Crying Fowl over Free Speech

Crying Fowl over Free Speech
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
August 4, 2012

It’s not about Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A is merely the conduit to a larger dust-up – that of the First Amendment right of free speech and the denial by fascist mayors of legal institutions to conduct business in “their” cities.

The backstory is about Chick-fil-A and its president, Dan Cathy, expressing an opinion early in July that marriage is a Biblically-based institution and his commitment to marriage being a man-woman union sanctified by G-d.

“We are very much supportive of the family – the Biblical definition of the family unit,” said Cathy in an interview with the Baptist Press, according to commentator Cal Thomas in his July 29 editorial “Chickening out on free speech.”

That quote was widely unnoticed for several weeks until it was “discovered” that Cathy and Chick-fil-A contributes financially to conservative organizations such as the Family Research Council. As if Chick-fil-A’s conservative credentials were ever in question. After all, the 1,615-plus-restaurant chain, headquartered in Atlanta, and spread liberally throughout the Bible Belt has been closed on Sundays since its inception in 1967.

However, once the homosexual lobby and liberal media determined that Cathy shouldn’t contribute money his company earned to organizations of his choosing, the culture war entered yet another front.

The liberal mayors of liberal cities Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, DC – yes, that’s two liberals in the same sentence, three if you count this one, but those mayors and cities are just that far to the left, have vowed to keep Chick-fil-A out of “their” cities.

“Chick-fil-A values are not Chicago values,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, in support of a city alderman who declared he will block any proposed Chick-fil-A in his district.

Yes, Chicago values include murders on an almost daily basis, illegal drugs as available as aspirin, out of wedlock birth reaching epidemic proportions and a public school system on the verge of imploding.

“There is no place for discrimination on Boston’s Freedom Trail and no place for your company alongside it,” wrote Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to Cathy.

Chick-fil-A is not discriminating against any group. All paying customers are welcome – gay, straight, black, white, yellow, brown.

Additionally, in what could be viewed as a threatening tweet, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee wrote that “the closest Chick-fil-A to San Francisco is 40 miles away, and I strongly recommend that they not try to come any closer.”

The words of those mayors smacks of fascism. Yes, fascism, because they are single-handedly attempting to thwart potential efforts of a legal enterprise to conduct business in cities where all they need do is apply for the proper permits through the city departments that handle such applications. As in most typical American cities, mayors serve alongside a city council and all members have but a single vote.

In the case of Emanuel, his brand of hypocrisy goes pretty deep. As chief of staff under the Barack Obama administration that was opposed to gay marriage, Emanuel did not stand on principles and resign his position.

Now that Emanuel has come out of the closet in favor of gay marriage, is it only restaurants he opposes? Why has he not spoken out against the virulently anti-Semitic and anti-gay Louis Farrakhan who is negotiating with the city to help reduce the out of control homicide rate? Farrakhan is OK, but Cathy is not?

Reverend William Owens of the Coalition of African-American Pastors declared his own and his organization’s fervent support of the Biblical definition of marriage a la Dan Cathy and there has not been a single word of protest against the Pastors group. They have as much right to opine on this or any other issue as does Cathy without recrimination, threats of boycotts or threats of being barred from an entire city.

Are the economies in the cities of Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, DC thriving to such an extent that their mayors can afford to turn away business? And steady, stable, popular business at that. In fact, franchisees are local owners, not a corporate executive. Chick-fil-A hires thousands and thousands of people, serves thousands and thousands of people regardless of race, creed, or religious affiliation.

This is not about chicken, but about standing up for one’s rights as people of faith. Recently, Catholics came under fire over the issue of free contraceptives being mandated by Obamacare. Now Christians are being harassed and bullied by so-called tolerant liberals – tolerant, of course only to their own opinions. And this is not just a Christian issue. Observant Jews also subscribe to the Biblical view and definition of marriage.

This is an issue of freedom of speech, something guaranteed in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Cathy has the right to opine on his belief of the definition of marriage. The mayors of the aforementioned cities have their rights of free speech as well, but they do not have the right to deny commerce opportunities to businesses with whose owners they disagree politically and religiously.

There is a fundamental difference between liberals and conservatives. When liberals don’t agree with a business or television or radio program, they call for it to be shut down or cancelled so no one has access to it. When conservatives do not like a business or media program, they simply patronize another business or change the channel. They believe in the rights of businesses to conduct business and for people to enjoy their First Amendment rights.

No one seems to be calling for the elimination of Starbucks, Apple, or Amazon – all of whose owners contribute substantially to gay causes. If someone finds Howard Schultz’s contributions to gay causes offensive, they are welcome to not patronize Starbucks.

Don’t agree with Cathy, don’t go to Chick-fil-A – it’s that simple, but you have no right to demand the business cease to exist. Go patronize a business with whom you do agree and contribute to their causes, or those of your own beliefs. Build up your causes, don’t tear down others’ causes.

But, if a statement is to be made to the mayors seeking to bar Chick-fil-A from their cities, how would they feel if conventions suddenly shifted from Chicago to Indianapolis, from Boston to Providence, and from San Francisco to Sacramento? What if people from all across the United States who shared Chick-fil-A values suddenly decided to take their vacation dollars away from the cities whose mayors said Chick-fil-A values are not Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, or Washington, DC values? Surely those cities would feel the bite and all the mayors would be left holding is an empty bag and ousting on Election Day.

As Chick-fil-A goes, so goes the nation. The company had its best single day in history on Wednesday, August 1, thanks to former Arkansas Governor and current Fox News Channel host Mike Huckabee, who called for that day to be Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. Restaurants were filled with patrons lined up around blocks, corners, stores, waiting to support a business with which they share values or simply support the right of free speech, even when they may disagree with the values.

As a response, a “kiss-in” was held two days later. This was a plan for members of the homosexual community to arrive en masse at Chick-fil-As and demonstrate their objections to Cathy and his beliefs by kissing at the restaurants. Thousands were expected, yet mere dozens showed up, turning the kiss-in into a kiss-off.

Noting the huge turnout at Chick-fil-A, perhaps to ensure victory in November, Chick-fil-A should begin applying for permits to sell sandwiches at the polling places – of course provided they are the requisite distance from the entrance so as not to be accused of influencing voters. They make money and the voters have a snack while waiting to oust Obama. It's a brilliant combination of democracy and capitalism in action. Oh, and have an iced tea as well.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Not-tany Lions Declawed

Not-tany Lions Declawed
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
July 23, 2012

On the day following the dismantling of the statue of Joe Paterno on the campus of Penn State University the rest of the football program has rightfully suffered a more deeply impacting disabling.

Both the stripping of the campus of the statue of the iconic coach, six months to the day of his death, January 22, and the punishment thrust upon the university were appropriate and overdue. The objections by students on campus at the removal of the statue of Paterno, who coached at Penn State from 1966-2011, is demonstrative of how the culture of sports and hero-worship has far superseded what is right, proper and moral and perhaps indicative of how the NCAA did not go far enough in its punitive actions against the school.

The university, and the football team specifically, have been sanctioned by the NCAA for its complicity in the child abuse sex scandal that rocked the Happy Valley campus to its core last fall. This scandal saw former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky convicted of abusing 10 boys. The true number of young boys molested, violated and/or abused may never be known, and while the lost innocence of those boys can never be replaced, the sanctions against Penn State are a good start. Hopefully, the severity of the punitive actions, while not deep enough, will deliver a message across the nation’s campuses that humanity and morality will trump sports and the protection of so-called heroes at the risk and potential loss of children’s innocence.

Sandusky deserves nothing less than to pay for his vicious crimes with the ultimate penalty – his life. Yes, the death penalty is most appropriate for the perverse and unconscionable crimes of robbing young, impressionable children of their trust, protection and innocence – irrevocably altering their lives. Yet, the sanctions imposed upon Penn State have nothing to do with the ongoing criminal investigations, said Mark Emmert, NCAA president.

Sandusky may be the lowest of the low, but the cover up is just as much a part of this whole sordid tale – just ask the ghost of Richard M. Nixon. As such, the assistant coaches and Paterno are just as complicit, and the university obviously agreed, firing the coach proven to have feet of clay on November 9, 2011, along with relieving Graham Spanier of his duties as university president.

The current regime must now cope with the loss of $60 million – the financial penalty equivalent to one year of football’s gross receipts. The $60 million is to be paid out at $12 million increments over the next five years into an endowment to benefit victims of child sex abuse. This money cannot come at the expense of non-revenue sports or the student-athlete scholarships, yet, while academic sources were not ruled out, Emmert said such a plan would be inappropriate.

Ultimately, I fear a large chunk of this fine will come from the coffers of the taxpayers of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which would be wholly unacceptable.

While not sanctioned with the so-called Death Penalty, the punishment imposed upon Southern Methodist University (SMU) in 1987 for paying players thousands of dollars, the penalties facing Penn State will certainly hamstring the football program for many years to come – presumably long after the penalty phase expires.

“We did not feel the suspension of play would be appropriate,” said Dr. Edward Bay, NCAA Executive Committee Chair and President of Oregon State University.

Such a punishment would send an eye-opening message that this scandal is bigger than the tarnished reputation of Joe Paterno, bigger than football, bigger than sports and certainly bigger than the demands of the fans, boosters and alumni. The need for a cultural change is vital, in spite of the unintended harm that would come from the secession of play for one season.

Clearly arguments can be made on both sides of the death penalty coin. The revenue lost to the university for the six home games, the exposure given to the band and cheerleaders, as well as the income lost to the vendors is at stake. The university would need to pay the schools of the six road games for lost revenue.

But the bigger picture is that the institution of football is not too big to fail; that the culture of sports is not too big to fail. These are tragic circumstances which require harsh and immediate meaningful actions.

For the next four years, 2013-17, Penn State is banned from participating in bowl or other post-season games, including the Big Ten conference championship. As for the conference title game, the university will forfeit about $13 million over the same four year period, also to be donated.

Additionally, the Penn State football program has been sacked in the scholarship department on two levels. The NCAA has limited new annual scholarships from 25 a year down to 15 for each of the next four years in addition to limiting the number of total scholarship players each of the same four years to 65, down from 85.

Clearly this will impact recruitment on top of the post-season ban. Major high school recruits will want to play where they have an opportunity to appear in a bowl or other post-season games. They will likely seek to avail their skills to other programs. On the other hand, Penn State head coach Bill O’ Brien must sell his program to players who might not have the opportunity to earn serious playing time at another major institution.

As for the current squad of Penn State football players, they will be allowed to transfer without the traditional penalty of yielding one year of their eligibility. Should players decide to remain at Penn State and not continue to play football, the university is required to honor the scholarships of those players. And those scholarships would count toward the 65 permitted for that season.

Penn State will also be placed on five years probation during which time it is expected to work with an academic integrity monitor, an independent, third-party to report on Penn State’s progress, at a cost to be absorbed by the university. This is designed to elucidate the university to embrace values appropriate for an institution of higher education complete with the virtues of fair play on the field, positive moral values off the field and a place where children can be nurtured, protected and educated.

This is a “horrifically egregious situation,” said Emmert. “No one feels good about this. This is an unprecedented, painful chapter in the history of intercollegiate athletics.”

“We hope we are never here again,” said Bay.

Former NCAA and NFL coach Lou Holtz predicted “serious fan drop offs” from the more than 100,000 fans per home game to around 50,000.

One additional penalty, with which I found objectionable, but understand the reasoning behind it, is that all wins earned by Penn State and Paterno from 1998 through 2011 will be vacated. The year 1998 was selected as it represents the first reporting of abuse and the failure of Paterno and the university to act appropriately. For the record, 112 wins will be forfeited, all but one under Paterno’s name, dropping him from the winningest Division I coach  down to fifth place with 298 wins behind Bobby Bowden (377), Bear Bryant (323), Pop Warner (319), and Amos Alonzo Stagg (314).

While I understand removing Paterno from the top of that elite list, it also punishes the hundreds of players who presumably had nothing to do with the sex abuse scandal. It offers the implication of on-field cheating by otherwise honest football players. The wins earned by those players on the field should stand.

Make no mistake; I am not defending Paterno, by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, my animus toward Penn State far pre-dates this sex abuse scandal. As any University of Maryland alumnus can site, there is a bad history on the gridiron between the two schools – with Penn State leading Maryland in the all-time series 35 wins, one loss and one tie. Maryland’s lone victory occurred in 1961 and the Terrapins have not won since.

And while I am a tremendous sports fan, I have placed this monstrous scandal in its proper place and perspective. The Pennsylvania State University must suffer the consequences of the actions of its employees. The sanctions will undoubtedly prove deleterious to the football program, but hopefully the message will be received around the nation’s campuses that immoral, lascivious behavior, including, but not limited to, the molestation of children will never again be tolerated or covered up.

Paterno was not G-d and football is not a religion. Amen.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He is an alumnus of the University of Maryland and a member of its Terrapin Club, supporting the scholarship program for athletes.

Pelosi Insanely Links Fast & Furious with Voter Suppression

Pelosi Insanely Links Fast & Furious with Voter Suppression
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
June 21, 2012

US Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s cheese has finally slipped off its cracker. Her elevator is officially not rising to the top floor. She is without a doubt one taco shy of a full combination plate.

To understand what brought on this barrage of “platitudes” toward Pelosi, all one need do is listen to the absolutely convoluted speech she gave on Thursday in response to the decision made Wednesday by the Congressional Oversight and Government Reform Committee to charge Attorney General Eric Holder with contempt of Congress.

“They [the Republicans] are going after Eric Holder because he is trying to overturn voter suppression in the states. This is the plan,” said Pelosi, the House Minority Leader.

In continuing with what she called a “theory,” Pelosi made the illogical and emotional leap from a legitimate charge against a stonewalling Holder, who refuses to provide a congressional committee with the necessary documents to investigate the Fast and Furious gun scandal, to the accusation that the GOP is hell bent on stifling the vote of liberals and minorities.

“These very same people are holding him in contempt are part of a nationwide scheme to suppress the vote. They are closely allied with those who are suffocating the system – unlimited special interests – secret money – and they are poisoning the debate. This is no accident. This is their plan,” said Pelosi in a rambling finger-pointing screed.

US Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) called Pelosi’s comments “beneath the office of Congress,” and “mind-numbingly stupid.”

There must be a separation between Holder’s involvement in the Fast and Furious scandal cover-up and the Holder that is attempting to prevent states from performing their duties of purging their voter rolls of those who should not be permitted to vote. In both cases Holder is wrong. Both cases are supremely significant, but the two are unrelated.

The case before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee pertains to the Fast and Furious gun scandal that put thousands of guns in the hands of Mexicans – criminals, drug dealers and cartel leaders and other miscreant thugs – from the United States government. Both AG Holder and Barack Obama claimed no knowledge of such a transaction. Holder continued his denials when questioned about who did have such knowledge, who did allow for such a criminal operation to occur. Taking a page out of the Bill Clinton playbook, Holder continued to deny, deny, deny.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is chaired by US Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA). His repeated pressing for the thousands upon thousands of documents related to Fast and Furious were arrogantly rejected time and again by Holder, who not only owes answers to the committee, the American people, but to Josephine and Ken Terry.

Josephine and Ken Terry are the parents of the late Brian Terry, a heroic border agent murdered by guns linked to the Fast and Furious scandal in 2010. Two guns found at his body are linked to those firearms released into the hands of nefarious sources in the Obama administration’s Fast and Furious program. This administration is responsible for the murder of border agent Brian Terry.

“They’re lying and hiding it,” said Ken Terry, interviewed by Fox News’ Sean Hannity.

Compounding the scandal, Obama declared Executive Privilege, further impeding the Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s ability to collect the documents that Holder is obligated to present.

“The decision to invoke Executive Privilege is an admission that White House officials were involved in decisions that misled the Congress and have covered up the truth,” said Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH).

Meanwhile, the flip side of the Pelosi ramblings and illogical accusations, claim it is the GOP that is attempting to suppress votes by performing legal operations of purging the rolls. It is not, as Pelosi said, “suffocating the system,” to ensure voter fairness by preventing illegals from casting votes that would dilute the power of votes cast by citizens. Nor is it “a nationwide scheme to suppress the vote” when certain states are purging the names of the deceased to ensure their names are not used by people committing voter fraud by casting a ballot in those names.

It is neither a scheme to suppress the vote nor a plan to suffocate the system to require ALL voters to present a photo ID at the polling places – something Holder has been fighting calling such a requirement racist.

This is simply a scheme by the Obama administration to deflect from the disastrous economy, high rates of unemployment, high misery index, ever-rising gas prices and an unwillingness to do what is right by the American people.

The Fast and Furious scandal and subsequent cover-up is making Watergate look like child’s play and the “third rate burglary” as had been described as for the past 40 years. Watergate was wrong; but nobody died.

Clearly, there is blood on the hands of the Obama administration. Where is the openness and transparency promised by Obama ad nauseum?

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

GOP Should Play Trump Card

GOP Should Play Trump Card

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

December 9, 2011

Donald Trump may be the modern day P.T. Barnum, but one thing that hasn’t changed is that when the circus comes to town the big top is typically standing room only.

What are Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul, Rick Perry and Mitt Romney afraid of by rejecting an invitation to appear in a debate on December 27 in Iowa moderated by Trump and sponsored by Newsmax? Whose advice are they listening to in making this shortsighted decision?

In this age of reality television, more people would rather watch dancing with the nitwits and have some moron voted off some stinking sewer trap than pay attention to a political debate with candidates, of which one will be elected to the most powerful office in the free world.

The stiff-necked pundits and candidate advisors who have the sense of humor of a dead troglodyte are taking themselves way too seriously. Make no mistake, these candidates’ debates and forums are important, and this is a serious business, but in order to do business, there must be a clientele willing to buy the available product. The aforementioned troglodytes believe that the connection to Trump would depress viewership.

On the contrary; for the entertainment value alone people will tune in for what may be a capricious event where the candidates will castigate one another, possibly becoming cacophonous, all the while behaving in an obsequious manner toward their host. After all, five of the remaining seven GOP candidates have made the pilgrimage to Trump Towers to kiss his brass in hopes of securing his endorsement. Neither Huntsman nor Paul have been to Trump World.

While the candidates are busy falling all over themselves to appear on news programs with ratings so low they have to look up to see the bottom, why won’t they participate in what would be a ratings boon? They all need to increase their name recognition. A recent Pew Research poll indicated that 50 percent of American could not name even one of the then eight GOP candidates seeking their party’s nomination. (This poll was conducted prior to Herman Cain’s departure.)

The circus, to be sure, is coming to town. And it arrives one week before the Iowa caucus. Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum will be there. The other five hopefuls would be perspicacious have their presence felt. Let’s see those three rings ebullient with candidate wisdom, not vacuous – for that is what emerges from the White House.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Giving Thanks or Thanks for Giving?

Giving Thanks or Thanks for Giving?
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

November 21, 2011

As we traverse the trail from Thanksgiving to the winter holidays of Chanukah and Christmas to New Years, I am particularly thankful to be an American living in the United States – the greatest country in the world.

I am thankful to have friends and family, freedom of speech and expression to allow me the opportunity to write the columns I pen on a regular basis and freedom of religion to worship as I choose and not as the state may enforce or deny.

The first Thanksgiving celebrated a successful harvest shared amongst Pilgrims from England and Indians at Plymouth in 1621, sans football and the ongoing debate of how early is too early to commence holiday shopping. More on that debate shortly.

In Judaism the observance and celebration of Sukkot is akin to Thanksgiving. Sukkot, observed just days following the conclusion of the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, also celebrates a successful harvest, as well as religious freedom. And in both celebrations, we as Jews and as Americans give thanks to G-d for bestowing upon us the gifts and blessings of life and freedom.

In his annual Thanksgiving message, the Reverend Billy Graham referenced “six things we can learn from the Pilgrims.” I find five of those points appropriate for all faiths.

Be strong in your faith. While Graham encourages a Christ-centered belief system for obvious reasons, there is no reason why people of any faith cannot maintain strength in their particular religion.

Practice discipline. Maintaining strong discipline is vital in one’s personal, professional, religious and economic life. If personal discipline were practiced more often, the issue of teen pregnancy or single parenthood would not be as rampant. If fiscal discipline were practiced people would not be underwater with their mortgages and the government would not be $15 trillion in debt.

Enjoy freedom under the law. While we are people of faith, we are still human beings subject to human failings and frailties, and thus the need for the rule of law. Following those laws keeps us free and failure to do so – there are provisions to protect those who do from those who don’t.

Care about others. Via a treaty, the Pilgrims and Indians lived side by side for years knowing they were different on so many levels, but at the same time, “showing a deep concern for the social, political and spiritual needs of neighbors. In Judaism, tikun olam defines this point as repairing or perfecting the world. The Indians have a similar concept of leaving the world better than they found it.

Dream great dreams. “Where there is no vision, the people perish,” Graham quoted scripture. Pilgrims dreamed of religious freedom and a Christ-centered life. In Judaism there is the Torah – a gift from G-d that kept His chosen people together during the darkest of pogroms and the Holocaust as well as a gift celebrated through its daily teachings. In both cases, in the American society in which we live by Judeo-Christian edicts we dream great dreams and enjoy a freedom for which we are thankful to see those dreams to fruition.

Sadly, the flip side to the faith, family and friends aspect of Thanksgiving is the economic aspect that is tearing apart the true meaning of the day for giving thanks. Before the gluttonous meal scarfed down between parade and touchdown has had an opportunity to digest, there is now the mad dash to whichever retail big box can open first on Thanksgiving. This not only ruins the meaning of the holiday, but the time spent with friends and family by those who must leave to run off to work.

While in the present lackluster economy employees should be thankful they have jobs, the employers should likewise be thankful they will have customers. People’s spending is finite, despite government actions to the contrary. If they rush to spend on Thanksgiving night, they won’t be spending a week or a month later as the Sword of Damocles hovers over their heads as the clock strikes 13. Either way, corporate America, or more likely, China, will make their sales.

I will not shop on Thanksgiving day or night. Nor will I patronize stores whose CEOs and boards of directors feel compelled to deny their employees the same Thanksgiving they themselves will enjoy by attempting to squeeze an additional 16 hours of sales out off already financially strapped consumers. I like the message sent by Nordstrom, a store that will be closed on Thanksgiving. It said it believes in celebrating one holiday at a time and will reopen on Friday at 9 a.m.

No non-essential retail store needs to be open on Thanksgiving, but this is the United States – they have the right to open and I have the right to shop at stores who respects Thanksgiving and their employees.

Have a happy, meaningful and Blessed Thanksgiving.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Thank You, Veterans

Thank You, Veterans

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

November 10, 2011

At the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month in 1918 the artillery fell silent and the Armistice signed ending the war to end all wars, a.k.a. the Great War, sadly renamed World War I.

Thank you, men and women who have served and do serve in the United States Army, established June 14, 1775.

This year is the mother of all Veterans Days as this is the year 2011, so at the 11^th hour of 11/11/11 the United States will commemorate the 92^nd anniversary of honoring the men and women who have served in the armed forces.

Thank you, men and women who have served and do serve in the United States Navy, established October 13, 1775.

President Woodrow Wilson declared the first ever Armistice Day November 11, 1919. In 1954 President Dwight Eisenhower signed legislation changing the name of the observance to Veterans Day, encompassing those who served in all American armed conflicts from the American Revolution through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This includes the Cold War and the ongoing War on Terror.

Thank you, men and women who have served and do serve in the United States Air Force, established September 18, 1947.

From Bunker Hill to San Juan Hill; from the Alamo to Antietam; from Monmouth to Midway; from Dresden to Desert Storm; from Brandywine to Bull Run and from Omaha Beach to Okinawa, American troops have served with dignity, distinction and determination. They deserve our thanks not just on Veterans Day, but every day. When encountering a serviceman or servicewoman, approach them and thank them for their service to a great and grateful nation. They will absolutely appreciate that gesture.

Thank you, men and women who have served and do serve in the United States Marine Corps, established November 10, 1775.

Volunteering time with and contributing to organizations that help and support veterans – the wounded, the blind, the ones suffering from PTSD, the ones who can’t find work upon leaving the service – is a very tangible manner in which to serve those who have served us in harm’s way. And, sadly it is vital, as the men and women in uniform are so terribly underpaid by a government hell bent on rewarding lawbreakers with benefits.

Thank you, men and women who have served and do serve in the United States Coast Guard, first established as the Revenue Cutter Service, August 4, 1790.

Remember, freedom isn’t free and millions of Americans from all walks of life, whose families immigrated from near and far have put their lives on the line so that we may live freely in the greatest country on G-d’s earth. For that, thank you.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

[This column appeared on http://www.alexandrianews.org/.]

From Penn State to the State Pen

From Penn State to the State Pen

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

November 10, 2011

This is not a sports story. This is, however, a story about the egregious behavior of placing sports above humanity; where once again the cover up or the sweeping under the rug is the undoing of people whose salvation should have come from moral conduct and not the adherence to the letter of weak legislation.

It was not a happy day in Happy Valley on campus at Penn State University November 9 as both legendary head football coach Joe Paterno and university president Graham Spanier saw careers careen to bitter ends in their firings.

But, please, shed no tears over their ouster. Instead, shed tears and get angry over the lack of humanity and compassion shown to a yet to be determined number of young boys who suffered physical and mental anguish in a sex abuse scandal rocking the State College campus to its foundation.

To date, former Paterno assistant coach Jerry Sandusky has already been charged with the molestation of eight boys during a 15-year period – charges he denies, and for which he is entitled to his day in court. In spite of the denials, a former graduate assistant with the team, Mike McQueary, still an assistant there, claims to have witnessed two of the assaults on campus, reporting one of them to Paterno that ultimately reached Spanier.

Sandusky also ran a group home for troubled boys.

While Paterno is not being implicated in the alleged crimes, it begs the questions, a la Watergate, what did he know and when did he know it. And while Paterno may have acted within the confines of the law, he certainly did not act with any sense of urgency or morality, either hoping it would go away or that it was an isolated incident.

Adding to this horrific scandal is the behavior of over 2,000 Penn State students who took to the campus upon hearing of Paterno’s firing in mob-like fashion to defend their oft deified coach. Riot police were dispatched to extricate the students, misguided in their support of a man who has fallen from grace when they should have been hanging him and Spanier in effigy over their moral shortcomings.

No child should endure what the young boys under the charge of Sandusky supposedly underwent. Sadly, they are not alone, but they have recourse with the proper authorities who should take such accusations seriously until proven otherwise. Some things really are bigger than the game.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Press Pillories Perry Proving Pernicious

Press Pillories Perry Proving Pernicious

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

November 10, 2011

Full disclosure, I am not a Rick Perry supporter – unless he secures the Republican nomination for president to become the party’s standard bearer in 2012.

Commerce, Education and Energy – those are the three federal departments Texas Governor and GOP presidential hopeful Rick Perry flubbed in the debate held on November 9 on campus at Oakland University in Rochester, MI.

Perry had a human moment during the debate in which his brain froze over the question of which departments of the federal government he would eliminate upon becoming president. He quickly recalled commerce and education, but forgot energy. The next 45-plus seconds must have seemed an eternity to him and the viewers who watched this painful train wreck unfold.

In the ultimate of post-game “gotcha” moments which will live on interminably virally, media from left and right have castigated Perry for his momentary lapse. The man is a human being prone to human frailties and not a robot. Although, Perry does often seem robotic in his debate appearances – stiff, unsure at times and verbally clumsy.

However, Perry just doesn’t seem to catch a break. Still a popular video is the appearance Perry made recently in New Hampshire, where some have described his ebullient nature as aided by substance. Quite frankly, Perry would present himself better to the public during the cavalcade of debates in the same manner in which the folks in the Granite State saw him.

And rival GOP candidate Ron Paul, a fellow Texan, was no help to Perry either. The two men were situated next to one another during the debate and when Perry was attempting to rattle off the three departments earmarked for his axe, he looked over at Paul. Paul made matters worse for Perry, already trying to recall a third department, when Paul said to Perry, “five,” meaning there were five departments designated for extinction.

Most people misspeak at one time or another; and in this case, misspeak is not a euphemism for lie, as is often used to lighten the blow. No one took fellow GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney to task for saying his marriage to wife Ann is 25 years in length, and then he quickly corrected himself, noting it is a 42-year union.

Is this a game changer for Perry? No. That may surprise some people, but those are the ones not paying attention in the first place. Perry has been in free fall mode since entering the race at or near the top of most polls and should be back to governing Texas fulltime shortly after the Iowa Caucus.

In life, to err is human; to forgive, divine. In politics, to err is to be pilloried on You Tube and in the media until the end of days. Let’s try and stay focused on the real issues of the day – ending the continued attempts of government to run our lives while borrowing to the point of economic oblivion.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Take Down the Tents and Send the Circus Home

Take Down the Tents and Send the Circus Home

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

November 3, 2011

The Occupy Wall Street movement has stretched far and wide reaching London overseas as well as the left coast where cities like Oakland are under siege with video reminiscent of Watts in the ‘60s.

This is absolutely no exaggeration as within the last 24 to 48 hours more than 80 OWS protesters and their ilk have been arrested. City Hall Plaza and the nearby environs have been the site of arson, hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of property damage, assaults against civilians and law enforcement alike.

This is not the first time Oakland has been in the news for such violence and degenerative behavior. In recent days and weeks, the OWS thugs have forced the shutting down of the Port of Oakland – the fifth largest port in the United States, assaulting Oakland police officers with bottles, all with an attitude of a sense of entitlement. These are anarchist thugs with the support of the likes of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi who said “G-d bless their spontaneity.”

One woman interviewed admitted the OWS hooligans instigated the bottle throwing against the police, felt no remorse, and went so far as to support the assault against law enforcement because, as she put it, they are wearing protective gear. And even after admitting the OWS’s responsibility in the fracas, which resulted in police retaliation with tear gas, the same woman sought retribution against the police for responding in an over the top manner.

The unidentified unrepentant interviewee had support from none other than Oakland Mayor Jean Quan who cavalierly threw her police force under the proverbial bus, apologizing to the OWS protesters for the behavior of law enforcement. Quan said she knows Oakland is a progressive city and she supports the efforts of the protesters and their movement.

Oakland is not alone in the dissident behavior from the thugs and miscreants masquerading as protesters with a legitimate beef. Certainly in New York City there is no shortage of deviant behavior, from public urination to defecation on police vehicles, to assault and battery by protesters against other protesters.

In several states there have been accusations of rape by protesters committed against other protesters, with little in the way of police involvement, as apparently OWS councils have been formed to police themselves, which, of course, is not happening. These councils are fearful of being shut down if this cacophonous behavior is reported to the authorities.

To date, more than 3,000 arrests have been logged in places like Boston, Chicago, Denver, Jackson, MS, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, OR, and Seattle for vandalism, graffiti, trespassing on private property, lewd behavior and assault. Chants of “f*ck the US” have been all too common as well. The violence is getting worse and chaos is the norm as well as the overt drug usage and virulent anti-Semitism. For Obama and his minions to compare this depraved and licentious movement to the TEA Party is incredulous and demonstrative of a need to demonize a successful and well behaved group of patriots who know how to demonstrate in an appropriate manner.

So unconscionable is some of the behavior, there was a group of Iranians at an OWS locale in traditional garb with signs calling for the United Nations and Human Rights Watch to get involved – citing American human rights abuses against Americans due to the “evils” of capitalism. This coming from people native to a country where death is the penalty for adulterers and homosexuals are executed via stoning.

Enough is enough. This nonsense has gone on far too long and needs to be reined in by law enforcement. Signs making accusations based upon misinformation are the norm and not the exception. Many of the protesters are castigating the financial industry for greed and not sharing their wealth – clearly taking their lead from the Obama administration, as it was Obama himself who, during the 2008 presidential campaign called for a redistribution of wealth.

The United States is a capitalist republic. There is no ceiling to what a person can earn, nor should there ever be one. The overwhelming majority of the protesters expect government to provide for them, ensure they have jobs, health care, a home, forgive their student loans and bring so-called corporate greed to an end. This from the same people drinking their Starbucks beverages, sleeping in their LL Bean sleeping bags, eating McDonald’s food, sending text messages on their various corporate created cell phones.

Why should their student loans be forgiven? Because they majored in Sanskrit or Philosophy? Choose more wisely. It’s called personal responsibility. If you like those subjects, minor in them, but major in something marketable, like history as I did. Well, OK, not so much marketable, but I haven’t taken to the streets. Student loans should no more be forgiven than mortgages on which people have fallen behind.

In the case of the defaulting homeowners, once again, this is a case of personal responsibility. Nobody forced anyone to accept a mortgage they could not afford. No one has the right to own a home. Yet, people in over their heads are crying foul, as if it were the fault of government. Read the fine print. Ask the pertinent questions. If you can’t afford the house, don’t buy it – period.

Sadly, the anger of these zealots is misdirected. They should be protesting in front of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, in Washington, DC or in front of the Capitol Building where legislation is debated, passed and signed into law giving bailout after bailout to corporations who have behaved irresponsibly or criminally.

More importantly, these spoiled, petulant child-like pinheads should investigate internally why their lives are not going as planned. Who wants to hire a tattoo-laden, multi-pierced person who quit a job to join a protest when so many are out of work and legitimately looking? The banks and successful corporations are not the bane of these protesters existence. These are people, most of whom, demand cradle to grave government care – the ultimate in the nanny-state.

Part of the nanny-statism is contradictory and counterintuitive. Signs calling for either lower tuition rates or free tuition, yet demanding smaller class sizes and more course offerings are demonstrative of this contradictory thought process at work. Other examples include signs demanding high-paying jobs, but refusal to work for corporations and demands of jobs, but simultaneous demands to strip corporations of their wealth.

T-shirts with pictures of Che Guevara and Karl Marx with slogans such as “Marx was right,” being worn by protesters with absolutely no sense of history. Let these petulant miscreants live under the dictatorial regimes of Castro’s Cuba, Chavez’s Venezuela, Ahmadinejad’s Iran or Mugabe’s Zimbabwe before calling for the surrender of the republic or capitalism.

There are other signs out there as well – help wanted – perhaps not in one’s chosen profession, but they exist. Or do what 14-year-old Michael Weymouth of New York did – created his own company – replete with a public relations person. Weymouth, founder of Long Island Tech Wizard fixes computers and has three 14-year-olds working with him as well and is making money.

While the First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees the freedom to assemble, it does not allow for the assemblage to interfere with the rights of the passers-by, the rights of the local businesses to make a living and provide the services for which they were hired or for the assault on either civilians or law enforcement. The time has come for the tents to come down and the circus to leave town.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Whitewashing 9-11

Whitewashing 9-11

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

September 2, 2011

Barack Obama has finally done it. He has issued government edict on how we the people should behave, react, comment and yes, even think, about 9-11, its perpetrators, and the reality of the facts. 1984 and government-speak have become reality.

George Orwell would be proud and disturbed all at once. This administration, coupled with the cow-towing of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, are assuming Americans have short memories and will be able to whitewash the heinous evils of the 9-11 terrorist attacks to something they were not.

On September 11, 2001 four airplanes were hijacked. By whom? Redheaded Irishmen? Orthodox Jews? Wait – how about 75 year old nuns? The cast of House? The starting five of the Boston Celtics? No; none of the above. The four planes were hijacked by 19 Muslim extremists hell bent on the greatest possible amount of destruction they could muster on a clear, beautiful sunny Tuesday morning.

No amount of downplaying or ignoring the facts by the conciliator in chief will ever be able to alter the facts and reality of what happened on that horrible day. This country, the United States of America, not Canada, not Belgium, not Laos, was attacked by 19 Muslim extremists on a specific day and date – September 11, 2001.

But according to Obama administration edict and “guidelines” that is not the manner in which September 11, 2011 is to be observed.

“The important theme is to show the world how much we realize that 9-11 – the attacks themselves and violent extremism… is not just about us,” said an anonymous White House source in an August 29, 2011 New York Times article.

As usual, the Obama administration, either Obama or his people by fiat, are just plain obtuse. Yes, 9-11 IS exactly about us. The attacks being commemorated and memorialized were perpetrated on American soil – the first two planes slammed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, the third plane hit the Pentagon in Arlington, VA and the fourth plane, on a flight path to the Capitol Building was diverted by the 40 passengers and crew who heroically inexorably altered the route of that plane causing it to crash in an open field in Shanksville, PA.

The Obama administration stated that public commemorations “should not cast the United States as the sole victim of terrorism,” added the Times article.

Administration “guidelines” state: “We honor all victims of terrorism in every nation around the world…. Whether in New York or Nairobi, Bali or Belfast, Mumbai or Manila or Lahore or London.”

Notice the omission of Madrid? How about the glaring omission of Israel as a whole – a nation leading the league in terror attacks against her.

While the United States clearly is not the sole victim of terror, we the people are observing and memorializing the specific attacks that occurred on a specific date. And how we the people choose to remember the victims – be they the passengers on the four airplanes, the people who worked at the World Trade Center, the people employed at the Pentagon, the bystanders or the first responders and volunteers – is up to the individual.

Each individual or group will conduct their ceremonies, services and remembrances as they choose – not according to some sanitized government guidelines. This isn’t Communist China – we do not tap dance according to the government’s tune. But apparently the Obama administration is worried about how the huddled masses will conduct themselves while, according to the Times article, “the world’s attention will be on… Obama.”

Could the New York Times be more sycophantic? Could Obama be more egomaniacal to think the attention of the world won’t be focused upon the survivors and the families of the victims? The Times and the Obama administration are two obsequious peas in the same pod. Their mutual love-fest is simply nauseating.

Additionally, the guidelines call for events that “minimize references to Al Qaeda.” Why do we care what Al Qaeda thinks? They are the enemy like the Taliban and every other terrorist outfit attempting to destroy the fabric of American life.

It is not Islamophobia to speak the truth when remembering the brutal attacks on American soil. Nor is it Islamophobia to remind people that the Muslim extremist terrorists were operating under the guise of so-called Koranic values in an effort to destroy the Judeo-Christian society in the United States of America.

A religion of peace does not hide behind children and strap bombs onto women and mentally retarded people. Remember the words of former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. “We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.”

Americans should commemorate the terrorist attacks on the United States in whatever meaningful way they determine appropriate. Special services in churches and synagogues, remembering specific friends and loved ones who were murdered on September 11, 2001, visiting a cemetery or museum, or even being angry and resentful if one chooses as the way to get through the day.

We the people will make those decisions, not the government. We still live in a semi-free nation where free will still rules the day.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Reflections on September 11, 2001

Reflections on September 11, 2001

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

September 1, 2011

Emerging from the parking garage beneath the Herndon Municipal Center to Lynn Street I felt as though I had been transformed to a different place and time, only to realize that is precisely what transpired.

For the first time I saw members of the Herndon Police Department clad in bullet-proof vests with their guns drawn. Streets were barricaded and access around town was limited. We were, after all, mere minutes from Dulles International Airport and the threat level was at its apex.

With all that was going on around us, the streets were eerily quiet. People were in a daze, as if punch-drunk, simply wandering around without purpose trying to come to grips with the devastating activities of the previous several hours.

But as a member of the fourth estate, I had a job to do and a deadline by which to accomplish that task – pictures to take and people to interview. The United States, in an unprovoked attack, was a nation at war, and Northern Virginia, just like New York City had just become the front line.

Among those certain quintessential events one never forgets in life, where we were and what we were doing on September 11, 2001 is certainly paramount among them.

Just as President Franklin Roosevelt declared December 7, 1941, the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, “a date which will live in infamy,” it’s no overstatement to say that 9-11 was a day that changed the world as we know it.

It was a beautiful sunny Tuesday morning and I was on a deadline as a local newspaper reporter in Northern Virginia. Having the luxury of being able to work from my home in Sterling, one community away from Herndon in Fairfax County where I conducted the bulk of my reporting, the Fox News Channel was humming in the background while I finalized my story assignments for the paper that would hit the newsstands the next day.

Then, that clear, crisp Tuesday morning air was permeated with not one, but two hijacked airplanes deliberately being slammed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan.

As the towers crumbled to the ground like a house of cards and the smoke, that would last for weeks, began to billow toward the heavens, it was evident this was no accident and the United States was under siege, war having been declared on her.

I sat stunned, starring at the television, all attention away from the task at hand, not yet knowing those nearly finished stories would not reach my editor’s desk that day. Minutes later a third plane struck its target careening into the Pentagon in Arlington, just miles from the office. Everything became ethereal until the ringing telephone jarred me back to reality. And the ringing didn’t stop – one call after another – the newspaper with new assignments all related to the ongoing fluid events of the day and friends and family from around the country checking in.

By this time the fourth plane had been diverted by the brave men and women aboard the aircraft believed to be headed toward the Capitol Building and crashed into a field in Shanksville, PA.

Growing up in northern New Jersey and living in Northern Virginia, September 11, 2001 was more than just a day that tried ones emotions as an American. Personal loses were assessed at the end of the day. Family friends were slaughtered by extremist Muslim terrorists who inexorably altered life as we know it to this day 10 years later and far into the distant future.

My job on September 11, 2001 was to present the news – news based upon facts – to the residents of Herndon, VA and Fairfax County in an objective manner leaving my opinion on the back burner. That is what this award-winning journalist did on September 11 and each day of my employ for that newspaper.

Today, I have the good fortune to be able to opine at will and call to task those obsequious members of the government who have done so little since September 11, 2001 to alter the manner in which we protect our citizenry whether on the borders or in the air. A recent report in New York City indicated that 10 years after the terrorist attacks destroyed the World Trade Center first responders still are unable to communicate with one another on the job.

Today, 10 years after knowing who perpetrated the most heinous acts of barbarism on American soil, the government still plays politics with disingenuous platitudes about a so-called religion of peace, when, for the truth, all one need do is read the pages of the Koran.

We the people of the United States must be forever vigilant as the terrorists only need be accurate once. We must remain mindful of our surroundings at all times, cognizant that the next terror strike will likely occur without warning and without prejudice as to who is in its wake.

On this September 11 and all days in the future, may we remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the current global war – the men and women at work at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, the passengers and crew of the hijacked planes, the first responders and all those that survive them. May their memories be for a blessing.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. On September 11, 2001 he was a reporter for a local newspaper in Northern Virginia.

Clergy, 1st Responders More Important Than Politicians

Clergy, 1^st Responders More Important Than Politicians

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

August 24, 2011

In continuing efforts to sanitize and extinguish all legitimate meaning behind the upcoming 10^th anniversary of the worst attack perpetrated against the United States on its soil, the so-called powers that be announced there will be no clergy invited to participate in what doubtless will be a solemn event. For this, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg must be castigated for this deplorable decision.

Initially, first responders were denied a role in the memorial events, and now with the absence of clergy, one must wonder if survivors and families of the victims will be welcome or will this simply be a dog and pony show for the politicians and the so-called powers that be.

Ten years ago the NYPD, FDNY and the EMS were not invited either, but they showed up anyway.

This is disgraceful and an affront to the memories of the victims, among them, numerous first responders. The last thing that should be done, but it comes as no surprise, is for such an occasion to be politicized.

This is not for the politicians. It’s already bad enough that politicians have commandeered the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site to ignore and eradicate the names of the victims and to not denote what really happened on September 11, 2001. The so-called powers that be have no conscience, no soul and no guts to tell the facts of that fateful Tuesday morning.

Has the United States become so politically correct, so afraid of its own shadow as to not be able to tell facts without worrying about who might get offended? Apparently so. And it’s just wrong – on so many levels. History must be taught and never forgotten.

The beautiful clear sunny morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001 was permeated by the depraved evil of 19 radical Muslim extremists, mostly from Saudi Arabia, a so-called ally to the United States. The havoc and mayhem they perpetrated took the lives of approximately 3,000 innocent people by hijacking four airplanes and intentionally flying them into the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane appeared headed toward the US Capitol but the efforts of the terrorists were thwarted by the 40 passengers and crew who managed to prevent the plot from reaching fruition as it crashed into the Shanksville, Penn. field.

Whether events are being held at the site of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon or the field in Shanksville, they should most certainly include clergy and first responders as well as survivors and victims’ families first and foremost. No one else matters during this solemn memorial. Not the politicians, not the voyeurs, not Code Pink or any other potentially disruptive organization with an ax to grind, or even the media for that matter.

Although the media does play an important role in bringing the events into the homes of the world viewership, they should do so from a distance – in an unobtrusive manner. And I say this as a writer who on September 11, 2001 was a working newspaper reporter in Northern Virginia, just miles from the Pentagon. The media should not transcend the news, but instead silently present the news as it unfolds.

What I am presenting here is editorial content, not unbiased, news – the difference too many in the business are not able to properly discern.

There are those who said that clergy were not invited to participate in the upcoming 9-11 events because they did not play a role in the prior years’ activities at the Ground Zero locales. That simply means that for nine years the so-called powers that be were wrong. That wrong should not be compounded with a bigger, more egregious wrong on such a powerful day of memorial when prayer is needed more than ever.

Is there anyone who truly believes the passengers on Flight 93 were not praying prior to crashing into the field in Shanksville, PA? How about the firefighters who went into the buildings in New York City and the Pentagon? Anyone think they didn’t say a prayer before their life threatening endeavors? How about those employees who were absent from, or late to work that sunny Tuesday morning? Anyone think they don’t say an extra dose of prayers to this day?

If not having clergy participate in the memorial activities on the 10^th anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks of 9-11 is a means of placating certain atheist groups, we the people should be ashamed. What other possible explanation could there be for not having rabbis, priests, reverends and pastors participating in event that are taking place on what is referred to as “hallowed ground” be so many.

The United States of America was founded on religious freedom. The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion. We are a society created on the basis of Judeo-Christian values. If ever there were events crying out for the participation of clergy it is those that will take place in a couple weeks.

This year September 11 falls on a Sunday. I defy any reader to find a rabbi who won’t deliver a sermon the day before on Saturday or a priest or reverend who won’t deliver sermons that morning about the importance of faith, prayer and the remembrance of the events of September 11, 2001.

Clergy along with the first responders should not just be in attendance at the September 11, 2011 events but they should be front and center. They, combined, held this nation together – in terms of the spiritual and the physical by their presence and their deeds. They are too humble to make such a declaration, but it needs to be made, heeded and honored along with those who gave their lives and their families in what became the inaugural shot fired in the current global war.

May the memories of the victims of September 11, 2001 always be for a Blessing.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. On September 11, 2001 he was working for a local newspaper in Northern Virginia.

Happy Birthday to US

Happy Birthday to US

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

June 27, 2011

“The Declaration of Independence [is the] declaratory charter of our rights, and the rights of man.” – Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826); Founding Father; credited author of said document and third American president.

A housekeeping note – I dislike the expression “happy fourth of July.” Happy Independence Day is the correct expression or happy birthday America is acceptable. We the people are celebrating our independence from the tyrannical shackles of King George III and that of England. Every country has a fourth of July, but not every country has independence.

The long road toward independence did not end on July 4, 1776 – that was merely the date we the people declared enough was enough from England. Enough taxation without representation, enough quartering British soldiers at colonist’s expense, enough passing of laws unilaterally without regard to their effect on the people, enough denying the people local representation who would understand the needs and problems the colonists faced, enough deprivation of trial by jury to the people, enough denying the people the right to trade freely with other international partners, and enough of the general and overall usurpation of rights and freedoms, at a whim, given to free people.

Sadly, only 235 years since that declaration, this country finds itself once again at a crossroads fighting against a government that refuses to listen to the people. We the people have a government more strongly supporting eminent domain than ever before, thinking it knows what is best for the people. We the people have a government hell bent on stealing our freedoms one by one by denying us the right to make our own decisions regarding health care.

“I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious.” – Thomas Jefferson. Imagine what he would think of the monstrosity called the federal government in 2011 instead of 1811. The bigger the government, the more far-reaching into our pockets and the firmer the grip it has on our rights and freedoms.

Both major political parties are complicit in allowing our borders to remain porous and unchecked. Both parties have taxed and spent this country into ever deepening debt and deficits that virtually all its members are complicit in not just stealing from the American people, but from future generations. More than 80 percent of the acts committed by the Congress – those elected members of the federal government we sent to represent us – are actually unconstitutional.

While on the subject of what is or is not constitutional, message to Barack Obama: spreading the wealth around: unconstitutional. “Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government.” – Founding Father James Madison (1751-1836); credited author of the United States Constitution and fourth American president.

“Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…” – Thomas Jefferson; The Declaration of Independence. Those who seek our support and votes are also answerable to us as well. They must be held accountable every day – they work for us – not the other way around.

Heed this message: don’t let the other guy worry about our country – take personal responsibility – learn about candidates and vote on Election Day – every year – not just in presidential elections. The ignorant can be enslaved, the learned can prevent tyranny.

Tyranny can also be prevented by the preparation and strength of our defenses. We have our freedoms because of the determination of a military willing to sacrifice their most precious and ultimate gifts – their lives – then, as well as today. From the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan and all wars and conflicts in between, it is the military – the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and reservists that preserve our rights and freedoms and enable us to live in peace in the United States.

“To be prepared for war, is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.” – Founding Father George Washington (1732-1799); Revolutionary War general and first American president.

“Independence forever.” – The last public words of John Adams (1735-1826); Founding Father who, for some time, stood alone in pushing for Independence from England before it became popular and second American president. The nation mourned the loss of Adams and his friend and rival Jefferson simultaneously as the two giants died on July 4, 1826.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. The 10 year City resident still keeps a finger on the pulse of Alexandria.