http://blog.cancerchoices.org/2009/07/06/post-independence-day-laments
I found this letter to be so sincere, so wishful of the America I too grew up in, and so very heartbreaking in that I feel we Americans will never know that freedom again. As the writer says, I cry for my children and their children; and I apologize for doing nothing over the past 30 or so years as I watched it happen and I did nothing to stop it. BB
Post Independence Day Laments
As a significant departure from my typical posts on this site, I want to share from my heart the letter that I just sent to my senators and congressman in Washington. It is related to cancer treatment in that we will never see a new strategy for the war on cancer until Washington experiences a fundamental re-engineering in values and policy.
Dear Senator,
This Independence Day holiday has been different from any of the other 62 that I have celebrated. As I was growing up, July 4th was associated with fireworks and fun. In my young adult years, my zeal for my country as a young officer in the Air Force made the occasion extra special. During 24 years of serving my country, I became more of a realist from a broader perspective and recommitted myself to strengthening this great nation on each Fourth. Watching our decline in morals, influence, and prosperity over the last 20 years has led me each year to promise to pray more and resolve to work harder for a return to what we as a people were meant to be. I refused to lose my confidence in our leaders and my faith in the resilience of our citizens regardless of the challenges we faced internationally and domestically.
With great sadness and regret, I have to tell you that this Independence Day was different. I marveled again at the fireworks, enjoyed friends at a picnic, honored fellow veterans at a local memorial, and worshipped God with a patriotic flair. But, it wasn’t with the same pride and confidence as in the past. For the first time in my life, I must say that I am still proud of my country, but not of my government. The problem is, I’m not sure the two can be separated. As the government goes, so goes the country.
In a matter of a few months, the decline of this nation has become a precipitous freefall. We are spending more than we will ever be able to recover from; the federal government has virtually taken over our financial institutions, many of our major manufacturing corporations, our energy industry, and is making a run on our entire healthcare system; and the future of the dollar has become an international joke. Much of our judicial system is a sham. Our reputation as a super power is at a century low as we cower to rogue nations and extremists that threaten and insult us while we legitimize them with “diplomacy.” Our president has declared that we are no longer a Christian nation and has apologized for our history. He has promoted abortion, placated the homosexual community, increased the size and authority of the federal government, and set the stage for a socialist society. How can I really celebrate the greatest and most compassionate nation in the history of mankind when I see it in swift decline fiscally, socially, and morally?
My concern is not for myself and my generation. My generation has experienced what I believe is the best that
America has ever had to offer. Historians will probably characterize us baby boomers as the most blessed of all generations. My worry is for my children, grandchildren, and further progeny who will probably never get to enjoy what I have experienced. Cliché as it may sound, their future is in our hands. In larger measure, their future is in YOUR hands.
You, Senator, with your colleagues can do a lot to reverse the fate of
America. Congress can start by stopping the insane spending NOW. You can cast votes in the direction of restoring our free enterprise. You can demand smaller government and a rational tax system. You can stand up to the President and vote consistently against his socialistic maneuvering. You can speak out loud and clear against the moral decay that is crippling us and enact legislation that will reverse the laws that enable that decay. I’m not blaming you for all the troubles we face, but I am asking you to lead like never before in doing everything you can to take us back to the nation our forefathers under God’s hand gave us. You are in office during the most critical time in our history. Rise above politics. Do the right things. Lead!
Terry Thompson
Hot Springs, Arkansas
This entry was posted on Monday, July 6th, 2009 at 04:03 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
