“The surrender at Saratoga” shows General Daniel Morgan in front of a French de Vallière 4-pounder. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Over the past weekend We celebrated Memorial Day here in the States, a day to stop and thank all the veterans that fought to keep this country safe and free. As part of my celebration I spent Sunday at Greenfield Village, thy have a Civil War remembrance weekend, the village is one large encampment of Civil War tents and solders. It is awesome to see. It wills me with pride to know I live in a land that fought for freedom and preserves freedom. America is not perfect, no country is, but to me she is the model of perfection for nations to follow.
Freedom is a slippery thing, you can lose it faster than you gained it. For over 200 years we have been fighting for our freedom, fighting to maintain it and preserve it for generations yet to come. As Americans, we all to often get complacent with our freedom, we expect it to always exist, with little to no work on our part. But weekend such as Memorial Day as there to remind us that Freedom is not free, is not guaranteed and can be lost.
As a free nation, a free people we have responsibilities, to each other, our nation and the world. For with great freedoms comes great responsibilities. We are leaders, by our very nature, we are Americans and Americans have always been adventures and risk-takers.
Consider this, this great nation was built upon the backs of explorers, people wanting a new life, people willing to live in extreme conditions to gain this new life. They not only wanted change, they also created the change they sought.
Leaders are people who don’t avoid change, they take it head on. This nation was built upon the principle of leadership. The Pilgrims did not need self-help books to read on the Mayflower, they did not hold group sessions about change or have little motivational posters to remind them that change is good. It was in their blood, they sought it out, forged the path and built upon it.
Setbacks were expected and met with courage and fortitude. The early settlers looked upon America and a change to change and grow, to become a free people able to map out their own existence, one free of the tyranny of the Mother land. Yes, they where British, French and Spanish and proud to be so, yet they were willing to leave all behind to experience personal and spiritual growth.They set up new governmental systems and experimented with the human condition, they allowed the human mind the freedom to thing and grow, they established colonies based upon these ideas, some thrived and some failed, yet they did not give up.
The revolutionary war was fought primarily to allow America to grow, to allow her people to live free. The Founding Fathers did not set out to carve out a new nation, they originally set out to get representation, fairness from the King. They were proud English men, willing to fight for the King, but unwilling to be the step child of the most powerful Nation of its time. They were willing to risk all for the basic rights enjoyed by their fellow English men.
The idea of a new nation, and American Nation was not part of the original plan, but being leaders they were able to adjust to the situation, to see the opportunities before them and to visualize the benefits of freedom. The Revolutionary War was about more than just taxes, the British had already removed the taxes that were in question. The Tea Tax was truly a moot point, the amount was trivial, but what it represented was monumental. The America people were tired of tyranny and deception, there were ready to self govern and willing to die to achieve the goal.
Don’t tread on me was the battle cry of a Nation being born, born out of the minds of great leaders. The American experiment was about to happen, and the founders knew they needed to lead this change. The “grass roots” effort was born. The printing press was the Facebook and Twitter of its day, Thomas Pane and many others took to the press to write the bold plans of Independence, they used the written word to rally the nation and to lead us into change, change that would prove to be historic and universal.
From the Pilgrims through the Founding Fathers Americas psyche was forged. The backbone of America was created off the sweat, blood and tears of our great leaders, many of whom we will never know by name. Our courage was handed down generation to generation and our love of Freedom is in our blood. The American spirit is one of Adventure and Leadership, we are willing to lay our lives down, not for man, but for an idea, the idea that humanity is born to be free. We do not offer up our lives to a King or President, but to a greater good, the good of all.
Great leadership has built this nation and lack of leadership will be its downfall. As President Reagan said:
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’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.
Ronald Reagan
40th president of US (1911 – 2004)
We are a people of leaders, a people of change a people of freedom, let us never forget that…
God Bless
Paul Sposite
Guided Insight Life Coach
42.303780
-83.378959
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The death of 15-year-old Jaime Gonzalez has shaken this neighborhood along the U.S.-Mexico border, where parents already burdened by economic woes and street gangs are now faced with explaining the tragedy to their children.
Making it especially hard: It remains unclear to his parents and investigators why Jaime — a drum major who danced in his church’s annual religious festival, stayed out of gangs and had two parents who closely watched him — could swerve off course and bring a weapon to school. The weapon, police later determined, was a pellet gun. (link)
Reading this article makes me think about many things. The sadness the parents and friends must feel, the questions it opens and the wounds that will never heal. It makes me think about the questioning and second guessing the officers must be going thru, did we have to shoot to kill, did we do the right thing. It makes me wounded what was going on in the head of this young man, whom, by all reports I have read, seems like a normal 15 year old, staying clean and out of trouble.
It’s a sad story, and I truly feel for the parents and all involved, I pray for the young mans soul, and that God will have mercy on him. But I feel that there is more to the story, that we are missing something…. I’m not say he was not a good boy, or that that parents were not good parents, but there is something missing…
I would have to say that most likely what was missing was community, safety and security with in the community. we all have hear that is take a village to raise a child, and its true. Think about it, we spend more time outside of the family than we do in it, as a school aged young man, he spent more hours away from home than in the home. Be it at the school or hanging out with friends. And that is as it should be, that is how a young man becomes a man. But the dynamics of that “village” plays a roll, a very big roll…
The village is not a physical location as much as it is a concept. The boundaries of the village grow and the youth grows, as a 8 year old, his village most likely was school and home, maybe daycare. His friends were local and his parents had more control over who he played with and not. As he grew, so did his village, as a 15 year old his village would now include more physical space, able to go more places and hang with more types of people. His school becomes just one of many places with in the village. And his parents influence is, to some degree, less than the influence of his friends. And all this is as it should be, the process of growing up, and becoming a young man.
It is this force that helps shape the boy into a man, and by all accounts it seemed to be doing a fine job. So what happen, what made this young man bring a gun, all-be-it a harmless gun, but still a gun, to school. What possessed him to run thru the halls, refusing to put it down? All questions we will never know the answer to. Sad… Very sad…
But now this is were faith comes in, the parents must have faith that they did the best they could, that they did not let there son down, and faith that God, in HIs own way, will make it all clear to them. But we must also examine the village, and see were, if any, safety nets may have failed. Was there a sign that was over looked, was he crying for help, but know one noticed, or cared to take action. Just questions…
God Bless
Paul W Sposite
42.303780
-83.378959
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"Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic." — General Logan – May 5, 1868
"If it is considered a holiday, why is it so? I consider it to be a national day of mourning. This is how we observe this day in our home. Because of what that day represents the rest of the days of the year are our holidays." — F L Lloyd West Chester, Pa USA – February 26, 2000
"In 1999 I laid flowers at the grave of a young U.S. fighter pilot who was KIA in my village in 1945. In the Netherlands I know of schools ‘adopting’ graves of Allied servicemen, keeping those graves in excellent condition! Does anybody know of adopting graves in the U.S. by schools?
Sincerely,
Paul Patist
Castricum, The Netherlands – Tue May 15 04:50:29 2001"
With Memorial Day upon us, let is all stop and take a second to honor our vets, fallen and alive. Let us stand and salute them for there valiant efforts. Let us lay a flower at the grave of a fallen American hero and say a silent prayer of thanksgiving. Let us take sometime to stop and reflect upon what they and there families have sacrificed for us all. Fly the flag with pride and thank God that you live in America, where freedom lives.
Sure, have your BBQ and beer, eat a hot dog and enjoy, but before you eat, bow your hear and give thanks for the freedom you enjoy. God has blessed America with brave young men and woman, God has granted us freedom and courage and has guided our nation to prosperity. Now let us take a moment to thank Him and the brave members of our military.
God Bless
Paul
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With the midterm elections almost here, my mind is totally set to politics…. I can’t help it, I love politics. So I am sure the next month of so of blogs will be political in tone, so for the non-political readers, I am sorry… But maybe with this being the most important midterm election is some years, maybe you should be a little more interested.
Last week the GOP issued there Pledge to America, a document outlining the direction and concerns of the GOP and America. It covers the basics, jobs, heath care, government spending and ethics with in government. I will admit the details where sparse, but I truly didn’t expect details what I expected was what I got, a direction an outline of what the GOP hopes to accomplish.
The document placed blame mostly on the liberals, as to be expected, but it also laid blame on the GOP, at least a few times, so that was a nice surprise. I may be a conservative, but I know that both parties are to blame, I like President Bush (2) but I also know that he and his congress spent way to much. I also know that Obama and his gang has out spent every President in History, taking in to account inflation. So I will take the Bush spending over the Obama spending any day of the week. But that’s not the point, the point is that the GOP really have a chance to do something big here, to use this time of economic crises as a time to renew America, to return her to her constitutional roots and to allow the government to operate the way the founding fathers intended it to.
May Americans feel that it is the job and responsibility of the Federal Government to provide for them, to care for them and to fix all the social and personal ills of our great country. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Federal Governments job is to protect our borders, to provide a safe country to live in and to govern our international affairs, the rest, as they say, is up to you, or in this case the states.
Each state has a responsibility to her citizens, based on that states constitution. It is the states that care for themselves concerning her own, not the federal government. Our founding fathers understood this one basic and simple fact, that the larger the federal government gets the fewer freedoms her citizens enjoy.
The writes of our constitution understood that the local governing body was better equipped to deal with and care for her own. It is the responsibility of the local government, be it city, town or village to care for her citizens, not Uncle Sam. If the local village is unable to support her people, than the county or state should. The founding fathers also knew that the privet sector was an integral part of the process. That our churches and civic groups and the everyday citizens are the best at caring for there own.
How can I state this, what makes me think that our founding fathers were considering the Catholic Church or the local VFW halls are best equipped to deal with the community. The simple fact that the founding fathers did not include in to the constitution a welfare system. The act of omission was not an oversight on there part, but rather a deliberate act to empower the American people.
The GOP have pledged to return some of the power taken from the states back to the states, it is a small step, but a step in the right direction none-the-less. We will see, we are use to campaign promises never being met, but I am hopeful that this time they will do as they promise, if not 2012 will be a true revolution, we will overthrow the government (all-be-it via the ballot box) and remake our government in to the government it was meant to be. Small, lean and mostly quiet in our daily lives.
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It is hard to believe that it is July already, it seems that Christmas was just last week, and now here we are into the Summer of 2010. How time really does fly.
As of late I have have been thinking about time, its passing mostly. How it is hard to believe that my dad passed away over 13 years ago or how my mom has been gone for over 3 years or even that my dog George has been gone 5 months already. Time, it just keeps on a passin’ me by…
It may be that I am getting older and my immortality is becoming something I am thinking about. But I’m only halfway to 88, so I’m not that old, am I? Or it could be that I am just in a very melancholy mood, just drifting along. Time keeps on drifting into the future, that’s what the song states, but me, I keep on drifting into the past.
the other day I was watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, I love that movie, and was remembering when I first saw it. How I thought that the car was real and could do all the wonderful things shown in the movie. How simple it all was. I remember seeing it at the drive in theater, eating popcorn from a large brown paper grocery bag and drinking town club soda from a bottle. We brought our own snacks along with us, much cheaper that way. I remember the little play area in front of the screen were us kids could swing and play and they even had a free train ride. So much simpler back than.
I think that’s what I am looking for, the simpler times. In today’s world of complex, the simpler gets lost. I miss that, I crave it and I try to recreate it in my life today. Sometimes I achieve it, like when I spend the day at Greenfield Village or Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island. But they are sadly to far between visits and the complex invades my time.
Simpler is better it seems to me. Take new math, what was wrong with the old math, 2+2=4 in both, so why make it more complex? Look at our family life, everyone needs planners and play dates and taxi service and social networks and ipods and this pod and that pod. To complex! What ever happen to just going out and finding a pick-up game of kick ball or baseball, simpler is better.
I don’t know, maybe I am just getting old, and I just want things to slow down, but I am only 44, that’s not old. But maybe I am.. Who knows. But I think its more than that, I think I am on to something here, I think life has become to complex and the American Life needs to slow down and return to a simpler, less complex, time. We need to rediscover the fun in just being together as a family, we need to experience the joy of a good old fashion picnic or a day exploring the small towns and villages that surround us.
I remember how I use to love being with my family, my mom and dad and all my brothers and sisters. I remember vacations and outings with a smile on my face and warmth with in me. The simplicity of it all was magical! As I got old I remember enjoying just spending time together, maybe taking a Sunday drive or just sitting around, the complexities left behind, no text messaging, no cell phone calls and no laptop and wireless for my social networking. We just spent time, eating, drinking and laughing together. Today is much to complex, this idea of instant contact and constant updates is out of hand. We place ourselves upon pedestals of grandeur and market ourselves and important. We update or twitter, just incase someone wants to know we are eating a hotdog or we facebook the world to let them know we just finished the dishes, and all the time fooling ourselves that people truly do want to know or need to know.
To complex and to self absorbed, I prefer the simplicity of times gone by, I prefer the face to face over the facebook to facebook. Sure I have a facebook account and I check it daily and update my status. I have a blog, as you well know, and update it I even have a linked in account and a 4marks account. I use email and texted messaging and only use a cell phone, no landline at all. And yes sometimes I get caught up in all the complexities of the world, but I truly long for the simplicities of yesterday.
I long for the days when once again I would believe that a car can fly and magic was real. I miss the times of long summer nights spent outside playing four corners or a game of whiffel ball.
God Bless
Paul
| Romans 12:3“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”
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Today I spent a little time looking at a website that list different roadside attractions through out the country, http://www.roadsideamerica.com/. It was like a walk down memory lane. I remember when I was younger visiting some of the places listed. Sadly most are closed, but still it was nice to read about them and to see photos of some of them. It did bring back to mind the simplicity of youth that seems to be missing now. One of the remarks I read about the closing of one roadside attraction was on the spot, it basically stated that today’s youth are to tech savvy, if it’s not a the fastest or tallest or a video game its uninteresting.
I remember one place we visited when I was young, it was a western town. You saw gun fights took a train ride and walked around the town feeling like you were in the old west. I have not been there in years, but I do remember the happy feeling I got from being there. It was simplistic but at the same time I was completely entertained. But today youth seem to have a need to be constantly stimulated.
I noticed this when I take my nephew to Greenfield Village in Dearborn Michigan, an History attraction that Henry Ford created. I love that place that I even have a membership so I can go anytime I want. Even though I have seen all the attractions, several times, I still love to go, I love to just walk around and enjoy the park. But my nephew sees no use in visiting more than once, once was enough for him. No action, just old buildings and house, that’s all he sees. Me, I see living history, I see an America that was young and vibrant, one that was full of power and lust for life.
The memories of the roadside attractions are strong, and it must be something in me that makes me love them so much. I travel to Mackinac every year, the upper most part of lower Michigan, and it could be argued that the whole city is nothing more than one roadside attraction, but to me it is a slice of heaven. Not sure what attracts me to them, but if I had to venture a guess I would say its the simplicity of it all. The fact that no cars are allowed on the Island or the fact that you can ride a bike around the whole Island or is it the shops that all sell the same little trinkets. What ever it is, I just love it!
I will, once again go to Greenfield village and Mackinac this year and I will visit all the same spots as the years before and do the same things I have done in the years that have passed, and I will get the same great joy out of them that I did the very first time I visited them.
Sure I love to visit new places, and sure I like the big fast and tall rides, but I prefer the simplicity of a Mackinac or Greenfield village to anything else. Even when I travel to India or Germany or any other place I am sent, I always visit the roadside attractions, the castles or manor homes or Churches. They bring me the greatest joy of all. call me silly or any other name you wish, but I just love places like that.
God Bless
Paul
| Ephesians 6:4“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
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Life is good, God is good and everything will be Okay… That’s we all are saying a lot of in Michigan, or at least we should be. With the economy in a down turn here in Michigan a lot of people are without jobs, or prospects of jobs. It’s a sad state here. Times are hard, and in hard times we need to learn to look to the Lord, he will offer to carry your burden, lighten the load, if only we would let him.
Too many of us are of the mindset that we must do it all ourselves, not to let anyone help us out. Not very Christian of us; the bible is full of stories about helping each other out in hard times. We just need to put our ego (Edging God Out) aside and let others help out.
The Ego is once again a cause of many of our situations, we are too proud to ask for help, we are too proud to accept what is offered. We are better that that job or this job. Man, do we have problems!
If we look back over our history, the community and family took care of its own, and the Church took care of all of us, Catholic or not. We did what we had to, we needed to survive and we learned how to do just that by placing our Ego aside.
Thank God I still have a job, but I know many who do not, and I offer what little I have to help them out, it’s nothing special, I am just being what God calls me to be, Christ to others. Sure sometimes it may come off as fake, and sometimes I do it not because I want to but because I feel I have to. But either way, I am doing God’s work. I am human, and I often times fail to have the heart of God, I fail to see my fellow man as God would he him, I fail to offer my soul to all I meet. But I keep plugging away, doing the best I can, working in with fallen nature, no work opposite of it.
Many of us will allow our fallen nature take over, we give in to it. I do it, more than I would like to admit. But I know my faults, and I know I am only human, so I try to push myself, go outside of my comfort zone, and leave my Ego where it belongs, hidden away.
If you have read any of my past blogs, you will know that the Ego, to me, is the root of all sins, it is out mark on our souls. It is the gift that Adam and Eve, our first parents, left us. How lucky we are, NOT!
Maybe the current situation is a corrective action from God, a way to get us back to basics, back to what matters most, God, Faith, Family and friends. We all need to learn to care for each other. There is an old saying that it takes a village to raise a child, how true that is. And we are all children of God, and we all live in one large village, the village called earth. As Catholics, we have a responsibility to care for each other, to help raise the children of God. To do all we can to lift up the human race.
In the tough economic times we are in, this village must put its Ego aside; we must rise to the challenge and help out our fellow man.
Paul
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