Guest Editorial
BY CAROLYN ABELL, LTC U.S. | JANUARY 12, 2011
2010 in retrospect
It might be easy to look at the negatives that prevailed during the past year. Unemployment has continued to rise. The local newspaper has several pages filled with home and business foreclosure notices, while the "Help Wanted" section has been temporarily shut down for lack of content.
Even worse, the enemies of freedom in our own beloved country continue efforts to chip away at the fundamental rights established by the United States Constitution, with special focus on that hallmark of democracy: freedom of speech.
I listened with open-mouthed astonishment recently as West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller publicly stated that he would like to see FOX News and MSNBC shut down.
In response to these negatives, however, I have seen a surge of patriotism and determination not demonstrated in this country since World War II.
The voice of the citizenry rose to an assertive roar in the November elections, as "We the People" reclaimed a solid majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and regained several Senate seats.
Similar victories were evident in state governorships and other state and local offices.
People who had never before donated to political campaigns dug deep and offered their personal investment in America's future.
The realization that we put our money where our heart is, became a truism previously overlooked. I watched with pride as Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally in Washington in August drew close to a hundred thousand Americans. Ordinary, law-abiding, God-loving citizens just like me went there to demonstrate their belief in our country's heritage and their faith in its future.
TEA Party patriots, in spite of malicious, unwarranted attacks from a liberal press and even from some elected Congressional representatives, have forged a solid bond of determination to reclaim our country.
Enduring hostile, demeaning, and often vulgar assaults, and sometimes even false accusations, has only made us stronger and resilient as we focus on reclaiming our country.
A slumbering majority has truly been aroused from its complacence, and we are working hard to reestablish the principles that made this country strong from its inception. We are speaking up and making our voices heard.
George Santayana said, "Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness … Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to fulfil it." The most basic tenet of not forgetting the past, is to know what actually happened in the past.
We have learned that a lot of the American "history" we learned in school had been rewritten by people who didn't like the way it actually happened, so revised it to suit their own ideas.
Now people like Dr. David Barton, a Christian historian who has dedicated years of study and research into our national documents, has made some enlightening DVDs in his American Heritage series, that faithfully reconstruct much of the historical setting of our nation's foundation, including the fact that the vast majority of our founding fathers were deeply religious and unashamedly Christian – not deists, like some so-called "historians" would have us believe.
One of the most significant signs of promise in our country is the fight to stop wanton federal spending and demand fiscal accountability. The sight of Greek citizens rioting in the streets is a harbinger of what could happen in this country if we don't eliminate unnecessary expenditures.
Citizens' demands for the prudent use of OUR money is a bold reminder to newly elected officials that we will not tolerate broken promises. Their job is clearly established, and voters will be watching their actions for compliance.
Finally, one of the most rewarding things I noticed about 2010 was a revival of faith and overwhelming gratitude to God for His blessings. A political candidate who attended our local TEA Party meeting during his campaign made a statement that impressed me more than anything else he said. He was an Air Force reserve officer who had been sent for a tour in Iraq.
In evaluating the many lessons he had learned from that experience, he said, "I used to be very quiet about my faith. But my experience in a war zone has given me new courage and pride in being a Christian, and I am not embarrassed or ashamed of it." He isn't the only one who realizes that except for God's blessings, our country could be another war zone. May we continue to praise Almighty God and rely on Him even more during 2011!
Carolyn Abell is a Desert Storm veteran who retired from the United States Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1995. She lives in south Georgia and has published numerous op-ed columns, as well as newspaper and magazine articles. She is a member of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) and is actively involved in church and community volunteer.
Originally published on gulf1.com. Republished in REAL NEWS newsletter, both on December 30.
