Those of you who have clung bitterly to this blog, reading when I write (less and less often these days – social media seems so much more … immediate … doesn’t it?) and even better – those who interact through comments, know where I have been. I am a Marine Veteran (Cold War Era), my younger brother is a Marine Veteran (Gulf War I), my older brother is an Army Veteran (Cold War), our Dad was a Marine (Korean Era), we have nieces and nephews currently serving, we have a family history of service to this nation going back before there was a nation. We had ancestors on both sides of the Revolutionary War and the War Between The States/War of Northern Aggression/Civil War. In short, my family has stepped up and said “This is our Constitution; this we will defend.”

I believe the Second Amendment to the constitution is very important, as regulars here can attest. Without the Second, the rest would fall like a row of dominoes. The First Amendment is a close second in my mind; you must have the unfettered ability to address what you consider to be a wrong in order to make it right.

That being said, ALL citizens of this nation have the right to freely express their closely held beliefs. They also have the right to consider other points of view without being forced to agree with them, and they have the right to change their closely held belief if they are properly convinced. Yes, this includes actors, comedians, professional athletes, and the people who shill for them announce their actions, introduce their appearance, or award them for their performance.

I will never take a knee while the National Anthem is being played. I will not willfully avoid showing respect for this nation while the anthem is played. I will do my best to model what I believe is correct behavior for citizens of the United States: come to attention, hand salute (as a veteran, I m permitted this action; civilians would place their hand over their heart), and standing quietly until the end of the anthem. If another country’s anthem is played, I will stand at attention, arms to my sides, and stand quietly until the anthem is complete. My loyalty is to this country, I will not salute another country’s anthem or national ensign.

I served in order to preserve the right of people to freely express themselves. You, me, everyone. Including the jerks who don’t know how good they have it for being so well paid to play sports or to act or to entertain (although they are all the same – entertainers, at heart). Yes, I called them jerks – because that is my opinion. I’m allowed to have one. So are you. I empathize with what they are trying to say, but they are using the wrong ways to get their point across. Yes, it’s tragic that there are a few (out of the hundreds of thousands of daily non-violent interactions) police episodes where a person is the victim of bad circumstances and terrible choices. Yes, it’s awful that the perception is that blacks are the major recipients of these interactions.

(Numbers say otherwise – and there are plenty of search engines out there to prove that. Point of fact – number one killer of black males between 16 and 35 is – other black males. Point of fact – allowing citizens the right to defend themselves, instead of removing or restricting the most effective equalizer (hand gun), would reduce murder and other crime rates. The more weapons are in the hands of citizens, the fewer crimes there are. Criminals may not be the smartest cookies, but the do figure odds, and the more armed citizens there are the fewer helpless victims there are. Please see Chicago for the latest proof of this statement.)

While they are free to express their opinions, I feel it is not appropriate to do so on the stage. By allowing the performers to continue to make these personal statements from a professionally supplied pulpit, the owners/managers/agents of those performers are giving their implicit permission to continue. They are free to express their opinions, I am free to not buy their wares. I am not required to spend money to watch or listen while someone tells me I am wrong. Just as they are not forced to listen to me, I am not forced to listen to them. When the revenue dries up the message will be plain enough to them. With great freedoms come great responsibilities, and great consequences.

To allow the continued disrespecting of our nation is to allow the further eroding of our nation. Once all the statues have been removed, and history has been revised, and no one hears the Star Spangled Banner on a regular basis anymore, what will have been solved? People are still the ones who’s hearts have not changed. If anything, every time a statue is removed; every time an historical event is glossed over , rewritten, or removed; or every time a professional entertainer is allowed to disrespect the National Anthem without repercussions, this nation is moved another step away from a Representative Republic, and closer to a Socialist Enclave.

For this reason, We the People must protest right back. We must also be heard – our voices must be included in the “National Dialogue” that those who are pushing for the enslavement of all by the removal of our rights keep insisting on. I find it odd they insist on a National Dialogue and then don’t allow any one to speak who disagrees with them. If We, the People (and we are a majority, I refer you to the 2016 Presidential Election results) will not continue to make ourselves heard, then We, the People will be people without our nation.

I stood up to defend our Constitution. I stood up so jerks can prove how ignorant, willfully or otherwise, they are. I stood up so every one could continue to voice their opinion, including those who don’t agree with the rest. This doesn’t mean that I have to stand quietly by and let those opinions go unanswered, it means that those with dissenting opinions – from BOTH sides – must be allowed to present their case, their beliefs, and their reasons. Common Sense should prevail, but that’s a post for another day.

One thing I am sure of – no matter who is in the White House, God is on His Throne. I already know how this story ends. What I don’t know is how it plays out along the way. As a God-fearing Christian, I place my trust in the Lord. As a citizen of this nation, I will defend my Constitution, using the First and Second Amendments as needed. Yes, peace in our time – but not at the cost of our freedoms and responsibilities as citizens of this great nation.

Chat ya later…

P.S. – All these protesters are free to take their complaints on the road. There are literally hundreds of countries in the world; they should do their research and find one that more closely aligns with their belief system – and move there.

Thanks for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, and Wear Red on Fridays!

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It would appear that the Walt Disney Company and the National Football League are using their financial power to force a state’s legislation to infringe on the First Amendment of a particular religious group. This link will take you to the story.

Now, as my readers know, I am a Christian. My beliefs state that marriage is between one man and one woman. Forcing someone to participate in an event they do not wish to be a part of can only lead to trouble. It would appear that the Gay Agenda is pushing ever closer to forcing Christians to go against their faith and their beliefs to acknowledge and “welcome” gay marriage into their midst.

It seems that the bottom line here is that the gays want the Christians to stop being Christian. (notice the gays are not forcing the muslims to stop being muslim …) If the only reason to get a member of the clergy to marry them was to make the marriage “official”, then the gays could, in fact, start their own religion and ordain their own clergy, leaving the Christians out of the whole ordeal. Since the objective is to stifle the Christians, and not have to hear how the actions of the gays are not in accordance with God’s laws, the gays will not start their own religion, and they will not ordain their own clergy – they want to corrupt the existing clergy.

Meanwhile, Disney and the NFL want Georgia to stop being so mean by protecting the rights of citizens. They want Georgia Governor Nathan Deal to not allow House Bill 757 to pass into law. House Bill 757, also known as the Pastor Protection Act, would ensure that religious officials are not required by law to participate in gay marriage ceremonies that go against their beliefs. It also states that it wants to “protect property owners which are religious organizations against infringement of religious freedom.” You know, the mean old Christians …

TMBWitW and I have decided to stop giving Disney our hard earned money. No more Disneyland, no more Marvel movies, and no more Star Wars purchases. (wait, what?)

The NFL? I haven’t given them any of my money for many, many years. Doesn’t look like I’ll be starting again any time soon.

The Bill of Rights is for all people, not just a select few. Freedom OF Religion is a right, the ability to practice your religion without outside interference is codified in that Bill of Rights. The ability to force people to act against their beliefs and their will? Not so much.

That’s what the second amendment is designed to protect against.

Chat ya later…

Thanks for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, and Wear Red on Fridays!

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Read more at www.christianpost.com/news/disney-boycott-georgia-religious-freedom-bill-allowing-pastors-refuse-gay-weddings-159985/#ymexdpByYloSiqzi.99

Does the Media have a duty to only report the facts and let the viewer think about the facts and make up their own mind? Well, in theory, that’s the way it’s supposed to work.

Here is the text of the Heading for SB 1062, which was vetoed by Governor Brewer after being passed by the Arizona Legislators:

AN ACT

AMENDING SECTIONS 41‑1493 AND 41‑1493.01, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES; RELATING TO THE FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGION.

Please note the lack of any mention of homosexuality.

At this link, you will find the complete text of SB 1062:

SENATE BILL 1062

Again, please note the lack of any mention of sexual preference.

Back to the Media’s “neutrality” – or, really, lack thereof – if you happen to Google “SB1062” most of the entries that are from Major Media Outlets have the phrase (or variations thereof) “Anti-Gay Measure” attached to the headline. The NFL, NHL, NASCAR, Major League Baseball, Apple, Intel, and a host of other businesses all pressured Brewer to veto the bill, based on nothing more than the pressure from the Homosexual Agenda Pushers. Brewer caved in to the economic threats, based on the Media pushing the Homosexual Agenda and pointing out that the measure was “flagrantly anti-gay”.

Simple research (see the links above) shows that SB1062 was not a new bill, but a clarification of the Free Exercise of Religion statures in Section 41 of the Arizona Revised Statues. Eighteen states have Religious Freedom Restoration Act laws on the books, Arizona being one of them. Arizona legislators wanted to refine the scope of the statue. Members of the Media and the Homosexual Agenda groups wanted to blunt the statue, so they attacked the Senate Bill. Enough fuss was raised, and stink ensued, that Brewer caved in the face of the economic threats and dire predictions of economic devastation. Devastation? When only 3% of the entire US population identify as homosexual, how can that possibly affect a state’s economy? Even if all the gays in the US stayed away from Arizona for a year, there would be no impact. Unfortunately, the quasi-Gay Support groups that used to be known as SPorts Franchises decided to throw in with the Homosexual Agenda, as did large corporations who have been cowed into bowing to the 3%. Instead of businesses, they are now propaganda machines.

I haven’t been following football very closely since about 1984, so I won’t miss that. Hockey – meh. Baseball? Well, I’m going to miss that. And NASCAR. That one hurts. All of these “sports” threatened to withdraw from the state of Arizona if Brewer did not veto the bill. Apple, Intel, and others threatened to withdraw from Arizona if Brewer did not veto the bill.

Politics is passe. The New Power is Economic Blackmail (see: Obamacare).

Chat ya later…

Thanks for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, and Wear Red on Fridays!

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