In celebration of Presidents’ Day yesterday I wanted to share one more story on our Great First President, a story from the life of General George Washington? In May of 1782, after the American Revolution was over, while America still … Continue reading
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America’s Constitution Celebration
This is about a tiny little moment in American history? – that proved to be a monumental moment of courage that changed all our lives – indeed the world.
May 1787, The United States were free, but barely so. They were in crisis. Driven by pride and greed, the States of the union fought amongst themselves, and refused to cooperate. They were a laughingstock abroad. In debt and virtually paralyzed, the treaties of the United States were ignored; our ships pirated and seized. There were those abroad just waiting for the Great American Republic to implode, and then they would gloatingly step in and monarchy would once more bear sway. Even within our own boarders, there were those who yearned for the return of King and Parliament.
Hence, a Convention was called in Philadelphia in May of 1787, for the ostensible purpose of revising America’s constitution of the day, called the Articles of Confederation.
The problem was largely this: You see, today we say, “The United States is…” but then in 1787, the phrase was, “The United States are…” We were at that time a very loose confederation of independent states bound by a league of friendship called the “Articles of Confederation,” and that league of friendship was coming apart.
So, some 74 delegates were appointed to attend this grand convention.” Their instructions were to revise the Articles of Confederation, which was as it were to say, ‘tweak the system;’ solve the problems. But, on the face of it, it could not work. The system and organization created by the Articles of Confederation were flawed on the face and could not address the exigencies of the day. And there were some among the delegates wise enough to see it.
Then, Tuesday May 29, 1787: Governor Edmund Randolph of Virginia took the floor of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and “opened the main business” of the convention. He enumerated the problems of America that had brought them there and then “preceded to the remedy, the basis of which,” he said, “must be the republican principle.”
Then Governor Randolph presented the Virginia Plan for a new system of government. The first resolution said that the Articles of Confederation ought to be “corrected and enlarged.” However, so bold and revolutionary were the resolutions that followed that the delegates quickly realized they were not revising the Articles of Confederation, they were abolishing them altogether!
Now, notwithstanding the will of the people, and the people’s aversion to strong central government, notwithstanding the instructions given back home by their leaders, and notwithstanding the uncertainty of uncharted waters, “it was resolved…that a national government ought to be established consisting of a supreme legislative, executive, and judiciary.” And then, praise be to God, the resolution carried. The way was opened for a new constitution. And then the convention went on without a blink.
They would form a totally new system of government unheard of in the world in that day, but one that would grow to become over time America’s “greatest export.”
Now, I have thought of that moment in Philadelphia. What if the delegates had been more concerned with what people thought of them than of the future of their nation? What if they were too timid to try something new, to think ‘outside the box?’ What if they cared more about their personal wealth than just principles? What if they had been too cowardly to try? How much different, my friends, would our lives have been? – no constitution, and no United States of America!
From the writings of Glenn Rawson.
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God Bless America, Again – Patrick Henry
It has been estimated that less than 1% of the human family in 6000 years of history has been as free as a modern American. That freedom is a precious gift of God through the atonement of His son, Jesus Christ. Can any man truly exercise his agency if he is not spiritually and politically free? Without freedom, faith is dead. Satan can take no man’s freedom away; it has to be self-sacrificed. And when freedom is lost, that man is damned; his eternal progression is stopped.
In his wretched misery, there’s only one thing Lucifer loves – and that’s miserable company. It is a victory for him when any man is chained by sin, but it is a horrific grand sweep when he can damn an entire nation under an oppressive government.
Now my friends, we accept without question our individual need to fight daily for spiritual survival and freedom. Should it surprise us then that nations too must be as vigilant and fierce as righteous men? To surrender freedom without a fight is offensive to the God who died granting it.
I call you to remember these words delivered March 23rd, 1775 in old St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia. Patrick Henry rose from the third pew and addressed a quavering indecisive group of men. He said, “If we wish to be free … we must fight! … An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!
“They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? … Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? … millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, … are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations. … There’s no retreat, but in submission and slavery! … The war is inevitable, and let is come! I repeated it, sir, let it come.
“… Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace — but there is no peace! The war is actually begun. … Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”
Patrick Henry’s speech united that body, and Virginia armed herself for the revolution, the war that spent the blood of patriots in purchasing a freedom that we have enjoyed for over 200 years.
That freedom is now once more, as it has always been, under attack. Whether it is modern terrorists, or corrupt men in office, their consummate evil cause is the same, the enslavement of the souls of men. If they can oppress us politically, they can damn us spiritually. Indeed, ‘the commitment of our fathers is the calling of our time,’ (President George W. Bush – National Day of Prayer address, September 14, 2001) the call to unite in covenants of righteousness under the title of liberty, the call to serve the God of this land who is Jesus Christ, the call to obey the law, whether constitutional of spiritual, for they are the same. If we answer that call, the power of God will be with us once again, and we will remain a free people.
After more than two centuries, it is time, my dear friends, to ask again, “Why stand we here idle? Is life so sweet, or peace so dear, as to be purchase at the price of chains and slavery?” – personal or political? With the thunder of Patrick Henry, may we unitedly raise our voice to the heavens, “Forbid it, Almighty God. Give us liberty or give us death.”
Please God Bless America, Again.
Compiled by Glenn Rawson in October 2001
UpLifts – Love
To Make You Feel My Love
A song by Garth Brooks written by Bob Dylan
When the rain is blowing in your face
and the whole world is on your case
I would offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love
When the evening shadows and the stars appear
and there is no one to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love
When the storms of life are raging
Stand by me
When the world is tossing me
Like a ship out on the sea
Today’s Trivia
1. What was a particularly unusual talent of President James Garfield?
2. Who has been called the “wizard of the keyboard”?
Answers are at the end.
I AM THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
I am the flag of the United States of America.
My name is Old Glory.
I fly atop the world’s tallest buildings.
I stand watch in America’s halls of justice.
I fly majestically over institutions of learning.
I stand guard with power in the world.
Look up and see me.
I stand for peace, honor, truth and justice.
I stand for freedom.
I am confident.
I am arrogant.
I am proud.
When I am flown with my fellow banners,
my head is a little higher,
my colors a little truer.
I bow to no one!
I am recognized all over the world.
I am worshiped – I am saluted.
I am loved – I am revered.
I am respected — and I am feared.
I have fought in every battle of every war
for more then 200 years.
I was flown at Valley Forge, Gettysburg,
Shiloh and Appomattox.
I was there at San Juan Hill,
the trenches of France,
in the Argonne Forest, Anzio, Rome
and the beaches of Normandy, Guam, Okinawa.
The people of Korea, Vietnam and Kuwait
know me as a banner of freedom.
I was there.
I led my troops,
I was dirty, battle-worn and tired,
but my soldiers cheered me
And I was proud.
I have been burned, torn and trampled
on the streets of countries I have helped set free.
It does not hurt, for I am invincible.
I have slipped the bonds of Earth
and stood watch over the uncharted frontiers of space
from my vantage point on the moon.
I have borne silent witness
to all of America’s finest hours.
But my finest hours are yet to come.
When I am torn into strips and used as bandages
for my wounded comrades on the battlefield,
When I am flown at half-mast to honor my countryman,
when I lie in the trembling arms of a grieving parent
at the grave of their fallen son or daughter,
or in the arms of a child or spouse who will have to
go on without one who gave their life.
MY NAME IS OLD GLORY, LONG MAY I WAVE.
Today’s Motivation:
“Loyalty deserves to be treated like royalty.” — Harvey Mackay
TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE
Meaning: It is helpful to have a second person’s opinion or advice.
In “Confession Amantis,” around 1390, John Gower wrote, “Two have more wit than one.” In this way, “wit” is taken in its old sense, “reasoning.” Until the end of the sixteenth century, “Two wits are (far) better than one” was a common form of this proverb. In addition, John Heywood recorded “Two heads are better then one” in his “Proverbs” of 1546. By the seventeenth century, it was this version that became more popular than the original.
Ninety-nine out of every hundred children who are taught…the principles of honesty and integrity, truth and virtue, will observe them through life. – Wilford Woodruff
Personal Quotes
“Self-image sets the boundaries of individual accomplishment.” -Maxwell Maltz
“Not to decide is to decide.” -Harvey Cox
“Fear is faith that it won’t work out.” -Sister Mary Tricky
Don’t limit yourself to learning from experience:
“This is what they all come to who exclusively harp on experience. They do not stop to consider that experience is only one half of experience.” -Goethe
“Experience is a good teacher, but she sends in terrific bills.” -Minna Antrim
“A man who is so dull / that he can learn only by personal experience / is too dull to learn / anything important by experience.” –Don Marquis
Today’s Answers
1. He could write Latin with one hand and Greek with the other simultaneously.
2. Big-band leader/pianist Frankie Carle.
Have a great day.
Thanks for reading.
My best wishes
Joe in the Marine Corp
So much is said today of the failings of the younger generation, but there are many who live up the courage of their convictions, such as a young man we will call Joe.
Tall, well postured, Joe enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves on the delayed entry program. A few weeks before his graduating from high school, Joe was involved in a Saturday basic training exercise. The recruits had finished their rifle range practice and were marching back to the reserve center. The drill instructor was teaching them the cadence song, which contained several obscene phrases. Joe would sing along with the rest of the company until it came to the vulgarities, at which time he would remain silent. He got away with it for a time, but eventually his lack of participation became evident to the drill instructor, who immediately invaded his space with a face-to-face confrontation. With his superior’s nose only an inch or so away from his own, Joe was asked in a shouting voice why he was not participating with the rest of the company.
“Sir, I don’t use language like that, sir,” was his reply.
The now enraged drill instructor thundered back demanding to know if Joe thought he was better than the rest of the men in the company. Joe answered negatively, and repeated his previous explanation. His defense, however, fell on unsympathetic ears. He was then ordered to drop and give the drill instructor fifty push-ups.
In the midst of Joe’s public punishment, the commanding officer approached and asked what was going on. The drill instructor apprised him of the offense, whereupon the officer ordered Joe to his feet and demanded to hear his side of the story.
“Sir, I believed that the Marine Corps stood for honor and dignity. I enlisted in the Corps to defend my country, not to learn [how] to swear, sir.”
Well, apparently this struck the right chord with the officer who commented that that was exactly what the Corps stood for. He then ordered the drill instructor to do fifty push-ups and had Joe count them out.
Afterwards during the offensive verses of the cadence song, the entire company went silent.
From the experience of Stanley A. Peterson, August 1996 and shared by Glenn Rawson.
What is fair is not fair in Washington.
No one has been able to explain to me why young men and women serve in the U.S. Military for 20 years, risking their lives protecting freedom, and only get 50% of their pay. While Politicians hold their political positions in the safe confines of the capital, protected by these same men and women, and receive full pay retirement after serving one term.
It just does not make any sense.
Where is America Headed?
“Democracy is two wolves and a lamb
voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting
the vote.” — Benjamin Franklin
Where Is Patrick Henry Today?
Gallery
It has been estimated that less than 1% of the human family in 6000 years of history has been as free as a modern American. Can any man truly exercise his agency if he is not spiritually and politically free? Without freedom, faith is dead. Satan can take no man’s freedom away; it has to be self-sacrificed. And when freedom is lost, that man is damned; his eternal progression is stopped. Continue reading
George Washington More Then Just a President!
Gallery
On April 14th, he once again answered the call and left Mount Vernon with a heavy heart, “… feeling,” he said, “like a culprit going to his execution.” Continue reading