Tom in Iraq as a Military Observer

Tom in Iraq as a Military Observer
They sent me here just to watch...

Saturday, March 28, 2020

Open by Easter?


Some are very critical of President Trump for wanting to get back to normal and setting a date.  He knows that this is an ambitious date and likely not possible for much of the country, but this date is not about medicine but liberty.

While the contagion that is sweeping the world is real and poses an existential risk, it’s spread is far behind the spread of another contagion—fear. 

Did anyone notice how quickly we surrendered our liberties in this country?  We did this believing they were for the greater good, but what about next time?

Having seen how easy it was to increase the power of government using fear as leverage, what comes next?  It seems that a third of this nation wants the government to be in charge of everything anyway. 

We have seen how half of our legislature used this crisis for political gain.  The very thing that the Founding Fathers thought to restrain with exceptional wisdom in our Constitution has been loosed.  Tyranny is alive and well in this century.

With most of the mainstream media sporting a liberal bias, the watchdog of government has been put on its leash.  The only guardian of a free society rests in the Second Amendment, and much of our nation wants to ignore the Supreme Law of the Land.

So where does that leave us?  Vulnerable, that’s where.  A Constitutional Amendment takes a lot of work and is not likely in our divided society, but fear has proved its worth to the one who has disdain for the governed and desires only power.

Why is it important to get out and back to work?  We need to kick fear to the curb.  Will there be medical casualties?  Yes.

There will be casualties whether we cower in fear or step out in courage once again, but the worst casualty imaginable would be the whimper of a free people surrendering their freedom.

Easter Sunday may or may not bring about some normalcy to our nation, but setting the goal is so important now.  Fear and government control must not become the new normal. 

Surely, there are parts of our nation that will not be close to normalcy by then, but many might be and they can be a beacon to the rest of the nation.  There may be some mitigation strategies required for some areas to begin this restoration process. 

Let’s do what our government asks of us knowing that the Chief Executive is on the side of liberty, but we must be vigilant and not become complacent.

There may be casualties as we fight to retain our liberty.  We are used to casualties on battlefields of bombs and bullets, but now we face an enemy that penetrates our lines across the nation.  That enemy is not a virus but fear.

The casualties incurred in preserving our freedom will be far less than those that we will bear to regain it. 

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Dear President Trump


Dear President Trump,

I am an advocate of liberty as we have come to know it in America.  I am what you might call a Reagan Republican.  I want smaller government and fiscal responsibility from my elected officials.  I believe in the continued viability of our Constitution. 

America is the greatest country the world has ever known.  Yes, Israel is great because they are God’s Chosen People but we have been a nation that took the light of our Lord globally in so many ways.  We are the best example of doing good that the world has ever known.

I have considered disdain for those who would destroy America because of their hatred for you.  We must vote them out of office.  The past three years have been nothing sort of a bill of attainder with your name on the death sentence.  The very thing outlawed in the Supreme Law of the Land is the goal of so many who would take you down to preserve their own power and privilege.

For those who broke the law or committed treason, the prosecution must be swift and the punishment for those convicted appropriate.  The members of a failed coup d'état must not go unscathed. 

And then there are the media.  This is a special group protected by the Bill of Rights.  The free press is essential to a free society.  But they have abused their status.

Mr. President, this one is completely on us.  We have tolerated their contempt for America and Americans because of their hatred towards you.  This is not acceptable. 

We must demand more accountability from them.  We must stop using all the products of the sponsors of tainted news.  Editorials are fine but weaponizing the media against you or any other person is unconscionable in our society.

We must no longer subsidize their sedition and cowardice. 

And now we come to this national crisis and increased intrusion into the lives of Americans by the government at all levels.  Were this done by your predecessor or those who seek to replace you, I would have considered that a power grab intended to bypass our Constitutional protections.

But I trust you.  I trust you not because you are a smooth-talking politician but because you are not.  Your lack of tact in some situations is somewhat irritating, but I can handle that just as the commander’s language might get a little spicy after his orders are to take the hill. 

I trust that you will do whatever it takes to combat the virus that has altered our lives so much and I trust that you will return this nation to the republic that brought greatness to the world with the same or greater passion that you are combating our present enemy.

I trust you to do this and pray that God sustains you through this. 

Take the hill!


Semper Fidelis,

Thomas R. Spence