Badger Benson

Posts Tagged ‘Founding Fathers’

This was written by a friend of mine. He’ll be submitting articles here from time to time. Keenan is a great guy, has terrific insight into current events, and always has the facts to back him up.

What Happened to America

Just about everyone who reads this won’t remember WWII personally. All we know about it is what we read in textbooks and other publications, many of which found during self study of history. If lucky enough, some of you heard stories about what happened from your grandparents. The late 1930s into the late 1940s were one of the greatest times in America’s rather short history, in my opinion. Despite a President who thought his job was to control rather than govern; a depression that had wrecked our entire country and drove some to suicide; and the clouds looming in the distance of a future war from fascists who wanted to rule the world. It was a great time of growth and determination the world had never seen.

The generation that fought WWII and produced the fighting machine that made it possible is often considered the "Greatest Generation". I would whole-heartedly agree with that simply because it seems to be the last "great" generation. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are great people in EVERY generation. It was how they lived their daily lives throughout their life, not just those 15 years, which made them so great. Every man a gentleman, who knew what decency was, and fought to protect it. In short, every man knew what the right thing was, and they did it simply because it was the right thing to do. The majority still had common sense [and courtesy I might add].

They believed in our Constitutional Republic, our free-market economy, common sense, hard work. What made all of that possible was their MORALITY and a belief in absolute Truth. As many Founding Fathers stated, along with other men of that time:

"Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate
to the government of any other" – John Adams (1798)

“And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure,

reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail

in exclusion of religious principle. – George Washington (1796)

When a constitutional republic is doing well it is a person’s self-regulation, not a government’s intervention, which creates success. It is hard work and adherence to morals that propels successful enterprise (not greed and laziness). It is accepting people for who they are based on the content of their character (not their skin color) and helping to create that great melting pot that creates positive diversity.

Somewhere in the last 60 years, we’ve lost that. Making sure that everyone in our own country had freedom has become a chore. Making sure that freedom rings not just from coast to coast, but from city to city, is less important than watching “American Idol” or “Desperate Housewives”. And yes, I include even the freedom to fail. We need to make sure that everyone in this country is given the same opportunity to succeed, but that success isn’t what is guaranteed.

Now, some of you are probably going to attempt to discredit me (not my ideas, just me for now) by saying, "Well, that’s easy to say if you’re a rich white man". I’ve actually been told that by someone, and that was about the last straw. I am actually white, but I could care less about skin color. I grew up in a trailer-house at Indian Cave State Park. We had enough to eat, we were clothed, and we were happy being a family (or so I had thought). My parents split up when I was 14 and mom moved us to Auburn, where we’d gone to church. Auburn was the rival town to Falls City, where we’d gone to school until then. My mother worked any job she could get, with minimal wages, to keep us clothed, fed, and with shelter. She worked very hard and eventually found better jobs for a few more bucks per hour, but nothing great for a family of three.

I worked part-time throughout high school to buy my first car, a 1970 Buick LeSabre (that I wish I still had). Anything that I wanted, I bought myself to keep the burden off my mom. I joined the National Guard during my senior year to help pay for college. I went to Iraq and served proudly. It was when I got back from Iraq that things got bad again. I squandered the money I’d earned in Iraq and found myself in dire straits very quickly without a job. I got by, but just barely. I used all of my credit options to pay basic monthly bills and went back to school solely for the GI Bill money. At PSC (2008), I failed about every class I took. I tried taking the easy way out by getting more college loans, but thankfully, I was declined. You see, my opportunities to fail taught me invaluable lessons. I had been more brainwashed by this corrupt and socialized society than I thought possible, as I had also discovered upon arrival in Iraq.

I was living in such a way that it represented what the Progressives do to our federal government. In the words of Joe Biden, "We’re going bankrupt as a nation. Now, people when I say that look at me and say, ‘What are you talking about, Joe? You’re telling me we have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt?’ The answer is yes, that’s what I’m telling you." You see, when your goal is to completely bankrupt yourself, that is a great plan. To get out of debt and live within your means, that’s the WORST plan you can come up with. The year of 2008 was a terrible year for me. Luckily, God was looking out for me and rescued me just in time. I had a spiritual and political re-awakening. As bad as 2008 was, 2009 was as good a year. I’m hoping to continue the trend in 2010.

How did a boy who grew up in the church, got mostly A’s through Jr. High and high school, end up turning to lust and laziness instead of hard work and morality? It isn’t taught as a value that children should have above all, and it’s not valued by many in this country. Far too often, parents are absent from their children’s lives. Whether due to divorce, both parents working, or a lack of interest in raising them, the parents are not there and those kids’ heroes become sports figures, music artists, actors. The real heroes are the people working every day with little to no recognition, doing the right things without great fanfare and serving people. The big bank CEO’s that said "We’re not going to make those risky loans because they’re dangerous for the people getting the loans"; the parent who decides to come home and spend time with his/her family instead of a night out with co-workers drinking; the policemen/women and firefighters who serve the cities they live in; the soldiers who don’t complain in crappy situations and keep their focus on the mission.

The story of my life the last 10 years is a smaller, but similar story to our own country. (At least, I hope we soon come to our senses and start working for our freedom again.) It is the opportunity to fail if people choose not to work that made this country great. That’s personal responsibility being enforced "by the people and for the people". There’s a massive difference between, "Being your brother’s keeper", and having the compassion to give charitably to your "neighbors" who work hard but fall on rough times. Being told "NO!" is a key part of ‘waking up’ and getting back on the right track. I think there’s a right way to do it, and that’s with respect, but a firm response nonetheless.

So just how did this come about for the United States of America? How DID we go from being a nation of morality and justice to a nation of laziness and special interests? How have we drifted towards the same communistic ideas that we once fought so hard to defeat?

We go comfortable. We were content to let those in power make all of the decisions, no matter if they wanted to ‘govern’ or take control of everything. We were content to sit on our couches watching sports rather than spending time with our own children. The Bible talks about how to raise a child correctly and how important it is. "Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again." – Deuteronomy 11:19 (NLT). Again, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." – Proverbs 22:6 (NIV). "Spare the rod, spoil the child" is a shortened version of another verse in Proverbs. In an effort to "give them a better life", however, most parents spoil their children and don’t train them for reality.

We were content to attend church on Sunday mornings and that was our "religious activity" for the week and put God back in his one day per week box. We were comfortable letting ‘experts’ with extreme views (that failed in their own household) change how society thought about raising children. In short, we let people tell us what the truth was even while they were separated from the Truth (God).

Bob Dylan said, "I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom". Think about that for a second. With power (freedom) comes responsibility. There are hundreds of quips about it, but people leave them on the book shelf or the back of their mind rather than live them. "Fools live to regret their words, wise men to regret their silence." – Will Henry. Louis Branders said, "The most important political office is that of the private citizen". A famous one is, "The road to hell is paved by men with good intentions".

How do we get freedom back?
I think the first thing that we need to do is repent. The word has a religious meaning, and that’s how I’m using it, but literally, it means to turn 180 degrees and go the other way. We’ve spent decades trying to take God out of the public arena, but I am convinced that will need a spiritual awakening in this country to bring God’s blessing back on this country to ease the pain from what we will certainly go through to get back on the right track (whether we repent or not). I definitely think we will have a lot of growing pains in the near and long-term future, but consecrating ourselves before God will soften the blows, even if just mentally and emotionally (as if those are ‘minor’ blessings).

Any lessons that we’ll need to learn could easily be found in the Bible by those who would seek them out, whether you plan on entering a personal relationship with God or not:

1. Live within your means (don’t spend money foolishly)
2. Borrow as little as possible (you are a slave to your lender)
3. Eat responsibly and exercise (helps you personally and lowers needs for health providers)
4. Treat everyone with respect (because that’s how you want to be treated)
5. Have compassion but fight for what is good (defend the truth and live honorably)

If you don’t choose Christianity, that’s fine. No one can make you choose, and Christians shouldn’t look down on you for not choosing (yes, I know it happens, but that’s because we’re all human and sin despite our faith). We can still unite, for the betterment of our country and our children’s future, based on good principles found throughout the Bible. The same ones used to found this country can easily be applied to maintain freedom.

This is very interesting to check out. This book was on the Glenn Beck program last night, part of his Founding Friday’s shows. David Barton was the guest. This was the second show featuring the history of our Black Founding Fathers. Who had any idea that there was a book, 396 pages total, that told the amazing stories of these individuals? And why has it been swept under the rug? It’s truly sickening to witness. The book is from 1855. It is now out of print, but can be found online. I urge everyone to take some time and go through it. We need to make sure this history is not lost.

http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/nell/nell.html