Freedom, A Precious Gift

I have had much to ponder as of late. I have been studying the scriptures and have come to realize how very unique America is and has always been. So many nations throughout history were never able to allow the mantle of freedom to rest comfortably on their shoulders. Before long, they would cry for a king. Thus they succumbed themselves to the whims of wicked men and cried unto the Lord when things went wrong. For millennia this cycle repeated itself, nations conquering nations and the people always paying the price.

At the founding of our nation, many had come from all the corners of the earth. Some stayed. Some died. Some left. But of those who stayed, a great nation sprang forth. By 1776 those who craved freedom and liberty served notice to the United Kingdom, and the Revolutionary War commenced. Untold miracles were wrought on behalf of the Americans and we embraced freedom and liberty, accepting the responsibilities of protecting it.

For two centuries America continued to flourish, even during our down times we fought our way out and continued to be free. Presidents came and went, some preserved the Republic, and some chipped away at it. Some used a chisel and some a sledge hammer (Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton). But we flourished and continued to grow. Occasionally, the tree of liberty was watered with the blood of patriots, and America grew in strength and power. We stood as that beacon of liberty to the world and we were pleased to do so.

During my lifetime, and I am fifty now, I have watched freedom and liberty dwindle in America with great rapidity. The people handed it to their leaders while others fought within the paths the founding generation gave us in the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, to restore the greatness and uniqueness of the American experiment.

God always intended us to be free. The rights of free speech, freedom of religion, and the right to peaceably assemble are gifts from God, not from man. The Second Amendment was given to us by the Founding Fathers to protect those God-given gifts.

And here we are today with fifty million Americans on welfare, fifty-four millon on government assistance, with an economy struggling from a gross burden of over regulation and the overreach of government. Millions of Americans are unemployed, as businesses struggle to stay open under the ever growing behemoth of Obamacare. An astonishingly large number of Americans look to Barack Obama, a man steeped in the wickedness of communism, as their "savior". But the only Savior the world has is Jesus Christ, and Obama is dismantling America at great speed.

America literally stands at a crossroads: should we live up to the responsibilities we've been given and uphold and strengthen the Republic, or should we succumb to the weak and destructive European socialism? In November of 2014 we have the opportunity, and responsibility, to go to the polls and elect good and wise men and women. But will we? Will we seek out the statesmen among us and work to get them elected.

Ezra Taft Benson said,

"unlike the political opportunist, the true statesman values principle above popularity, and works to create popularity for those political principles which are wise and just."

For me, I attempt to stand for truth and righteousness in all times, things and places. That, of course, causes unpopularity to be levied toward me. But my Heavenly Father and Savior are very real to me. As I have mentioned before, I will not shuffle off this mortal coil and face them, the Founding Fathers and my ancestors with the report that I "just didn't want to do my part to protect our freedom and liberty because it was too hard."

Popularity is fleeting and corrosive. What should last is a sound mind, steadfast heart and dedication to eternal principles. What should last is our devotion to God. What should last is our dedication to preserving freedom, for it is an eternal and precious gift fought for by the American people and handed down generation to generation. But it requires each generation to renew the dedication and fight to keep the flame of freedom burning brightly in America, and I fear this last generation is throwing it away.

Ronald Reagan said,

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protect, and handed down for them to do the same."

2014 will be the year where we ultimately decided whether to continue down this path with certain destruction at the end (seriously, we are $17 plus trillion in national debt, and $100 trillion in unfunded debt), or we shake ourselves off, pick the tools of freedom again and restore America to that place where the American Dream is alive and well.

God bless America, and God bless each of my fellow citizens. We've got a monumental decision ahead of us, what will we ultimately decide? As for me and my house, we have chosen to serve God and preserve liberty.

I have been actively researching and seeking out candidates across the nation. As I have done so, I have come to find men who I believe will hold the line in Congress and in their state races.

What do I mean by that? These are men of courage, honor, integrity, and a clear understanding of the proper role of government. And sadly, there is a sore dearth of that in our nation. We need these men to win across America.

Bill Both, UT
Bill Connor, SC
Dan Bongino, MD
Carl Higbie, CT
Craig Bowden, UT
Jack Kingston, GA
John Stevens, UT
Matt Bevin, KY
Rob Maness, LA
Ryan Zinke, MT
Shane Osborn, NE
Tim Donnelly, CA