September 2016 Articles

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Just Rambling September 2016

Just Rambling: “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” This quote was by President John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address on January 20, 1961. How do you think this statement would be received today? I don’t think it would be accepted very well by a lot of our population today. In a time when our government supports millions of our citizens and non-citizens I think this quote would be ridiculed. They expect our country to do for them rather than them doing for our country. When professional athletes, making millions, boycott the singing of our National Anthem and other professional athletes wear placards on their jerseys depicting police brutality, which had been proven false, I don’t think they will respond favorably about what they could do for our country. When illegal immigrants come to this country I suspect very few of them are wanting to do for our country rather they are wanting our country to do for them. As we see protest of various types in our country they are not wanting to do for our country but our country to do for them. When I think about the above scenario’s which I have described I think about another quote by President John F. Kennedy which states, “ Liberty without learning is always in peril, learning without liberty is always in vain.” Think about this. In America we enjoy a free society but can these freedoms continue as our society becomes less educated. According to recent statistics America’s educational system has fallen in ranking compared to other countries. Another quote by President John F. Kennedy is, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” Without a strong educational system where will our future leadership come from or will our freedoms be in jeopardy and then our learning in vain as President Kennedy stated. As another great president, Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We don’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States, where men were free.” According to President Regan, “Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit.” Even though America remains a shining light in the world, can it continue to be this shining light? As we have more and more people that demand our country do for them rather than them doing for our country, we see our country changing. Our national debt is the largest in the history of America and our core values have deteriorated. God is being banned from government buildings while prayer is being banned in many public places and events. This nation was founded on Christian values which have made America strong for over 200 years. As President Ronald Reagan said, “Without God there is no virtue because there is no prompting of the conscience—without God democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” Both of these Presidents, a Democrat and a Republican, knew what a great country we had but they also knew what it took to maintain our greatness and our freedoms. Do we as a people in America today know what it takes to maintain our greatness and our freedoms or will we in the sunset of out lives be telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. Will we respond to our country by doing for our country rather than only expecting our country to do for us. Will we continue to support people that disrespect our national symbols, our nations laws, and that do nothing for our country—only expecting our country to do for them. Wake up America or that shining light which we have been for over 200 years may soon be extinguished and we will only have memories of our Great Nation America. Van Bennett