Gratitude to God expressed by those ... Of Plymouth Plantation
I often hear in the media today that America has never been an truly Christian nation, and that those who presume so are deceived. Well … the evidence indicates to the contrary.
OUR AMERICAN ROOTS: Many have recently argued that our beginnings were not essentially Christian. I suppose that depends on your definition of Christian, but the central focus, and the source of strength, wisdom, and consolation in the early American settlements was the God of the Bible. Yes, there were different ‘denominations,’ different perspectives of how this God worked, and if he did or didn’t interfere in the everyday lives of individuals, but nevertheless, God was central to the early literature, the poetry, and architecture i.e. the location of the church was central even as God was central to their lives. “No group has played a more pivotal role in shaping American values than the New England Puritans. The seventeenth-century Puritans contributed to our country’s sense of mission, its work ethic, and its moral sensibility.”
To understand the Puritans (of the Massachusetts Bay Colony) or the Pilgrims (of Plymouth), it is necessary to have a bit of an understanding of English history. In the 1450’s, the first printing press was built, the first published work from that press was the Gutenberg Bible Until this time, the only people who had access to the Holy Scriptures were the priests. With the invention of the printing press, it became conceivable that even the common man could obtain a copy of the Bible if translated into common English. William Tyndale saw to that and was beheaded for his efforts. As more and more individuals gained access to a Bible, these same individuals developed their own understanding of the words, the message contained therein.
The Puritans were people who walked through life with a very personal faith. Engendering this faith to their children was a very serious matter to them. Because of their Biblical Christianity they had suffered greatly. They and their Pilgrim friends had been grievously treated by the established Church and the English Crown the hiearchical dignitaries were beholden to. Matters of conscience were very important to them. Nevertheless the Puritans, for the most part, were a bright and cheerful company. They were a people who enjoyed life and took on its challenges with gusto. To the Puritans life was a grand adventure with the lives of a whole company of people at stake. If they were not diligent before God and before their fellow man then there would be dire consequences. It could be a case of “Paradise Lost”. The Puritan Milton was active in the English Civil War as was John Bunyan writer of the classic Biblical Christian allegory, “Pilgrim’s Progress”. Indeed “Paradise Lost” was the title of the Milton’s epic poem.
The history and literature of that period reflects the beliefs and daily lifestyle that centered on a relationship with our benevolent Almighty God. We don’t hear much about this today, even in historical or literary studies because it just isn’t politically correct – no room for secular humanism! But the truth is written in the lines of Anne Bradstreet (1612 – 1672), Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 – 1882), Louisa May Alcott (1832 – 1888), Washington Irving (1783 – 1859), Nathanial Hawthorne (1804 – 1864), Emily Dickenson (1830 – 1886), James Fenimore Cooper (1789 – 1851), and so many more who captured the time, the life, the struggles, and the victories of these early Americans.
Aboard the Mayflower, the leaders drafted the Mayflower Compact
Governor William Bradford (1590 – 1621) Bradford was selected as Governor by the survivors of the Mayflower crossing, the first settlers to endure both the crossing and the settling of the New England coast of Plymouth. Some were Pilgrims (or Separatists) wanted to break away from the Chruch of England. The others were called Puritans because they wanted to establish a “pure church that would offer a model for the churches in England.” They both wanted to be FREE to worship as they saw fit. They wanted Freedom of religion!
William Bradford was one of the first Americans to be published in the New land. His Of Plymouth Plantation was an impressive journal he kept detailing the crossing itself and the initial workings of the new colony, the new village of Plymouth and the government they established. Here is a brief excerpt:
Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the fast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element. And no marvel if they were thus joyful, seeing wise Seneca was so affected with sailing a few miles on the coast of his own Italy, as he affirmed, that he had rather remain twenty years on his way by land than pass by sea to any place in a short time, so tedious and dreadful was the same unto him.
The brave and devout Puritans of the Mayflower crossing drew up a compact that became the foreshadow of our unique government. “The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the colonists, later together known to history as the Pilgrims, who crossed the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower. Almost half of the colonists were part of a separatist group seeking the freedom to practice Christianity according to their own determination and not the will of the English Church. It was signed on November 11, 1620 by 41 of the ship’s one hundred and two passengers, in what is now Provincetown Harbor near Cape Cod.
Modern version
In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, defender of the Faith, etc.
Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and advancements of the Christian faith and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents, solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic; for our better ordering, and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.
The Bill of Rights ~ First 10 Amendments of the US Constitution
In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, 1620.
The primary import of this document was the establishment of self-rule in the colony. In that way, the Mayflower Compact is a foreshadowing of what was to come, of the cry for individual freedom in the New Land – America. The subsequent documents of Independence and self-rule assumed the morality and spirituality of the people. While degrees of devotion differ, and methods of “worhip” differ, still they agreed in the inherent sovereignty of Almighty God. This is our history. These are our roots. They distinguished between Church rule and civil rule – not separating one FROM the other but distinguishing their separate roles in the lives of the people. This is America! A land, under God, sought and found for a unique and special purpose – where individuals could worship God as they saw fit. In today’s language, that means the elimination of Christianity while other religions are welcomed and extolled! Yet morality in the USA has never been at a lower standard. Five minutes of TV news will confirm that!
A prefect opportunity to President Obama to BE a leader and take an outspoken stand on the behavior of these mobs … like so many other opportunities, has been shoved aside. Maybe when he is all rested up, eh?
Folks, I believe human beings are responsible for their behavior. However, as America's first black president, fair or unfair, Obama's presidency comes with enormous responsibility in terms of its influence on black youths. This is why it is so unfortunate that American black youths' ultimate role model is a characterless, race-baiting political hack. While I am not saying president Obama is responsible for the epidemic of black youth flash-mob … Read More
Thomas Jefferson was a very remarkable man who started learning very early in life and never stopped.
At 5, began studying under his cousin’s tutor.
At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.
At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.
At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.
At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.
At 23, started his own law practice.
At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
At 31, wrote the widely circulated “Summary View of the Rights of British America †and retired from his law practice.
At 32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.
At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence .
At 33, took three years to revise Virginia ’s legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.
At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia succeeding Patrick Henry.
At 40, served in Congress for two years.
At 41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.
At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.
At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.
At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became the active head of Republican Party.
At 57, was elected the third president of the United States .
At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase doubling the nation’s size.
At 61, was elected to a second term as President.
At 65, retired to Monticello .
At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.
At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia and served as its first president.
At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence along with John Adams
Thomas Jefferson knew because he himself studied the previous failed attempts at government. He understood actual history, the nature of God, his laws and the nature of man. That happens to be way more than what most understand today. Jefferson really knew his stuff. A voice from the past to lead us in the future:
John F. Kennedy held a dinner in the white House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement: “This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”
“When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe .” — Thomas Jefferson
“The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.” — Thomas Jefferson
“It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.” — Thomas Jefferson
“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” — Thomas Jefferson
“My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.” — Thomas Jefferson
“No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.” — Thomas Jefferson
“The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” — Thomas Jefferson
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” — Thomas Jefferson
“To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.” — Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:
“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.
If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property – until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”
SGT Joseph Prince, a soldier from 3rd Platoon, Company A, Task Force 3-66 Armor, pulls security while Iraqi Army soldiers search a house during a patrol Thursday in Tahweela, Iraq. The IA, supported by soldiers from Company A, kicked off Operation Dark Wolf Pursuit One to execute the “clear, hold and build” strategy in southern Balad-Ruz District of Iraq’s Diyala Province. (Ben Bloker/Stars and Stripes photo.)
Who is the Average American Soldier?
The average age of the military man is 19 years old. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father’s, but he has never collected unemployment either.
He’s a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student but not because he’s stupid – just a kid. He pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy that he’s damn proud of, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away. He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and a 155mm howitzer.
He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk. His grammar isn’t always the best, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must.
He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional. He can march until he is told to stop, or stop until he is told to march. He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of cammies: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry.
He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts. If you’re thirsty, he’ll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He’ll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low.
He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands. He can save your life – or take it, because that is his job. He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay, and still find ironic humor in it all. He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short lifetime.
He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed. He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to ‘square-away’ those around him who haven’t bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking.
In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful. Just as his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather did, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200 years.
This is the guys! Then there are the American fighting women! She has many things in common with her male camrades, but she is also sassy, playful, and plays as hard as she works. She’s an “activist, a Doer, not a watcher! She’s resourceful, creative, and takes care of her mind as well as her body. She, too, has wept in public and in private for friends or strangers fallen, unashamed. She feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through her body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to ‘square-away’ those around her who haven’t bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking. She is fiercely patriotic, and she loves her country! She serves alongside the guys, putting up with their innate crudeness, without batting an eyelash. She looks beautiful with or without makeup. She can march and shoot at least as well as her male counterparts, and looks good doing it! She is proud to be an American. Proud to be a soldier, proud to be woman!
They ask nothing in return, except our for friendship and understanding, and maybe an occasional prayer. Remember them always, for they have earned our respect and admiration with their own blood. These soldiers do their part as tradition tells them, of going to war when and where our nation calls us to do so.
As you go to bed tonight, remember this shot: a short lull, a little shade, and a picture of loved ones in their helmets.
Letter from "Home" (Anywhere, USA)
Fallen Soldier All Alone
Fallen Soldier Far From Home. Trickling Down His Face A Tear,
Forgetting How It Feels To Fear
Death And All It’s Fate And Glory.
Now It’s Here, No Need To Worry.
Fallen Soldier Waiting for the End
Fallen Soldier Far From Home
He’s One Of Those They’ll All Forget;
But He’s the One Thing You Should Never Forget.
The Life He Lived, The Goals He Set,
The Ones He Loved, The Ones Who Wait
To See His Nearly Forgotten Face.
Fallen Soldier All Alone
Fallen Soldier Far From Home
Now Breathing’s Just A Waste Of Breath
And Living’s Just A Waste Of Death
As He Searches For A New Address;
A Brand New Home Free Of Loneliness.
Fallen Soldier All Alone
Fallen Soldier Far From Home
Lying Motionless On The Ground,
The Battle Raging All Around.
For Now He Is Not All Alone.
This Fallen Soldier Is Welcomed Home.
***
-Unkown Author-
We are Patriots who love our nation. We love the Constitution just the way it is, thank you. We believe in fiscal responsibility, limited government and a free market.
We think the government is well defined in our Founding documents, but it has become too big for the population to support. Corruption runs rampant in career politicians from one end of DC to the other.
We are Red, White, Black, Yellow, Brown … all races, all creeds, all socio-economic levels.
We love Individual Freedom!!!!!
Petition to: President Obama
U.S. Senate & House Of Representatives
The American Indian community demands an apology from President Obama to include U.S. Senate and House Of Representatives for allowing the code name “Geronimo” represent international terrorist Osama bin aden.
The association of Geronimo’s name to Osama bin Laden is yet another
degrading slap in the face to American Indians from another president and our federal government who waged an “unnecessary holocaust war” against American Indians in the forming of the America we have today. True American history shows Indians were never an enemy of this country. American Indians had every right to stand up for their true home land, way of life, freedom, civil liberties and right to self govern.
Geronimo is an American Indian hero, an American Indian civil rights leader icon in U.S. history. President Obama would not dare allow the name Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson or any other prominent African American name be associated to Osama bin Laden. This one point alone being made goes to the heart of demanding an apology from President Obama as our country’s Commander in Chief.
10 JUNE 2010 The Heritage Foundation’s second annual “Protect America Month” came to a close [June 2010]. The program was designed
to express commitment to America’s national security,
advocate for increased defense spending,
point out the constitutional basis for government’s role in protecting America, and
to examine the threats to the United States.
John Ashcroft, former Attorney General of the United States, delivered the closing speech.
Attorney General Ashcroft began by asserting his belief that “the defense of America is tantamount to the defense of freedom. And freedom is worth defending.” He astutely reviewed his understanding of the definition of freedom, and how American exceptionalism plays a vital role in contributing and sustaining freedom around the globe.
He rejected the common argument that freedom and national security must be balanced. Rather, freedom is the highest value with no parallel. However, in order to maintain it, it must be secured. Therefore, the two are not counterweights to each other. Rather, national security protects America’s freedom, and ensures that freedom stays intact…
The former Attorney General also noted that America’s reckless financial conduct will have grave national security implications for future generations who might be unable to finance their defense. Moreover, if America reveals a lack of self-sufficiency to the world by becoming a debtor to the world, it signals America’s weakness. Funding national security should be one of government’s main priorities.
America’s current Attorney General, Eric Holder, appears to have no clear rules guiding his decisions in reference to which defendants go to a military tribunal versus a federal court. His decisions appear to be arbitrary and capricious. Though he is the head of the Department of Justice, national security does not seem to be his paramount priority.
Barak: Israeli, U.S. positions on 1967 lines not contradictory
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
Have you looked at a map of Israel? Have you noticed they are surrounded on all sides but the sea side by lethal enemies that desire to wipe Israel off the map? Can you imagine living like that day after day, year after year?
(“Yahveh (Adonai) bless you and keep you. Yahveh make His face to shine upon you & be gracious unto you. Yahveh lift up His face upon you & give you peace”.) Num. 6:22-26 (Aaronic Blessing)
So … I received a lovely email to day from Michelle, asking us all to send Barack Birthday wishes. I thought it might be nice if we, terrorists and hobbits, did exactly that.
Barbara —
Every day, I see Barack make choices he knows will affect every American family. That’s no small task for anyone — and more proof that he’s earning every last one of those gray hairs.
This has been a busy week in Washington, but today happens to be Barack’s 50th birthday. I’m writing to you because this year, the girls and I would like to do something a little different.
I’m asking friends and supporters [and terrorists and hobbits, too] of this campaign to wish him a happy birthday by signing his card, and sharing why you’re on this journey with us.
Your names and notes will become part of a book that tells the story of this campaign — who’s building it, why we’re in this thing, and what he means to us. We’ll deliver a copy to Barack and send one to our campaign offices across the country.
Don’t be shy, Americans, our President needs to know exactly how much we appreciate him and all he’s done for our great nation. I know I will not be shy!
