If I had a son he would grow up to look like Chris Stevens, American Ambassador in Libya.

Not so long ago, September 11, 2012, there was a 3 a.m.  phone call to the Obama Administration and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that an attack was underway at our American Embassy in Benghazi, Libya.  Inside that embassy were brave Americans and four of them were killed, Christopher Stevens, Tyrone Woods, Glenn Doherty and Sean Smith.

We have been told this week that it happened a long time ago and not now an issue that the current administration is focusing on.  We have been told that the attack was because of an American made video that caused a crowd to riot.  I believe that the current administration was more concerned with a coming election than they were with the facts or sending help to the embassy that had requested it.  

We are a nation of people that serve and for each person that is now serving and who has served in any capacity the words "What difference does it make, Why 4 Americans are dead" uttered by the occupier of the head office  in the State Department rang like a slap in the face.  This quote also shows a person who is so focused on keeping a reputation, rather than doing a job that her capacity to serve in any future office as far as I am concerned is destroyed. 

We now have 3 more brave Americans who claim that they have been threatened with career ending consequences should they cooperate with a congressional investigation, these whistle blowers are testifying now as to their knowledge of the events that evening.  These are also people that are serving that are providing us with a different picture than what has been provided to the American people so far.  

You have to ask yourself if three friends of the Boston Bombers can be charged with covering up the evidence in that bombing that happened during the Boston marathon, what then are we calling what this Administration has done to hide the fact that Al-Qaeda was involved in the attacks in Benghazi.

I believe there will be legal strategies played out, it happened a long time ago, it does not matter now, there will be accusations of Monday morning quarterbacking on what could have been done and that this is all about politics.   The issue however is getting to the truth, and look at what it is taking to get there because we know now that it was not a video as we were told, and our leaders have NOT been forthcoming with the facts.  Abraham Lincoln said, 

"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts."

In the end it is about 4 Americans who are now deceased who served this country and anytime an American dies in the line of service asking why always matters, and is never to long ago. 

Darren Stewart 

A City on Hill - Election day 2012

Tomorrow is November 6, 2012 and my country, the United States of America will be participating in an election to choose the next leader of our country without a bullet fired and without a war declared.

While there is no war, this has been a battle getting to this point and I know without a doubt that Americans are battle scarred.  We have looked back on the last four years and how this country has changed. We look at divisions and start questioning which category we belong in, male, female black, white, asian, latino, the 1 percent, the other 99 percent.  We have focused seemingly on differences without figuring out how to come together as Americans.  Most Americans are now tired of the illness in government of hyper partisanship, along with its symptoms of gridlock, delays, cronyism.

It would be easy tomorrow to treat this as another day and not do you part but even though this is not a revolution but an election please realize the price that has been paid for the opportunity for you to cast your vote for President of the United States.  The blood of this nations defenders has spilled so that you have a choice in this election.  The greatest generation our grandparents and great grandparents fought and sacrificed against forces that would deny our rights to vote and change our way of life from that of freedom to despotism. 

I am reminded of the words of Ronald Reagan tonight that he spoke on the eve of his re-election:

The greatness of America doesn't begin in Washington; it begins with each of you—in the mighty spirit of free people under God, in the bedrock values you live by each day in your families, neighborhoods, and work-places. Each of you is an individual worthy of respect, unique and important to the success of America. And only by trusting you, giving you opportunities to climb high and reach for the stars, can we preserve the golden dream of America as the champion of peace and freedom among the nations of the world."

President Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan: Address to the Nation on the Eve of the Presidential Election

                          

November 5, 1984

 

Tomorrow no matter what you are doing, no matter where you are go and make time to vote.

 

Our future depends on it.

 

Peace through Strength vs Peace through Apology

From an early age we are taught that if we have done something wrong we need to make sure and apologize for it. It is an attempt to right a wrong, restore a friendship or settle things between 2 parties, or just plain good manners.   The apology has many applications for each of us however it is not a strategy to achieve peace. 

If peace truly is the goal for our nation and we accept that freedom and liberty are to be defended then history teaches us that there are forces that rise to challenge the cause of Freedom and Liberty.  There are many parts of the world where freedom is absent and the characteristics of nations in the absence of freedom are often a controlled economy, an oppressed people, and deep in the heart of an individual in that populace an instinct that something is not right. 

I believe we are not only endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights but we are also blessed with a human heart that recognizes when those rights are taken away from us.  Even those born to a life where they are not free and are ruled by a dictator, despot, a party who exercises force over its people know that something has to be better than this. Instinct is not only  given to us by God but America stands as an example to the rest of the world, a city on a hill. 

America and the experience of this country calls to those that are oppressed, that are under rule, and are not free, it is in the very DNA of our nations founders.  We do not force anyone to believe one way or the other but we strive to live peacefully with those that differ from us and each of us have an opinion.

The killing of our nations citizens in Benghazi, Embassy in Libya we are told was provoked by a video - to which I say SO WHAT.  The focus is not someone who made a video it should be that 4 of our citizens died on American soil while representing us in a foreign country.  No matter how heinous the video may be, no matter what was said - and perhaps we need the ACLU to confirm this, that video, its content, and its producer are NO EXCUSE to kill or harm American citizens abroad. 

We have leaders who are worried about damage control in the media, and not bringing damage to the ones who perpetrated this act because they are a school yard bully. America this is not the time we get behind a leader and look those in the eye who murdered someone and say we are sorry, however it is a time we say in our country - we have freedom - and you attack any American for any reason you attack all of us. 

Unfortunately by trying to appease and apologize for the maker of the video we fuel the hearts of those that would attack us on these grounds.  While we can condemn the video at home, and we can say all we want about it, what we can not and SHOULD not do is excuse the murder of Americans because of something on You tube.

In other countries we see the absence of freedom, and unfortunately in this country we currently have an absence of leadership.  In this playground - an apology doesn't cut it. 

We stand up for freedom and bring to justice those that would harm and attack her.  While these past attacks did not see our mortar crumbling to the ground, lives were lost and there is no excuse you can say in the media and if you truly want to deliver apologies - start by talking to the families of those that lost their lives.

The American Dream and American Business - things that Obama does not understand are interconnected.

President Obama shows a complete inability to understand the link to business and the American Dream.  The latest speech in Roanoke, VA has him telling supporters that business owners did not build their business without the help of the government that the government not only played a roll in their enterprise but without this government you would not be where you are today. 

With all due respect Mr. President more and more the story is becoming in our business community that businessess are where they are today in spite of your efforts.  You see President Obama, see's the American dream as a bunch of workers not business owners or anyone taking risks, workers working for the government, or employees - don't dream of running your own enterprise, that would make you part of the problem, the enemy, the 1% or whatever devisive name this administration decides to label a business owner next. 

Business owners are American People who have risked more than anyone to pursue a dream. Behind every business is a person or persons or family who have risked and are providing services, and they do it more efficiently than our government could ever dream of. 

Our current president says where would you be without the roads and infrastructure your driving on, we got that for you?  Yes - and business owners pay taxes Mr. President - on the income they make, and we even paid for or thought we were paying for shovel ready jobs to help those roads the first go around of tarp money that was authorized by the people elected Congress.

Mr. President you forget who the American government is, that it is made up not of just the people of Washington DC that hold power - but it is the American People you work for, we don't work for you. 

In November I truly believe that you will be reminded of this fact when the people of this nation fire you, but don't worry the taxes paid by Americans and business owners of the past have built a great infrastructure to send you on the road back to where you came from.

Witnessing a Come Back Story is truly inspirational October 2011 and the St. Louis Cardinals

Most everyone loves to hear a comeback story and sometimes in your life you get to witness a comeback and it changes the whole way you will tell the story to future generations.  This week the St. Louis Cardinals that had been down by 10 and 1/2 games in August, was invited to playoffs as the wild card pick went on to beat the Phillie's and the Brewers then beat out the Texas Rangers for their 11th world series title.

Even if you are not a baseball fan if you watched game 6 when they were down by 2 in the 9th and 10th innings and came forward to tie it and then pull it out with a walk off home run in the 11th you could feel the tension and the magic that was happening on the field.  The Cards came back and to watch and listen we now have a story to tell about this awesome game how they came back and went on to win.

Future generations will be told about this and thanks to today's technology we have video of it.  We will swap stories about how great it was to see it happening and how awesome we felt as we watched it.  A good comeback story resonates with the human soul and it speaks to each person in a different way but also in a common way.

I could not help but think that America's game this week perhaps pointed to hope in 2011 a time when so much seems hopeless, economic conditions keep getting worse, the political climate is volatile and wars and disasters are all around us.  I also believe that perhaps that there is a lesson in America's game for America- don't count America out yet - yes we have our issues but we are the greatest nation on earth with the most amazing people in the world within its borders. 

I can't help but also think of another hope and another comeback story that happened around 2000 years ago - we find twelve men dejected for their leader had just been killed this man that had called them to love so much and taught them what true peace was had died a tragic death.  He was blameless yet took a punishment that killed him. He was innocent and yet hung on a cross with the guilty.  These men who had spent close to three years with him had lost hope, were down and dejected and then the 3rd day came and the ultimate comeback story was written in History.  He came back from the dead to announce that there is hope and He was it.  The day's technology was writing and story telling and those people who witnessed it began to write and tell and today those words are preserved so that all will know who Christ is and what He did.

Comeback stories give us hope, they point to history and make us look at what has been overcome and promise hope in the future with what is to be.  I think we love comeback stories because we have a King who promised another return that hasn't happened yet one where He himself returns, one that will be the ultimate comeback story - how do I know this?  Through the words and writings of those men who at one point went through three days of loss to witness His return.

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

St. Louis Cardinals and the magic of Baseball, thanks dad.

Last night we watched as the St. Louis Cardinals clinched the National League championship in 2011,  the game was awesome both the Brewers and the Cards trading home runs in Milwaukee.  On Wednesday we will begin watching as the Cardinals face the Rangers to compete for their 11th world series title. 

My first memory of the Cards is of  my dad staring at the tv watching this game called baseball I was probably in the 3rd grade, there was excitement and he would always be intently staring at the tube.  I asked a question about the what was happening and he began to explain the game of baseball to me.  That season there was something special going on "you see that man right there, he is going for a record of stolen bases," my dad explained.    At that time I asked why he was having to steal anything and as my dad laughed he clarified what stolen basis were and once I got the meaning I was glued with him to the tv watching to see if Lou Brock would break the record.  I celebrated with my dad the day he did it. 

That summer our family took a vacation to St. Louis and we went to a series of games where the Cards played the Dodgers at the old Busch Stadium, and dad took us to the baseball hall of fame.  I remember seeing the display of a bat being made what it started off to be and then its different stages from a piece of wood to a baseball bat.  I remember seeing the past World Series trophy that the Cards had won before.  I also remember to this day my dad smiling and enjoying this game.

Baseball, specifically Cardinal baseball will always make me think of my dad because of those times as a kid.  The celebration of winning seasons, the disappointing close call seasons but the Cards are a team that are loved by Missouri and many other baseball fans that have adopted them as their team. 

The last time the Cardinals won the World Series was in 2006, I am sure that October provided many memories for Cardinals fans.  I am positive that the victory was celebrated the world over for the champions of baseball as it is every year.  That year was the year I lost my father after a lengthy battle with heart disease, he passed away in August.  It was a very difficult time following any sports that year for me and especially Cardinals Baseball - I just remember thinking how awesome it would have been for him to see it that October. 

Times had changed baseball had not but the man that introduced me to the game, that explained what a stolen base was and how many outs it took and all of the rest was not here.  He was one of the reasons I enjoyed the Cards, he brought me to my first game at Busch, and I will be forever grateful for the times that he spent with me not only explaining baseball but explaining so much more. 

Years later I sat with him at the Springfield Cards stadium enjoying the Springfield Cardinals with him and my girls, his three grand daughters.  We talked so much more about Baseball during the game as we both watched the girls take in the game, and we both realized that we missed the years we had before. He got to watch as I answered some questions my daughters had and I remember it was a great time, there was plenty of magic on the field in the form of the game, but there was real magic happening in the stands as well.  Love you dad - they made it again - will be watching and cheering them on.  Go Cards.

Sincerely, How do you end a letter - ???

Letter writing is quickly becoming a lost art.   Ask yourself when was the last time a letter was delivered to me from a friend or family member that was handwritten and signed?  In today's world we have an email system that will replace that and it makes our trips to the mail box very mundane reserved only for junk mail and bills. 

Email is awesome though and it gets our message to our friends instantly however the personal touch can be lost how we end emails can be ttyl, lol, or simply later. I think today we expect we can hear back so quickly that emails almost are more like quick conversations so little is paid to how we end them sometimes.  I think many times when you read letters through out history there is an ending that sometimes you never knew how long it would be again before you heard back from that person so endings of letters were not just ttyl. 

When I write  I love to utilize words and I have favorites, not only do I love words  but words have the power to sway an opinion, change a heart, move a soul and save a life. One of my favorite words is sincerely, there are debates about its origins but many believe it is from 2 latin words sine  meaning 'without' and cera meaning 'wax'. During the Republic of Rome craftsmen who would either be slaves or foreigners in the Roman Empire and worked with marble would cover imperfections with wax much like wood scratches are covered today. One other use involving wax was that cement workers would sometimes do the same thing utilizing some wax since it was less expensive than cement. When the wax melted bricks would shift and this would have sometimes fatal consequences so the term sine cera  meaning genuine without imperfection or without wax came into being. 

One of my favorite verses in the bible is also the ending of a letter, it is also a "Sincerely" you don't hear it quoted alot as a favorite because of this.  Many times the last verse of Jude is looked over because it is quite simply the ending of a letter but if you take just this verse you can see it is totally without wax:

 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.  Jude 1:24

If you read that just as Jude ends his letter it ends the letter with three great promises for us, He is giving all Glory to God because He is 1) able to keep us from falling, 2) will bring us with joy into his presence 3) present us without a single fault.

He is able to keep us from falling, he knows where we are each day whether we are facing temptation or just falling in weakness He is our strength.  Through Christ we are able to be in the presence of God, through His son you are able to reach God.  Through Christ you are without a single fault for all of our faults all of mine are gone because I have been made whole and washed through His sacrifice, He loves us He sincerely loves us.