Some of my favorite stories are about the underdogs and the lost causes. They are about men and women and groups of people that had no hope of succeeding, but they raced forward anyway. They fought the battles, they ran the races, they stood up and spoke of their dreams, even when it seemed like the whole world was against them.
Our country was founded on men and women willing to sacrifice everything without any promise of success. In fact, I can think of more than a few times that we fought with everything that we had and the outcome looked pretty dim. There was no guarantee of glory or fame, and certainly no riches or wealth dangled in front of us. In fact, those that fought in the American Revolution and those that sat in the newly appointed American government stared the possibility of death in the face on a regular basis, and many lost their lives for it, never seeing the final success of that particular struggle.
Think about it. In 1775, before the Declaration was even written, Dr Joseph Warren of Boston died on Bunker hill to protect his home and win freedom. 1776, a young captain in the United States Army named Nathan Hale was hanged for being a spy, trying to help prepare Washington's troops for what lay ahead. Washington retreated more than he pushed forward in the first year of battle, not winning his first major victory until Christmas of 1776 when he made his famous act of crossing the Delaware.
Anyone from Texas? Sometimes I think that the symbol of the old mission has become so widely known on sight that people forget how the Texans lost that one. It was bloody and it was terrible, but do you know what that thirteen day siege in 1836 gained? The Alamo became a rallying cry. It became a driving point for men to fight for freedom against oppression. Remember the Alamo. Remember Goliad. Texas won at San Jacinto and won freedom.
Our entire country stood divided for the Civil War.
Time and time again we have fought for what we believe in with no guarantee of victory. We have hope, of course, and a courage that was once unshakable, but now it seems we need assurances for the smallest of things. Battles are not fought with guns and bombs alone. Some battles never shed a drop of blood, but they are just as important as those that we fight to save our fellow countryman from dying by the invading sword, so to speak. They are fought for our future and our freedoms.
We've reached a terrible place in this country. The politicians that we elect to represent us care less for those that they work for and more for the congratulatory pat on the back that they get from their fellow politicians. No conviction grounds them. They would rather take a stab at those that they disagree with by making a few comments to a camera than to openly debate where they might get shown up. Now, that's not everyone of course, but it does seem that there are a few Republicans that are a bit nervous to take on one of their own face-to-face after hours on his feet. It's much easier for them, of course, to try to turn the rest of the senate against him. The Democrats have no problem with this, and kudos to them for having the gumption to speak their own beliefs, but I can only say shame on you Senator McConnell, Senator Cornyn, and Senator McCain for your actions the last couple of days. If you're against Obamacare, then fight it. Fight it until you can't speak any longer. Don't just say that you are and then undermine the men and woman that stand up to do something about it.
I've heard more than one person ask what the point of Senator Cruz's 21 hour speech was. I think the fact that people (average citizens and other politicians alike) don't understand the point of standing firm in his convictions and his beliefs, even when victory seems impossible, says a lot about the state of things now. Politicians have less of a moral grounding and more of an interest in their own careers. They see no issue with saying one thing and acting in another way. It's become so common place that the average man or woman in America has become accustomed to it. "They're just politicians. Why should we expect better?" When we don't expect better, we will not pressure them to be better. It is our job, the citizens that vote them in and vote to keep them in, and our responsibility to hold them accountable. Not all senators and congressmen will be willing to look their fellow members in the eye and fight until they are shut down due to time limitations. It is our job as the ones that they are meant to represent to make sure that they are, in the end, representing us. If they are not, they're gone, simple as that.
I'm a Texas girl myself and there was a time that I had a bit more respect for John Cornyn. Perhaps it has to do with perspective. Texas has been shown that someone is willing to fight hard to represent us and Americans in general. Ted Cruz will have my vote as long as he runs, though Cornyn has shown himself to be more talk than action this week. It's nice to say things, Mr Cornyn, better to do. No battle is won by merely wishing to so. You've got to have fight in you. If you've lost that, perhaps it's best to step down and let someone else take your place.
Our country was founded on men and women willing to sacrifice everything without any promise of success. In fact, I can think of more than a few times that we fought with everything that we had and the outcome looked pretty dim. There was no guarantee of glory or fame, and certainly no riches or wealth dangled in front of us. In fact, those that fought in the American Revolution and those that sat in the newly appointed American government stared the possibility of death in the face on a regular basis, and many lost their lives for it, never seeing the final success of that particular struggle.
Think about it. In 1775, before the Declaration was even written, Dr Joseph Warren of Boston died on Bunker hill to protect his home and win freedom. 1776, a young captain in the United States Army named Nathan Hale was hanged for being a spy, trying to help prepare Washington's troops for what lay ahead. Washington retreated more than he pushed forward in the first year of battle, not winning his first major victory until Christmas of 1776 when he made his famous act of crossing the Delaware.
Anyone from Texas? Sometimes I think that the symbol of the old mission has become so widely known on sight that people forget how the Texans lost that one. It was bloody and it was terrible, but do you know what that thirteen day siege in 1836 gained? The Alamo became a rallying cry. It became a driving point for men to fight for freedom against oppression. Remember the Alamo. Remember Goliad. Texas won at San Jacinto and won freedom.
Our entire country stood divided for the Civil War.
Time and time again we have fought for what we believe in with no guarantee of victory. We have hope, of course, and a courage that was once unshakable, but now it seems we need assurances for the smallest of things. Battles are not fought with guns and bombs alone. Some battles never shed a drop of blood, but they are just as important as those that we fight to save our fellow countryman from dying by the invading sword, so to speak. They are fought for our future and our freedoms.
We've reached a terrible place in this country. The politicians that we elect to represent us care less for those that they work for and more for the congratulatory pat on the back that they get from their fellow politicians. No conviction grounds them. They would rather take a stab at those that they disagree with by making a few comments to a camera than to openly debate where they might get shown up. Now, that's not everyone of course, but it does seem that there are a few Republicans that are a bit nervous to take on one of their own face-to-face after hours on his feet. It's much easier for them, of course, to try to turn the rest of the senate against him. The Democrats have no problem with this, and kudos to them for having the gumption to speak their own beliefs, but I can only say shame on you Senator McConnell, Senator Cornyn, and Senator McCain for your actions the last couple of days. If you're against Obamacare, then fight it. Fight it until you can't speak any longer. Don't just say that you are and then undermine the men and woman that stand up to do something about it.
I've heard more than one person ask what the point of Senator Cruz's 21 hour speech was. I think the fact that people (average citizens and other politicians alike) don't understand the point of standing firm in his convictions and his beliefs, even when victory seems impossible, says a lot about the state of things now. Politicians have less of a moral grounding and more of an interest in their own careers. They see no issue with saying one thing and acting in another way. It's become so common place that the average man or woman in America has become accustomed to it. "They're just politicians. Why should we expect better?" When we don't expect better, we will not pressure them to be better. It is our job, the citizens that vote them in and vote to keep them in, and our responsibility to hold them accountable. Not all senators and congressmen will be willing to look their fellow members in the eye and fight until they are shut down due to time limitations. It is our job as the ones that they are meant to represent to make sure that they are, in the end, representing us. If they are not, they're gone, simple as that.
I'm a Texas girl myself and there was a time that I had a bit more respect for John Cornyn. Perhaps it has to do with perspective. Texas has been shown that someone is willing to fight hard to represent us and Americans in general. Ted Cruz will have my vote as long as he runs, though Cornyn has shown himself to be more talk than action this week. It's nice to say things, Mr Cornyn, better to do. No battle is won by merely wishing to so. You've got to have fight in you. If you've lost that, perhaps it's best to step down and let someone else take your place.
