Excellent article on the Constitution

Friend of the blog, Gabriel, just posted an article on his blog Proclaim Liberty about the 17th Amendment to the Constitution that is very enlightening as to our current problems in Congress. I highly recommend it!

Thanks, Gabriel--Excellent work!

Glenn Beck's Speech at America's Freedom Festival

I just watched America's Freedom Festival on BYU-TV's website. It is worth taking a few minutes to watch. Glenn Beck was the featured speaker and gave a truly inspirational, uplifting speech. It was fantastic--with a great message for each of us.
Here's the link to watch it: www.byutv.org/patrioticservice/

Enjoy!

The Cause of Human Freedom

Reagan’s Remarks on Lighting the Statue of Liberty Torch (July 3, 1986):
"For love of liberty, Americans championed and still champion, even in times of peril, the cause of human freedom in far-off lands." Read Reagan's inspirational speech in it's entirety.

You Could Have Heard A Pin Drop

When in England , at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of "empire building" by George Bush.

He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United
States has sent many of its fine young men and women
into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders.
The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return
is enough to bury those that did not return.'

You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of theFrench engineers came back into the room saying 'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?'

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly:
'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several
thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?'

You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries.

Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English.' He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?'

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied 'Maybe it's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'

You could have heard a pin drop.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE...

Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes
to locate his passport in his carry on.

You have been to France before, monsieur?' the customs officer asked sarcastically.

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously

'Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.'

The American said, ''The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it.

'Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France!'

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained, ''Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to.'

You could have heard a pin drop.

Freedom

"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." ~ Ronald Reagan

3 new additions from Jared Turner

A special thank you to Mormon-Patriot contributer, Jared Turner, for allowing us to add his poignant and inspirational poems to the blog. He's a great poet and a patriot.

Enjoy!

In God We Trust?

Oh, America will you depart from our timeless motto
That once seemed it would never rust.
The motto that is sublime in simplicity
That boldly states: “In God We Trust”.
This phrase once gave us the greatest power on earth
There was nothing to us of greater worth,
Than the freedom of all people—we would fight for it at all costs
Our forefathers shed blood and gave their lives; oh how great was their loss.
Suffering and sacrifice were their frequent foes
Many of lives were lost from other nations’ blows.
While in the depths of despair they called upon God
They trusted in his strength, because theirs was the noble cause.
And what was their cause? Only to raise up a nation unto Him
With “freedom for all”, especially that of religion.
Freedom, they believed, was given freely from Him
Because we are His beloved children.
Triumphant they were in establishing this choice nation and land
And who can deny it was by His omnipotent hand!
Surely He granted unto them His strength
To endure their trials and “conquer at length”.
And now after many years have passed away
We are clothed with wealth in such splendid array.
We enjoy freedom and all of life’s pleasures
Our lives are much easier because of technological treasures.
But all this progression has not come without cost
For much of our morals and virtue seem lost.
A flood of problems ail our society
Our suffering from them span a vast variety.
Experts and philosophers debate the reasons for our state of despair
Solution are sought for almost everywhere
I believe there is only one basic problem of our nation’s state
And only one basic remedy that will change our fate.
We are forsaking the God in whom we did trust
And in return, I fear, He is forsaking us.
We Have Banned Him from our classrooms where the future of our country is ensured.
We have banned Him from our courtrooms where our present justice and freedom are assured
For the solution we must only look back to the foundation upon which this country was built.
When our founding fathers gave our nation a key—a key that will never rust
It is contained in four simple words: “IN GOD WE TRUST.”

Jared Kimball Turner
1999

Used with Permission. All Rights Reserved.

Star-Spangled Banner

Twas September 14^th of 1814,

Amidst the British bomb and missile attacks

That Francis Scott Key, stranded on a boat

With fear and hope within him asked:

Oh say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

After generations and many years have past

This is the question I pose to you

The very same question, which plagued Mr. Key

I ask it again today anew:

Oh say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

To us, that Flag has been much more than colored cloth

It has kept our ideals clean and clear

While raised, it represents our visions and dreams

And all that we hold dear.

From freedom, liberty, courage and virtue

To the recognition of God’s sustaining hand

Our Star-Spangled Banner in representation

Has ever flown over our land.

Do we still raise these ideals high

Unfeigned, clear, and bold

As an example for the world to see

And encourage them to seek and uphold?

Is our land still filled

With freedom’s holy light?

Do we still have the brave

Who will stand up and fight?

So, today, with fear and hope

Much like Francis Scott Key

I ask the very same question

To you and me:

Oh say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Jared Kimball Turner

July 4, 2005

Used with Permission. All Rights Reserved.

Song of Liberty

How beautiful and sweet is the taste of liberty

But she hasn’t been experienced much throughout history.

For when once achieved, she can become rotten

If lessons once learned are then forgotten.

Then, this once sought after priceless gem

Is twisted and stretched to the whim of men.

Until she is no longer our beloved liberty

But merely in disguise she becomes moral anarchy.

Yes, liberty can be taken to an extreme

To accept all actions of men, howe're obscene.

Until the line between what’s right and wrong begins to disappear

And truth and error, though once far apart, begin to draw near.

Until what was once up and what was once down

Are not that anymore, they are turned around.

No longer can we say what was right is still right and what was wrong is still wrong,

For that is a close-minded, unintellectual, silly old song.

So the intellectuals give us lyrics for the new modern song,

But I would encourage you not to sing along.

Their voices grow louder with each passing year

And if you listen carefully, this is what you will hear:

“Nothing is truly right or truly wrong, it depends on what you perceive them to be,

So simply seek after that which makes you happy.

“And we must have tolerance—tolerance for everything immoral and obscene.”

This is the song of the intellectual left wing.

But I caution you of this tolerance for things immoral and obscene,

For tolerance grows to acceptance, then to embrace, and onto mainstream!

Be careful of this modern tune with all its promises and splendor

It is not fit for a friend of liberty, as it forces our virtue to surrender.

And so without our virtue, what will we have then?

We may have pleasure for a time, but it will soon end.

For a people that cease to have virtue will soon cease to be free,

Because virtue is an essential pillar for a free society.

Freedom is a precious, sweet tree that must be pruned by morality.

She cannot be allowed to grow wild, or she will become bitter anarchy.

So, I will continue to sing my silly old song

Of what’s right is still right and what’s wrong is still wrong.

And I would encourage you in one great throng

To please join with me and sing along.

You must join in, for as the opponents will suppose

A voice not raised is a voice not opposed.

Let not the silent majority be silent anymore,

But with all my heart I plead and implore:

Come, come sing my chorus with me

And see if we can preserve our precious liberty.

Jared Kimball Turner

Used with Permission. All Rights Reserved.