The Bush Legacy: Bold Enough To Make Tough Decisions

     Over 11 years has passed since the tragic day of September 11th, 2001, but the memories still haunt many Americans to this day.  It was a day that showed America's vulnerabilities, but it also put on display American courage!  Since that day we have been mired in wars, failed plots, and successful plots, but we have still remained strong as American's.  Today our country honored a man that many dislike, vilify, and even hate, but there is one thing they cannot take from George W. Bush, and that is he stood up in the face of evil and did what he thought was right!

     The George W. Bush Memorial Library opened today with initial excitement as the former President and his wife, Laura, revisited their first days in office, but as they turned one of the first corners ABC News reports, "...former First Lady Laura Bush says she and her husband have both been brought to tears by the new 9/11 exhibit at the museum."  That part of the Library must remind the two of a nightmare they would soon rather forget.  Our country was up in arms demanding that someone pay for the bombings of the 'Twin Towers' and Bush used all of his resources to find out exactly who that 'someone' was.

     As the years have gone by we all know that there were many mistakes that were made in 'The War On Terror', but one fact remains, and that is we did what we thought was right to protect our country.  Many call the wars unjust or worse, but they must acknowledge the truth, Bush said Osama Bin Laden was behind the bombings, which was correct, and eventually we were able to kill Bin Laden very close to where our intelligence to us he was at the time.  While many give the credit to Obama for the Osama Bin Laden killing, it would not have been possible without the larger, more blunt, invasion of Afghanistan.  Further, if we had just stuck our heads in the sand during that great tragedy how much worse off would we be today?  Bin Laden would be acting with impunity, and who knows what Saddam Hussein would be up to right now.

     In honor of the new library I would like to personally thank George W. Bush for having to make the courageous decision to go after our enemies no matter what the cost.  It is the Monday morning quarterbacks that now sit back and critique every decision made and have had a decade to come up with a better answer.  When one is the leader of the free world you don't have the luxury to sit back for 10 years before you make a decision, you must act quickly with the best knowledge possible.  Anyone who thinks otherwise is plain foolish, or a professor bent on making a name for themselves.

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee 

Freedom of Speech: Don't Let Your Fears Allow the Government to Censor Your Voice!

     In this age of information technology and fast-paced news there arises new fears and dangers.  Whether it be political or market based new, it fires across the internet at ever faster rates, with very little or no verification necessary.  This leads many to call for stricter controls and verification processes, but this would be a huge mistake and violation of our First Amendment rights as Americans.

     On April 22nd, 2013 the Associated Press had their twitter feed hacked as a criminal sent out the false report that their had been explosions at the White House and that the President had been injured.  This terrible act caused the market to plummet briefly and then within a few minutes it corrected itself.  Many on Wall Street, and in America, began to question the security of our news sources and call for a tighter regulations and security measures, but this is a huge mistake!  We, as Americans, need to fight for our right to let our voices be heard, because the moment we allow one of our freedoms to be gradually taken away the government will slowly take site at others.  Is it some sinister plot to enslave us as Americans?  It may not be that at all, but rather there may be a genuine fear in Washington for the safety of the American people, but you know what they say about 'best intentions'.

     Another recent episode that is a great example of our free press was the coverage of the Saudi 'student' that was mysteriously ushered out of the country after the Boston bombings.  This news was broken by Glen Beck and The Blaze with information that was provided by firsthand sources.  This student was originally listed as 'A Person of Interest' and was put on the terrorist watch list, but the government immediately tried to bury and change this information.  But even with the damage control that has been attempted, Janet Napolitano admitted that the Saudi was indeed on the previously mentioned watch list.  So why did we try and ship him out of the country in the middle of the night?

     America has long been considered a bastion of freedom where people are able to freely express their viewpoints without the fear of government reprisal, but with the constant misinformation out of Washington, sadly we may lose these rights.  Whether it is Benghazi or the Boston bombing, we don't seem to be getting a straight answer out of our government, and it is for this very reason that we must keep pressing for transparency and for our right to voice our opinion.  It hasn't started with this administration, or with this system of government, but rather throughout history.  Whenever power becomes too concentrated at the top there is a natural tendency to do whatever possible to protect that power, as it is natural to fight against that protection of power.  I hope that our fears for safety don't lead us down a path to slavery!  God bless.

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

Pride...

One of my favorite parables in the Bible (Because I have been both men) is the one where a man is in front of the church boasting to God how great he is and how many good works he has done, and then there is the man in the back pounding his chest claiming that he isn't worthy...Jesus said the one in the back goes home justified...Martin Luther states the fate of the proud man as, "Because people are proud and dream they are wise, righteous, and holy, it is necessary for them to be HUMBLED by the law, so that the BEAST that is their high opinion of their righteousness might be slain; otherwise no one can obtain life."