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Good mothers usually have good hearts, and are often willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the whole family. They deserve to have a special day to honor them, and “to have them know we appreciate them, though we do not show it as often as w

Mother's Day: A Holiday of Heart, Not Political Hype


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By —— Bio and Archives May 13, 2018

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Mother's Day: A Holiday of Heart, Not Political Hype It is hard for many to believe that Mother’s Day could be used politically for messaging to the masses, but it has been used that way since it was originally created. At the time of the official creation of Mother’s Day, the original intent behind it was simply a day to honor mothers by sharing love and appreciation for one’s Mom. Anna Jarvis, the acknowledged founder of the holiday, may have expressed it best when she once explained her purpose in establishing such a day:
“To revive the dormant filial love and gratitude we owe to those who gave us birth. To be a home-tie for the absent, To obliterate family estrangement… To make us better children by getting us closer to the hearts of our good mothers… To brighten the lives of good mothers. To have them know we appreciate them, though we do not show it as often as we ought… Mother’s Day is to remind us of our duty before it is too late. This day is intended that we may make new resolutions for a more active thought to our dear mothers. By words, gifts, acts of affection, and in every way possible, give her pleasure, and make her heart glad every day, and constantly keep in memory Mother’s Day.”
These were noble and true sentiments from an incredibly grateful daughter who wanted to bring to fruition her mother’s personal dream of creating a holiday to honor mothers everywhere. However, many twisted individuals - even Adolf Hitler attempted to politicize Mother’s Day. Nazi Germany gave out medals for the moms who had the most kids - a way to funnel more young men into the Nazi war machine. In recent times, the Leftists are attempting to politicize Mother’s Day, which has already happened in many countries around the world. Today, there are efforts among some women on the Left who would prefer to utilize Mother’s Day as a political platform to return Mother’s Day to its “true” roots, which is a form of peace activism that would be translated into anti-war activism rather than a true pursuit of peace. Such efforts to return Mother’s Day to its “true” roots is an attempt to politicize the holiday. The justification for such politicization of Mother’s Day is usually based upon Julia Ward Howe’s “Mother’s Day Proclamation,” from 1870, which was basically a cry of despair or a lament over the incredible loss of life during the American Civil War.

MOTHER’S DAY PROCLAMATION

Boston, 1870 “Arise, then… women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts, whether our baptism be that of water or of tears! Say firmly: We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We, women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. It says: Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice. Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence vindicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of council. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them then solemnly take council with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after his own kind the sacred impress, not of Caesar, but of God. In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women, without limit of nationality, may be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient, and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace.“ ~ Julia Ward Howe
The Left’s efforts to return Mother’s Day to its “true” roots is but another example of the misreading, or deliberate misinterpretation of history, as such an idea is filled with inherent contradiction and hypocrisy. When a thoughtful person sincerely considers such an effort, which is an insidious attempt to politicize a perfectly simple Christian-based holiday, one is struck that Mrs. Howe’s message concerned a lamentation over the loss of life. Julia Ward Howe, is the same woman who became famous for writing the song, “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” which was published in 1861. Howe became famous throughout the North for the song, and eventually she became one of the most famous women in the U.S. in her time. But, after the American Civil War, people were left to grieve over the loss of so many men and boys. Howe’s poem was a call to women to stand against such carnage. It is ironic that such loss of life exists today within America, on a much grander scale, yet the women on the Left, the so-called “Progressives,” do not raise their voices in agony or in grief over the loss of such life. While 620,000 boys and men lost their lives during the four horrible years of the Civil War, nearly one million babies are aborted in the United States every year. And the “Progressive” propagandists have women believing that abortion is a good thing. Hypocrisy? Absolutely! Another glaring contradiction with Howe more specifically is that she was not only a feminist, she was an abolitionist. Many Christian women in the pre-war years supported abolition of slavery. The sheer logic of an anti-war message aimed at the Civil War would neutralize the purpose of fighting the war because it was the primary way slavery was able to be abolished. Being opposed to war is not the problem, as war is an outright aberration of the purpose of life; but that war ended slavery. Hypocrisy? Absolutely!


Tragically, the American Left is insulated from having to deal with their inherent hypocrisy and contradictions of logic. They are not held accountable by the major mainstream media outlets because those “news” sources provide cover for the lack of consistent logic, as well the propagation of the concept of abortion being a positive outcome for society in general. After all, isn’t the world overpopulated enough? Well, this would then open the door for a reason to choose war over peace. Additionally, women are not held accountable for their choice by the major politicians as today political correctness hushes those who would raise their voices in dissent over the continual taking of innocent lives. And, the American Left has many elected officials who support women with their pro-choice leanings. However, all choices have consequences, and some may involve the wrath of God. Unfortunately, Leftists do not often listen to God, just like children who do not listen to their parents when they say there are consequences to pre-marital sexual relations. The seeds of Mother’s Day were planted in a confusing and turbulent time - during the Civil War. And, it is good to remember that the Civil War was not just fought to end slavery, it was fought to reaffirm the self-evident truths that people were endowed by their Creator with the inalienable rights of Life and Liberty, and the right to pursue Happiness. It is also good to remember that “happiness” to the founding generation usually meant the pursuit of virtue, and not the pursuit of cupidity and self-centered pleasure. Truly, mothers who become mothers by determining to give birth to a child of their creation are indeed quite special in a such a confusing time that confronts them today in America. Good mothers usually have good hearts, and are often willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the whole family. They deserve to have a special day to honor them, and “to have them know we appreciate them, though we do not show it as often as we ought…”

Dennis Jamison -- Bio and Archives | Comments

Dennis Jamison reinvented his life after working for a multi-billion dollar division of Johnson & Johnson for several years. Currently retired from West Valley College in California, where he taught for nearly 10 years, he now writes articles on history and American freedom for various online publications.

Formerly a contributor to the Communities at the Washington Times and Fairfax Free Citizen, his more current articles appear in Canada Free Press and Communities Digital News. During the 2016 presidential primaries, he was the leader of a network of writers, bloggers, and editors who promoted the candidacy of Dr. Ben Carson. Jamison founded “We the People” - Patriots, Pilgrims, Prophets Writers’ Network and the Citizen Sentinels Network. Both are volunteer groups for grassroots citizen-journalists and activists intent on promoting and preserving the inviolable God-given freedoms rooted in the founding documents. 

Jamison also co-founded RedAmericaConsulting to identify, counsel, and support citizen-candidates, who may not have much campaign money, but whose beliefs and deeds reflect the role of public servants rather than power-hungry politicians.  ​


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