened wariness of strange, shifty-looking people with suspicious packages keeps a suicide bomber from killing a group of people, I say it's doing a pretty good job. There's nothing wrong with a little fear and there's equally nothing wrong with using that fear to your advantage. God gave animals fear so they would know when to run from a predator, fear is good. What's wrong is when you abuse a different emotion: compassion.

The debate over health care has seen its supporters take to the mat with a disturbing tactic, using human misfortune as a bargaining chip. Congress and the President hide their socialistic agendas behind stories of cancer patients who can't pay for treatments and keep their home. The liberals put on a sad face as the camera chronicles the woes of sick children and people with life-threatening illnesses who just can't get the care they need because of a lack of insurance or the cost of said insurance. Instead of facing the real problems in health care, they hope you'll fall for this pity-party sleight of hand and let them do with health care what they please. And what they please will do nothing to stem the woes of these sick people. If anything, it will make matters much, much worse.

I've covered the issue of health care before, so I won't rehash what I've already said. I will only say this: if someone uses the misfortune of others as a means to manipulate opinion, what kind of person are they? If they hide behind a smoke screen of sick people, hoping you will somehow cave to their wishes, can you really trust them? The simple fact is, the horror stories of socialized medicine far outweigh those of what we have now in this country. And if you think sad stories won't occur if the Democrats get their way, think again. Though it's sad to say, life and death on this earth comes down to one thing: money. And having the government 'pay' your health care costs only means that some other poor American is footing your bill. When they run out of money, the burden will fall to someone else and eventually on you. Obamacare, though it sounds like rainbows and unicorns is the same old hell with the thermostat turned up 100 degrees. If that scares you, good. You can say I'm fear mongering, but you should be afraid.

Tea, Coffee, and Gunpowder

"Ideas quick-march into motion like battalions of a grand army to its legendary fighting ground, and the battle rages. Memories charge in, bright flags on high; the cavalry of metaphor deploys with a magnificent gallop; the artillery of logic rushes up with clattering wagons and cartridges; on imagination's orders, sharpshooters sight and fire; forms and shapes and characters rear up; the paper is spread with ink - for the nightly labor begins and ends with torrents of this black water, as a battle opens and concludes with black powder." -Honore de Balzac The Pleasures and Pains of Coffee

Tea or Taxed Enough Already Parties sprang up in this country in response to an overwhelming mistrust of the government and a desire to return to what made us great. Concerned Americans of all political backgrounds and ethnicities assembled to make their voices heard. They did so under a historical canopy, emulating the actions of the colonists who tossed a shipment of tea into Boston harbor. These men were sending a message too: no more tyranny. Never was the tea party about the actual drink. The tea party was a symbol and continues to be a symbol for the Americans who desire an end to government abuse of power and oppressive taxation.

After months of disrespectful and ignorant reporting from the liberal media and countless uses of a pornographic term to describe the people who attended the Tea Parties, the left decided to have their own party. Because, well, if someone has something they don't, they get their hipster knickers in a bunch. And in true liberal fashion, their 'party' is spiteful, condescending, and speaks volumes to their ignorance of history. The liberal antithesis of the Taxed Enough Already Parties: 'Coffee Parties.'

See what they've done there? The left-leaning brain theorized: "Tea parties?... tea is a drink... what other drink is like tea, but isn't tea? Oh yes, coffee!" I don't see this as the only reason. In the liberal psyche, there's an unconscious belief that coffee is intellectually superior to every other drink because of its culture. Coffee is a delicacy only befit the kings of screenplay writing at Starbucks. It is the drink that brought us the coffeehouse attitudes of the late 50s and 60s, though I have to add, coffee was rarely the actual drink of choice at those houses. 'Progressives' and 'visionaries' used coffee as a ruse to act foolish in black pencil pants and turtleneck sweaters. Any culture that requires applause be the snapping of one's fingers after a horrid torrent of drug-addled poetry is about as low as you can go on the creative scale. Even still, liberals see coffee as a symbolic gateway to the upper crust of thought. They gather around it like haughty cavemen in tweed coats, alienating everyone who has opinions that slightly differ from their own. Sure, coffee is a beverage of enlightenment, but they use coffee only as a means to an end, not as an end in itself.

This 'Coffee Party' movement and all the coffee-house progressives of times past has sullied the manna-like divinity of the drink. And to what end? What point have they made? They've only managed to behave like bratty children, screaming for something another child has. They covet the strength of the Tea Parties, the influence and power of ordinary, hard-working Americans banding together to make a difference. That 'banding together' is something a liberal mind can't comprehend. Even when they're in a 'party' setting, they're alone. They isolate themselves, hiding behind huge superiority complexes. They dwell in their own minds, where its safe and everyone agrees with them. People like that could never organize anything that shared any solid belief because their own beliefs are ever-shifting and far superior to the beliefs of their peers.

I'm not intimidated by this 'Coffee Party' movement because of the fact that liberals are incapable of true organization. In defense, they may argue they organized to elect this 'eloquent' and 'intellectual' president, but they really didn't. They serendipitously had the same hair-brained idea all at once and naturally, pretentious people are attracted to other pretentious people if only to potentially engage in a 'winner takes all' superiority battle. Essentially, this movement is watered down and stale. It has all the validity of a day-old pot of joe made with expired pre-ground Folgers. There's no need for it and to recognize it, one would have to toss aside good sense and taste. All I know is, there's a holiness to coffee that cannot be destroyed by politics. Coffee is a gift; a source of energy, creativity, and spark. If the left thinks they can usurp those traits for their own purposes, they'll have a devil of a time. Coffee, like freedom and gunpowder, is volatile and best handled by those who respect it.

The Burden of Duty

Who would Jesus bomb?

Isn't that a novel question? A veiled insult and self-righteous laurel wrapped up in a neat, condescending package. That sticker can be found on many a bumper these days, usually alongside a faded something about impeaching Bush or a belligerent rant on the environment. Oddly enough, those 'green' stickers are usually on old Volvo station wagons that rattle and belch oil clouds. But I digress. So what are we supposed to think of the statement: who would Jesus bomb? Outright, I think we're supposed to question the Christian validity of war. After that, we're supposed to question our own Christian validity. Because if we have ever had a human thought about taking care of what we love, we've failed. Our desires to be free and help others be free as well have upset Jesus.

I'm no stranger to religion. I was raised Baptist, attended both Methodist and Christian worship services, converted to Roman Catholic in college, and now work for a different protestant organization. I guess you could say I was washed in the blood... wrung out, washed again and again, and tumble dried. But when I see that sticker, the striking hubris of it, I don't think of religion at all. Not, at least, in the sense of real peace and love. No, the sticker takes my mind immediately to the military and the oftentimes thankless work they do. So many men and women have served, some given the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I could be here today. I think about the injustices and evil that have been deterred by the actions of the military. And though Jesus never actually said 'thou shalt not war' the bumper sticker makes the accusation that if you advocate for military actions or personally violent actions of any kind, you're going against the mandate of God. There is no gray area, no exceptions. Either you're Christ-like or you're not.

My father was in the army. He served in the European theater in WWII. He didn't talk a lot about the war, at least not by the time I was born, but he didn't have to. That experience was etched in every line on his face. I could see the horror in his eyes. And though my mother openly displayed the most vehement faith I've ever known of any human, my father possessed a quiet faith that spoke of the grim responsibility of humans. Just as it can be said to be truly satisfied, you must first go hungry; to know Heaven, you must first know Hell. There can be no more earthly hell than war. But, to deride another famous bumper sticker 'War is not the answer.' I say rather, war is the question. Why do we war? We war so there may be peace. We fight the hard battles so the oppressed can be free. We stare evil in the face, a gun in our trembling hands, knowing that by the Bible's standards we should not kill. But if we don't take some of the burden on our shoulders, evil will go on unchallenged. We are given a lot of responsibility and to whom much is given can be expected the most sacrifice.

A childhood friend of mine once asked my father, "Did you kill anyone?" Everything in the house went silent. My heart stopped as I searched my father's face. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly and answered, "Yes." He never said how many people he killed, but that didn't matter. This man, who kept his faith mostly to himself, had extinguished the life of another human being. I knew that, I wrestled with it, but I also knew in my heart that God forgives. When my father took the action to end the life of that German soldier, God was there. When the gas in the chambers at the concentration camps was turned on, God was there. When those camps were liberated, the emaciated prisoners set free, God was there. We cannot expect God to guide our hands and choices. All we can hope is that God is there with us, we are not alone. And though God can't 'bomb' our tormentors and set us free, there are corporeal beings who can.

There are many unsavory things in this world. War is only one. And if we are truly Christians, we know humans cannot be expected to be perfect. War is the question that asks not how we can be perfect but how we can be less imperfect. Humans are not divine like Jesus and to expect us all to forgo the means to peace in efforts to achieve divinity is bordering on heresy. God gave us all free will and a set of guidelines to best utilize that free will. But nothing is without caveats; if we ignore the calls to police our gift, we are derelict of duty.

Jesus wouldn't bomb anyone; the hypothetical is simply ridiculous. But we are not Jesus, we cannot be Jesus. We are but humans guided by God to be stewards of not just the environment, but of the people who live in it. So instead of asking who Jesus would bomb, ask who Jesus would set free. Who would Jesus feed? Who would Jesus heal? And perhaps the most important, who would Jesus stop? In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said "He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword." Some believe this to mean that no one should ever be an aggressor, but I don't believe that. If someone who lives by the sword is meant to die by the sword, someone else must wield the weapon. No one assumes the weapon is carried lightly, but it must be carried nonetheless.

The Faith of General Washinton

We got a lot of snow this week. The temperature was blistering cold, the wind like tiny needles on the skin. I was reminded of a poem I wrote last year. At the time, I was watching the country I loved so dearly circle the drain. Reaching out for some kind of hope, I grasped onto the image of George Washington praying at Valley Forge. There's no definitive proof he did such a thing, but belief without proof, that's faith. I believe in the strength of the American people. I believe we can make it through anything because, frankly, we've made it through before.

The Faith of General Washington
copyright 2009, x_1013_x
Through fearful passing of day and night
The winter snows and icy death
A weary army prepared to fight
For the fire of freedom’s breath.

At Long Island, they’d fallen hard,
A defeat at Brandywine,
Germantown had left them scarred,
But White Marsh held the line.

The season’s change delayed the war,
With rain and biting wind,
They huddled on the valley floor,
As food and spirit thinned.

His men were hungry, tired, and ill,
Their fortitude was weak,
He woke each day with hope and still,
The coming spring looked bleak.

Riding slowly through the slush,
The chill breeze burned his face,
A clearing shone beyond the brush,
It seemed a peaceful place.

He stopped his horse in virgin snow,
Removed his hat and sword
Knees on the ground, his head bent low,
He addressed his saving Lord.

“Bring me will, but spare me pride,
Make my spirit strong.”
“Give Your peace to those who died,
So we could fight this long.”

“Show Your path, so I may lead,
The souls who trust Your hand,
To stay the flows when they bleed,
And guide them when they stand.”

“Grant us Your mercy, ease our fear,
Warm us with the sun,
Bring our ultimate victory near,
With every battle won.”

Hear the cries of Your servants bold,
See us to the dawn of day.
Through sleepless nights, dark and cold.
In your name, I pray.”

On his feet, he scanned the sky,
His eyes on the Valley camp.
As gentle snowflakes began to fly,
A watchman lit a lamp.

At first, in the fog, the light was lame,
but as others blazed, it grew.
From a tiny spark to a roaring flame,
The light of the faithful true.

The army served him in battle’s ring
To revolution’s drum,
And he trusted hope to a heavenly king,
For a freedom yet to come.

Healthcare Puppies

Americans are children. There, I said it. We want everything, we want it yesterday, and we never pay any mind to what may happen if we get it. Free health care isn’t mentioned in the constitution. We know this thanks to a lengthy historical expedition to Google where ‘top men’ typed in U.S. Constitution and read the full text on what’s known as a web page. It’s all there in black and white, or, I’m sure, green and red, if you prefer. History doesn’t lie, at least real history doesn’t. And until they find a way to alter the official, historical wording of the Constitution, which they may, it’s not going to state that health care is a right. Boy, I’d like to be in the room when they had the argument over whether ‘White-Out’ was racist, but I digress. Taxpayer-subsidized health care is not a right, whether you're tickled with that truth or not. Just like choices to degrade one’s health by smoking, excessive drinking, and obesity; health care is up to the person. If you’re able to get yourself in a mess, you should be able to get yourself out. That is in the Constitution, something about rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Your life is your right. By expecting the government to take care of your health and most likely regulate what you can and can’t do with your body, well, that would mean the government holds the rights to your body. You want someone else controlling your life? Move.

The whole situation puts me in mind of a whiny child wanting a puppy. Everyone else has one! In that case, sure, you can have a puppy. But that puppy comes with consequences. You have to feed it, bathe it, walk it, and pick up its crap. But what little kid really wants to do those things? That’s no fun. No matter how much the kid is told about these ‘consequences’ beforehand they just don’t seem to truly understand them until the little fuzz monster shows up and shreds their favorite teddy bear. Reality bites, literally. You want government health care? You think it’s going to be free! So here you go, your very own federal health plan… with consequences. In a few months, you get sick, really sick. You’re miserable and stuck in a line for hours to see a poorly funded and poorly qualified physician. On top of that, the treatment you need just isn’t available to you. It was needed for someone sicker a few towns over and surprise, Big Brother government doesn't have enough of other people's money to supply everything for every medical facility. Too bad. How’s that puppy looking now?

As for health care being free; that’s a load of daschund doo. You may be able to ride your free health care for a while, but when all the companies and ‘rich people’ taxpayers are tapped out, they’re coming for you. Depending on your circumstances, the good old government is going to start docking your welfare check or maybe even stop giving you one all together. Maybe they’ll place a heavier tax on that minimum wage check you get from Burger King. You may still be able to stand in a socialized medicine line for free, but you won’t have any money for bus fare to get there.

And still they wail, the malcontent children who are unwilling to learn you can't always get what you want. What about all the sick people who can’t get insurance from the mean old capitalists? I’ll tell you, but you may not like it. The reason so many people can’t afford health care or are turned down: no industry competition and soaring costs of medical lawsuits. Competition is healthy. Competition is the reason our country was good in the first place. Businesses were able to compete with one another for the consumer’s dollar. Innovations were made thanks to competition. As it stands, insurance companies don’t have that competition to help drive prices down. They aren’t allowed to sell across state lines; something that, if changed, would boost competition. The resulting price wars would be nothing but good for the consumer. Personally, I prefer lots of choices to only a few, but hey, that’s just me.

What happens when you spend tons of your capital paying off frivolous lawsuits? Think about it like this: You don’t deal with stress very well. You come home from work in a sour mood. Your husband/wife, children, pet does something that irritates your already sore disposition. What do you do? You pass your frustration off on them. This ‘blowing off of steam’ is your way of surviving. It’s not good for you and it’s not good for the final recipient of your anger, but it may keep you from having a heart attack or stroke. When insurers are forced to pay out large sums in medical lawsuits, they have no other way of surviving than to pass that cost onto the customers. It’s not evil or a symptom of the capitalist plague, it’s just the way businesses stay alive. If there was a way to deal with your workday stress directly, you could save yourself and your loved ones a lot of heartache. See how that works? TORT reform could take a lot of financial stress off the insurance companies and consequently, off the customers. Did I mention that health care costs themselves could go down too? If doctors weren’t forced by their paranoid insurers to do unnecessary tests, the costs would be much lower. TORT reform is a win-win for everyone… except, of course, the ambulance-chasing lawyers. But they’re really evil, so they don’t get a say.

There you have it, the explanation of why health care is not something you can get just by crying. Children aren’t allowed to get puppies just because they’re children, and though America may be a prosperous nation (at least it was) that fact alone does not guarantee its citizens everything they could ever want… for free. Everything has a cost, even freedom. And that ‘pursuit of happiness’ thing, well that doesn’t mean you sit on the sidelines while someone else runs the pursuit for you. So stop whining and curb your dog already.