Once to Every Man and Nation

I'll have to admit to not paying attention in church Sunday. Not sure why, the sermon didn't captivate me... when that happens I open the hymnal and start reading through my favorite hymns. It's my experience that the old familiar hymns will often provide more enlightenment, inspiration and comfort than most sermons.

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6.

It's true, I go back to basics, what I learned from my parents. Specifically, the old hymns that I first learned to sing with my mother, we drove our Siamese cats crazy, with our noise. Then I progressed to learning The Apostles' Creed, making my first attempt at cursive writing. I was so proud when I showed it to my mom. She praised me and admired my work, then gently explained that I had to make a break between my words, they only LOOKED like they all ran together--

Comforting hymns, comforting creeds, comforting memories. All take me back, when happy or sad, jubilant or in defeat, optimistic -- or as now -- in desperate dread at what is happening to our Nation.

So, for lack of a sermon that resonated, my hymnal browsing became an absolute necessity. And I turned first to the hymns of my childhood and my mother, The Old Rugged Cross and I Love to Tell the Story, then to Be Thou My Vision, a hymn I learned to love because it was such an important prayer to a dear friend and Navy Chaplain. And finally to Once to Every Man and Nation, difficult to sing, even harder to accept as challenge.

Written by James Russell Lowell (1819-1891), the son of a Unitarian minister in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Lowell was an abolitionist who opposed the Mexican War. The annexation of Texas, adding a new and large slave-holding state, inspired him to write The Present Crisis, four verses of which comprise the hymn Once to Every Man and Nation.

Once to every man and nation,
comes the moment to decide,
in the strife of truth with falsehood,
for the good or evil side
some great cause, some great decision,
offering each the bloom or blight,
and the choice goes by forever,
'twixt that darkness and that light.

Then to side with truth is noble,
when we share her wretched crust,
ere her cause bring fame and profit,
and 'tis prosperous to be just;
then it is the brave man chooses
while the coward stands aside,
till the multitude make virtue
of the faith they had denied.

By the light of burning martyrs,
Christ, thy bleeding feet we track,
toiling up new Calvaries ever
with the cross that turns not back;
new occasions teach new duties,
ancient values test our youth;
they must upward still and onward,
who would keep abreast of truth.

Though the cause of evil prosper,
yet the truth alone is strong;
though her portion be the scaffold,
and upon the throne be wrong;
yet that scaffold sways the future,
and behind the dim unknown,
standeth God within the shadow,
keeping watch above his own.

I'm at that "moment to decide", as are many reading this now, as are millions of Americans across our Homeland.

The cause of evil prospers today, as in the past. Our elected officials ingore the will of the People, trample on the Constitution. Our leaders are no better, their moral compass corrupted by power. The future of our Nation truly does sway upon the scaffold of tyranny. And it seems we cannot stop the relentless march toward socialism.

In spite of the president's assertions to the contrary, voiced in a muslim country, America is a Christian nation, built upon Judeo-Christian values and founded by men who wove their reverence for a Supreme Being into the very fiber of our Nation.

But the president spent the most formative years of his childhood in the company of communists, invited into his home as beloved family members. He lived in a communist nation, Indonesia, still home to the largest muslim population in the world. His values do not align with those of most Americans; his cultural identity is not that of an American.

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Though the cause of evil prosper,
yet the truth alone is strong;
though her portion be the scaffold,
and upon the throne be wrong;
yet that scaffold sways the future,
and behind the dim unknown,
standeth God within the shadow,
keeping watch above his own.

I may fear for our Nation. But I trust that the devotion of its Citizens and faith in our Creator will prevail.

Patriotism, Pageantry and Passion. And Progressive Propaganda

We were fortunate to hear the North Carolina Symphony last week as part of its Red, White and Blue Tour. The tour was designed to pay tribute to the men and women who have kept America safe for generations and included concerts at three North Carolina military installations, including MCAS Cherry Point.

The MCAS Base Theater is the largest theater in North Carolina and seats approximately 2,000. The concert was sold out and the theater filled early; our group went out to dinner first, then found and greeted other friends at the theater, all as enthusiastic as we, in anticipation of an evening of patriotic music.

For those readers who haven't attended a military movie, sporting event, or any other official function... it always begins with the playing of The Star Spangled Banner. Something I've experienced since my birth.

My father was a World War II veteran, ball turret gunner on B24s with 50 missions over the European Theater and based in Benghazi, Libya. He went on to retire from the United States Air Force. My earliest memories are of standing, with hand over my heart, at the playing of our National Anthem at the beginning of a basketball game or movie. A memory made even more powerful because we were overseas, far away from our American home.

Feeling the strong martial bass of the melody rumble in my stomach and hearing the powerful lyrics of this one special song has always given me goosebumps. From my childhood, then as a teenager at America's Bicentennial celebration, to every movie or event Jason and I attend now, the awe, the reverence -- the goosebumps -- have remained the same.

The Wednesday evening concert was no different. In fact, it was more powerful because I was part of a community -- of servicemembers: active, retired, and dependents -- enhanced by the civilian community that has supported its military counterpart for over six decades. Imagine 2,000 Americans, standing and singing our National Anthem in accompaniment to the North Carolina Symphony, in a venue where so many Marines are deployed in defense of our freedom. Brought me to tears.

Made me wonder...................

I'm an amateur student of history, favoring the Second World War and aviation in particular. Because of my Dad's service and because I flew airplanes for a living when I was younger. Most certainly because I'm a bit odd! But I've always worried about the feeling of raw emotion and patriotism that The Star Spangled Banner can elicit; especially powerful as Marines Pass in Review. A Wing Level change of command a decade ago included a half dozen General Officers, honors rendered, unit colors flying in the breeze. Very martial. Very Triumph of the Will, Leni Riefenstahl, Nuremberg Rally.

Very disturbing because it was simple to comprehend how a mass of people could be so easily moved by pageantry, passion -- and propaganda. But it can't happen here. Civilian control of the military. Our Constitution. States rights. A history of freedom based upon shared sacrifice. Our First Amendment rights.

Click on these links and you'll know that it can, and is, happening now: Obama Youth Alpha and Omega chant. School children sing praises to Barack Hussein Obama. California parents use their young children as propaganda, first video to surface. And of course, the "Civilian National Security Force" that will be as strong as our military. Under Obama's total control, of course.

Have I mentioned that the NC Symphony Red, White and Blue concert was last Wednesday? Music night at what used to be known as The People's House. Now it's the Obama's private (weekly) venue for new or very long-in-the-tooth, musicians and musical groups. But wait, a bonus last week, there were TWO music evenings, the second soiree before the Sunday evening at Ford's Theater. But I'll focus on the first.

Because it's taken me almost a week to blog this. A week to be circumspect, to work out the compare-and-contrast, to be able to paint a picture and draw a line between past and present. To hope our future does not repeat the past.

Because we came home from the patriotism of the concert, the more-than-moving Star Spangled Banner; followed by Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man; Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy; The Liberty Bell March; From Sea to Shining Sea, An American Medley; and ending with two standing ovations that earned our audience a spectacular arrangement of The Battle Hymn of the Republic, and ended with an exhortation: God Bless America. With everyone standing -- appropriate for a prayer for our Nation -- and as we were when the concert opened (...thank you, Al).

But we came home from the concert, turned on the computer, and read that 67 year old "Sir" Paul McCartney had sang the Beatles hit Michelle to Michelle Obama at the weekly Wednesday night music event. And insulted a former President, in OUR house, while fawning in adulation over the current occupant. We were treated to detailed descriptions of music, garb, commentary of Obama "feeling the music and swaying" as "his wife mouthed the words". Every MSM outlet parroting the party line.

From passionate patriotism of song -- to empty pageantry of the Washington elite. From paeans in celebration of America -- to progressive propaganda -- in search of absolute power.

We must gather at every opportunity to celebrate freedom and to provide a beacon of light to those who wander in the darkness of the Obama Alpha and Omega -- those who have chosen to repeat the blind worship so evident at the Nuremberg Rallies and chillingly chronicled in Triumph of the Will.

We are Americans and we will not be silenced.

Louisiana Congressman Breaks Down During Hearing

This video of Rep Charlie Melancon (D LA) is very hard to watch, mainly because of this public servant's obvious distress and concern for his constituents, his state, and the environment. If you can watch without crying with him, you are stronger than I...

It's even harder to watch if you've seen any part of Obama's news conference yesterday. He was detached, distanced, disdainful of any impact of the spill except that which affects him personally.

To say that I am concerned for the future of our Nation is an understatement. I am also sad that Americans have elected an Alinskyite, Cloward-Piven "leader" who looks to every crisis as an opportunity to further undermine our Constitution and consolidate power in Washington.