We Need George Washington

The presidential primary season is off and running, and I am praying every day the country makes the right choice (and I'm not even sure who that is).  We are teetering on the brink of becoming something so different from what our founding fathers had planned, that this presidential election seems to have the potential to either get us back on track or take us down a different road altogether. It is frightening to think that my grandchildren might not inherit the same country my parents handed to me.

I'm revisiting the free Constitution course that Hillsdale College offers and have been reading some of the primary documents  our founders wrote.  Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, Adams... these guys were just plain genius.  However, the one founder I can't help but admire the most is George Washington.  Yes, he was a great general and military leader, but he was so much more than that.  His kindness, morality, and genuine love for this country rings clearly through everything he wrote.  We need this man now!

 Portrait of Washington by Gilbert Stuart

Washington did not seek the office of president, in fact he needed to be persuaded to serve a second term, and downright refused to run for a third.  He held the office of the president not out of ambition and personal gain, but out of a sincere desire to see the country he pledged his life for succeed. After 45 years of service to his country, Washington quietly retired to his beloved home, Mount Vernon. But, before he left, he addressed the nation one last time.  In his Farewell Address (September 19, 1796) Washington took one last opportunity to give advice to the nation, to we the people, how to keep this grand experiment of government alive and well. And he offered the advice to you my countrymen ( how sweet is that?) not as a smug directive from the Commander in Chief, but as counsels of an old and affectionate friend. Can you just feel the tenderness he felt? 

Lansdowne Portrait

In his address he warned about the vices of political parties.  Oh, if we had only listened.  Just look at us now, we the people have seriously lost control of things...it is evident that many of us realize this ... just look at the two front runners...not exactly party material!  So there is some hope there, but I swear, if after all the smoke has cleared and Hillary and Jeb are the last two standing...we might as well not even vote ever again, because it will mean the parties are in charge and we the people have been replaced.
     In his Farewell Address, George also shared some maxims government should follow in order to remain strong and secure: (I slightly paraphrase here)

• use credit sparingly
• avoid accumulation of debt
• save a little frequently to prepare for use of great expenditures later in times of trouble
• do not let future generations bear the burden of what we ought to bear

Yikes!  We've become George's worst nightmare. The government has violated every one of these maxims and in a major way...someone please...listen to your father!!!!

Family Painting by Edward Savage

I'd like to share just a few more comments from Washington's Farewell that are, I believe, so important to apply to this time in our nation's history.  Washington said, of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports. George didn't mean there should be no division or separation between church and state, because that separation must exist.  What he did mean was that morality and the morality that religion promotes is a SUPPORT to political prosperity.  Let's face it, in a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, the people better be good people.  Let's see... when our leaders lie, commit adultery, pad their bank accounts and businesses through their political connections, it becomes apparent that morality has been tucked into the closet along with the Constitution. And the general populace must be moral enough to recognize this is wrong and raise an outcry so loud to send these scoundrels running for cover.  We need to seriously think about the extents we have gone to eliminate religion from our institutions (one nation under God remember that?) and the extents we have gone to promote freedom of expression (hey Hollywood set a good example for the young will ya! ). And parents...we do need to lay strong moral foundations for our children... it's part of our job. George concludes, ...reason and experience both forbid us to expect that National morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle...'Tis substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. Some powerful words to ponder, don't you think?

Portrait by Charles Wilson Peale

A final bit of essential advice that Washington shared is about the importance, in a republican form of government, of having an educated populace.  After all, the people will be doing the voting, so they better be aware of what's going on.  George said, promote then as an object of primary importance, Institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge.  In proportion as the structure of a government gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened. How true is that?  People need to think for themselves...to really know and not be led by clever political ads and speeches. How can they think for themselves if they are not educated? People need to know our history.  People need to know what the Constitution says and means.  People need to know how government operates. Governing ourselves is a huge responsibility... we can't leave it up to the politicians, our neighbors, or anyone else.

So, I repeat...We need George Washington (or at least to listen to the sage advice he left us in his Farewell Address). What a wise and decent man he was!

I'd love to hear your thoughts about this...leave a comment and don't forget to vote in your state's primary...choose wisely my friends

A True Patriot

I just spent the Fourth of July holiday with the most patriotic person I know...My Sister.  I am grateful for her no-holds-barred attitude when it comes to loving America because there are so many people out there condemning my country, and most of them are Americans themselves. I am anxious about the direction our country is taking these days.  I see millennials marching in the streets protesting Old Glory.  Really?! The Stars and Stripes are to be despised? What???!!! To them it represents evil, oppression, greed, white supremacy and more.  Sad.  I don't even know how to respond to that view.  Do they not know the blood and sacrifices and tribulations that went into the making of that flag?  Do they not know the millions of people around the world that flag has protected and supported?  There is no country in the world who has given so much to others as the USA.  Shame on anyone who is not proud of America.  Yes, she is not perfect, because she is human after all...but she is the closest thing to perfection ever created.  It's time we embrace that fact about her, and celebrate the good.  And hence the reason for this post...Patriotism.  Yes, it is not totally lost.  Take a look at my sister on the Fourth.  Isn't she a hoot? From the top of her head to the tips of her toes she proudly wears the red, white and blue...

Her children roll their eyes and laugh at her, but I am grateful for her unabashed love of our country.  She's not afraid to show her pride.  We need so many more patriots like my sister.  Our country is being stepped on and crushed by leaders as well as the masses, and we need the common devoted patriots who dwell in our land to beat back the negative voices and promote the goodness that is still the heart and soul of America.
Here are just a few of the ways my sister visually shows her support and pride in the USA.

From welcome mats...

to patriotic bunting adorning her home...

to lawn decorations....

my sister's home sings God Bless America.

After 9/11 my sister was so moved, she wanted to do something to support our troops who were fighting in the Middle East, so she created a memorial of sorts for all to see.  It is a mound whose center is graced by Old Glory flying at the top of a flag pole.  Around the pole are life-size military figures in the uniforms of the various military services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard).  The response to this memorial was astounding.  People knock on her door and thank her; letters of gratitude arrive in her mail. Many times she has thought of taking it down (it's kind of a pain to keep it in good repair) but the public love it and being the patriot that she is, she just can't do it.  It remains a landmark in her neighborhood.  Here is a quick shot of the memorial.

I remember one Fourth of July only a year or two after 9/11, when she invited neighbors to gather around the memorial for a shared reading of The Declaration of Independence.  What a sight that was...yes, some may think it was a bit hokey but, all who attended were touched by a spirit of national pride and a sense of community, and an understanding that we are truly blessed to be living in the most wonderful country in the history of mankind.  And thanks to Sue, we didn't have to be ashamed to show our pride.

My sister is a second grade teacher.  Her students are fortunate to have her.  She celebrates America every day.  They don't have to hear how awful their country is nor are they denied the experience of showing pride.  They actually sing patriotic songs, like God Bless America! They thank the military and the First Responders of their community every year in an assembly on 9/11, thanks to my sister's insistence on recognizing those who serve and protect our country.  She is passing along an awareness of the greatness of America to new generations.  Isn't that what schools are suppose to do...promote the good, and create loyal citizens?  There is at least one person left who knows this is what needs to be done....Thanks Sis.