Open Letter to Mitt Romney from Active Duty Service Member

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Air force, and Coast Guard, Army, Commander-in-Chief, Dear Mr. Romney, marines, navy, US Military, US Military Veterans

This is Any Soldier, but not necessarily the actual author of the letter printed here, for obvious reasons.

The following was sent to us by an active duty service member currently serving abroad, and is published here with his permission:

Dear Mr. Romney,

I serve my country and have done so for a decade – the thought of another four years of our current direction saddens me. If you do not win, I and many others may find ourselves unemployed as massive cutbacks begin to take hold. It is frightening to picture our warriors standing hopelessly in unemployment lines; this is a fate they do not deserve. There is a paradigm shift occurring, and it is doing so at an astounding pace. We are becoming a nation that does not honor its protectors. We have begun to take from them and to take them for granted… This is a result of the chasm that has widened over the last few decades… A chasm of indecency and selfishness.

Please allow me to explain. Our policies have begun to shift towards victimization; we laud the individual that has always taken and never given. We empower dependency and encourage its advocate. We force those who have already given so much to give more. How long will our nation sit by as its heritage of strength and fortitude is laid to waste? I am saddened as I ponder all those who have made the greatest of all sacrifices… Have their souls been laid to rest in vain?

I am hopeful that someday I can call a man such as yourself my Commander in Chief. But, for now I serve in the Middle East. I and many like me stand watch over our nation. We wear her flag and protect her honor. We are her keepers. We sit silently as crowds gather on Wall Street to profane her name and exercise their right to free speech. We have always protected even those that do not appreciate the awesome price of their freedom.

This may never make it to Mr. Romney… But know this sir; the service members that have sacrificed so much these past 11 years are tired. We cannot afford to sacrifice more; we cannot stand in unemployment lines as policies destroy what we’ve shed blood to build. Many in the Armed Forces are pulling for you… We need you to win; we need you to pull our country from the brink. Please work hard for those that have always given for our nation. Our brothers’ bodies have left their imprints on the battlefield, their blood has stained the soil of foreign nations, and tears wet the cheeks of those they leave behind. The price is great, it demands the blood of the brave and bold, and it calls for the lives of those filled with courage. Yes… It is a terrible price, but our flag must always fly. Our nation is a lighthouse for all who seek freedom; it guides them as they navigate the rocky shoals of liberty. I implore you sir – remember the sacrifice, remember the price and win.

Sincerely,

A Guardian of Freedom

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The Audacity of Islam: Then and Now

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Barbary Coast, Barbary Pirates, Barbary Wars, islam, Thomas Jefferson, Tripoli, USS Philadelphia

Thomas Jefferson Wouldn’t Give In to the Barbary Pirates

The vast wealth of knowledge and wisdom expressed by those who are credited with the FOUNDING of our nation continues to astonish me. Now, we must keep in mind that this experiment was part of a “GLOBAL” enterprise, even then. Britain ruled the seas, but France and Spain competed for global dominance. Yet, in spite of this, rogue pirates from the northern coast of Africa, the Barbary Coast, swarmed the seas capturing vessels and individuals for ransom.

The Barbary pirates, early Islamists, operated off the coast of North Africa and throughout the Mediterranean Sea as far back as the time of the Crusades. The Barbary pirates sailed as far north as Iceland, attacking ports, seizing captives as slaves, and plundering merchant ships. Most nations equipped with sea-going vessels found it easier, and cheaper, to pay a “tribute” to the pirates rather than fight them in a war for passage through the Mediterranean. European nations often worked out treaties with the Islamist pirates from the Barbary Coast. By the early 19th century, the pirates were essentially sponsored by the Arab rulers of Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli.

Our Founders were fully aware of these pirates, and Washington and Adams both continued the tradition of Europe and paid the required tributes to afford safe passage throughout the seaways while our infant nation stabilized and prepared for war. When Thomas Jefferson took office, he took a different tact.

Preparation for War courtesy New York Public Library Digital Collections

“The US government adopted a policy of essentially paying bribes, or tribute, to the pirates in its infancy, but Jefferson objected to the policy of paying tribute in the 1790s. Having been involved in negotiations to free Americans held by North African pirates, he believed paying tribute only invited more problems.

The young US Navy was preparing to deal with the problem by building a few ships destined to fight the pirates off Africa. Work on the frigate Philadephia was depicted in a painting titled “Preparation for WAR to Defend Commerce.”

The Philadelphia was launched in 1800 and saw service in the Caribbean before becoming involved in a pivotal incident in the first war against the Barbary pirates.”

Algerian Corsair off a Barbary port – Andries Van Eertvelt

Incensed by the audacity of these Barbary pirates, Thomas Jefferson refused to pay any more tribute. In May 1801, two months after his inauguration, the pasha of Tripoli declared war on the United States. The US Congress never issued an official declaration of war in response, but Jefferson dispatched a newly formed naval squadron to the coast of North Africa to deal with the pirates.

The American Navy’s show of force quickly calmed the situation. Some pirate ships were captured, and the Americans established successful blockades.

But the tide turned against the United States when the frigate Philadelphia ran aground in the harbor of Tripoli (in present day Libya) and the captain and crew were captured.

The capture of the Philadelphia was a victory for the pirates, but their triumph was short-lived.

The USS Philadelphia ran aground off the shore of Tripoli and was attacked and burned by the pirate ship Intrepid. The Philedelphia was soon re-captured by Stephen Decatur

In February 1804, Lieutenant Stephen Decatur of the US Navy, sailing a captured ship, managed to sail into the harbor at Tripoli and recapture the Philadelphia. He burned the ship so it couldn’t be used by the pirates. Decatur’s daring action became a naval legend.

Stephen Decatur became a national hero in the United States and he was promoted to captain.

The captain of the Philadelphia, who was eventually released, was William Bainbridge. He later went on to greatness in the US Navy. Coincidentally, one of the US Navy ships involved in action against pirates off Africa in April 2009 was the USS Bainbridge, which is named in his honor.

In April 1805 the US Navy, with US Marines, launched an operation against the port of Tripoli. The objective was to install a new ruler.

The detachment of Marines, under the command of Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon, led a frontal assault on a harbor fort at the Battle of Derna. O’Bannon and his small force captured the fort.

Marking the first American victory on foreign soil, O’Bannon raised an American flag over the fortress. The mention of the “shores of Tripoli” in the “Marine’s Hymn” refers to this triumph.

Marine Corps Officers “Mameluke Sabre Sword

A new pasha was installed in Tripoli, and he presented O’Bannon with a curved “Mameluke” sword, which is named for North African warriors. To this day Marine dress swords replicate the sword given to O’Bannon.

The pervading threat of the Barbary pirates faded to background noise, especially as the age of imperialism conquered and divided the African states which came under the control of European powers. Pirates were mainly found off the coast of the young America and in adventure tales until incidents off the coast of Somalia made headlines in the spring of 2009.

The Barbary Wars were relatively minor engagements, especially when compared to European wars of the period. Yet they provided heroes and thrilling tales of patriotism to the United States as a young nation, and can be said to have opened the eyes of the young nation to the blind agenda of Islam and helped America’s conception of itself as a player on the international stage.

REFERENCE:

Obama White House Big Lie: Thomas Jefferson Hosted “Iftar”

The United States Fought Wars Against North African Pirates in the Early 1800s

Obama and the Jefferson Koran

January 3, 2007 – Democrats Take Control Two Years Before Obama

It’s not that he isn’t able to do the job. It’s that HIS idea of fixing the economy is bringing America down to the level of other nations, rather than lifting them up to our level. The fatal flaw of Socialism is HUMAN NATURE! We need to dream! We need goals! We need purpose to get us out of bed in the morning and spur us on when we grow weary! Help? Yes! We all need help on occasion, but we do NOT need someone to tend our basic needs indefinitely! That’s our responsibility, not government’s!

By Tim on October 31, 2011

The day the democrats took over was not January 22nd 2009 it was actually January 3rd 2007 the day the Democrats took over the House of Representatives and the Senate, the start of the 110th Congress.

The Democratic Party controlled a majority in both chambers for the first time since the end of the 103rd Congress in 1995. For those who are listening to the liberals propagating the fallacy that everything is “Bush’s Fault”, think about this:

January 3rd, 2007 was the day the Democrats took over the Senate and the Congress:

At the time:

The DOW Jones closed at 12,621.77

The GDP for the previous quarter was 3.5%

The Unemployment rate was 4.6%

George Bush’s Economic policies SET A RECORD of 52 STRAIGHT MONTHS of JOB CREATION!

Remember the day…

January 3rd, 2007 was the day that Barney Frank took over the House Financial Services Committee and Chris Dodd took over the Senate Banking Committee.

The economic meltdown that happened 15 months later was in what part of the economy?

BANKING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES!

Thank Congress for taking us from 13,000 DOW, 3.5 GDP and 4.6% Unemployment to this CRISIS by dumping 5-6 TRILLION Dollars of toxic loans on the economy from YOUR Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fiasco’s!

(BTW: Bush asked Congress 17 TIMES to stop Fannie & Freddie – starting in 2001, because it was financially risky for the U.S. economy, but no one was listening).

And who took the THIRD highest pay-off from Fannie Mae AND Freddie Mac?

Then Senator OBAMA.

And who fought against reform of Fannie and Freddie???

OBAMA and the Democratic Congress.

So when someone tries to blame Bush…

REMEMBER JANUARY 3rd, 2007…. “THE DAY THE DEMOCRATS TOOK OVER!”

Bush may have been in the car, but the Democrats were in charge of the gas pedal, the steering wheel and they were driving. Set the record straight on Bush!

So, as you listen to all the commercials and deceptive media from the Democrats who are now distancing themselves from their voting record and their party, remember how they didn’t listen to you when you said you didn’t want all the bailouts, you didn’t want the health care bill, you didn’t want cap and trade, you didn’t want them to continue spending money we don’t have.

I’m not forgetting their complicity in getting us into this mess, and I’ll be marking my vote accordingly!

“It’s not that liberals aren’t smart, it’s just that so much of what they know isn’t so” -Ronald Reagan

The above information was compiled and written by Sherry Bentley.

Thanks Sherry for all the facts!

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