New Year's Day is a traditional day for looking back, just before we leap ahead. And wise it is that we do so. For if you don't know where you have been, how can you know where you are going?
With that in mind, I issued an invitation to fellow bloggers to take a look back at their own postings from the past year and submit examples of stories that they are particularly proud of, or ones which make a statement worth repeating as the new year begins.
I went through a similar process with postings at Mike's America at the beginning of 2006. It might be an interesting exercise for some to go back and look at that wrapup and see what I thought had the most impact in 2005 with now the hindsight of how those stories affected 2006.
The following wrap up, offered in multiple parts, will be a rather long read, but I hope everyone will take the time to at least skim through it. Before we begin, here's a mini blogroll, by order of submission, of those who were kind enough to accept my invitation:
- The American Israeli Patriot
- Midnight Blue Essays
- Always on Watch
- The Liberal Lie, The Conservative Truth
- Grizzly Mama
- Gazing at the Flag
- The Chatterbox Chronicles
- Chickenhawk Express
- Razor Sharp Claws
- An Old Soldier
- Marie's Two Cents
- Flopping Aces
- Conservative Intelligence Review
- Sparks From the Anvil
Weaving a Tapestry of Words
Our friend Wordsmith at Sparks from the Anvil alludes to a creative process of pounding hot metal with heavy hammers amid a shower of sparks and smoke. I've been known to use that technique myself when I want to hammer home a point or two.
But in the case of the submissions for this look back, the views, opinions and perspectives are too varied for a "bang, bang" narrative.
After reading the submissions, a series of interconnected common threads, or themes, becomes apparent. Great minds truly do think alike! The common themes include: History, Patriotism & Leadership (with President Reagan a dominant feature). Terrorism and the war in Iraq are also prominent, along with viewpoints on Islam and Politics
The threads of each subject weave together like a tapestry. A discussion of Islam has elements which weave through history, war and politics. Like a red thread that shows up in a tapestry forming parts of an image of a flower, a battle scene or children playing.
Rather than attempt to forge a narrative with the smithies hammer, I pick up instead the "Wordloom."
Let's start at the beginning with History:
RR's poem is a sad, but powerful reminder of the sacrifice and trials this nation has faced. That too is a central theme throughout many of the posts submitted. That pain and sacrifice is part of our history as remembered by Gazing at the Flag who like many others remembered December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor Day. A Day That Will Live in Infamy. As with many of her other historical posts, Gazing at the Flag includes many historic photographs along with personal reflections.Always on Watch offers a Sonnet for President's Day. The poet, R.R., is an eighth-grade homeschool student and an avid reader of both history and historical fiction.
In this sonnet, Lincoln gives what I believe would be his posthumous address to the grieving Union....Let not blood spilt for freedom count for naught.
Absolve the burned and ruined South of guilt,
As they too died for soil painfully bought.
Embrace them. Once this bridge of peace is built,
Your unity and former ties recall:
"With malice toward none, with charity toward all."
Picking up that theme, Ken Taylor at The Liberal Lie, The Conservative Truth recalls the foreboding of Admiral Yamamoto, architect of the Pearl Harbor attack, who feared waking a "Sleeping Giant." Ken applies the lessons of that history forward to the present day.
We stepped forward and ended WWI by our strength and presence. We stepped forward and ended WWII through our leadership and our power and now it is time again for the, "sleeping giant, " to wake up and through our , "terrible resolve, " end terrorism in this world and treat Iran and Syrian as the rogue and small entities that they truly are by refusing to recognize them as a, "player, " isolating them and proving to them that we have the strength and ability to keep them in check. The ultimate result of all of this will be the continued security and protection of our nation!Some may wonder whether the sleeping giant awoke on September 11th and after a snort of rage hit the snooze button?
In August, Ken traced the root cause of the Pearl Harbor attack and again applied the lessons of history when he wondered if we were in the Prelude to WWIII?
Will the world take the lessons of history and defeat this enemy before it takes the world to the brink of destruction or will the end of 2006 and the first of 2007 mirror 1938 and 1939 with the result being World War.Gazing at the Flag takes us further down the timeline of history by remembering that the first act of this war by Islamic Fascists was committed when Iran allowed "students" to overrun our embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979. Along with more historic photos she cites the words of Bruce Laingan, Charge d'affaires of the US Embassy and Hostage who in the after math of September 11th said: "My God, it began with us."
With history as the example where then do we stand today. Just as in 1938 and early 1939 the world is facing a conflict that is taking on world wide proportions. The common enemy is Islamic Fascism which is revealing itself through groups like Al Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah and other smaller splinter groups and of course a country namely Iran.
And the cancer spread. Gazing at the Flag marks the 23rd anniversary of the bombing of the U.S. Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon October 23, 1983. 241 U.S. Military personnel lost their lives in that single suicide bombing. The mission of the troops was as simple as the words carved in their memorial: "They came in peace" to stop the bloodshed in Lebanon. Like many of us, little did they realize that Hezbollah, who perpetrated the attack, and their Iranian masters worship a cult of death.
September 11th
The fifth anniversary of the September 11th attacks was foremost in the minds of many this past year. Even more so for people who suffered loses on that day. MD, the author of Conservative Intelligence Report reminds us of those who lost their lives in the Pentagon. As a member of the U.S. military working in DC, it's personal:
Wordsmith also had a personal sense of loss on that awful day. He marked the 9/11 anniversary with a remembrance of three year old David Reed Gamboa-Brandhorst:I know almost every blog will have 9/11 tributes up, however the main focus for most will be the WTC towers. I pray for all the families affected by the 9/11 tragedy and for all the souls lost that day on all 4 planes in NYC and Pennsylvania. Not that it is forgotten but obviously my personal loss came from the Pentagon attack, and it is in their honor I make this post.
Those who lost their lives at the Pentagon.
Department of Defense: A day we will never forget. On that horrible day I did not shed a tear, I was too busy working overtime to prevent further carnage. It was in the following days that I did sleep little and mourn the loss of my friends and all Americans lost that day. I shed many a tear afterwards. I make this post at the moment the plane crashed into the Pentagon 5 years ago.
Many of us have that same reaction Wordsmith. September 11th was another needless tragedy that foresight could have prevented.David Reed Gamboa-Brandhorst was born June 23, 1998. That same month, an enemy of the United States few Americans knew about, Osama bin Laden, was placed on the FBI's most wanted list. 2 months later, on August 7th, the world saw simultaneous bomb attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. 224 were killed, including 12 U.S. citizens. Worst was yet to come...
I cannot tell you how painful it is to see so many images over and over again of that second plane hitting the South Tower. That was the moment we all knew it was no accident, and that we Americans were under attack. And for me, any images of that 2nd plane is an image of the moment of murder of Ron, Daniel, and David. It never fails to water my eyes or choke up my voice when I see an image still. The videos can do it too, but there's something about a picture, where it's frozen in time exploding into the Tower that is difficult to stare at without my eyes welling up.
This is exactly the warning that The American Israeli Patriot provides as he brings us full circle to the present day and weaves together the threads of history, Islam, war and politics when he ponders whether Democrats are not the new embodiment of the spirit of Neville Chamberlainain who was the driving force of the blindness of the 1930s.
Not all of the posts dealing with history had war interwoven in their fabric. The Chatterbox Chronicles harkens us back to a time before women had the right to vote as she reflects on the historical film "Iron Jawed Angels.""In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act" -- George Orwell
Now that the Democrats have won both houses, we have truly entered into the Orwellian era of universal deceit. That blind liberal party, which has hoodwinked a majority of the nation, must now take the lead against the murderous desert pirates. Seemingly natural enemies, they have in common a lethal trait, deceit.
The deceit from the desert is nothing new. It is an unending stream of lies; specifically designed to drain the enemy of it's will to fight.
They say; we are an oppressed and occupied people. We are the targets of racism and discrimination. We want nukes for energy, not weapons. Our struggle for survival is misinterpreted as terrorism. Why the hell are you doing this to us?
The results of last week's elections are living proof that their strategy is working like a charm. The Democratic voters have fallen into the trap. Their acceptance of the great Islamic lie has paved the way for the great liberal charade; we are to blame for all that ails the world. The liberals say that we must understand why there is terror. Here's where the deceit kicks in. What they really mean is; what have we done to nurture it? If we change our approach, the terror will go away. If we are guilty, then we can blame it on the policies of the GOP.
The Democrats are Neville Chamberlain incarnate. They grovel at Satan's feet, hoping to be dropped a bit lower on his "to-do" list....The time is long overdue to end the universal deceit and face the revolutionary truth. We are at war, world war. The Iranian rhetoric and obscene propaganda meets up to the once proud Nazi standards. The truth is, this time it's not only about the Jews. They are coming for you all. The Democrats want you to believe that to leave Iraq is the only way to peace. The revolutionary truth however, is very, very different. To appease is to surrender. To capitulate is to die.
The movie was an inspiring account of one of the most exciting events in our nation's history. It inspired me to fight for what I believe in and not give up.R O N A L D R E A G A N
Unfortunately, as many of you are probably aware I was disappointed to find out in my research that many of these suffragettes were also socialists, pacifists and Eastman was even a fan of Margaret Sanger. I realized that many of them were Quakers which would explain the anti-war stance but the socialistic beliefs were disappointing. And Alice Paul was the author of the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) which I'm not a fan of. But despite these flaws I think their cause was noble and I for one am thankful that because of them I have the right to vote today.
While watching the movie I pondered on whether I would've been a suffragette or not. I think I would've but I would've had more conservative views like Susan B. Anthony and others did. Also, many of the early suffragettes were also anti-slavery and fought for the rights of African-Americans to be free. Both were just, worthy and inspirational causes.
January 20, 2006 marked the 25th anniversary of the first inaugural of President Ronald Wilson Reagan. Mike's America was proud to host a weeklong remembrance of that great event with roundups of bloggers posts remembering Ronald Reagan. It pleases me that participants in this look back also list those posts as among their favorites.
The Chatterbox Chronicles contributed "Why I Love Ronald Reagan -- Part2:"
[W]hen I saw the headline [That Reagan had died] tears started streaming down my face and I went to turn on the TV to watch the coverage. I cried off and on the whole week after his death as I watched the people who knew him tell their stories and as I witnessed his funeral. It hit me how much I had grown to love him through my odyssey of learning about him. I realized the world was losing a great man but his message would live on.LMC cites three primary characteristics of this great man:
His Humor
His Optimism
His heart
And as an example of optimism she remembers that when he barely lost the Republican nomination in 1976 he gave a speech to his loyal, teary-eyed supporters. He said: "Don't give up your ideals. Don't compromise. Don't turn to expediency."
DCAT at Razor Sharp claws also recalls President Reagan's speeches in this post which includes his speeches from "A Time for Choosing" (October 27, 1964) (Download Audio (mp3)Text) supporting the Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater to Reagan's last Farewell Address from the Oval Office (January 11, 1989) (Download Audio (mp3)Text.)
Wordsmith remembers President Reagan as "Devoted husband, loving father...AND....a great President" by citing the words of Nancy Reagan:
On Tuesday, We'll pick up the loom again and weave the thread of history, along with more threads of the best of 2006 into the tapestry of the year that was."What can you say about a man, who on Mother's Day sends flowers to his mother-in-law, with a note thanking her for making him the happiest man on Earth?"
"If a death can be peaceful and lovely, that one was. And when it came down to what we knew was the end, and I was on one side of the bed with Ron, and Patty was on the other side, and Ronnie all of a sudden turned his head and looked at me and opened his eyes and just looked. Well, what a gift he gave me at that point... I learned a lot from Ronnie, while he was sick, a lot. I learned patience. I learned how to accept something that was given to you, and how to die."
Stay tuned!
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