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Patriot Headlines | Grassroots Commentary
Alexander's Column
Desperate Times Call for Desperate MeasuresStanding in the Gap
By Mark Alexander ·
August 12, 2015
"Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of. Our enemies are numerous and powerful; but we have many friends, determining to be free, and heaven and earth will aid the resolution. On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important question, on which rest the happiness and liberty of millions yet unborn." —Joseph Warren (1775)
In May, we went to Washington, DC, for the 70th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day. On Friday, I'll pick up both Dad and his 91-year-old "little brother," and we'll attend an event at Chattanooga's National Cemetery to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the surrender of Japan. Though VJ Day is observed on 02 September, it was the "Japan Surrenders" headlines on 14 August, and the celebrations which followed, that are most remembered. We are gathering as many WWII vets as we can muster in order to honor those of the Greatest Generation still among our ranks. There will be a wreath laying and 21-gun salute to honor the many millions no longer with us. My family has a long history of military service. We are descended from Patriots who fought in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the War Between the States and the two World Wars. My father would have graduated from Dartmouth with the Class of '44, but in 1943 his entire class left to fight the evil regimes of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. He earned his wings as a Navy fighter pilot and flew F4U Corsairs at the end of the war. His younger brother left Princeton in 1943 for the European theater as a field artillery officer, and their younger brother joined the Marines that same year. By the grace of God, they each survived — and are living today. Though I was born long after the war concluded, I learned much from my parents, who survived both the Great Depression and WWII. My son is now building on that legacy of military service, having graduated this summer from Marine OCS/PLC. He has since returned to the Air Force Academy and will soon have to decide whether to commission in the USAF or USMC. I mention our family heritage by way of providing you some insight into why I hold our national heritage in such high esteem and why I am singularly devoted to the Liberty irrevocably endowed by our Creator. On that note, I humbly ask for your help, knowing that you share the same devotion to Liberty's legacy, and the same commitment to bridge the gap between this generation and the next to ensure that legacy thrives. There is an ancient Latin proverb, "extremis malis extrema remedia," which translates, "extreme remedies for extreme ills." The modern version is, "Desperate times call for desperate measures." These are desperate times, not to be despaired, but in need of desperate measures. Our team launched The Patriot Post almost 20 years ago, and we were among the first publications on the Web. As Executive Editor, this endeavor has been and remains a labor of love — as the owner of a separate small management company I don't draw a salary from our donor revenues. However, I am greatly rewarded by the opportunity to serve our fellow Patriots. But this endeavor is also a source of heartburn because, like many small businesses, we have a crew of outstanding people who work long hours for modest wages to support their families. We operate on tight margins, and when revenues are down I am constantly concerned for our team. In July, The Patriot Post's two-week midyear campaign coincided with one of the worst weeks for conservative morale since we began publishing. Ahead of the second week of that campaign, the Supreme Court dropped decisions supporting ObamaCare and redefining marriage — and these twin body blows knocked the wind out of many conservatives. Now, for the first time in our publication's history, we do not have the revenue to bridge the gap between summer and fall. Our year-over-year shortfall is about $53,000. That shortfall is a drop in the bucket compared to the big Beltway organizations, but we are, intentionally, a grassroots publication with a grassroots budget. We are not sustained by any parent organization and we have tirelessly defended Liberty, increasing the scope of our mission and operations over the last three years, without increasing our budget. Millions of grassroots Patriots rely on The Patriot Post as a steadfast touchstone for Liberty, and it remains a cost-effective force multiplier. If you are able, I humbly ask you now: Please help us bridge this funding gap. Thank you, as always, for standing with us.
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis |
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