America the Beautifulby
Suzann Darnall
Oh, beautiful for spacious skiesHave you ever really listened to or read the words to "America the Beautiful"? It is an amazing message. A message we very much need to revisit in this time of great trouble and turmoil. It is a message we need to remember. A dream we need to recall. A story we need to commit to memory and pass along to our children. It is our American heritage. A heritage we should be proud of. A heritage we should not allow to be destroyed!
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountains' majesty
Above the fruited plains.
America, America,
God shed His grace on thee;
And crowned thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.Oh, beautiful for pilgrim's feet
Whose stern impassion'd stressed
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness.
America, America,
God mend thy every flaw
Confirm thy soul with self control
Thy liberty in law.Oh, beautiful, for hero's feet
Proved in liberating strife;
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life.
America, America,
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine.Oh, beautiful for patriot's dream
That sees beyond the years;
Whose alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears.
America, America,
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea . . .
For amber waves of grain, . . .In verse one I am reminded that America need never suffer from hunger. We have the capability to feed all our citizens and many people around the world . . . if the politicians, the danged EPA, and the idiotic animal rights activists would just get the heck out of the way to allow our farmers and ranchers grow and raise the produce and livestock we need! Instead, we have homesteads being shutdown 'cause someone maybe saw some possibly extinct critter there sometime in the recent past. Or, 'cause somebody decided a little bitty feeder-fish off the coast of California was more important than all the water needs of all the farmers in the San Joaquin Valley. And, let's not forget the tragedy occurring in Iowa where the land is being destroyed in the monumental efforts to force growth of corn for bio-fuels, rather than making safe use of our fossil fuels readily available through drilling, pipelines, and other methods.
Above the fruited plains.
Confirm thy soul with self controlIn verse two it is the two phrases in the ending which strikes me most. "Self control" is not exactly something we see a lot of nowadays, particularly in regards to our government. I immediately thought of the over-spending that happens in Washington DC and by governments all across this great nation. "Liberty in law" is also something our government seems to have disregarded. Our liberty as citizens is supposedly guaranteed by the Constitution and Bill of Rights, yet our government continues to infringe upon our freedoms and leach them away a little bit here and little more there. I for one would love to see lots more self control practiced and a whole lot more respect for the laws as to American liberties!
Thy liberty in law.
for hero's feetWe owe our liberty to those who sacrificed so much that we might forge a great land on this continent. Particularly the military that have given their all that we might be free. Even more, they have often shed blood that others in faraway countries might also know liberty. But, what do we hear in the news? That they don't deserve the wages and benefits they have been promised. We hear that it is okay to change the contract with the military, the veterans, and the retirees just 'cause some in our government want to save money . . . and seemingly wish to punish those who keep us safe around the world. What is it with government forgetting the great debt society owes to our troops??? We really need to give and continue to give to those who are truly responsible for us having what we have. Next to the Lord God, it is the United States military that allows us to reap blessings, especially the blessing of liberty!Proved in liberating strife;
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life.
for patriot's dream That sees beyond the years;This phrase spells out the great difference, in my mind, between a true Conservative and the Progressives that seem to be striving to drive our country down into a spiral of despair and failure. A true patriot looks to the past, the present and the future. They do not think simply in terms of the next election, but the next generation and the next century. Not in terms of what can I do for myself, but what can I do for my children, my grandchildren, and my country? It is my dream to leave a legacy of freedom, success, and faith to my progeny. A dream I am afraid may die if the unbridled liberal agenda is allowed to continue to run rampant through our government and society. We must think of more than OUR future. We must think of THE future. What does the future hold for our children if we leave them saddled with insurmountable debt and restricted liberty?
America, America,As beautiful as the entire song is, it is this refrain that most speaks to my heart. I have lived (literally) from coast-to-coast, as well as in Alaska and Hawaii. In addition to living on both coasts, I've lived in the heartland of America, the South, and the West. I've viewed the seas around this great nations from many vantage points. And, I know that the Lord has often shed His grace on our citizens. I wish that we repaid His generosity with true brotherhood for one another. That we loved one another as He has loved us. Oh what great things we could do if we could truly be united. If we really allowed equality to have free reign. Not the false equality of liberalism that seeks to pull down the successful, rather than lift up the downtrodden. If we really sought to be good. Good to one another. Good for one another. But, so long as hate and envy are stirred up by the divisive forces of the Left we will have evil in our midst. An evil that no amount of money can chase away. Only love. True love. The kind of pure love that is the charity of Christ. That is the only thing that can eradicate the evil that comes from the social justice rhetoric of hate that is being spread through our nation by liberal media bias and corrupt leaders.
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea . . .
America the BeautifulThe Liberals often bring up that "America the Beautiful" should be our national anthem, rather than "The Star-Spangled Banner". Their reasoning is that "The Star-Spangled Banner" projects too much of the imagery of war. Well, our nation was forged in war. It was kept intact through another war. In fact, our nation has often had to go to war not only to protect ourselves, but to protect others. So, I see no problem with honoring our necessarily martial history with Francis Scott Key's beautifully written words. Besides, I think if the liberals actually listened to the lyrics of "America the Beautiful" and understood what the words really mean, they would run from that song in terror. It is definitely a song about everything they loath. It celebrates individualism, self-reliance, heroes, military, liberty, American exceptionalism, success, capitalism, humanity, civilization, progress, nationalism, and God! All the things Progressives try to label as bad in their indoctrination of our children. Things I find to be completely acceptable and even desirable. I want my children and grandchildren to be free to be all those things celebrated in "America the Beautiful". I want them to love themselves, love the Lord, love our country, and love one another. I love this nation. I love my family. I love the Lord. May God bless America!
© Suzann C. Darnall, NOVEMBER 2013