That Shining City on a Hill

Happy New Year Folks,



I hope that all of you had a terrific holiday and that the New Year will bring you many blessings. Now I know a lot of you are excited about the new Congress being run by the Republicans and can’t wait for them to reverse a lot of the damage caused by the previous Congress but, I warn you to be very vigilant. As Rodney and I have said in the past “watch what the other hand is doing.”


Now I am going to get into the “uncomfortable” place for many of us (including myself) and that is the responsibility that we have so long forgotten about, defending the Constitution.


“We the People” are the protectors of our Republic; “We the People” are the ones who shouldn’t have let things get so out of hand; “We the People” are actually responsible for where we are. Now, I am as guilty as the next guy when it comes to being easily distracted from this sacred duty to defend our Constitution. I mean think about it, what is it that you devote your attention to? We put our National responsibility on the back burner and occupy our free time with other, more entertaining things like sports (guilty), American Idol (not guilty), good times with friends (guilty), going to the movies (guilty), or amusement parks (guilty). Ask yourselves this, prior to getting upset with the current situation, how many times did you contact a politician to let them know how you felt? How many times did you debate others about the Constitutionality of a law? Heck, how many of you knew so much about our history?


I remember as a Boy Scout (yes, I was a Boy Scout) taking an oath “to do my duty to God and my country”, and again in the military taking an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…So help me God”, have I lived up to either oath? Sadly, I have not.


What happened to me happens to most of us, life. But what is life (I know, deep question)? Do you think you have a reason for being here (deeper question)? Is it what you are doing now or is it something bigger? I’m sorry to get so deep here but think about it, if we don’t pay attention to where our country is headed, and if we continue to let the politicians run the country the way they have over the last 100 years where will we be next? We must be vigilant and educated or things will not change.


Ronald Reagan often stated that America was a shining city upon a hill and that we were the last great hope of freedom loving people the world over. Now, with that in mind, what would the world be like were we to give up the fight, to just sit back and be entertained by our distractions? We are more than half way there now! If we don’t wake up and wake up others the “Last Great Hope” may well be gone.


“Let us resolve tonight that young Americans will always ... find there a city of hope in a country that is free.... And let us resolve they will say of our day and our generation, we did keep the faith with our God, that we did act worthy of ourselves, that we did protect and pass on lovingly that shining city on a hill." — Ronald Reagan



Until Next Time,

Mike