Fellow Americans and patriots, I would give anything if I could write a syrupy-sweet, all-is-fine Thanksgiving Day message for you today. However, I have always taken pride in my endeavor of not being politically correct, but rather just "correct." Yes, we do have every reason to be thankful for our health, our livelihoods, and our loved ones.
And, we also should give thanks for our dedicated military personnel that protect us, as well as our peace officers, firefighters, and other front-line public servants that honor us with their dedication. But, when it comes to the health of our nation, while we should obviously offer thanks that we are still "technically" free, I believe we should be praying long and often for the strength, resolve and courage to continue our battle to save our country. We must ask for guidance and wisdom so that we may be victorious in our fight to save what our founding fathers sacrificed so greatly for, America. But, it was a 50+ year national tradition that made me think of other Americans that are in dire need of our prayers.
My heart sank this week as I watched the national coverage of President Bush pardoning two turkeys in the Rose Garden. He spoke of this tradition that goes back to the Harry Truman days. He thanked everyone who voted online and awarded these two birds the names of "May" and "Flower", and Bush went on to say, "They're certainly better than the names the Vice President suggested, which was "Lunch" and "Dinner."
Yes, had old Dick had his way I'm sure these birds would have experienced a much different outcome. That seems to be the norm these days.
Bush went on to state that this holiday goes back to the days of our founding fathers and that Benjamin Franklin had famously compared our nation to a rising sun. He said the "we" still see America the way Franklin did, which was best portrayed by poet Carl Sandburg, "in the crimson light of a rising sun fresh from the hand of God."
It was at this point in the speech that I lost my focus as I felt we were seeing the opposite of Sandburg's beautiful vision. Without a doubt, the only "crimson light" I have seen this year is the "light" of the America I have known sinking fast upon the horizon as the lavender of dusk darkens it with each passing second. Yes, it was at that time that I realized that the turkeys were soaring in high flight while the symbols of our great land, the bald eagles, were no where to be seen. From the revelations of the secret North American Union documents, to the symbolic abolishment of Article 4, Section 4 of the Constitution by the blinded "administrative eyes" on our borders, to "Captain Teddy" and his secret bill writers' quest of wholesale amnesty for 30+ million illegal alien invaders, it was obvious that Old Baldy, our national symbol of freedom, was prohibited from flight status. Yes, it could have only been the work of turkeys in our government that stooped to the lowest of lows by knowingly and falsely portraying a career illegal-alien drug smuggler as rather a one-time offender that merely gave into temptation to smuggle drugs to earn money to buy medicine for his ailing mother. These same birds of a feather gave this dangerous felon immunity and a free border pass, which he used to smuggle more drugs into the U.S., in return for his testimony against those that protect our front lines. What should have been an awards ceremony for these brave eagles instead became the treasonous act of bestowing solitary imprisonment upon courageous, veteran Border Patrol agents who should have received medals, rather than prison time, for pursuing a reportedly armed career drug smuggler packing 743 lbs of marijuana across our border and shooting him in the # during the confrontation!
Flashing back now to Bush's lame speech, he also thanked the National Turkey Federation officials that were present along with members of Camp Fire USA. While I could accept that, I found it most difficult when he granted full presidential pardon to the two lucky birds and said they would shortly be flown to Disney World to serve as Honorary Grand Marshals for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. He then came full circle when he said, “I hope that honor doesn't go to their head. "It was then that I realized that Bush was well aware that "turkeys" are easily capable of such misguided arrogance, especially when the eagles are heavily caged.
I ask that you join me this holiday in giving thanks for the brave men and women of the Border Patrol that courageously guard our borders while fully knowing that political imprisonment is still a reality in this country should they find themselves in a life-or-death situation that opens the door to their cage. And, come Monday, please pick up the phone once AGAIN, call your legislators, and request that they get loud and vocal with the turkey on Pennsylvania Avenue when demanding the full pardon of OUR EAGLES, Border Agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos. I can feel the momentum building so don't give up now. And, maybe someday, if we maintain our resolve as patriots in the visions of our founding fathers, we will truly see that crimson light of a fresh RISING SUN on America, the re-birth of the America that Franklin and Sandburg were so privileged to have observed.
In closing, I ask that you please take the time to send a note, even if it is just a "Thank You", to each of these good men as they need our moral support. I am sure they and their families would be most grateful:
Ignacio Ramos #58079-180
FCI Phoenix
Federal Correctional Institution
37910 N. 45th Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85086
Jose Compean #58080180
FCI Elkton
PO Box 10
Lisbon, OH 44432
Dan Howard is a 5th-generation Oklahoman and a former Oklahoma State Trooper. After 13 years of law enforcement, he left his final position as a trooper-pilot to pursue an aviation career in the private sector. After stints as a bush pilot in Alaska and later an airline transport pilot, he returned home to Tulsa in 1999 to start an aircraft dealership that he still owns and manages.
A graduate of Oklahoma State University, he holds a Bachelor's Degree in Aviation Sciences and an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice from Rogers University. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys traveling, flying, and dual-sport motorcycling with his 15-year-old son Colt. He is also the founder of the illegal immigration news-link site:
Website: OutragedPatriots.com
E-Mail:
OutragedPatriots@aol.com
