THE PATRIOT POST - ALEXANDER'S COLUMN 11/07/2018

The Right to Vote, Guaranteed by Patriot Veterans

It is a disgraceful irony that the freedom of those who advocate statist tyranny is ensured by generations of Patriot veterans who have defended Liberty.

Mark Alexander

"Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say, 'What should be the reward of such sacrifices?' ... If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands, which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!" —Samuel Adams (1777) Some have said this midterm election was the most critical in history. It wasn't — far from it. But it was important. As of this publication, Democrats have won enough congressional seats in the House to take control. But there was no "blue wave." Republicans may have lost up to 34 House seats, but that compares very favorably to first midterm losses by Democrat presidents. Demos lost 52 midterm seats in 1994 after Bill Clinton's election, and a massive 63 midterm seats in 2010 after Barack Obama's election. Meanwhile, in the Senate, Republicans did more than just maintain their thin margin; they actually added three and possibly four seats, depending on whether narrow GOP leads hold up in Arizona. As I've written previously, this midterm election was a referendum on Demo voter IQand whether Democrat Party constituents could free themselves from the Demo/MSM's "Hate Trump" chokehold on their opinion long enough to acknowledge that our nation is much better off now than it was two years ago. After all, hating Donald Trump is tantamount to hating half of America. The Trump administration's domestic and foreign policy successes are extraordinary, and most notably his free-enterprise economic policies have benefited ALL Americans. In fact, it is those policies that were on the ballot yesterday, versus the fear, anger, hatred, and division offered by the Democrats. I attended a Trump/Pence rally Sunday, where one of the most rousing ovations he received was in response to this remark: "I am asking every citizen from every party, every background and every race, color and creed, to reject the Democrat politics of anger and division, and to unite behind our proud and righteous destiny as Americans." But the Left's anger and division ruled the day in more than 30 hotly contested congressional districts across the nation, where a majority of voters bought into Democrat hate-mongering and cast ballots against peace and prosperity, endeavoring to halt the progress of the last two years. What we determined Tuesday is that a growing number of Americans lack the civic understanding to offer a thoughtful vote. As Managing Editor Nate Jackson wrote on Election Day, "America's Founders gave us, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, 'a republic ... if [we] can keep it.' The way we keep that republic is to be informed about who and what we're voting for. As John Adams wrote, 'Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people.' And as Samuel Adams put it, a citizen's vote is 'one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.'" Regarding the election results, one thing is clear in this week when we honor American Veterans. The leftist gains in this midterm dishonor the service and sacrifice of millions of American Patriots in uniform and the generations who came before. This Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of Veterans Day, a day that honors those who have, for generations, ensured our ability to have free elections. Last weekend, I was contemplating the extraordinary life of my friend and former neighbor, Medal of Honor recipient Desmond Doss — a man who was small in stature and humble in spirit. But his Medal of Honor citation, which outlines his extraordinary and repeated acts of valor — saving more than 75 men atop "Hacksaw Ridge" — reads like fiction. What he did simply doesn't seem possible. But Desmond's heroism during 22 days of action with the Medical Detachment, 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division between April 29 and May 21, 1945, are well documented. In my humble opinion (though he would never have accepted such praise), Desmond's citation is among the most awe-inspiring of all 3,514 medals awarded since its inception. In Desmond's words, "I was praying the whole time. I just kept praying, 'Lord, please help me get one more [man].'" We set aside Veterans Day to honor the high price of sacrifice paid by generations of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coastguardsmen. They have carried forward the banner of Liberty since the first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord. Millions of American Patriots have honored their oaths "to support and defend" the Liberty that was "endowed by our Creator" and enshrined in our Constitution. Of such sacrifice, 19th century philosopher John Stuart Mill, in his essay "The Contest In America," wrote, "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse. A man who has nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance at being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." It is a disgraceful irony that, to this day, the freedom of "miserable creatures" who advocate statist tyranny is ensured by generations of Patriot veterans who have defended Liberty. Of such Patriots, Gen. Douglas MacArthur said, "My estimate of him was formed on the battlefields many, many years ago, and has never changed. I regarded him then, as I regard him now, as one of the world's noblest figures; not only as one of the finest military characters, but also as one of the most stainless. His name and fame are the birthright of every American citizen. In his youth and strength, his love and loyalty, he gave all that mortality can give. He needs no eulogy from me, or from any other man. He has written his own history and written it in red on his enemy's breast. But when I think of his patience under adversity, of his courage under fire, and of his modesty in victory, I am filled with an emotion of admiration I cannot put into words. He belongs to history as furnishing one of the greatest examples of successful patriotism. He belongs to posterity as the instructor of future generations in the principles of liberty and freedom. He belongs to the present, to us, by his virtues and by his achievements. ... Duty, honor, country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn." It's worth remembering the words of Army Veteran Charles M. Province: "It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag." Veterans, it's been said, are those who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount up to and including their life. Indeed, as President Ronald Reagan declared: "Peace fails when we forget what we stand for. It fails when we forget that our republic is based on firm principles, that with them we are the last best hope of man. ... Peace is only maintained and won by those who have clear eyes and brave minds. In memory of those who gave the last full measure of devotion, may our efforts to achieve lasting peace gain strength." Our family's Patriot warrior ancestry begins with those who fought with the Overmountain Men at Kings Mountain. Those early veterans turned the tide of the Revolutionary War, and their legacy extends through the generations to our own son, who today is a Marine infantry officer. Patriots, on this Veterans Day, and every day of the year, may God bless our men and women in uniform — those who have stood and continue to stand in harm's way. For their steadfast devotion to duty, honor, and country, we, the American people, offer them and their families our humble gratitude and heartfelt thanks. It is with eternal gratitude that we remember those who have paid the ultimate price in service to our nation. "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13) Footnote: Fellow Patriots, I ask you to consider a second vote this week that will pay dividends far beyond this election cycle. Please support your Patriot team and help us support and defend Liberty and extend our nation's legacy of Liberty to the next generation. Support our 2018 Year-End Campaign today. We rely solely on the financial generosity of Patriots like you. Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776