Hi all,
This story is a couple of weeks late, about the celebration dad wrote about in this story. As far as I’m concerned, we should celebrate our freedom every day and always be aware how fragile freedom can be. Something as easy to do as legislating freedom of speech (freedom of the press) or severely limiting immigration can snowball into limiting all the reasons America was founded. We all should remember that democracy is a slow-moving machine. It takes time to make laws that seem to be fair to the majority of people. So . . . Relax America! Yes! We all want change! But, hold your anger in check and don’t go around electing officials who make a mockery of the democratic system just because you want change right now. You will only end up with officials who continue to make a mockery of democracy.
I’m sorry! I jumped on a soapbox. I really don’t want to use this blog for any agenda except promoting my music and my dad’s wonderful book. I’ll try to do better in the future. I just got angry at the daily barrage of news about officials mocking my freedoms by making a mockery of the democratic system, after reading this story. I wonder what dad would have said about the current political realities we are experiencing. I recall some of the things he would say during the Nixon White House scandal. I believe I never heard him curse until then. The difference then, was that Nixon, for all his failings, was a decent man. And dad recognized that about him. It still didn’t make up for abuse of power, though.
Read how dad quotes Louis L’Amour at least twice. Maybe Louis L’Amour should be required reading in today’s schools . . . Along with extensive Civics classes so people can understand how our country works. What do you think?
Comments, “Likes”, etc. are very welcome! Theres a spot at the end of each blog/story for it.
Thanks,
David T
“Freedom Has Blessed America”
By Don Tschirhart
Excerpted from the unpublished book “It’s a Wonderful World: A Retired Reporter Looks At Life“
* Celebrating freedom
On the Fourth of July night I have to put my terrier mutt in the basement. The sharp cracks of fireworks may be America’s joyous song of freedom, but it means confinement for my noise-sensitive little Molly.
The holiday celebrates the first true modern democracy. It all started two and a quarter centuries ago with the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
No other country can trace its true democracy back that far. Over the centuries our people have learned what freedom to do what they want to do in a responsible way is what democracy is all about.
Within limits of propriety, we, the people, can speak out on any subject. I and everyone can attend any church we want . . . or no church at all. We can travel from the right side of the country to the left side without identification other than a driver’s license . . . and a credit card.
We love our freedom so much that Americans have become missionaries, wishing to export democratic beliefs to others in the world.
Much of the world is threatened with jail time, torture or execution for speaking out or doing something different from what their masters want.
We, the taxpayers, have altruistically spent billions of dollars to help victims of natural disaster, hunger and disease in foreign lands.
Some of our fair weather international friends, media pundits, politicians and theologians say America makes war for unjustifiable reasons.
And so I ask: Is the United States use of force to cure the world’s ills and overthrowing wicked nations ever justified?
The world must know our entry into World Wars I and II and Korea were [absolutely; ed.] necessary and justified.
My own mind’s jury is out on another — Vietnam. I think we went into Vietnam with altruistic motives of stopping Communism. It ended up in very mixed feelings. The conflict was finally settled in a tie. I wondered how much “pride” on both sides prolonged the war.
After the fall of the USSR there was no other nation that could stop Iraq from conquering the Middle East locking up the region’s oil supply and messing up the world’s economy. The same was true of Afghanistan whose Taliban leaders terrorized the citizenry for years.
As for the latest invasion of both countries, I believe the real reason for the United States invasions is simple. It can be found in a Louis L’Amour western novel:
“You cannot submit to evil without allowing evil to grow. Each time the good are defeated, or each time they yield, they only cause the forces of evil to grow stronger.
“Greed feeds greed, and crime grows with success. Our giving up what is ours merely to escape trouble would only create greater trouble for someone else.”
How evil were Iraqi and Afghani leaders?
Iraqi leaders gassed their own people — the Kurds — and laughed as they tortured, raped, imprisoned, brutally beat and murdered thousands of dissidents. This is an “evil” that needed to be ended.
Islāmic fundamentalists in Afghanistan made slaves of their women and planned and were responsible for several bombing[s] including the despicable act of September 11, 2002, that killed thousands of innocent civilians. This was an “evil” action that needed to be ended.
As L’Amour says, if we in America had acquiesced to this evil, it would have grown and become much more costly to fight in the years ahead than it is now.
We are paying a terrible price. But if terrorists cannot be stopped now we will pay a much more horrific price in the future.
That is why I believe it was morally justified and, in fact, praiseworthy for the United States to invade both countries to do away with the “evil” regimes.
While I have heard much from some news pundits, politicians and even church leaders how dreadful the United States is, I have not heard them condemn in the same number of words former Iraqi and Afghanistan leaders or the present terrorists.
Where are the news stories and political speeches with news of school and hospital openings and the flow of Iraqi oil to pay for newly installed and rebuilt water, power and sewer lines.
This Sunday the United States celebrates its independence. Why not celebrate our birthday with a determination to continue to [face] evil and spread our democratic values to those nations where there is no freedom?
As the late President Ronald Reagan would say: “God bless our country.”
* * *
Could you imagine if Dad were around and had Twitter. All his stories could have gone viral. Thank you my big brother, for putting it out there.