It doesn't take much!

Tuesday – November 23, 2010

It doesn’t take much!

On this date in 1765, the people in Frederick, Maryland refused to pay England’s Stamp Act. In 1783, Annapolis, Maryland became the nation’s capital, until June of 1784. In all, both events helped shape the American landscape. In political terms, the center of power was consolidated and in social terms Americans just got mad at paying more tax.

This year, we have seen the revolt of American politics with the turn over of the House. This year, we have seen the President bend and sway in this country and abroad. This year, we have had a dialog of what change truly means and we have changed the makers of change into the unemployed.

We are not done. We are beginning to realize what the true meaning of patriotism is and the importance of controlling our government. We are beginning to learn about our history and organizing others to do the same. We are beginning to realize that it doesn’t take much.

Our enemy also realizes that it doesn’t take much to bring a country down. With the busiest day of travel approaching, our airports will be teeming with security and the security pat downs that we have been hearing about for the past week. We have rejected the notion that this should not be done in America.

Our enemies are the same, but we have changed. We have sacrificed liberty for security and this is the first rung of what the enemy views as a defeat for us and victory for them. The earliest settlers viewed their security and their liberty as one. The early settlers viewed the enemy as one that could be defeated. Our nation is still under assault ten years after the first major blow. While some protest the notion of profiling we are now doing that to every citizen that travels except for the enemy. If a passenger refuses to be x-rayed by the body scanners at the airport they are immediately profiled as being hostile and are subject to invasive body pat downs and humiliation. While all of this is going on our enemy is studying our response. They now know it doesn’t take much to slow down our system of travel and our avenues of commerce.

While our enemy is studying us we are refusing to have the dialog that is necessary to end the war. While our enemy is plotting their next move on softer economic targets we are refusing to speak the language that will end the war.

This country has spent over four billion dollars for the body scanners that are now in question. These scanners will violate your person and it will not prevent certain explosives such as PETN from being brought aboard an airplane. We have seen a creative enemy use a printer cartridge to house a bomb. We have seen a shoe bomber and we have seen a guy wearing explosive underwear get on an airplane. We have been playing the odds and the odds are not in our favor. While the body scanners might have been a brilliant idea then they are now obsolete in the fight for our security. The enemy now knows we have blown 4 billion dollars in the search for security.

The way to get back to our normal travel routine is to reduce the risk. The way we reduce the risk is to go to the source. We do not reduce the risk by holding public trials of those who know it doesn’t take much to bring the system down.

The President must be smart. Our government must be smart. The war is not against us, it is with our enemy.

While we celebrate our Thanksgiving, a truly American thing, we must dedicate ourselves to fight this war. We must give thanks and realize what the day means. I am going to reflect back on better times. I am going to remember the times when travel was easy. I am going to remember the times when culture was important, but didn’t overshadow this American holiday. I am going to tell stories about the settlers and what their new freedom meant. I am going to read about the first Thanksgiving and the presidents who made the holiday possible. I am going to enjoy the start to the season that we all anticipate every year. I am going to enjoy my family like I have never enjoyed them before. We have our traditions and we might start a few more. Our house will be decorated and I promise my light for freedom will burn brightly.

I know this will be easy, because it doesn’t take much!

Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives

A footnote: Pay attention to those you love and be thankful that you can share their love!