In today’s society we look towards celebrities and sports stars to be the role models to our children, but what about America’s real heroes? We have plenty of celebrities who give to charities and like to voice their opinions on what is right with our government. By all means being charitable is a wonderful thing and having an opinion isn’t illegal. Yet, have we stopped and really thought about what a “hero” really means?
One of Webster’s definitions for hero is “one who shows great courage.” Is that not a definition exemplified by our military: men and women who have willingly put their lives on the line to defend our country, our freedom, and our people? Earlier this weak a military veteran spoke out about his service, about what he fought for, and that the dangers of tyranny are not only found abroad, but here at home as well.
This past Sunday this brave veteran stood up at a Chicago-area anti-Gun rally. After politely listening to the speaker’s anti-Second Amendment speeches (one even going so far as to show a picture of Nazi paraphernalia and stating that “this is what a gun show looks like”), this brave man stood up and spoke his peace.
“Sir, sir. While you’re standing up. I’ve sat here [inaudible] and I’d like to agree with the professor. Everyone standing in this room right now, especially the veterans in the room right now, know, that we are all Americans. The problem with this country right now is it’s us and it’s f***ing them. We need to stop this crap.
Now, the thing I would like you to answer, sir. And I did go to war for this country. Whether it was for everyone in here’s ability to have oil and gas in their cars, or the banks, or whatever. I went to war for my country.
And I went to war for your ability to have the First Amendment, to say what you stood up there and said today, to write what you want to write in your newspaper, and have whatever opinion you want to have. You can practice whatever religious freedoms you want. I would like you to answer the question, since you just said that one of the rights that I went to war over to defend, that is inalienable, to every American citizen. If this discussion was going on, about your First Amendment rights, would you still have the same opinion that we don’t need that any more either.”
After a little back tracking of the speaker, who was now trying to convince the crowd he didn’t mean what he said at all. Our brave veteran simply ended with this statement:
“The threat of tyranny, today, is no less than at the turn of the century in 1900, in 1800, or in 1700!”
The applause he received from the crowd deafened anything else he could have said. This simple, yet respectful, exchange illustrates what true heroism is: One man who makes a stand against many, abroad and at home, is a true hero.
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January 23rd, 2013 at 12:25 pm
And I thought that our heroes were community organizers, college professors, and Noam Chomsky. I stand corrected.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:52 pm
Well said, K.E. I watch sports a lot, and it drives me up a wall when I hear announcers talk about how heroic athletes are.
January 24th, 2013 at 7:21 am
Encore Westerns has been showing all four ‘Magnificent Seven’ movies. The first one was the only really worthwhile flick to watch. Always liked the scene when Charley Bronson tells the village children how heroic their fathers are for accepting the responsibility of raising and providing for a family.
January 24th, 2013 at 9:06 am
Yeah, the threat of tyranny is keeping me up at night.
Of course I am comforted by the fact that so many individuals with assault rifles will be able to defeat the American military if they get out of line.
January 24th, 2013 at 11:55 am
Yes Buzz, even in the American Revolution there were loyalists who struggled with the idea. Hard to imagine isn’t it, even knowing this history and watching what has happened in the middle east over the last two years.
January 24th, 2013 at 2:30 pm
I love the analogy to something akin to the Syrian Army as being relevant to the Michigan Militia standing off with the U.S. military.
January 24th, 2013 at 2:47 pm
I have to admit I agree with the “athletes as heroes” as being a tired concept.
It is as if they all “made it” due to simply working harder.
While there is an element of work involved, it is generally meaningless if they didn’t hit the genetic lottery.
That is why Michael Jordan was such an insufferable teammate. He constantly excoriated his fellow team members for not being able to do what he did. He couldn’t understand that while Steve Kerr was a great shooter he simply couldn’t soar through the air for a dunk.
This is why stars can very rarely coach. They never had to learn the nuances of a game.
Ted Williams was known for being a horrific coach. He would simply yell at guys to simply see the ball and hit it. He never realized that the ball looks like an aspirin to everyone else rather the volleyball he saw gliding to the plate.
January 24th, 2013 at 6:39 pm
Buzz, you are acting dense. Egypt is a better model to study, or even Iran 35 years ago. I find it VERY unlikely that the U.S. Army would fight Americans in the streets, particularly when they mostly share the conservative view about how liberals brought the country to the breaking point, should that day ever come.
January 24th, 2013 at 7:09 pm
The Arab Spring in America?
Umm…OK.
Well perhaps I should be planning how I can “bug out” (or simply go to the family cabin in Grand Bend, Ontario while the “insurrection” is put down).
Let’s see, 24 hours ought to do it.
January 25th, 2013 at 1:13 am
Yes, very unlikely for sure. But it has happened before, and to bring your incredulity back to point that is why the guys who did it gave us a second amendment.