Wednesday, May 31, 2006

True Heroes

It is the soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protestor to burn the flag.
Father Denis Edward O'Brien
USMC


Jay Furst, the Rochester Post-Bulletin's managing editor, is in mourning. Two journalists were killed in Iraq on Monday and Mr. Furst took notice that about 71 members of the media have died in the conflict since the war started in 2003.

Mr. Furst believes that because journalists "put their lives on the line to report to the world and explain this critical moment in history," they are heroes. I beg to differ.Unlike most media types, I simply have INFINITELY more empathy for the often thankless work American soldiers do and the sacrifice they bear to keep not only the United States but the whole world safe. Like Father Denis Edward O'Brien, I know and appreciate who actually guarantees the freedom I enjoy.

I will place the value of the work being done by American soldiers injured or killed in the war against terror above any presumed sacrifice any journalist has EVER made. I have not and will not criticize dead or wounded journalists. However, I will criticize their methods, biases, and motivations. Media services and journalists have a choice to go or not go into the field of battle, to risk or not risk injury and death - soldiers do not.

Yesterday I heard an interview with a soldier stationed in Iraq. He said he gets shot at EVERY night. He and every other serviceman and woman, much like the American soldiers in every war before them, in Iraq and Afghanistan are the ones truly putting their lives on the line to SAVE the world at this critical moment in history.

I will not lower standards so far as to label journalists "heroes" - a sure sign of a lack of good judgment and compassion for the true sacrifice American men and women in uniform in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world have made and will continue to make every single day.


American soldiers are the true heroes.

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Hot Air

A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He lowered his altitude and spotted a fisherman in a boat below. He shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."



The fisherman consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 4909 minutes west longitude.

The balloonist rolled his eyes and said, "You must be a Republican."

"I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me."

The fisherman smiled and responded, "You must be a Democrat."

"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"

"Well," said the fisherman, "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but, somehow, now it's my fault."

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Yearning to Breathe Free









Give me your illegals, those who willingly violate American immigration laws,
Your whiny masses demanding amnesty,
Those who don't even care to learn English.
Send these, who refuse to assimilate into American culture, to me:

I give in to their bullying and make them American citizens because they say so.







I am an American by choice. That choice became official when I took the Oath of Citizenship on Wednesday, November 17, 2004. I often wonder what took me so long to get to that point. Over the years, I had always felt American. My wife often tells me I am the most American person she knows. That's high praise from someone who was born and raised in the Midwest - the heart of America.

But, over the years, my permanent residency status ("green card") alone was not enough. I had become politically aware and drawn to conservatism initially through President Ronald Wilson Reagan's contagious, unapologetic and inspiring love for America. I will write more about Reagan's influence in my life in a later blog.

The Islamic terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 changed everything. I am still shocked, saddened and outraged over the events of that fateful day. All of a sudden, it was not enough to simply live here legally. The country that embraced and adopted me had been attacked in a bloodthirsty and cowardly manner. And, as if to confirm the wisdom of my ideological choice, it didn't take long for liberals to ask themselves and a recently wounded country what Americans had done to deserve being on the receiving end of mass murder.

September 11 made me realize that I needed to go all the way citizenshipwise. It was no longer enough to appreciate the history and embrace the values of this great country. I did battle feelings of unworthiness, however. Foolishly, I thought I could live, work and raise a family in America, but surely I wasn't worthy of citizenship. I did overcome those thoughts and determined to become an American. Still, it took me another two years to take the plunge.

What put me over the edge, as it were, was the looming 2004 presidential election. The president who had brought the country together and took the war to the enemy, was suddenly under attack by those who wondered what evils America had been punished for on 9/11. I began applying for citizenship even as I started campaigning for the reelection of President George W. Bush. I shook his hand the first time he came to Rochester - an unforgettable moment in my civic experience. Unfortunately, I was not able to vote for him since the citizenship ceremony was scheduled for two weeks after the election.

The day I became an American citizen was one of the proudest and happiest of my life - right alongside my wedding day and the birth of my six children. The words of the Oath of Citizenship still ring in my ears and resound in my heart:


"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."


It saddened me to realize that others who were about to take the same oath were not serious about the oath's meaning and implications. As I was seated at the Bethel College auditorium, I engaged in at least two conversations where my fellow citizenship candidates confided that they either planned to retain the citizenship of their country of origin or were becoming citizens primarily as a means of obtaining some personal benefit.

I have renounced all allegiance to Brazil, my country of origin. My loyalty is to America. And that's the reason why the recent pro-illegal immigration protests are so disturbing to me. What makes people who deliberately and persistently break America's immigration laws think that they must be rewarded with American citizenship? They are not the "huddled masses yearning to be free." They are people who believe themselves entitled to that which they neither value nor are willing to sacrifice for. Their economic blackmail failed but their threats remain. They are not "yearning to breathe free" or they would take their protests across the border. Imagine what sea change would come about in Mexico if the hundreds of thousands who have marched here were to make the same demands of their own government and on their own soil.

A word on temporary work permits: they are ok with me. Just make sure the application process starts at the applicant's country of origin.

America is a nation of immigrants who came to her shores to find the one thing that made them thrive: FREEDOM. Freedom was the yearning of their hearts, not entitlement and dependence. They didn't feel they were owed anything. Empowered with that freedom, they built this country. They came to give and in time, if not they themselves, their descendants reaped the benefits of their hard work. America is truly the land of opportunity. If it can happen anywhere, it can happen here. And often, it can't happen anywhere but here.


Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

The "Progressive" Ten Commandments




In yet another display of their intellectual bankruptcy and lack of originality, liberals have come up with their own "Contract with America." They call it (Are you ready?) "A Progressive Contract with America." (http://www.democracyforvancouver.org/?q=node/235 )

The following is a translation of the most recent liberal, I mean "progressive" ten commandments.

1) "We Will Bring the Troops Home"
TRANSLATION: We will cut and run in Iraq.

2) "We Will Crack Down on Corruption"
TRANSLATION: We will do a better job of covering our tracks while we
still take money from lobbyists and corporate types. It's only morally objectionable when Republicans get caught doing it .

3) "We Will Make Public Officials Accountable"
TRANSLATION: Never mind Bill Clinton, Dan Rostenkowky, Jim Wright, Mike Espy, Ron Brown, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Cynthia McKinney et al.

4) "We Will Unleash New Energy for America"
TRANSLATION: Let India, China and Russia use up all the oil. Who cares about economic development? Let America's competitors surpass her. Why compete anyway? Incidentally, how do you like my new hand-cranked coupe?

5) "We Will Rebuild America First"
TRANSLATION: We will tax the hell out of everyone. When the rich shelter their income, we will go after the middle class. We know Joe Six-Pack doesn't make enough to pay tax accountants.

6) "We Will Make Work Pay Once Again"
TRANSLATION: We will squash entrepreneurship and destroy small businesses once and for all. Minimum Wage? Through the roof! Union membership? Mandatory! Taxes on businesses? Confiscatory!

7) "We Will Make Healthcare Affordable"
TRANSLATION: Government will take over health care. We will decide if you are sick and how sick you are. When you need life-saving surgery, plan on it six to eight months in advance. Pray you don't die before then. Oh, did I mention we will outlaw prayer?

8) "We pledge to strengthen Social Security"
TRANSLATION: We will do more of the same, dumping more and more money on a system already on the brink of bankruptcy. If it's broken, why fix it?

9) "We Will Keep the American Dream Alive"
TRANSLATION: We will be your nanny from cradle (those whom we allow to be born) to grave (those whom we do not euthanize). We will punish initiative, eliminate self-respect and extinguish self-reliance from the American landscape.

10) "We Will Provide Real Security for America"
TRANSLATION: Welcome to El Norte. Mi casa es su casa. "Si se Puede."