When I came across this I was stuck by how quickly we forget what others are doing on our behalf. The economic troubles of the past 9 months and the relative stability that our troops won in Iraq have replaced the war in the headline. Secondly, the media is no longer critical of our engagement now that Obama is in power. We don’t hear, think, or read about our troops nearly as much as we used to or as much as we ought to.

I am thankful to be reminded.

source(http://mullady.com)

“The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.”
 - Cicero – 55 BC

Evidently nothing.

Specifically, thanks for:

• Putting America’s best interest in front of your personal legacy
• Being a man of prayer and humbling yourself before God
• My tax cut
• General Patreus
• Your persistence
• Vice President Cheney
• Banning partial-birth abortions
• Getting us out of the recession which you inherited
• Restoring dignity to the White House and being a President in which I could trust
• Killing the Kyoto treaty
• Rebuilding our military and increasing their pay
• Justices Roberts and Alito (my kids thank you too)
• Rebuilding Presidential authority (PEOTUS will thank you too)
• Promoting and creating democracy around the world
• Changing Lybia
• The surge

This is no exhaustive list,by any means. But I am proud to have voted for you twice and would do so again. I thought your farewell address was excellent.  I was so taken by your statement about most of the US having the ability to return something close to normal life after 9/11 – but that wasn’t a luxury you could afford.

 I hope that you will continue to pray for us, speak out when required, and write a memoir to constantly remind us that those in elected office must never return to the pre-9/11 mindset.

May God Bless you and Laura, Mr. President.

Thank you!

There are so many different ways to view Marin’s story. Here are some of the ways it impacted me: 

• As a runner, I will not complain that I am too tired/cold/unmotivated/busy to get up and run.
• As a father, I will thank God each morning for the health of my children and enjoy each second with them
• As a Christian, who is called to manage God’s resources wisely, I will donate to cancer research in hopes to erradicate this horrible disease
• As the head of a family I will save prudently for a rainy day and pray for sun

Please read the story below written by Dave Ungrady at Universal Sports. Watch the video too.  I’d love to hear how it affected you.

http://tinyurl.com/8jm5l5 - article

http://tinyurl.com/84unkr - video

God Bless you, Marin.

http://michellemalkin.com/2009/01/08/flashback-ucla-study-on-fdrs-growth-stifling-policies/

I tuned in to watch these amazing atheletes push themselves to their respective breaking points.  I am facinated by how much the human body can endure and how the mind can overcome the natural instinct to seek comfort. These are amazing people doing incredible things. Filming would focus on various participants in the race and talk about their training and/or the adversity that they might have overcome to get to this point.

At one point the commentator mentioned that this year’s race was nearly cancelled due to the events of 9/11. Several of the atheletes were then interviewed about how they were impacted either personally or in their training. All of them stated that after 9/11 this race seemed very insignificant in the grand scheme of things. That many of them considered pulling out that year and that training was very difficult given the mental weight of the events of September. But each of these atheletes did show up. Each stated that they wouldn’t allow the terrorist agenda change their lives. This was their way of fighting back.

I mentioned earlier that these events draw people from all over the world. As you cross the finish line, it is traditional to be handed a flag from your homeland to help you celebrate your accomplishments. The Germans were particularly strong in triathalons in 2001 and there were three in the top 10 finishers on the men’s side. Each one, as they approached the finish line, politely grabbed an American flag from a crowd member, and crossed the line with two flags that year. This was true of many other non-American participants as well.

I was reminded of the solidarity that the world felt at that point in history. There was a feeling that good would join together against evil. That the lines between right and wrong were well defined and unambiguous. That political differences could be overcome. That seems like decades ago. It appears that we are back in a world of moral relativism, of political divide, of right vs. left. The definition of “us” and “them” has reverted to a pre-9/11 mindset when we all felt untouchable.  

I am not someone who thinks we should live in the past. True, I am a proud conservative, who supports the war on terror and believes there is good and evil in the world. I believe the US is well intentioned and one of the primary forces of good on this earth. However, I don’t want us to bunker down in a total 9/11 mentality. We do need to move forward - but with lessons learned.

I voted for McCain and Obama worries me tremendously. I believe he is very inexperienced at a time when we need experience. I believe that, given the opportunity, he will create larger government that will require ever increasing tax burdens on rich and poor alike. I am strongly opposed to that. But, he is my President and I will support him when he is right and voice my opinion when he is wrong. I pledge not to do what so-called “progressive” America did to President Bush – which was simply hateful. I pledge to be fair and to give credit where credit is due.  His early appointments have been surprisingly moderate. His talk of a large tax break gives me hope. And, as he promised during his campaign, if he can find a way to recreate that feeling of international solidarity that I saw in the 2001 Ironman, I will stand at the finish line and cheer him on.

Let us do amazing things.

The US Senate used to be (and should be) one of the most prestigious positions to which our young people could aspire. An United States Senator should be respected throughout the world as someone who passed a rigorous test to gain their office. Whose ethics are beyond reproach. Whose past acheivements are so significant that they stand far above the crowd.  After all, these are the men and women that create the frameworks by which our society agrees to operate. Shouldn’t they be the best and the brightest? What a farce!

Forgettting some of the not-so-forgettable past, where several members of this esteemed crowd are either in jail, on trial, or under indictment - The United States of America, the last best hope, that shining city on a hill, the last remaining superpower, has three Senate positions that are embroiled in major controversy.

In the great state of Minnesota, we have a not-so-funny comedian who has physically assualted a member of another great institution of the US (the main stream media). This winner is in a no-holds-barred recount battle with a weak Republican  over 49 votes. As a result, we are about to enter into a debate over hanging chads and whether or not the clown, er.. comedian, should be seated provisionally.

In the great State of New York  we have an heir apparent (or should I say, heir-a-parent)  for the vacancy left by a former Senator who opportunistically moved to New York for an earlier Senate race that was simply hers to lose. This new candidate will bring a whole new meaning to the term “Junior Senator” having no experience other than her family has been in politics for a long time and she has a lot of money!

Finally, from the great state of Illinois, we have someone that actually might be qualified! He was elected as the Controller of the State of Illinios, his political views are known, and he was legally appointed to the office by the sitting Govenor. The only problem here is that Govenor is currently facing federal corruption charges and will likely be removed from office in the next 90 days and spend some significant time behind bars (where he will plan his next election campaign).

Wouldn’t you love to have these three over for a dinner party?

The Senate is a joke. I struggle to name any significant accomplishments in recent years. Their agenda is all but non-existent and their approval ratings are lower than the Presidential approval ratings. Raise your hand if you think this motley crew has the ability to set aside their struggles for personal power to work for the better interest of the country.  <<insert crickets here>>

This country has real problems to solve. My prayer for 2009 is that some way, some how, the Senate can work to restore the prestige to their office. That they will work for the best interests of the country, putting partisianship aside. And that maybe,  after many years of wandering in the wilderness, I will hear my son say, Daddy, I want to be a Senator when I grow up!

At first glance I thought, “How far we have come!”  But after some consideration I think about how history has a tendency to repeat itself. Will England experience another Blitz? Will America? Probably not in the same manner it did doing WWII.  However, what if we are forced ‘underground’ to worship our Creator because of a political correctness-blitz? Or what if, as Mark Steyn points out in “America Alone”, that in England the second most common name for a baby boy is Mohammed and the native birth rate is decling so quickly that Christmas won’t be celebrated by a majority of the population? (And that new majority isn’t so keen on Christmas.)

Let’s be grateful that we can celebrate our faith openly. Let us not take for granted a manger scene in the  public square or a group of carolers at a mall. Let’s be thankful that even while England was under fire, the birth of Christ was celebrated and not diminished in any way.

 They. Are. Winning.

There have been only 11 US casualities in Iraq during December this year(http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_casualties.htm) , 16 in November, and 13 in October (a total of 40 for the quarter). While this is still too high, it is a remarkable number as compared to the previous year (37, 35, 23).

 It was not too long ago that President-elect Obama claimed that the surge could not work and that Secretary-to-be Clinton told General Patreus that we would have to “suspend disbelief”  to believe in his plan. 

• Let’s pray that they have learned something this year.
• Let’s hope that the weight and responsibility of the offices that they have been elected to bring them sober judgement.
• Let’s encourage them to have the appropriate level of respect for our men and women in uniform.