PREAMBLE – When you read this please don’t flood me with comments attacking these Presidents character or proclaiming their true historical faults (issues I am truly aware of). This commentary was written on the text book versions of these men, their place and their discussed influence exercised on our history. Thanks!
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A Discussion With Four Presidents
By: Roger Landry (TLB)
MY TRIP:
I took a trip to Mount Rushmore to do some soul searching by having a discussion with four of our country’s most prominent historical Presidents. Each responsible for forging a different portion of our national character. The father of our country, the composer of our freedoms and rights, the originator of our national conscience and the mastermind of our international respect and military might. I wanted their opinions on the state of this troubled nation, a nation in crisis both physical and in thought, a nation they helped found, shape and propel into the future. This is how it went…
George Washington:
First I talked to George Washington, the very first of all Presidents to follow; I looked up and I asked him, “Mr President what do you think about the state of our freedom in America today?”
He looked down at me and said in a very aristocratic voice, “I sacrificed a big portion of my life convincing other people to die for our right to govern ourselves, to be able to control our own destinies, to bow down to no man!
We fought against tremendous odds and lost, regrouped and fought only to lose again, but in the end, sheer determination, perseverance and the patriotic sacrifice of countless lives won the day. This was done to bring about a form of government that would truly represent all the people.
I have watched these United States grow in area, in prosperity, in populace, and in power; however, it looks to me like you’re about to forsake your birthright, and are through apathy, misdirection, an increasingly self-serving congress, intervention and manipulation by global oligarchs and a monolithic world organization you call the united nations, are on a path to cede the most important gifts we bestowed upon you, your freedom and independence.
Believe this … when these are gone, so is the heart and soul of what is supposed to be America, and even if she continues to exist, it will be in name only!
Thomas Jefferson:
Feeling a little disheveled I turned to Thomas Jefferson and asked him, “Mr. President, what do you think about the the state of our rights in America today?”
He stared down at me with a wrinkled brow and said, “I can remember hiding from the British in a cold and dank fruit cellar with quill and parchment scribbling down thoughts I felt should be self evident, including that all men were created equal, and were endowed with rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness from their creator, and not from any king or despot, and that these rights were unalienable.
It pains me terribly to see the ease with which a corrupt and complicit political system negates and dilutes the very liberties so many of us fought and sacrificed our lives to bequeath to you. It is even more troubling that nary a whimper is uttered by the masses and this unfolds right before their very eyes.
I fought for years against a central banking system because of my knowledge of the inherent greed of wealthy men and other obvious and exploitable flaws designed into that system!
It troubles me that liberty may be waning due to apathy, misinformation, indecisiveness, and power grabbing. That the pursuit of happiness is all but gone because of a collapsing economic system brought down by centralized banks wrought with untold influence, greed, and the absolute control of our currency by a federal reserve system I fought so hard to prevent!”
Abraham Lincoln:
Now feeling apprehensive I turned to Abraham Lincoln and asked him, “Mr President, what do you think about the state of American equality and unity today?”
He squinted one eye and took a long deep breath and said, “I watched a nation fall apart over the rights of one man to consider another man his property. I struggled every day with the pain and torment of knowing that, in order to preserve our great union, I would have to take responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of good young American men; but, there was one thing I knew was even more important than those or even my life, that being the knowledge that this land should not, in fact, could not exist divided, and that if as a result of dealing with this issue I could free the colored race enslaved in this land it was my fervent wish to do so. For this, my life was forfeit!
I look around today and I see a whole different type of racial segmentation. I see politicians playing on the emotions and fears of the Hispanic communities to gain political favor. I see a multitude of illegal aliens treated as well as, or given preferential treatment over, American citizens, and I see the fear and disunity that this engenders.
I still see a disproportionate amount of the black, brown, and red peoples living below the line of poverty with very little hope of ever climbing above it, and this being aggravated by an ever worsening economy with no visible sign of relief. I see states challenging the federal government over laws that tread upon their rights and even mention (even if in jest) of cessation.
I truly fear that America is in the process of loosing its hard earned and unique standing in this world as the land where equality and unity are paramount to our national identity.”
Theodore Roosevelt:
Now I was truly depressed, and I turn finally turned to Theodore Roosevelt and in a weary voice I asked him, “Mr. President what do you think about the sate of American military might and respect it garners in the world today?”
He looked down and sorta wriggled his mustache a little, before bellowing out in a magnificent baritone that resonated off the walls of the cliffs, “Balderdash! I remember when this great country had one hell of a time playing on the stage of world politics and no one took us seriously.
Why it wasn’t until we kicked some Spanish ass in the Philippines and Cuba that we got any real respect at all? Yup, but we worked it out. Built us a fleet of battleships people called the great white fleet and sent it around the world to show them foreigners we were here to stay! Hell, even had a great motto back then “Speak softly and carry a big stick”.
We made quite an impression on the world stage by doing great things like building that big canal in Panama! We got the chance to negotiate the end of a war between Russia and Japan and I even became the first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize! Bully for me! America was finally being seen as a world power and people loved us. This was the golden land of opportunity, and every one from somewhere else wanted to be here!
But now? I look around and I see a whole different story. We got a war going on in Iraq that started over ‘weapons of mass destruction’ that turned out to never be there at all. We got another war going on in Afghanistan, initially to find and kill a guy that supposedly killed three thousand Americans in New York city, but he is already dead and we are still there fighting.
We bombed the hell out of Libya because we didn’t like their leader, or more to the point the bankers didn’t. We indiscriminately drone how many other sovereign nations without hesitation or conscience. We have active military forces in over one hundred and fifty foreign countries around the globe, some involved in skirmishes we are sure as hell not even aware of! All for what? Oil in Iraq, Opium from Afghanistan, and who knows what else from where else! All of this only to the benefit of the oligarchs and the detriment of the American people.
How many more Americans will die for imperialistic ideals that, in my time, were almost acceptable but by today’s standards are barbaric? I used to be so proud of our military and the fear it struck in the hearts of our potential enemies; I look around today, and I see a world who looks at us with the same disdain we used to look at the global tyrants and malevolent dictators with.
We are hated around the globe as the ‘bully on the block’ that nobody has the power or will to stand up to, and it is costing us our national treasure, our respect in the eyes of the world, thousands of great American lives, millions of innocent lives, and our souls!
My Reflection:
Well, when I had finished my soul searching … my conversations with these Presidents, these icons of American history, I was so demoralized as to be dysfunctional. I couldn’t think of anything to say because I knew it had all been said. I bowed my head in shame because of what we had done to the country these four presidents … these prominent Americans of standing, had dedicated their lives to building and shaping.
Disheartened I turned to leave, it was then that Mr. Jefferson quietly cleared his throat and spoke in a voice that reverberated deep into my very soul …
The tree of liberty is not dead my distraught friend, but it is surely in need of pruning. We four Presidents, and millions of Americans before you have worked so hard to give you what you have. We have made sacrifices in our livelihoods, our spirit, our families, and our moralities … So ask yourself this one question …
What would you be willing to sacrifice to bring vitality back to this tree of liberty?
And of-course my obligatory parting shot …
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About the Author: Roger Landry (TLB) spent about three decades of his adult life either in, or working for the military, with about two decades working directly for the Military Industrial Complex facilitating DOD contracts. His awakening to Political, Economic, and Health realities was less than seven short years ago. Since that time he has founded The Liberty Beacon Project (TLB) consisting of over a dozen proprietary global websites, media projects such as TLBTV, and partner websites across the planet. He contributes regularly to multiple forums both in and outside of TLB Project. Most of his work can be found on the TLB Flagship website TheLibertyBeacon.com
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