Those of you who have clung bitterly to this blog, reading when I write (less and less often these days – social media seems so much more … immediate … doesn’t it?) and even better – those who interact through comments, know where I have been. I am a Marine Veteran (Cold War Era), my younger brother is a Marine Veteran (Gulf War I), my older brother is an Army Veteran (Cold War), our Dad was a Marine (Korean Era), we have nieces and nephews currently serving, we have a family history of service to this nation going back before there was a nation. We had ancestors on both sides of the Revolutionary War and the War Between The States/War of Northern Aggression/Civil War. In short, my family has stepped up and said “This is our Constitution; this we will defend.”

I believe the Second Amendment to the constitution is very important, as regulars here can attest. Without the Second, the rest would fall like a row of dominoes. The First Amendment is a close second in my mind; you must have the unfettered ability to address what you consider to be a wrong in order to make it right.

That being said, ALL citizens of this nation have the right to freely express their closely held beliefs. They also have the right to consider other points of view without being forced to agree with them, and they have the right to change their closely held belief if they are properly convinced. Yes, this includes actors, comedians, professional athletes, and the people who shill for them announce their actions, introduce their appearance, or award them for their performance.

I will never take a knee while the National Anthem is being played. I will not willfully avoid showing respect for this nation while the anthem is played. I will do my best to model what I believe is correct behavior for citizens of the United States: come to attention, hand salute (as a veteran, I m permitted this action; civilians would place their hand over their heart), and standing quietly until the end of the anthem. If another country’s anthem is played, I will stand at attention, arms to my sides, and stand quietly until the anthem is complete. My loyalty is to this country, I will not salute another country’s anthem or national ensign.

I served in order to preserve the right of people to freely express themselves. You, me, everyone. Including the jerks who don’t know how good they have it for being so well paid to play sports or to act or to entertain (although they are all the same – entertainers, at heart). Yes, I called them jerks – because that is my opinion. I’m allowed to have one. So are you. I empathize with what they are trying to say, but they are using the wrong ways to get their point across. Yes, it’s tragic that there are a few (out of the hundreds of thousands of daily non-violent interactions) police episodes where a person is the victim of bad circumstances and terrible choices. Yes, it’s awful that the perception is that blacks are the major recipients of these interactions.

(Numbers say otherwise – and there are plenty of search engines out there to prove that. Point of fact – number one killer of black males between 16 and 35 is – other black males. Point of fact – allowing citizens the right to defend themselves, instead of removing or restricting the most effective equalizer (hand gun), would reduce murder and other crime rates. The more weapons are in the hands of citizens, the fewer crimes there are. Criminals may not be the smartest cookies, but the do figure odds, and the more armed citizens there are the fewer helpless victims there are. Please see Chicago for the latest proof of this statement.)

While they are free to express their opinions, I feel it is not appropriate to do so on the stage. By allowing the performers to continue to make these personal statements from a professionally supplied pulpit, the owners/managers/agents of those performers are giving their implicit permission to continue. They are free to express their opinions, I am free to not buy their wares. I am not required to spend money to watch or listen while someone tells me I am wrong. Just as they are not forced to listen to me, I am not forced to listen to them. When the revenue dries up the message will be plain enough to them. With great freedoms come great responsibilities, and great consequences.

To allow the continued disrespecting of our nation is to allow the further eroding of our nation. Once all the statues have been removed, and history has been revised, and no one hears the Star Spangled Banner on a regular basis anymore, what will have been solved? People are still the ones who’s hearts have not changed. If anything, every time a statue is removed; every time an historical event is glossed over , rewritten, or removed; or every time a professional entertainer is allowed to disrespect the National Anthem without repercussions, this nation is moved another step away from a Representative Republic, and closer to a Socialist Enclave.

For this reason, We the People must protest right back. We must also be heard – our voices must be included in the “National Dialogue” that those who are pushing for the enslavement of all by the removal of our rights keep insisting on. I find it odd they insist on a National Dialogue and then don’t allow any one to speak who disagrees with them. If We, the People (and we are a majority, I refer you to the 2016 Presidential Election results) will not continue to make ourselves heard, then We, the People will be people without our nation.

I stood up to defend our Constitution. I stood up so jerks can prove how ignorant, willfully or otherwise, they are. I stood up so every one could continue to voice their opinion, including those who don’t agree with the rest. This doesn’t mean that I have to stand quietly by and let those opinions go unanswered, it means that those with dissenting opinions – from BOTH sides – must be allowed to present their case, their beliefs, and their reasons. Common Sense should prevail, but that’s a post for another day.

One thing I am sure of – no matter who is in the White House, God is on His Throne. I already know how this story ends. What I don’t know is how it plays out along the way. As a God-fearing Christian, I place my trust in the Lord. As a citizen of this nation, I will defend my Constitution, using the First and Second Amendments as needed. Yes, peace in our time – but not at the cost of our freedoms and responsibilities as citizens of this great nation.

Chat ya later…

P.S. – All these protesters are free to take their complaints on the road. There are literally hundreds of countries in the world; they should do their research and find one that more closely aligns with their belief system – and move there.

Thanks for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, and Wear Red on Fridays!

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It’s been a while since I’ve been able to actually write a political post that hasn’t raised my blood pressure and caused me to have very un-Christian thoughts about the administration. Things have changed. I’m still watching, but with more interest and willingness to get involved again.

Fred posted this over at Texas Fred’s and I think you should read it – either to understand how we got Trump, or to understand why we got Trump:

The Angry Man is difficult to stereotype. He comes from all economic backgrounds, from dirt-poor to filthy rich. He represents all geographic areas in America, from sophisticated urbanite to rural redneck, Deep South to Yankee North, Left Coast to Eastern Seaboard.

No, Fred didn’t write it, but he got it from an old friend of his. From where I sit, it’s describing me to a “T”.

Chat ya later…

Thanks for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, and Wear Red on Fridays!

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Well, it will try, anyway. I’ve been riding a motorcycle for my commute since June. In the early morning hours, here in Phoenix, it is usually hot and dry. Hot enough to make you not wear a jacket while riding a bike. Or gloves. And really, who wants to wear heavy boots all day in an office? Sneakers it is …

It rained last night, a long, soaking rain that we have needed for some time. This morning was warm, but not hot; but very humid. The breeze as I was riding was very enjoyable.

My commute takes me east on Bethany Home Road, and I turn southeast onto Grand Ave. The light was red at Grand, so the turn lane started out from a dead stop. The three vehicles ahead of me made the turn – and stopped. I was into the turn when there was nowhere to go. The pavement, it turns out, was a little damp right there. I have good brakes.

I also now have a scratched up engine guard, some scratches on my helmet, minor scrapes on my right knee and right elbow, and a twisted right ankle. The bike landed on my right foot, the saddlebag kept it at an odd angle. I used my left foot to push the bike up enough to free my right ankle. A guy appeared, asking if I was OK – turns out he was the reason everyone stopped; he was crossing Grand in the crosswalk with the light. He picked up my bike, and pushed it over to the side while I attempted to stand up. My ankle doesn’t seem to be able to take full weight right now; but it’s not broken. I’ll see what a little ice will do for it.

I will also be wearing my riding gear from now on, regardless of weather. Lesson re-learned. (I had gone down a long time ago, low side, and didn’t come out of that one nearly as well off as I did this time.)

Tomorrow morning’s commute will feature yours truly wearing his ballistic jacket, road gloves, and boots. The sneakers will be in the side bag, for use in the office. If I had full leathers, I would wear that, and change once I got to the office.

All The Gear, All The Time.

Chat ya later…

Thanks for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, and Wear Red on Fridays!

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Obama(THHO)’s buddy, the “Reverend” Michael Pfleger, has this to say about the large number of violent deaths in Chicago, while neatly sidestepping the issue of who is pulling the trigger:

Notice he also sidestepped the issue of abortion-on-demand, which annually kills more than 3 million children, which is many times more than the “children” who have died in Chicago through firearm-related deaths.

Just sayin’.

Chat ya later…

Thanks for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, and Wear Red on Fridays!

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“The opinion of ten thousand men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject.”
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD)

Corollary: It doesn’t matter how many people think it’s “normal”, if there is no solid reference point to compare to (unchanging truth) then the opinion is useless.

Chat ya later…

Thanks for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, and Wear Red on Fridays!

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