This is America

This is America. Our ancestors carved a nation out of this harsh, unforgiving continent. They fought, they bled and died to make her free. Incredible inventions came from America, technology and business thrived. We not only celebrated success, we encouraged it in every single American. We fought in two world wars to keep the world from being taken over by madmen. Our inventors, entrepreneurs, ranches, farms, and orchards thrived and an abundance came to our nation. We've gone through dark times and we've gone through times of prosperity.

And then came the greed. And then came the communists. And then, finally, came the self-entitled who sound the death knell of any nation. But this I know and firmly declare, we will not fall. We are shaken, but we will rise from this too. It will require us to turn from our petty differences and stand strong as Americans in the common goal of restoring the Republic. It will require a steadfastness of heart and soul, an endurance of spirit and an untold strength found in Americans for centuries.

There is precedence for what I'm asking of my fellow Americans. Look back through our history, from the moment the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock to this very day where America stands in more danger than she has ever been. We have overcome everything that has been thrown at us whether it be war or economic depression. But we face an unprecedented time in America foretold by one of her greatest presidents:

Abraham Lincoln said, "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

Where is this hope I speak of? It can be found in the words of a very wise man and noted religious authority, Gordon B. Hinckley. In 1998 he spoke to the New York Press Club and talked of how to turn society around in a generation or two. Interestingly, it is exactly what progressives have tried to destroy and have largely succeeded save for a select portion of the population. Hinckley spoke of the family unit and prophetically declare that as the health of the family goes, so goes the health of a nation. Destroy the family and you destroy the nation.

What did Gordon B. Hinckley say that struck me so fiercely? He gave us four things each family could do that would strengthen the familial bond and therefore, the family. They are:

ONE: Families need to work together. Why? It's really rather simple. If families work together the children learn the work ethic of their parents. If their parents show by word AND example, then the children internalize that solid work ethic.

This principle counteracts laziness and the self-entitlement nature that is destroying America right now.

TWO: Families need to learn goodness together. In years gone by it was the parents who taught their children what was right and wrong. It was the parents who taught the children of their history, the nation's history, of God and of hope. It was the parents who explained the facts of life. Parents were the moral compass and properly so.

When these responsibilities were abdicated to the public schools, the progressives/humanists took over and America is now producing children who believe that not only does the world owe them a living, but that anything goes. This also produced the destructive sense of self-entitlement. Parents look at their children and wonder what in the world happened, and it can be directly traced to abdicating one of the most important responsibilities of a parent, the raising of their children.

THREE: Families need to pray together. Everything that is America is based on the divine hand that has guided us from the beginning. A nation founded on Judeo/Christian principles, we recognized and accepted the God of this Land, who is Jesus Christ. In praying together morning and night, as a family, children learn that there is a higher power, one that watches over us all. If we do not forget Him, He will not forget us.

If family prayer is abandoned than that recognition of a higher power, the subsequent lessons of what is right and what is wrong, is abandoned. Children no longer look to their parents as the ultimate authority and the family unit is broken. Daily prayer brings inspiration, guidance and strength that can be found nowhere else.

FOUR: Families need to read good books together. Good books are like parables. Woven within an excellent story you will often find life lessons which pierce your heart in ways no others can. In good stories we learn of valiance, weakness, overcoming, failing, love and sorrow.

If books are read that teach of disrespect uncorrected, children run amuck and everything turning out okay, evil triumphing over good, bad behavior held up as good, the "villainization" of parents, then we produce precisely the type of society we have now, a deeply destructive one.

Gordon B. Hinckley went on to say that if families would do these four simple things it would turn society around within a generation or two. This generation is nearly lost if those who participate in the Occupy Wall Street movement is any indication. But there are enough Americans left who still believe in God, believe that family is the ultimate reason to live, and know that America is the last best hope for freedom and liberty in the world.

You. You are the ones I am reaching out to and asking for you to stand up for what you believe in, and for your loved ones. Stand up, shoulder to shoulder, with other Americans from North to South, East to West, and say, "This is America."