Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Remember The Alamo



I read the following article in my morning email and felt I should post it for all of you that check my Blog once in a while. I do not know what it is about that small mission in San Antonio but every time I visit, it becomes an emotional religious, experience for me. How could all of these exceptional men come together to create such a State as Texas without divine guidance? If not exceptional men, then how did all these ordinary men rise to such exceptional behavior without divine guidance? Anyway I look at the struggle for the birth of Texas I feel that GOD had a hand in it and had a purpose for Texas and Texans. I have taken my children there and have watched several of the movies about the Alamo and the Texas fight for Independence with them. I believe we must pass on this history to our children and grand children or it will be lost. GOD Bless Texas



Guest Opinion/Commentary
Remembering The Alamo
History piece by Guest: Chuck Baldwin


March 6 marks the anniversary of the fall of the Alamo back in 1836. For more than 13 days, 186 brave and determined patriots withstood Santa Anna’s seasoned army of over 4,000 troops. To a man, the defenders of that mission fort knew they would never leave those ramparts alive. They had several opportunities to leave and live. Yet, they chose to fight and die. How foolish they must look to this generation of spoiled Americans.

It is difficult to recall that stouthearted men such as Davy Crockett (a nationally known frontiersman and former Congressman), Will Travis (only 23 years old with a little baby at home), and Jim Bowie (a wealthy landowner with properties on both sides of the RioGrande) really existed. These were real men with real dreams and real desires. Real blood flowed through their veins. They loved their families and enjoyed life as much as any of us. There was something different about them, however. They possessed a commitment to liberty that transcended personal safety and comfort.

Liberty is an easy word to say, but it is a hard word to live up to. Freedom has little to do with financial gain or personal pleasure. Accompanying Freedom is her constant and unattractive companion, Responsibility. Neither is she an only child. Patriotism and Morality are her sisters. They are inseparable; destroy one and all will die.

Early in the siege, Travis wrote these words to the people of Texas: “Fellow Citizens & Compatriots: I am besieged by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna. . . . The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise the garrison are to be put to the sword . . . I have answered the demand with a cannon shot & our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat. . . . VICTORY OR DEATH! P.S. The Lord is on our side. . . .“

As you read those words, remember that Travis and the others did not have the A.C.L.U., P.E.T.A., People for the un-American Way, and the National Education Association telling them how intolerant and narrow-minded their notions of honor and patriotism were. A hostile media did not constantly castigate them as a bunch of wild-eyed extremists. As school children, they were not taught that their forefathers were nothing more than racist jerks.

The brave men at the Alamo labored under the belief that America (and Texas) really was “the land of the free and the home of the brave.“ They believed God was on their side and that the freedom of future generations depended on their courage and resolve. They further believed their posterity would remember their sacrifice as an act of love and devotion. It all looks pale now.

By today’s standards, the gallant men of the Alamo appear rather foolish. After all, they had no chance of winning—none. However, the call for pragmatism and practicality was never sounded. Instead, they answered the clarion call, “Victory or death!“

Please try to remember the heroes of the Alamo as you watch our gutless political and religious leaders surrender to compromise and political correctness. Try to recall the time in this country when ordinary men and women had the courage of their convictions and were willing to sacrifice their lives for freedom and independence.

One thing is certain: those courageous champions at the Alamo did not die for a political party or for some “lesser of two evils” mantra. They fought and died for a principle, and that principle was liberty and independence. So did the men at Lexington and Concord. That is our heritage.

Today, however, our national leaders are in the process of turning America over to the very forces that the Alamo defenders gave their lives resisting. On second thought, do they look foolish, or do we?

Beyond that, how much longer do we have before it will become necessary for freedom-loving States such as Texas (and maybe Oklahoma, Montana, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Vermont or South Carolina) to declare their independence one more time? An argument could be made that Washington, D.C., is considerably more brutish and tyrannical than old Santa Anna ever was. I’m not so sure that it isn’t already time to again hoist the “Don’t Tread On Me” flags, shout “Remember The Alamo,“ and renew the faith and courage of William Travis and Patrick Henry.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The United States of America was formed by great men such has who you stated in your post. A lot of us unfortunately take for granted what has happened in the past to give them what they have now.

I for one am very appreciative for what I have and don't take anything for granted.

Albert A Rasch said...

WE,
Thank you for sharing that wonderful post with us.

We are indebted to those who came before us, and I am ashamed to say that we are letting them down.

Perhaps providence may give us another opportunity to redeem ourselves.

Regards,
Albert A Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
The Range Reviews: Tactical
Proud Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit

tom said...

When Bowie's family were told of his fate they said "I bet he had not one wound in his back". (sourced from one of the biographies of him in my personal library).

Says a lot about the sort of men that were there.

They were men.