Today's Heroes

 Two hundred forty-eight years ago, on July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress passed the Resolution for Independence, declaring the freedom of America’s 13 colonies from Great Britain. Two days later, on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence, which officially announced and explained the case for independence, was approved.

On Wednesday, July 3rd, the day after the resolution, John Adams sent the following message to Abigail:

“The second day of July, 1776, will be a memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations, as the great Anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp, shews, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of the continent to the other, from this time forward forever.

“You will think me transported [ecstatic] with enthusiasm; but I am not. I am well aware of the toil, and blood, and treasure, that it will cost us to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states. Yet, through all the gloom, I can see the rays of light and glory; I can see that the end is more than worth all the means, and that posterity will triumph, although you and I may rue, which I hope we shall not.”(1)

Adam’s was spot on, though celebration day turned out to be the 4th, the day the Declaration of Independence was formally approved. Tomorrow, we will celebrate just as he predicted. He was also right about the blood, toil, and treasure it would cost to maintain the declaration. Then, and down through history, many have paid the ultimate price for what you and I will celebrate tomorrow. Washington, when addressing his troops regarding the imminent War of Independence, stated with sobriety:

“The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them.

“The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance, or the most abject submission. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die.”(2)

Washington, too, it seems, was prophetic when he said, “The fate of unborn millions…will depend on the courage of this army.” Fast forward 168 years to Normandy, France, and the deciding battle of WW II, known as D-Day. This bloody and horrific battle turned the tide against Hitler’s evil plans. Pvt. Charles Neighbor said of that day, “As our boat touched sand and the ramp went down, I became a visitor to Hell.”(3)

Pointe Du Hoc 

Pointe du Hoc is a prominent cliff on the coast of Normandy. It was a strategic point heavily fortified by the Germans. The United States Army Ranger Assault Group scaled the cliffs under intense enemy fire to capture and secure the location. At the 40th Anniversary of the D-Day Ceremony Pointe du Hoc, Normandy, France, on June 6, 1984, President Ronald Reagan gave a powerful speech entitled “The Boys of Pointe du Hoc”:

“We’re here to mark that day in history when the Allied peoples joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For four long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, and millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed for its rescue. Here in Normandy, the rescue began. Here, the Allies stood and fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history.

“We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France. The air is soft, but forty years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke, and the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June 1944, 225 Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs.

“Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns. The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of these guns were here, and they would be trained on the beaches to stop the Allied advance.

“The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers - at the edge of the cliffs shooting down at them with machine guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After two days of fighting only ninety could still bear arms.

“Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before me are the men who put them there.

“These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war.

“Gentlemen, I look at you and I think of the words of Stephen Spender's poem. You are men who in your ‘lives fought for life...and left the vivid air signed with your honor…’

“Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet you risked everything here; why? Why did you do it? What compelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow, we know the answer. It was faith and belief; it was loyalty and love.

“The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge - and I pray God we have not lost it - that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.

“You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One’s country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it’s the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you.

“You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children’s children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done.”(4)

On her 248th birthday, America faces another war for her freedom. This war is ideological, but no less consequential. Liberty and the salvation of millions depend on the courage of the spiritual army called the church, the Ekklesia. Intercessors are today’s heroes; your prayers can turn the tide. Like the boys at Normandy, we fight to liberate; and we, too, believe in our cause.

With God as our help, as surely as we celebrate liberty on July 4 and victory over tyranny on December 6, we will one day celebrate victory over this attempt to destroy America and delay God’s great harvest.

Pray with me:

Father, You had great plans for America, and still do. We have given more to the spreading of the gospel than any nation. We have also given more to humanitarian causes than any other nation. Yet, we have lost our way and, like the prodigal, squandered our inheritance and forsaken our destiny. Thank You for the fresh start You have promised. Continue to orchestrate this turnaround and a new beginning. We know that the fate of untold millions still hangs in the balance. We will not relent in our prayers and efforts until we see complete victory. Refresh and refire Your intercessors this week.

And Father, You told us to pray for those in authority; we do so again today. We ask for protection for President Biden, leaders in Congress, and Supreme Court Justices. We especially pray for President Trump, who is so hated. We ask that You keep the hatred of him from resulting in physical harm. We also ask this for the family members and staff of these leaders. Expose EVERY plan, and bring the plan/s to nothing. Keep the watchmen engaged. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Our decree:

We decree that the ideological war for the soul of America will be won by Yahweh through the prayers of Christ’s body.

___________________________________

1. https://founding.com/founders-library/american-political-figures/john-adams/letter-to-abigail-adams/ 

2. Major William T. Coffey, Patriot Hearts, (Purple Mountain Publishing: Colorado Springs, CO), p. 118.

3. Ibid, p. 16.

4. https://voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/ronald-reagan-normandy-speech-point-du-hoc/ 

Copyright © 2024 Dutch Sheets Ministries, All rights reserved.

The Best Speech You Never Heard

Former Ohio Congressman Bob McEwen is one of those people we should hear more from. This is approx. 36 minutes long, but I guarantee it's worth every moment of your time.

Thanksgiving Proclamation

By the President of the United States of America. a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed—to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go: Washington

Quote of the Day

Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Citizens. … [R]eason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.

Let it simply be asked, where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice?

It is substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule indeed extends with more or less force to every species of free government. Who that is a sincere friend to it can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric?

~ President George Washington's farewell address upon leaving office (1797)

What Were They Thinking? (part 6)

In Part 5, we looked at how General George Washington informed his troops about what they'd be hearing from the Continental Congress, in July 1776. It's a fine public statement: very matter-of-fact, and straightforward.

But what were his thoughts about the events leading up to the Revolution? Here are excerpts from several letters he wrote in 1774.

The [British] ministry may relay on it that Americans will never be taxed without their own consent; that the cause of Boston--the despotic measure in respect to it, I mean--now is and ever will be considered the cause of America...*

He replied to a correspondent who argued that "a humble and dutiful petition to the throne" would produce the desired results from the King:

Have we not tried this already? Have we not addressed the Lords and remonstrated to the Commons? And to what end? Did they deign to look at our petitions? Does it not appear, as clear as the sun in its meridian brightness, that there is a regular, systematic plan formed to fix the right and practice of taxation upon us? ... Ought we not, then, to put our virtue and fortitude to the severest test?**

He later told the same correspondent:

...the Parliament of Great Britain have no more right to put their hands into my pocket, without my consent, than I have to put my hands into yours for money ... As ... I observe that [the British] government is pursuing a regular plan at the expense of law and justice to overthrow our constitutional rights and liberties, how can I expect any redress from a measure which has been ineffectually tried already? ... Shall we, after this, whine and cry for relief when have already tried it in vain? ...
I am convinced, as much as I am of my existence, that there is no relief but in their [the British government's] distress; and I think, at least I hope, that there is public virtue enough left among us to deny ourselves everything but the bare necessaries of life to accomplish this end. This we have a right to do, and no power upon earth can compel us to do otherwise till they have first reduced us to the most abject state of slavery that ever was designed for mankind.***

And finally, in a letter to an old friend who had served under him in the French and Indian War:

It is not the wish or interest of that [Massachusetts] government or any other upon this continent, separately or collectively, to set up for independence. But this you may at the same time rely on, that none of them will ever submit to the loss of those valuable rights and privileges which are essential to the happiness of every free state, and without which life, liberty, and property are rendered totally insecure.
These, sir, being [the] certain consequences which must naturally result from the late acts of Parliament relative to America in general,and the government of Massachusetts Bay in particular, is to be wondered at ... that men who wish to avert the impending blow should attempt to oppose it in its progress, or prepare for their defense if it cannot be diverted?****

Most of the founders (excluding a few firebrands) were of the same mind; it's pretty clear that, while hoping desperately that a war could be avoided, Washington clearly saw no realistic alternatives by 1774.


*Ltr to George William Fairfax, 6/10/1774
**Ltr to Bryan Fairfax, 7/4/1774
***Ltr to Bryan Fairfax, 7/20/1774
****Ltr to Capt. Robert Mackenzie, 10/9/1774


Previous posts:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

What Were They Thinking? (Part 5)

We've all read much of what the Founders said, in the Continental Congress, while debating the Declaration of Independence. (And you've read the Declaration itself, haven't you?) I wanted to know how the average citizen, Joe the farmer, Bob the blacksmith, or especially Samuel the soldier, was notified of the events in Philadelphia.

George Washington, an announcement to the American Army, 1776:

The Continental Congress, impelled by the dictates of duty, policy, and necessity, having been pleased to dissolve the connection which subsisted between this country and Great Britain, and to declare the united colonies of North America free and independent states, the several brigades are to be drawn up this evening on their respective parades at six o'clock, when the declaration of Congress, showing the grounds and reasons of this measure, is to be read with an audible voice. The General hopes this important event will serve as a fresh incentive to every officer and soldier to act with fidelity and courage, as knowing that now the peace and safety of his country depends (under God) solely on the success of our arms, and that he is now in the service of a state possessed of sufficient power to reward his merit and advance him to the highest honors of a free country. - General Orders.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Quotes of the Day: May 20, 2010

No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the Affairs of men more than the People of the United States. Every step, by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency.

George Washington, First Inaugural Address, April 30, 1789

The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their Constitutions of Government. But the Constitution which at any time exists, 'till changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole People is sacredly obligatory upon all.

George Washington, Farewell Address, September 19, 1796

QOTD: George Washington

At a time when our lordly masters in Great Britain will be satisfied with nothing less than the deprication [sic] of American freedom, it seems highly necessary that something should be done to avert the stroke and maintain the liberty which we have derived from our ancestors; but the manner of doing it to answer the purpose effectually is the point in question.
That no man should scruple or hesitate a moment to use arms in defense of so valuable a blessing, on which all the good and evil of life depends, is clearly my opinion. Yet arms, I would beg leave to add, should be the last resource.

His letter to George Mason (April 5, 1769)

It seems readily apparent that this decision is facing us again. I pray that we make the right decision.