Memorial Day 2010

Just another day?

Memorial Day began on May 30, 1868 and was observed throughout the United States to commemorate the members of the armed forces who gave their lives during the various wars in which this nation had been engaged. Since World War I this date has been used to commemorate the dead of all our wars. The ceremonies are now sponsered by various Veterans Organizations.

On this Memorial Day we have so many thing to be thankful for, not the least of which is our freedom to choose how we observe this day. To many, it is just another holiday making a long weekend to eat, drink and be merry. To others, like myself , it will be a day spent quietly contemplating what our world would be like today but for those brave young men and women who gave their lives so that we might have that choice. Being a veteran myself still doesn't give me any special insights into why our world seems to be collapsing in upon itself.
While we commemorate this day as a holiday and honor (hopefully) those who died, if not for us, at least to keep our basic rights intact, the news from all across our great nation is bad and appears to be getting worse. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, bad to begin with, is now
threatening to destroy forever the livelihood of thousands of families living along the coast. If it takes another two months to bring it under control we will all be affected by it. Pray that it don't take that long. Then there is the illegal immigration problems, not only in Arizona but all across our southern border. People in Washington say the Arizona Law is unconstitutional but even if it is, it wouldn't be necessary if the Federal Government enforced the constitution. Read it for yourself.

Article 4, Section 4 of our constitution states that: "The United States shall guarantee to every state in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against Domestic Violence." How much clearer would you ask it to be?? The Governor of Arizona has ask for help from Washington several times but has been ignored. What was left for them to do but to attempt to protect themselves??

I am now and always have been against illegal immigration. We have laws to deal with such matters and everyone should obey the laws of this country if they want to live here even though I will have to admit that one of my ancestors may have been associated with a group of people which inadverently came into this country without proper documentation. If not for that hardy group of pioneers the settlement called Jamestown in the Colony of Virginia may have been lost forever but on the other hand, I pray that it is not because my blood has cooled and my passion for freedom diminished that my Cherokee heritage no longer yearns to see the white man's blood spilled on the field of battle and it has been years now since I've felt the urge to take a scalp. Have a great Memorial Day. Thanks, stay tuned William