I was just listening to some music, and R.E.M.'s hit, "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)", took me by surprise.
As Michael Stipe is rattling off a list of world events at breakneck pace, then careens into his chorus, I can't help but think of the sorry, topsy-turvy state of our world as Americans.
And I am frightened.
Yeah, a two-time combat vet is literally petrified with fear, and not at guns or rockets, mortars or IEDs. No, I fear the unknown.
Our culture is in complete shambles: we have lost any and all sense of personal accountability in our society.
Can't pay your mortgage? Don't worry, we'll bail you out.
Got pregnant out of wedlock? Don't worry, we'll make sure you can abort your unborn child.
Can't pay your bills? No problem, you can declare bankruptcy.
Can't keep your multi-billion dollar shell-game of a company profitable? Don't worry, we'll bail you out.
Can't provide for yourself? Don't worry, we'll take from the people that can and give it to you.
Wall Street is on the front page, while Soldiers protecting and fighting for the newest of democracies are relegated to the nosebleed section of the New York Times. In July of this year (2008), there were 13 Coalition Service members that gave their lives protecting the fledgling democracy in Iraq. In Senator Barack H. Obama's hometown of Chicago, 62 people were murdered in that same period.
You won't see that little tidbit on the front page, I assure you.
But here we are, a little over a month from a Presidential Election during one of the most pivotal times in our nation's history, and no one is talking about the one most important issue: our War on Terror.
While admittedly, I have not been brainwashed by the ramblings of the silver-tongued devil (well, silver-tongued only in the presence of a teleprompter), my vote is based on one thing, and one thing only: which of the candidates will lead our nation to victory in this, the noblest of endeavors? Which of the candidates will maintain our Honor?
The same man who exemplified Duty, Honor, Country, and most importantly, Personal Courage and Responsibility for five-and-a-half years in the Hanoi Hilton. The same man who suspended his campaign in order to go back to Washington and execute his duties as an elected representative of his constituency. The same man whose Presidential campaign was in the direst of straits, when he bet the farm on the New Hampshire Republican Primary, and won big. The same man who listened to the wishes of eighteen million Americans who were wanting "Change", and took a politically gifted Army Mom over any old permanent fixture on Capitol Hill (yeah, I'm looking at you, Sen. Biden). The same man, when we were in the darkest days in combat in Iraq, pushed for and got the Surge of forces that broke the backs of Al Qaeda in Iraq.
See, it's one thing to talk about change; and it's another thing entirely to actually carry out change. I have a feeling that America is on the verge of waking up from this ridiculous slumber and seeing things for the way they really are. America is on the verge of realizing what it really means to put Country First.
Yeah. "It's the End Of The World As We Know It"...
And I feel fine.
As Michael Stipe is rattling off a list of world events at breakneck pace, then careens into his chorus, I can't help but think of the sorry, topsy-turvy state of our world as Americans.
And I am frightened.
Yeah, a two-time combat vet is literally petrified with fear, and not at guns or rockets, mortars or IEDs. No, I fear the unknown.
Our culture is in complete shambles: we have lost any and all sense of personal accountability in our society.
Can't pay your mortgage? Don't worry, we'll bail you out.
Got pregnant out of wedlock? Don't worry, we'll make sure you can abort your unborn child.
Can't pay your bills? No problem, you can declare bankruptcy.
Can't keep your multi-billion dollar shell-game of a company profitable? Don't worry, we'll bail you out.
Can't provide for yourself? Don't worry, we'll take from the people that can and give it to you.
Wall Street is on the front page, while Soldiers protecting and fighting for the newest of democracies are relegated to the nosebleed section of the New York Times. In July of this year (2008), there were 13 Coalition Service members that gave their lives protecting the fledgling democracy in Iraq. In Senator Barack H. Obama's hometown of Chicago, 62 people were murdered in that same period.
You won't see that little tidbit on the front page, I assure you.
But here we are, a little over a month from a Presidential Election during one of the most pivotal times in our nation's history, and no one is talking about the one most important issue: our War on Terror.
While admittedly, I have not been brainwashed by the ramblings of the silver-tongued devil (well, silver-tongued only in the presence of a teleprompter), my vote is based on one thing, and one thing only: which of the candidates will lead our nation to victory in this, the noblest of endeavors? Which of the candidates will maintain our Honor?
The same man who exemplified Duty, Honor, Country, and most importantly, Personal Courage and Responsibility for five-and-a-half years in the Hanoi Hilton. The same man who suspended his campaign in order to go back to Washington and execute his duties as an elected representative of his constituency. The same man whose Presidential campaign was in the direst of straits, when he bet the farm on the New Hampshire Republican Primary, and won big. The same man who listened to the wishes of eighteen million Americans who were wanting "Change", and took a politically gifted Army Mom over any old permanent fixture on Capitol Hill (yeah, I'm looking at you, Sen. Biden). The same man, when we were in the darkest days in combat in Iraq, pushed for and got the Surge of forces that broke the backs of Al Qaeda in Iraq.
See, it's one thing to talk about change; and it's another thing entirely to actually carry out change. I have a feeling that America is on the verge of waking up from this ridiculous slumber and seeing things for the way they really are. America is on the verge of realizing what it really means to put Country First.
Yeah. "It's the End Of The World As We Know It"...
And I feel fine.
