Why America Is Free

I have several things on my mind as I sit down to write this monthÕs column. WeÕre just a week or so into the month of June now. The cold, rainy weather of Spring seems to have finally given way to summer. The kids will have their last day of school before summer break this week, and our family is busy with summer plans; our son Robbie has already started the summer baseball league, IÕve spent a day in GodÕs great outdoors with my daughter Alley at the Awana Sparky camp, and we were finally able to get a few garden plants in the ground.

But other things are happening too. The world has just commemorated the anniversary of D-Day, where so many young Americans suffered and died to bring freedom once again to that part of the world, and keep the rest of us free. They were just young kids, doing their job, but their job had a profound effect on the history of the world.

Then, this past weekend the news came that President Reagan had passed away at age 93, after he and his family had suffered the past ten years with the long, slow goodbye of AlzheimerÕs disease.

In about three weeks time, America will hand over control of a newly-free nation to a new, sovereign government in Iraq.

Less than a week later, here in America, we will celebrate our own independence, on the 4th of July.

All these things have made me stop and think about how insulated most Americans are in todayÕs world. While our young men and women in Iraq are fighting and dying every day, here in America, life goes on as usual. We go about our daily lives, working, playing, planting our gardens, taking care of our homes and families like usual. We go to little league games, play with our kids and pets, plan our vacations, shop for groceries, clean the house, mow the lawn, watch TV, follow the Packers training camp...

The war in Iraq, for most of us, is little more than one more news story. Our lives go on as usual. It doesnÕt affect us.

How is this possible? Our young men and women are fighting for their lives overseas. In a very real sense, like their counterparts that went before them, they are fighting for OUR lives, and our way of life here in America. And so many of us donÕt care. It doesnÕt affect us.

Our enemy overseas may be different in this war than in previous ones, the battle lines may not be as clearly defined as they once were, but the fight is the same. Why is it that so many of us just donÕt seem to care? WhatÕs happened to our country? WhatÕs happened to our people? Why are we so cynical, sarcastic and superficial?

Why is all the news coming from Iraq bad news? What happened to the patriotic news reports of WWII, when allied victories were actually REPORTED? Yes, things have been difficult in this war, but weÕve also made incredible progress over there in the past year, and youÕll never hear about it from the mainstream media. Talk to any soldier returning from the war, and theyÕll tell you, the vast majority of Iraqis WANT us there, theyÕre glad we did what we did, and they finally have some hope for a better life. How disheartening it must be for these soldiers who have sacrified so much to see the blatant anti-American slant our media puts on EVERY SINGLE REPORT coming from the front lines! Shameful!

America used to be the great melting pot, where immigrants from all over the world could come and find refuge, start a new life, raise their families and achieve the ÒAmerican Dream.Ó I heard a quote from someone awhile back, and I donÕt remember who said it, but it was a good one: Òthe great melting pot has now become the great Ôsalad bowl.ÕÓ In our zeal to be Òtolerant,Ó and politically correct, we canÕt even agree on a common language in America anymore. Anything goes. Nothing is off limits. We endorse and even celebrate all manner of sin. The homosexual agenda is everywhere - you canÕt turn on the television for five minutes (unless youÕre watching Sky Angel) without hearing a reference to the gay lifestyle. You canÕt avoid it. You can be driving in the car, listening to the NEWS on the radio, and a commercial comes on advertising a new gay ÒrealityÓ show coming up on Òmust see TV!Ó

As that guy on 20/20 would say, ÒGive me a break!Ó

And have you noticed that all religious expression and belief is held in the highest regard in America - except Christianity? ThatÕs the one faith in America thatÕs now become alright, yes, even politically correct, to Òbash.Ó ItÕs open season on Christians. Every effort is made to minimize the Christian voice, to portray Christians as intolerant bigots, certainly closed-minded, hypocritical, mean-spirited and hostile. While an American student can be thrown to the wolves for the crime of simply mentioning the name of Christ in a public school today, and where the word ÒChristmasÓ has been removed from public schools, and traditional Christmas carols such as ÔSilent NightÕ have been banned, news has recently come to light that one school in America has actually REQUIRED students to recite Muslim prayers as part of their curriculum! ItÕs called Diversity Training, and yes, it was not only allowed, it was REQUIRED. ThatÕs right...in America, Christian students required to recite Muslim prayers!