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Archive for the ‘Patriotic’ Category

Preparing to Vote Number 6


Rejoice! This will conclude the articles of parts of the history of the start of our Nation. There is much that I did not report, miracles of God; great prayers by some of the Founding Fathers and others. I wish to end with some words from some of those early men. You will see that two of them became fearful of the same things that concern a lot of us today. All underlining and bold prints are mine, Benny Broussard (my dad)

On June 29, 1788, George Washington sent a letter to General Benjamin Lincoln, his deputy in the War, who had accepted British General Cornwallis sword at the surrender at Yorktown

“No Country upon Earth ever had it more in its power to attain these blessings…Much to be regretted indeed would it be, were we to neglect the means and depart from the road which Providence has pointed us to, so plainly; I cannot believe it will ever come to pass. The Great Governor of the Universe has led us too long and too far….to forsake us in the midst of it….We may, now and then, get bewildered; but I hope and trust that there is good sense and virtue enough left to recover the right path.”

On March 11, 1792, from Philadelphia, President George Washington wrote a letter to John Armstrong:

“I am sure that never was a people, who had more reason to acknowledge a Divine interposition in their affairs, than those of the United States; and I should be pained to believe that they have forgotten that agency, which was so often manifested during our Revolution, or that they failed to consider the omnipotence of that God who is alone able to protect them.

In 1781, Thomas Jefferson made this statement in ‘Query XVlll’ of his ‘Notes on the State of Virginia’. Excerpts of these statements are engraved on the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.

“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever.”

On June 12, 1823, in a letter to Justice William Johnson regarding the meaning to the Constitution., Thomas Jefferson wrote:

“On every question of construction, carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text, or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed.”

David Josiah Brewer (1837-1910) a Justice of the United State Supreme Court, gave the court’s opinion in the 1892 case of Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States, (143 U.S. 457-458, 465-471, 36 L ed 226): (I, Benny, selected only the portion that encompasses “Christian nation in the case of Vidal v. Girard’s Executors) “……this is a Christian nation….We find everywhere a clear recognition of the same truth.”

John Jay (1745-1829) was the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, having been appointed by President George Washington. He was a Founding Father, a member of the First and Second Continental Congresses and served as the President of the Continental Congress. On October 12, 1816, John Jay admonished:

“Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”

Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) 28th President of the United States. On July 4, 1913, in a message delivered at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, declared: “Here is the nation God has builded by our hands. What shall we do with it?”

Dear readers, very soon we will be choosing a person to be our President for the next four years. Now is the time to pray diligently that we will vote wisely. Here are my personal thoughts;

  • I believe that this could be the last chance to “get it right”. This nation is facing bankruptcy big time. It was reported that during 2013, the U.S.’s debt will be 90 per cent of its GDP. I do not see how we can survive like that.
  • It is time to take a good look at the question that President Woodrow Wilson asked on July 4, 1913, “Here is the nation God has builded by our hands. What shall we do with it?” I admit that neither candidate is all that I desire to be my President. HOWEVER, to refrain from voting is a very poor choice. The way I see it is that one of them is much worse than the other. I will vote for whom I believe is the better of the two.

The ball is in your court, our court, our children’s court. To whom do we pass the ball? Which candidate will govern more like our Founding Fathers? Which one will be far from it?

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Patriotic, Political

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Preparing to Vote Number 5


(To my readers, please note the date of 1777 in the previous article and this one below. In difference that the battle for independence was raging, check this next article to see what was going on ‘back home’…….Benny)

Continental Congress, September 11, 1777, approved and recommended to the people that 20,000 copies of The Holy Bible be imported from other sources. This was in response to the shortage of Bibles in America caused by the Revolutionary War interrupting trade with England. The Chaplain of Congress, Patrick Allison, brought the matter to the attention of Congress, who assigned it to a special Congressional Committee, which reported:

“The use of the Bible is so universal and its importance so great that your committee refers the above to the consideration of Congress, and if Congress shall not think it expedient to order the importation of types and paper, the Committee recommends that Congress will order the Committee of Commerce to import 20,000 Bibles from Holland, Scotland, or elsewhere, into the different parts of the States of the Union.”

Whereupon it was resolved accordingly to direct said Committee of Commerce to import 20,000 copies of the Bible.

Continental Congress November 1, 1777, issued The First National Proclamation of Thanksgiving to all colonies, as a result of their victory at Saratoga. (This was a long, but good, Proclamation. Below is only part of it….Benny)

“…..That with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts, and consecrate themselves to the service of their Divine Benefactor; and that together with their sincere acknowledgements and offerings, they may join the penitent confession of their manifold sins, whereby they had forfeited every favor, and their humble and earnest, supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of remembrance;’

“….That it may please Him, to prosper the trade and manufactures of the people, and the labour of the husbandman; that our land may yet yield its increase; to take school and seminaries of education, so necessary for cultivating the principles of true liberty, virtue and piety, under His nurturing hand, and to prosper the means of religion for the promotion and enlargement of that kingdom which consisteth ‘”in righteous, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost”.”

In 1775, John Peter Muhlenberg, who was a pastor like his father, Henry, preached a message on Ecclesiastes 3:1, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” He closed his message by saying:

“In the language of the Holy Writ, there is a time for all things. There is a time to preach and a time to fight.”

He then threw off his robes to reveal the uniform of an officer in the Revolutionary Army. That afternoon, at the head of 300 men, he marched off to join General Washington’s troops.

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Patriotic, Political

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Preparing to Vote Number 4


The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence paid a tremendous price for our freedom. 5 were arrested by the British as traitors. 12 had their houses looted and burned by the enemy, 17 lost their fortunes, 2 lost sons in the Continental Army and 9 fought and died during the revolutionary War

On August 27, 1776, British General Howe had trapped General Washington and his 8,000 troops on Brooklyn Heights, Long Island, intending to advance the nest morning to crush them. In a desperate move, Washington gathered every vessel, from fishing boats to row boats, and spent all night ferrying his army across the East River. When the morning came, there was still a large number of his troops dangerously exposed to the British, but in a most unusual change in weather, the fog did not lift from the river. It stayed thick, covering Washington’s retreat until the entire army had evacuated and escaped! Never again did the British have such a rare chance of winning the war. Major Ben Tallmadge, who was Washington’s Chief of Intelligence, wrote of that morning.

“As the dawn of the next day approached, those of us who remained in the trenches became very anxious for our own safety, and when the dawn appeared there were several regiments still on duty. At this time a very dense fog began to rise [out of the ground and off the river], and so very dense was the atmosphere that I could scarcely discern a man at six yards distance…..we tarried until the sun had risen, but the fog remained as dense as ever.”

 In the freezing winter of 1777, General George Washington was burdened with the lack of supplies for his troops camped at Valley Forge, and with the overwhelming superiority of the British forces. Soldiers died at the rate of twelve per day with many not even having blankets or shoes. The Commander-in-Chief himself, records the desperate state:

 “No history now extant can furnish an instance of an army’s suffering such uncommon hardship as ours has done and bearing them with the same patience and fortitude; To see men without clothes to cover their nakedness, without blankets to lie on, without shoes for their feet)…and submitting without a murmur, is a proof of patience and obedience which in my opinion can scarce be paralleled.”

A Committee from Congress reported “feet and legs froze till they became black, and it was often necessaries amputate them..” Sights of bloody footprints in the snow and lack of food and shelter caused the Commander-in-Chief to seek divine assistant. The famous account of his resolution was given by Isaac Potts, who was General Washington’s temporary landlord at Valley Forge.

In 1777 while the American Army lay at Valley Forge, a good old Quaker by the name of Potts had occasion to pass through a thick woods near headquarters. As he traversed the dark brown forest, he heard, at a distance before him, a voice which as he advanced became more fervid and interested.

Approaching with slowness and circumspection, whom should he behold in a dark bower, apparently formed for this purpose, but the Commander-in-Chief of the armies of the United Colonies on his knees in the act of devotion to the Ruler of the Universe!

At the moment when Friend Potts, concealed by the trees, came up, Washington was interceding for his beloved country. With tones of gratitude that labored for adequate expression he adored that exuberant goodness which, from the depth of obscurity, had exalted him to the head of a great nation, and that nation fighting at fearful odds for all the world holds dear…

Soon as the General had finished his devotions and had retired, Friend Potts returned to his house and threw himself into a chair by the side of his wife. “Heigh! Isaac!” said she with tenderness, “thee seems agitated, what’s the matter?”

 “Indeed, my dear”, Quote he, “if I appear agitated ‘tis no more than what I am. I have seen this day what I shall never forget. Till now I have thought that a Christian and a soldier were characters incompatible, but if George Washington be not a man of God, I am mistaken, and still more shall I be disappointed if God does not through him perform some great thing for this country.”

 

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Patriotic, Political

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Shake Off Our Sleeves


I was working here at my computer and listening to FOX CABLE, as usual, and once again I heard some things that stuck a chord with me. It is most unfortunate that our society has become one that is so “touchy-feely” with everything. Being “offended” has become something to avoid, or go into an attack mode to punish those that are guilty of doing the “offending.”  Those behind our social media, along with those whose life’s calling is to reshape America into their own Marxist-Socialist image, have work feverously to tear down our one time social sense of respect, and replace it with our present day mood of sensitivity to any opinion, theology or ideology we hold dear.

I was raised in a home where both of my parents seemed to have had the same upbringing. Their values were identical, and they passed them on to my sister and me with consistent regularity. We were raised in church (Evangelical), and from my earliest memory, I watched what we learned on Sunday played out in our home throughout the week. There was never a time that we did not know love, which made our strict upbringing tolerable, and now as a mature adult, thankful.

One of the many things I learned as a boy was respect for people in general. I was taught that any form of prejudice was wrong. From my earliest recollection showing people respect by saying, “Sir; Mam;  please; Thank You; etc. was commonplace. In fact, not long ago, a man I knew very well stopped me one day and exclaimed that we were not in the military ( because every time I saw him I would say things like “Good morning Sir”). I responded that I did not learn that in the Marine Corp, but by my parents and grandparents.  That was as much a part of my upbringing as anything else, including political perspectives; I was raised as a conservative Christian with a genuine relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, not a religion or an ideology.

I also was taught to show respect to others who had a differing opinion than mine. Those lessons taught me that a differing opinion was not a rejection of me, my opinion, or beliefs. They were just different. We could have a discussion without argument, or “offending” the person. In fact, one such lesson, learned the hard way, regarded HOW we offend other people; (1) Our attitude toward them, (2) our reaction to them, and (3) the words (including phrases euphemisms, dysphemism and slur words) we use. Yes, words have meanings, and certain words have no place in any civil societal discourse.

As I got older, and got to know my dad better, on more than one occasion I would watch him discuss issues I knew were important to him. Even when opposed with great emotion, he remained calm and would not be confrontational. That was consistent with both my grandparents, and other role models around me.  I know that others were raised in the same way because we shared most of the same values I learned at home. No, we were not raised on another planet.

Out parents, grandparents and other role models were people who came out the Great Depression, two World Wars and the Korean “Conflict”. These were people who had learned these lessons from people who learned such societal conduct from hard times, and respect for what it took to survive. Being thankful was a lifestyle of appreciation for more abundance than most of their ancestors ever knew. Respect for life, respect for others, respect for social conduct, respect for education, respect for family, respect for your Spiritual Life and respect for self were ongoing lessons that knew no graduation.

As I listen to what people say every day, I could get very offended, IF I CHOSE TO GET OFFENDED. Yes, being offended is a choice, a deliberate act of the will. Tip-toeing through life has no pleasure for anyone, especially those that look for ways to be offended. What a miserable way to live. I can’t change them, but I can control my conduct, and my sensitivity.

As for me, I choose to be respectful, loving and accepting (accepting is NOT saying I agree with an opinion, ideology, theology or political spin).  A very wise person said that we need to choose our battles. True. In the mean time, why don’t we just shake off our sleeves, put our “offense gun” back in its holster, and decide to get to know the people we come in contact with every day. Who knows, we might find ways to get along, and make our society more pleasant.

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Family, Patriotic, Personal, Political

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Can’t Help But Remember the Reason for Memorial Day


I am so very blessed in so many ways. I am truly a man without excuses because of the family that raised me. Yes, I said a family. A Great-Grandmother, two sets of Grand-Parents, my parents, and a gaggle of Aunts and Uncles. Not even a whiff of dysfunction anywhere. I was born into a Christian family, and not one religious christian could be found. Every one without exception whore their personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ on their sleeve. No matter when you saw any of them, they would be the same as you saw them on Sunday. I really do not have any excuses for messing up.

I learned at a young age that my dad’s brother was killed at the end of World War II. He was a navigator in the Army Air Corp. His flight crew was taking one of their normal runs in the Philippine Islands. As they were about to take off to return to their home base, they were warned of a storm in their flight path and recommended they stay where they were until the storm passed by. The Pilot thought they could make it, and they never heard from any of them ever again.

Dad served n the Army and later in the Merchant Marines. One of my aunts married a career Marine, who became one of my lifetime heroes. He served in Korea. During one his transport missions they were ambushed. He was injured and couldn’t get away, so he pretended to be dead. A North Korean drove his riffle butt into my uncles back, breaking it. After coming home and getting healed, he went back. He was the lead truck driver behind General Puller’s jeep leading the 1st Marines out of the infamous Frozen Chosin Reservoir. His life of dedication, commitment and service added to the lessons learned from my dad and grand fathers.

When it came time for me to serve, and I thought I might be drafted into the Army, I took advantage of a special offer to join the Marin Corps. I served in Vietnam, earned a Purple Heart, and came real close to making the Marine Corp a career. Jill, my wife to be (and has been for over 40 years) had another idea.

A couple of years ago my dad asked me to accompany him to Texas over Memorial Day Weekend. The idea was for just the two of us to get away, see where he was born and raised, and on that Sunday, his brother, Ovie Junior Broussard, was being recognized. The church my dad and his family were raised in had a memorial outside the church honoring the members of their church that had died in service to their country. The church had moved to a larger property, and had built a massive memorial with a bronze statue of a soldier bowing before this memorial praying for a lost comrade. My dad was to get a smaller version of the statue during the ceremony.

We left here on Wednesday and came home the next Monday. To this day, dad and I often refer to that weekend and how much it meant to both of us. But that’s not the only reason I remember the reason for celebrating Memorial Day.

Like many others, I lost many great friends while in Vietnam. One in particular came home with me on weekend leave almost every weekend. It was four of us, Don Grubb, Don Cunningham, Jim Burnett and myself. Cunningham and I were placed on squads within the same Regiment, several miles apart. The third day in country, Don was setting out a Claymore Mine and a sniper killed him. That was the toughest of all the losses. Because our Daughter Amanda and her husband Scott invited us out to dinner and then to see the Copy of the Vietnam Memorial that was displayed at Rose Hills (never able to make my self see it before), I made it a priority to find his name. I did.

All the talk in the world about war is utterly worthless. No one actually loves war except for those that want to lord control and power over others. To those of us who willingly went to war for our country, war was a necessity to defeat those that want to lord control and power over others. It’s that simple. I’m not asking people to love war, but to accept that sometimes we are called upon to fight for freedom. The Bible is full of war references, and God used verbiage of war when writing through men like the Apostle Paul. We all are in an ongoing Spiritual War. The advantage we have is we know the Victor and that we win because we belong to Him.

In closing, keep up the good fight a faith.

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Family, Patriotic, Personal

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