For those we lost, We will not forget 09/11/2001 “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
— The Continental Congress, July 4, 1776

“The task of statesmanship has always been the re-definition of these rights in terms of a changing and growing social order.”
— Franklin D. Roosevelt (Commonwealth Club Address, 1932)

“Roosevelt was wrong! The principles laid down in the Declaration of Independence are the principles of individual liberty. Our unalienable rights, given to us by God are given to us as individuals. Our rights do not come from society or the government, and they cannot be redefined by politicians. The nature of these rights carries with it the implication of individual responsibility, without which we surrender them.”
— Perri Nelson, November 6, 2008

Then and Now

Published Thu, Feb 1 2007 7:54 PM
Technorati Tags: War on Terror

The world has changed drastically since I was a young kid, and then again, it hasn't changed at all. When I was a really young child, around three years old, my family moved to Turkey. This was in the early 1960s, and strangely enough, Americans weren't very popular there.

My mother and father remember a lot more about that time than I do. There were times when we weren't allowed to leave our home because of threats against Americans. There were times when bombs went off in our neighborhood. My brother and I had to go to the market to buy bread at times because they wouldn't sell it to my mother.

I can vouch for the fact that my mother never gave the Turks a reason to hate her. Still they did, and it was because she was an American.

Today the left asks "why do they hate us" and blames it on President Bush. Somehow I doubt that he had much political influence in the 1960s.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s Islamic radicals in Iran hated us. They hated us so much that they kidnapped quite a few Americans and held them hostage for an incredibly long time.

Today, Islamic radicals in Iran hate us. Once again, they are threatening to kidnap Americans and hold them hostage, or worse. Things haven't really changed that much in all that time.

I don't care why they hate us. I do know that they've hated us for longer than I've been alive. I know that it's an irrational hatred, and that some of them have sworn to see us destroyed.

The global war on terror isn't a new phenomenon that suddenly materialized out of the smoke and rubble of the world trade center one sunny day five and a half years ago. This war has been going on for more decades than I've been alive. It's just taken new forms as time goes by.

I managed to survive my childhood despite the hatred and prejudice of others. I think that says something good about our chances in the world. Some people may hate us, but despite their best efforts they haven't yet managed to destroy us. With God's grace they never will.

Trackback URI for this post: http://perrinelson.com/track.aspx?postid=443
Permalink URI for this post: http://perrinelson.com/2007/2/1/443.aspx

Subscribe to this entry's comment feed. (Atom)

Comments to this entry are closed.

View Perri Nelson's profile on LinkedIn I'm a proud friend of Israel! Are you? Republican National Committee