Greatness Is All Around Us, Can We Keep It?
Commentary by Clifford Hall, TLB Contributing Writer
Recently, like many other Americans, I too saw a disturbing news segment where New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, was telling a stunned crowd that the United States of America “was never that great.” Then followed it up with an unconscionable statement about how America will “reach greatness” when mankind ceases to stereotype, discriminate, and degrade one another.
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However, let’s be clear on this! As much as we’d like to believe it Cuomo is not alone in this kind of thinking. There are many others out there in the mainstream media, along with the liberals and the Democratic party who have the same frightening ideology. And what makes matters worse is the number is growing.
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It seems that there is a good chunk of young people nowadays who are leaning towards a socialistic society. Mainly, because they’ve fallen into the trap that it offers a utopian dreamlike existence that really doesn’t exist under its kind of one sided philosophy.
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Well, here’s to all of those individuals who want to run down that rabbit hole with Cuomo. The fact is there are countries out in the world where this kind of crazy ideology took root and life ended up not being so good for the populace when all was said and done. For people who chose to go with that kind of government found themselves waking up every day to conditions where unfortunately hunger was the norm for their children and the power hungry dictators sucked the resources dry. Countries who’s main concept was to keep its citizens oppressed by whatever means possible. The same countries where its citizens would give anything to be in our shoes.
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Is America perfect? Not really! But we are a land that embraces new ideology for the betterment of its people. Who cherishes the liberties we’ve obtained through sacrifice and hard work and have kept that ideology for many generations. A land that accepts most people’s different point of view even though we may not agree with them. Such as in the case of Mr. Cuomo being allowed to stand up in front of a crowd and make the statements he did.
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So, let me ask you this. What do think would happen if any one of you were to pack up your family and movie to Russia or China or even the middle-east? Would you be allowed to challenge their leadership openly? Would you be allowed to express your religious point of views without the fear of retaliation. The answer is obvious. No, you wouldn’t! For these third world countries do not believe in honoring human rights. They do not believe in honoring religious freedom. They are the kinds of countries who would rather execute a person for just speaking up against what they believe to be an injustice, than let them have a voice. And yet, Mr. Guomo has the gall to say that America is not great. Give me a break!
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The problem with his statement is he selectively polled only a certain group of people who identified with his philosophies and his philosophies alone… they were people who have no idea or don’t care about the long history that it took for previous generations in this country to get us where we are today. So honestly speaking, most of these young people who associate with liberalism and with the mainstream media and the Democratic party, haven’t lived long enough to offer an expertise in life the way those that have come before them. And who would never allow themselves to follow this backwards absolutism. Either that or this new generation doesn’t care or, doesn’t want to know about the blood, sweat and tears that went into forming this republic of ours from day one.
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They may not know it, but true patriotism and greatness cannot be found in abstract discussion based on condescending attitudes of what’s in it for me. It is embedded and always has been in the towns and in the cities all across this land of ours by people and families who appreciate all that America has to offer and what it has stood for, for over two hundred years.
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Proof of this could be seen in the aftermath of September 11th, 2001, when the American people dug down deep after the tragedy and found the strength to rebuild upon the fallen ashes of the “Twin Towers.” We did not lose heart the way the terrorist had hoped we would. Instead, we were able to find an inner strength born of a righteous conviction that this act of barbarism would not go unanswered. And thus, sent the terrorist into hiding like the cowards they were.
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Our history is a long and proud one of this kind of fortitude covering everything from Pearl Harbor to Gettysburg. A legacy that has been written in stone many times over, leaving without a doubt an indelible mark on our culture, our mind set and our values.
A legacy that allows us to share the same spirit that this nation was founded on in 1776 with future generations. It is as simple as that!
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If half these liberals were to stop for a moment and look at the Twin Towers now. They would see a memorial filled with the names of many fallen heros. But let’s not stop there. There is the Oklahoma bombing memorial too. A place where children became the cost of allowing such ideologies to flourish unchecked. These reminders and more across the country shed light on those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Yet, through that and my own personal lifetime, I have seen this same devotion surfacing all across this great land of ours in times of need when I traveled from state to state rolling out Equipment and Personnel to implement Homeland Security operations at our nations airports.
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I saw people pull together who did not need to be asked to do so. And every one of these individuals which I had the pleasure to meet and befriend, came from a different nationality than myself. They were of African American, Asian, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, Native American, you name it. All were the kind of people who were willing to leave the warmth of their homes and their families, in order to go out on the road, knowing that they might be gone as long as two to three years just so they could help rollout all 479 Airports. Like me they also had one thought in mind, To make sure that a tragedy of that magnitude would never take place on American soil again. At least not on our watch.
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That is what it means to be an American to me.
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The willingness to give up the security of your home and family in order to join the Armed Forces the way young men and women are doing today… being shipped overseas right after boot camp to live and fight in the worst condition imaginable. And all the while, you and I get to sit in front of a fireplace reading Christmas stories to the little ones who have no idea the threat that waits out there.
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These individuals didn’t shy away from their calling. They didn’t complain about it. Instead, they displayed a courage which goes above and beyond the call of duty. For they took the fight to the enemy. And if that’s not greatness, I don’t know what is.
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I am also proud of the fact, that every day Americans all across this land of ours take time to honor those who have sacrificed so much both in this generation and those of the past. All because they want to kept the shores of America free of threats, foreign and domestic.
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In fact, I’m sure we have all seen the best of what our country has to offer if we only open our eyes. Its happened over and over again during disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the wildfires of California and Yellowstone. So, to say that America is not great is an affront to the entire nation and to all those who have fought and died for the flag which stands as a symbol of our greatness over the Capital buildings of each state and the White House in Washington D.C. And is willing today I believe, to stand against the kind of hypocritical and destructive thinking that would undermined the very foundation of all that we hold so dear.
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There is a political drama unfolding right before our eyes in Washington. One that we must not become complacent to. For if they had their way and I’m speaking of the mainstream media, the Democratic party and the left wing liberals, they would tell us that none of our values matter anymore. And the Constitution of the United States who’s words contain ideas we cherish, such as human liberties and the right to free speech, has no place in their new world order.
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So, whether we know it or not, the Democrat party, is no longer the party that President John F. Kennedy knew. It is no longer the party that supports the rights of the people. It is a corrupt organization who cannot see its own fallacies and where it’s leadership wants to take us. It is the party of Hilary Clinton and Obama. A party willing to circumvent security protocol. A party’s whose foundation paid for the Russia collision dozier so they could win an election by hook or by crook. And even more unnerving is the fact, that the Democratic party, is now in the throws of doubling down on their efforts to unseat President Trump’s influence in the mid-term elections by creating crimes that really don’t exist. All so they can fill the house with enough of their cohorts to start an impeachment process.
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They have learned without a doubt all these low ball tactics from a previous presidency and operate with unchecked governance to protect his legacy from any black mark that might show he was not “the clean one owner” [Used car sales] everyone imaged him to be. Thus, embracing a policy of strategic incoherence with no grander objective than do whatever it takes to obstruct all of Trump’s successes and leave the nation the poorer for it.
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I have to say I am very disappointed that these factions have been allowed to get away with blatantly ripping this country apart. Thus, tainting the memory of those veterans who fought and died for us, in wars all the way from the War of Independence, to the War in Afghanistan.
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Even as a kid in the small farming community of Galatia, Illinois, I had the honor at the age of ten of meeting an old Teddy Roosevelt rough rider, who was with the President during his charge at San Jaun Hill. He lived just up the road from my house and his named was Wilbur. And to hear these words, “That America was never great,” spilling forth from out of the mouth of a Governor of any state, who took the oath of office to respect the laws of the land, the Nation and it’s people, and who fervently claims to be a patriot, is nothing short of a betrayal of our principles of this democracy, plain and simple.
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Why is it do you think every year, we celebrate the greatness of all that came before us on dates like July 4th 1776. It’s because so many of us do not want to forget what it took during this fledgling nation growth to get where we are today. In fact, it is an important part of why we honor Veterans Day, Memorial Day and others… to remind ourselves each year that there are many heroes who’s bodies lay in Arlington National Cemetery and other places across this wide expanse, who sacrificed so much to secure the privileges that we as a people have.
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So, here is a bit of a history lesson for those who seem to think that they are owed something. The freedoms we now enjoy and get up to every day, is not something that anyone who lives in this country of ours should ever take lightly. For to do so, is to forget that they came at a great cost to us. It also came from the hard work of those who opened up the territories and settled the wilderness. When as we know there was nothing there but unforgiving terrain and mountain ranges to be conquered. And as for the immigrants who also came from all over the world to make a better life for themselves, during the early periods of this Nation’s birth. They did so legally I might add.
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So why you ask, am I and others like me – who are true patriots, veterans and devoted citizens – willing to fight so hard against the wave of stupidity that now infects our country? It’s not because, I seek to prove that my opinion is better than someone else’s. Nor, to gain power over those individuals just so I can show them who’s in charge… it is to keep our ideals and lifestyle alive, so that the next generation, such our children, our grandchildren and their children, will come into a world were they have the same privilege and freedoms, that you and I grew up with.
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Unfortunately, my fight is just beginning as today’s Democrat Party is working feverishly to bring in socialism to our sovereign nation as if this were the answer to all our problems. However, if you want a good example of the downfalls of this ideology, view the history of countries like Russia, Cuba or Venezuela to know where that will lead.
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Venezuela used to be one of the richest countries in Latin America 20 years ago. And believe it or not, that’s when they practiced capitalism. Then out of the clear blue sky socialist Hugo Chavez jumped into the scene and started offering false promises the way socialism is today. Claiming that he could make things better and more equal for everybody. His game plan for Venezuela was modeled after Cuba and the old Russian regime.
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But take a look at the results of his changes to that country if you dare. Venezuela is suffering from no food on the shelves…very little water…no gas available in an oil-rich country…no toilet paper. And the proud people and the children of Venezuela are even being forced to scrounge around dumpsters and garbage cans for something to eat. So, you wonder why I’m so passionate about my cause. It’s because, this is exactly where the Democratic Party and the left wing liberals want to take us.
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Yet, just recently things in Venezuela got much worse. The socialist president Nicolas Maduro’s action devalued the country’s currency overnight by 96 percent. This is one of the largest currency devaluations in world history.
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So, as we take time to look back at all our nation up’s and down’s. Especially, this past year alone which has clearly been the worst roller coaster ride we’ve ever seen. Each one of us should pause for a moment to look at the ideas that formed this nation from the beginning and what it has stood for since its founding — freedom, liberty, independence and individual rights.
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It is a day where we as a people should also look to the future security we hope to maintain. While at the same time we carefully reflect on the patterns of the “Deep State’s,” actions. For there is a motivation behind what they are attempting to do right now and every true patriot in this land should be fearful of that motive. For the power they wheeled, even over the President of the United States is hard to retract. And IF they achieve their goals of getting rid of Trump, all that he has accomplished to get America back on its feet again, will be destroyed as they raise our taxes, as they attack our social security benefits and increase the National debt… until it reaches a limit so high… no one will be able to bring us back from that precipice of insanity.
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The Greatness All Around Us can disappear with a blink of the eye and the stroke of a pen. Wake Up America!
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Other articles from TLB Contributing Writer Clifford Hall
Clifford Hall is a Marine Corp veteran with a Top Secret Crypto security clearance. He served during the Vietnam and cold war conflict until 1978. He is a graduate of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, with BA degree in Criminal Justice. Clifford worked for 22 years until his retirement in various aspects of law enforcement, including Law Enforcement Bureau of the Department of Correction, South Salt Lake Police Dept, Midvale Police Department and Homeland Security under TSA rolling out security at the Nation’s Airports after 9/11. Since his retirement from law enforcement, he developed an interest in the financial world and has served as a Senior Financial Advisor involving Mortgages, and Business Development at major concerns in Utah.
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