One and One quarter Million

Since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, about one and one-quarter million members of the armed forces have died fighting in wars for America. On Memorial Day we remember them and their sacrifice. So here's the question: for what did these soldiers die? Was it to make sure that government workers got good health benefits? Did they sacrifice to make sure that no one was offended by the use of politically incorrect words? Did they give their lives to make sure that bundlers for the Obama campaign could get federal money pumped into their business ventures a la Solyndra? Maybe they died to make certain that female law students at high priced law schools could get contraceptives paid for by society rather than by themselves.

Obviously, none of these are the reasons for the sacrifice. American forces fought for the preservation of freedom, for the continuation of liberty in the United States. They did not fight for the government; they fought for each and every one of us. They fought so that we each could be free to say what we want without being surpressed by the government. They fought so that we each can worship God as we so choose (or choose not to do so) without interference from Washington. They fought so that we could continue to live free from government interference in our homes and our daily lives. They fought so that each American could have the chance to live the American dream, a life where hard work, talent and, yes, some luck could let anyone of us become successful and wealthy. They fought for a country where what was important was the merits of one's own efforts, not the favors obtained by reason of the accident of one's birth. They fought for a country where we all shared the understanding that success for some of us meant greater success for all of us, a country where personal triumphs were to be celebrated not punished.

To paraphrase Lincoln: now we are engaged in a great civil struggle to determine whether that nation, the one for which these brave soldiers fought and died, can endure. On the one side we have the forces that would take from individuals the ability to determine their own futures through their own efforts and replace that with the government deciding who wins and who loses each day. These are the forces who would impose government rules that would force tens of millions of religious folks to violate their own beliefs or else to face government punishment. These are the forces who want to decide what we can eat, what we must teach our children, what sort of cars we can use, whether or not we can have guns, and how successful we can be in our businesses. These are the people who reward compliance with their desires, funneling billions to campaign contributors and key interest groups no matter what the cost to the rest of us. These are the folks who foment class warfare, racial antagonisms, and anger at those who are successful as a method to divide and thereby control us all.

On the other side we have the forces that are struggling to reclaim the America that has always been, "the land of the free." These are the people who celebrate success in the knowledge that each success for one person increases the likelihood of success for all. These are the forces that seek to insure freedom of religion that is guaranteed in the Constitution. These are the people who recognize that parents are the ones who must raise their own children and who must decide what is best for those children. These are the people who recognize that millions of Americans must be free to pursue their own lives as they see fit; the choice is theirs and does not belong to the government. It is, after all, "government of the people, by the people and for the people" not government controlling the people. These are the folks who recognize that Washington and its army of bureaucrats do not have all the answers. Indeed, these folks know that Washington does not even understand all the questions.

As we remember those who fought and died, let us renew our own efforts to preserve the America for which they made this sacrifice.