by Ed Jahn
I stand here, before the silent witnesses who now ask me “What do I say?”
They have all made their statement –they have all told me, shouting at the top of their voices, what has been, and what continues to be, important. It is I who have been asked “What do I say?”
For each of us, if we trace our lineage far enough, there was a father, a mother, an uncle, aunt, grandparent or great grandparent who knew what to do when freedom, and life itself, was threatened. Not just for their own lives or those whom they loved, but, in many cases, for the lives of total strangers who were threatened by tyranny in other parts of our world – that is part of their greatness, their willingness to sacrifice themselves in the mere, barely-breathed hope of preserving life, even when at the cost of one’s own life.
Sadly, I have grown up in the midst of a generation who seem, at so many times, to have their own interests as first and foremost. “I’m spending my children’s inheritance” is their bumper sticker, and quite frankly, I consider them to be like locusts who, never having truly planted or built, now exist only to consume anything and everything, at the future expense of others. I know that these creatures exist, and that they will return to the dust, just as the ones who have earned the tiny American flags.
I myself will one day have a flag draped over my coffin – I will wear it as a badge of honor.
If you listen to the wrong people, and by that, I’m referring to most of the mainstream media (who by the way, never served) or to the liberals in our government (who by the way, never served) or most college professors (who, by the way, never served) you would think that America is wrong or America is to be blamed.
But it is they who are wrong. It is they whose days are truly numbered. Interestingly enough, they always seem to be able to pay themselves first, even if it is at our future expense – It is they who will not be remembered. There will be no flags for them.
In our American History, we have always had the appeasers and the traitors – we have had to fight our country’s battles with one arm tied behind our back – even going back to the struggle to gain our independence from England – only one-third of our nation believed that our independence was worth fighting for – and one third of our nation was willing to become traitors to keep their own businesses with the English Crown lucrative –
That is not what these lying here before me are saying – They did not sweet-talk the tyrants. They kicked their asses.
So now, it is up to me. What’s it gonna be?
I believe it is dawn In America.
I see a fully-volunteer military, serving nobly, in remote places around our globe, and in nearly every time zone and landmass, every climate and condition. I see many legal immigrants, willing to stand in line, to legally come to America, here to give and not just to take, even as others are almost celebrated for violating our laws .
I see parents who are unashamed of exercising their God-given parental rights to train up their children, when there’s a government-run school bus passing by their door every day.
I see people hungering for truth and right – I see aspiration.
These are the rudders which will turn our great ship – People who don’t need the validation or celebration of others to simply do what is right.
The future belongs to the fathers who will train sons and daughters to grow and mature, raise families, give them values, teach them respect for law, and to be a contributor in life. It is not just a quaint hope.
Those who only live to take care of themselves may have a full belly, but an empty heart, and an empty life because in time there is no future for them, “the night is far spent…”
I believe it is dawn in America – In time, the principled, and those with courage will step forward and lead, and enter spheres of influence. At that point, I don’t care where the old dinosaurs, the fattened up locusts go, as long as they don’t expect to be numbered among the brave or to lie next to these, who have gone before us.
Those who have given, as Lincoln said “the last full measure of devotion” – those who sacrificed themselves upon “the altar of freedom”.
Ed Jahn
Morris IL
