I Do Solemnly Swear

"I do solemnly swear that I will support, obey and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of this Commonwealth and that I will discharge my duties with fidelity with no regard to lucre or profit," I heard these words, or words very similar, spoken a number of times recently as I witnessed our county officials take the oath of office. As I heard the words stated then repeated I was...solemnly....affected! More so because our son also took his oath as he became a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. The Declaration of Independence ends with these words, "And for the support of the Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." Have we strayed as a nation from valuing our honor above our lifestyles, our personal security, even our futures? I do not doubt that these fifty-six men meant what they signed onto in this document. I took an oath when I entered the army in 1969 but was too immature to really understand the solemnity of it. I took wedding vows in 1976 and through God's grace I am still united in this gift. More recently, I took an oath as a juror and by this time in my life I felt the weight of the words I had spoken. Christianity itself is grounded on an oath...an oath taken by God alone. He led men of Old Testament times to know the importance of a covenant in order to covenant with them. Today we often witness the repercussions of a broken oath in a courtroom or before Congress, the result being an indictment of perjury, but even here do we go beyond the legal ramifications to what the signers of the Declaration of Independence referred to as sacred honor? When Mitt Romney took an oath in the Mormon Temple that he understood that if he revealed the secret oaths and vows thereof that he would pay with his life, did he believe it? Or was it something between a game and a life and death oath?  Barack Obama took his initial oath of office on the Capitol steps, with his hand on a King James Bible used by Abraham Lincoln.  There were some mistakes made by both he and Chief Justice Roberts that were labelled by some The flub heard round the world. Barack Obama began to repeat the words of Chief Justice Roberts a little bit early which in turn threw the Chief Justice off. After considering the situation, the oath was taken again the next day in the White House, with no Bible. The promise still was to "preserve, protect and defend" the Constitution. It was said that the first oath of office was valid.... but just in case. The Bible was obviously not important here but what about the meaning of the words? Or was that just protocol? I don't know how many times that while sitting on the beach on vacation someone would walk up and offer a very nice gift if only we gave a few hours of our time looking at a condo. The answer was always "no thank-you." Most recently, at Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach, dinner and a show..for two, was offered. There is no way on God's great and wonderful green earth that I am going to buy a condo. I tried to explain this but the response was that the owners fully understand the situation but make the offer anyway; but I'm the only one that fully understands the situation so the answer still has to be no thank-you. I can't take a quarter left in the change slot of a candy machine.  God  knows us more than we know ourselves. Therein is the key. To the politician, to the lawyer, to the juror or witness, to the groom...whether it be an oath or just a statement to another person, we should know that God records our words. Herein is but one step in America's recovery, that our elected and appointed leaders take that oath very seriously, and also in the vein that it is meant. How can one consider the Constitution to be a living document and take that oath? For the intent of the writers thereof is not subject to the readers interpretation. In this primary season, it might be very helpful to ask each and every candidate to express their opinion on the solemnity of the oath of office that they would take, and to expound on their opinion for it is not a question that can be answered in only a few sentences.

1962...Redux

The following is a short story that I wrote quite a few years ago and used it for my August 22, 2009 blog. I titled it 1962 for that was a time when high school lettered sweaters were a treasured item.

Tommy Wilson walked  in, beat and worn out, to the apartment where he and his mother lived. She had been holding dinner off until 7 o'clock every night so that Tommy could go to football practice and then to Spinoza's Market to work for a few hours after practice every day.

Tommy's mother: "Welcome home Johnny U!"
Tommy: "I'm on special teams mom. Johnny Unitas is a quarterback."
Tommy's mother: "Oh. Excuse me! Any new bruises today?"
Tommy: "Yeah. My right shin is really bruised."

Tommy was a senior at Catowaga High School in Buffalo, New York and going out for football for the very first time, for he was on a mission. You see, Tommy was in love with Mary Burns. Mary's family had moved to Buffalo the year before from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her father was an airline pilot and this is where the job was. Tommy and his mom did not have a lot of money. He would have wanted to buy a ring or a necklace that he could give to Mary so that everyone would know that Mary was his girl but what he finally decided on was going to take a lot of effort. He wanted to make the football team and earn a varsity letter, put it on a sweater, and give it to Mary. All the guys who had lettered had given the lettered sweaters to their girlfriends. One problem that Tommy had was that he had never played football before. You had to get into ten quarters to earn a varsity letter. After a week of practice the coach had told Tommy that the only way he would ever get into a game would be on the kickoff team, and that... only if he could learn to tackle. Tommy had given more effort than anyone on the team, flying down the field and literally throwing his body at charging players. Working at Spinoza's Market would provide him enough money to give some to his mom and also buy the wool sweater for $37.50. That was the plan anyway.

Mary: "Tommy, I'm really worried about you. You get hurt almost every practice and you work so hard afterwards at Spinoza's. Are you sure that you really want to do this? You know that football doesn't mean anything to me."
Tommy: "Mary, I have to do this. Football will be over in December and then I can slow down."

He had not told Mary about the plan or the importance of others knowing that she was his girl. Mary was a Christian girl from the south who always talked about the Lord. He never talked this way about God and didn't know anyone else who did.

Mary: "Tommy. The Bible says that one has to be born again. You should think about this and try to understand what it means."
Tommy: "Mary. I believe in God. I may not be perfect but who is," and then sheepishly added "except maybe you,"
Mary: "You know that I'm not perfect Tommy. Actually I'm far from it since I know the Lord and still cannot live as I should!"
Tommy: "Well you seem pretty close to perfect...in everything...to me Mary."

Tommy's coach was not particularly happy that He expected to win a letter. This was only his second year with the Chargers and he was going to succeed and make coaching his profession. Catawaga had never had a winning football season. They were 0 and 10 the year before Coach Thomas came and 4 and 6 his first year as coach. "Come hell or high water," as the coach would say, they were going to have a winning season this year and that meant 6 wins. The assistant coach, Coach Offen, was a football coach second and a history teacher first. He admired the spunk of this young light-weight senior who for some reason just had to win a varsity letter. His efforts probably helped influence Coach Thomas from cutting Tommy.

Coach Offen: "Are you alright Wilson?"
Tommy: "Yeah coach. I think I forgot to hit with my shoulder instead of my head."
Coach Offen: "Sit down for a while Tommy."
Tommy: "Do I have to coach? I feel OK."

Coach Thomas came over as Tommy headed for the bench.

Coach Thomas: "That kids going to kill himself and get us all in trouble."
Coach Offen: "I'll keep an eye on him Mike. He'll be alright."

Tommy liked to take Mary to this new hamburger joint called McDonald's. It was only 19 cents for a burger and that was all that he could afford on his budget. Mary carried a little Bible with her at all times and liked to sneak in about ten minutes of scripture reading to him every time they were together. Tommy was glad they didn't live in the South for they took religion all too seriously. The first game was the next day and Tommy didn't know if he would get in for the coach gave no clues. The game started and he wasn't on the field for the opening kickoff, nor for the two others in the first half. Catawaga was winning 21 nothing when they took the field in the second half. Coach Thomas barked out orders and yelled Tommy's name for the kickoff without even looking at him. Tommy's first experience in a football game was not all that encouraging. He ran down the field and was belted by someone twice his size...but he had one quarter in for his letter. He wasn't in the game for the fourth quarter. The next week was one of gruelling practices. Tommy hit every opposite colored practice jersey that he had a chance to. Coach Offen patted him on the back but Coach Thomas never acknowledged him. The Chargers were 1 and 0 going into the second game. Again Tommy didn't play in the first half but his name was called for the kickoff in the second half. He flew down the field and hit the first jersey he came to who fell back into the ball carrier enabling his teammates to reach the runner and bring him down. Tommy had actually contributed! He had another chance in the fourth quarter. The kick was real short, someone in the middle had picked up the ball and Tommy had a chance to hit a ball carrier for the first time. Just as he was about to lower his head for the tackle, he was blocked hard and thought that he heard his finger snap. The trainer wrapped it up and later the doctor told him that it was separated and it would keep him out of football for three weeks at least. Tommy now had three quarters of the ten that he needed but the season would be half over when he would be able to play again. The Chargers were 3 and 2 so Coach Thomas was not on the warpath as he had been in the past. The 6th game saw Tommy only get in once in the fourth quarter but he now had four quarters of game play with four games left.

Mary: "Tommy, you played really well last night. You hit that big number 70 real hard!"
Tommy: "But I didn't move him Mary. I can't expect to earn a letter if I can't help the team ."
Mary: "Is that what this is all about...a letter? Why is it so important?"
Tommy: "Well...uh...I just have to win a varsity letter in high school, that's all."

Tommy had a fairly good week of practice but didn't get into the 7th game at all and the team lost. The team was now 4 and 3 and Coach Thomas hardly even practiced Tommy. Tommy thought that he heard Coach Offen mention Tommy's name to Coach Thomas. He couldn't hear what was being said but neither one of them looked very happy. Game 8 went well from the start and the Chargers were up 30 to 0 at the half. There were 10 quarters left and Tommy needed to get into 6 of them. It seemed impossible but Tommy kept giving everything that he had. He was in on the kickoff beginning the second half and Coach Offen slapped him on the back with encouragement. Tommy ran hard down the field and the runner advanced about 20 yards and found himself running straight at Tommy who lowered his head and dove for his legs. The runner went down and Tommy's teammates were slapping Tommy on the helmet but he hurt his finger again and didn't tell anyone. The Chargers put their third string in for the fourth quarter and did not score at all so their was no chance for Tommy to get in. The next week Tommy got in on the opening kickoff but the team was down 28 to 0 at the half and that was it for Tommy. There was now one game left and Tommy needed to get in all four quarters. His finger hurt all week but Tommy hit everything in sight in practice. He was actually learning the game of football with one game left in his career. The team now had 5 wins and 4 losses and needed to win the last game for Coach Thomas to have his winning season. Tommy thought it impossible to get in for all four quarters but Coach Offen told him just to make the plays and it will turn out. It seemed as if Coach Offen had talked to Coach Thomas or something. Tommy was in on the first kickoff and hit a blocker knocking him down. The runner came next and Tommy latched onto his legs for the tackle. It was a high scoring game for three quarters while Tommy was in on every kickoff and made three tackles. Catawaga was losing 28 to 27 in the last quarter of the season and the Chargers could not move the ball nor could the other team. Time was running out on his plan. Five minutes were left in the game, then 4, 3, 2. Waltersville, their main rival, had the ball on their own 10 yard line with a one point lead and only 15 seconds left in the game. Tommy had tears in his eyes. He looked up in the stands and saw Mary looking down at him. She pointed to the sky and Tommy knew what she meant...the Lord was more important than football. Tommy began to feel guilty because his team was about to lose, his coach was not going to reach his goal, but he only cared about himself. The game was just about over when Coach Thomas yelled out Tommy's name. Tommy jumped up and looked at him. The coach told him to go in for Davis in the defensive backfield. Tommy had only played that position in practice, more of a body needed than anything else. He started running out on the field and everyone was yelling at him that he forgot his helmet. He reached the defensive huddle and now had his ten quarters. Why would Coach Thomas do this, especially as they were about to lose? His teammates were oblivious to this. They only had one more play on their mind. The quarterback took the snap and handed off to the fullback who broke through the line and came right at Tommy. Tommy ran straight at him and hit him as hard as he ever hit anyone. Tommy was knocked on his back but heard shouts. He had caused a fumble and everyone was running after the ball. One guy fell on it only to have it squirt out towards Tommy. There was no time to think about anything. He picked it up and ran towards the goal. He was hit short of it but before he fell was hit from behind by a teammate and then another. He felt his feet hit the ground and pushed one more time in the scrum with players in front but more in back. He fell but held onto the ball and could hear yells. What had happened? The referee was pulling players off until he saw Tommy and raised his arms signalling a touchdown. Everyone was pulling at him, slapping him, yelling at him. He had scored the winning touchdown. The Chargers beat their rival and finished the season at 6 wins and 4 losses. Tommy was in a bit of shock. As he walked back towards the sideline he saw Coaches Thomas and Offen talking. Coach Thomas was smiling and shaking his head up and down.

Mary: "Tommy you were unbelievable. You were the hero...and now you'll get your letter."
Tommy: "Mary. I'll tell you later just why I had to have that letter."

Two weeks later was the football banquet where the varsity letters would be given out. Everyone was given two tickets to the dinner to give to their parents. Friends could buy their own. Tommy's mother and Mary would be at his table. The Chargers colors were white and red so Tommy had bought a white wool sweater at Anderson's Department Store and was ready to sew the red letter on the day after the banquet. Tommy's mom had picked up Mary in their 1957 Ford Fairlane and met Tommy at the banquet, for he had gone early for instructions on the ceremony. Tommy was the only senior to be given a letter for the first time. Coach Thomas said a few words about every player that came up to the podium. When he came to Tommy he had this to say:

      "Quite frankly, I never expected Tommy Wilson to earn this letter. It is near impossible to earn a varsity letter as a senior without ever having played a down of organized football. In fact, and I'm ashamed to admit it, I was more than a little bit annoyed by his determination, but Coach Offen had faith in Tommy's abilities...abilities that I did not see. He nearly twisted my arm to get Tommy in all four quarters of that last game. Come on up for your letter Tommy. You deserved it as much as anyone on this team."

Tommy was red faced and looked to Coach Offen and smiled as he returned to his table. He gave his varsity letter to his mom and held Mary's hand tight.

Mary: "Well Tommy, I'm so proud of you and now you have that letter that you wanted so much!"
Tommy: "Mary, I never told you why I wanted this letter so bad. All the other guys have something to give to their girls to show everyone that they are their girlfriends. They can afford nice rings and have cars to drive them around in. They take them to the prom and I can't afford that. I worked for that varsity letter to put on a sweater and ask you if you would wear it for the rest of the year. I would be so proud to see you in it, knowing that you are showing everyone that we love each other."
Mary: "Tommy...I had no idea that you felt this way! I...I'm in shock...and I...I have to tell you what is going through my mind right now. Tommy, everyone will one day stand before God after a lifetime of sin, and He will look at them to see if they belong to His Son Jesus. And do you know how He will know? All of those who have trusted in Jesus Christ...and Him alone to save them...will be dressed in white....the Righteousness of Christ. He will give them white robes to show that they are His! The Father will only see what Jesus has done! That's why Jesus came here...to live the perfect life that we cannot live...and to die for our sins...and be resurrected for our redemption as His children! Tommy. If we trust in anything of ourselves we are pulling back that robe of righteousness revealing our sin. God may have given you this determination to win a varsity letter and put it on a sweater just to show you this! When we are born again we see these things Tommy."

Tommy couldn't say a word. The Mary that he loved so much was the Mary that loved Jesus so much. He sometimes felt jealous over this but how wrong he had been! For the very first time he understood what Mary had been trying to tell him. He felt that God must love him for showing him this. He had doubted this before because he had grown up without a father. Tommy felt tears forming in his eyes and turned his head. His mother was just returning to her seat. She had his sweater in her hand and the red varsity letter "C" was sown on. She had secretly brought the sweater with her and returned to her car to sew on the letter. Tommy looked lovingly into his mother's eyes, took the sweater and turned back to Mary. She had stood up and took off the vest that she was wearing. Tommy offered her the sweater and she carefully put it on and sat down.

Mary: "Thank you Tommy."
Tommy looked at her with wet eyes and said:
 "Maybe we can both put on something white tonight with the letter "C" on it?"

They held hands as the principle turned on the microphone again and said:
    "Well the Supreme Court recently ruled that God cannot come into our schools anymore. Maybe someday we will have to comply....but not tonight! Heavenly Father. Thank you for this night, and for the food we are about to receive..."

The Fruit Of Her Hands

I'd like to write a little bit about my wife here. I'm sure you would agree that it would take a special person to put up with me. The topics of this blog are basically my everyday conversation. Well, it's at least the thoughts while the conversation is going on. This may explain some of the things that I do...this for example: Last week I had an eye doctors appointment after work. Now I always wear a turtle-neck piece, a dickie, under my shirt...winter or summer. I dressed quickly to get to my appointment and pick up my new glasses. I picked a very wide frame and wondered if it might be too wide for as I tried the glasses on everyone seemed to be looking at them. When I got home my wife said "I hope you didn't go to the optometrists like that?"  Actually I'm used to this kind of comment from her. I started checking my clothes. The back of the dickie was hanging out. I demonstrated it for the guys at work the next day and one shouted "Superman!." My wife has a profession while I have a job. She has served our community and supervised employees for 35 years now. She is the best at it in my opinion and I think that opinion is shared by many others. Quite a few young women worked for her over the years and went on to the same profession, a testament I think about how she takes pride in her work and that that desire to serve the community is taken up by others because of it. She makes a little bit less than I do in my blue-collar job but has enormous responsibilities. It's a work of love with no union necessary for self-respect or to tempt one to put money before the commitment. She never missed a beat in raising our son. She is always thoughtful to others and is tearful often as elderly friends and patrons, people of the community, pass away. She's the financial manager of the house with one exception for I'm extremely conservative on 401K investments because of my greatly diminished hope for a secure future for this beloved country of ours. We opened a bookstore once and she was there for me 100% even though she didn't think that it was the best idea. I don't even want to imagine what our financial situation would be like if I had to pay the bills every month. The first years were not easy. People want miracles as proof that there is a God but oftentimes the miracle is that God had a shepherds hook pulling us in and often a rod when we act up. He brought two lost people together and I will forever be thankful!

Rear-View Mirror

Essentially, my only advertising for this blog is the bumper sticker on my car. I change the message with each blog in such a way that a driver behind me at a traffic light might just be inquisitive enough to visit the site. I'll often look in the rear-view mirror and see a man alone in the car, or a woman, or a couple, and lift up a prayer for them. I have appealed often in this blog to the concept of a father's love for his children. The average man is willing to take the chance of staying away from God. He has just enough stubborn determination to stay with the crowd for a long time but I want him to realize something, that he is applying this decision of his to his children also. "Oh, they can make up their own mind later on in life," he might say, but they will most likely make the same decision based on the pattern they saw in the father they loved. So, speaking here to these men....How much work have you put into this question of God and man? Might I offer a few possible answers.... You gave it some thought on an occasion or two and were not convinced.... You were dragged to church when you were young so you know what it's all about....or, Carl Sagan didn't buy it...and he was very intelligent. Maybe you are more of a philosopher...if there is a God why is there so much suffering, or... I'm not that bad of a person. I'm not concerned here with trying to answer these questions but rather in saying to you That's it? You are consigning your children to a future of not knowing Jesus because of your own limited experiences or because you stumbled over some questions that multitudes of Christians have trusted God with and thanked Him for ever since? Let me take a real leap here and assume that someone reading this might actually consider my thesis, that although they are not being drawn to Jesus Christ, they love their children more than their own life. What are they to do? The first thing is to pray with your children...before meals and at bedtime. How hard is this guys? They will never...ever...forget this! Second...put a Bible, God's word to us, on the coffee table and pick it up to read on occasion for them to see. Third...humble yourself before God and admit that praying with your children and picking up a Bible are a mere pittance of what a father should do but plead that God might take that morsel and protect them through it.  Another Christian reading this might wonder what kind of advice I'm giving? Twenty-five years ago or so, on one of our Pittsburgh rivers, there was a boating accident with a father and small child. The father couldn't swim and struggled as he held his child's head above the water. The child survived but the father drowned. That's what kind of advice this is. Hold your child's head above the water for you love them more than your own life. You might be surprised at what may happen for you indeed may be saying "I am not worthy... but have mercy on my child!" Your response here may turn out not to be your own for many have come to Christ in similar ways as this. We thought that we were making an insignificant step but God had initiated it. We didn't realize this until later. There is an anecdote from film noir that I would like to give here. James Cagney and Pat O'Brien starred in Angels With Dirty Faces. Here's the plot; Cagney was a gangster whose bravado earned the adoration of the young boys in his neighborhood. He eventually killed a police officer and was sentenced to death in the electric chair. Pat O'Brien was a Catholic priest who walked that last mile with him. Cagney was tough. He was going to spit in their faces before they applied the juice. O'Brien talked to him the whole way of how those boys were going to follow in his footsteps...they would end up like him. His defiance, especially in death, would only encourage them more. Cagney struggled...at first with anger, but upon being led into the chair he cried like a baby that he didn't want to die. They had to forcibly strap him into the chair. Only the priest knew the reason why this tough guy turned yellow. The picture ended as the youths lost the image of their hoodlum hero and went back to being young boys. Cagney's character was going to the chair but you can still move about. Take your child by the hand to Christ and see how He may respond...even with you.

Son...I Failed To Try?

The following blog is from this past July 14th. Yogi Berra once said "Even Napoleon had his Watergate." Lord Acton's most famous quote is "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely," and no where is that more evidenced than in the Obama administration. After his term is over, books will be written by insiders, others will feel free to speak and the media's hedge of protection will wither. All of America will find out what many already know, that the American electorate had been had in 2008, that there was no real concern for the poor, minorities or the immigrant. A prosperous America was never the goal. It was all about ideology and Marxist ideology at that. I understand today more than ever before just how great nations fell, how their defenses vanished and the values that gave them strength eroded. I didn't realize how much I loved our country until I began to see it crumble. I never fully appreciated those who sacrificed for it until I realized just what they worked, strove and fought for.

July 14, 2011
It is my opinion that before this is all over, and by that I mean the Barack Obama era of either a four or eight year period, he may flee this country. Whether indictments will be part of it or not I don't know but after Americans become aware of the full extent of what this president has done to our nation, to our national and domestic security, of his real intent as opposed to the fictitious constitutional scholar on the covers of Time and Newsweek throughout 2008, and without the media protection that is already starting to crack, he will eventually, more likely seek the approval of those outside the country who, although not totally in sync with his anti-colonial spirit of redistribution of wealth, appreciate his larger vision of a...smaller America and his strong case ...for a weak America. If the media does not turn its concern to its own nation and its own families, as opposed to its own liberal reputation in its own mind, then Barack Obama may indeed sneak into another term. He indeed has his strongholds that will continue to give support, those primarily being the special interest groups who have profited well from the liberal entitlement party. There is really no love, either way, between the man and these groups for it is a simple contract where one party promises a remuneration for the other party's support and that second party will essentially sue, by threatening to withhold that support, if the promises are not kept. The motivations are power...and greed. A second support group is more international and involves the many who have great wealth. These elites will support either a Democrat or Republican who permits them to remain the dominant party in setting course for the world's economies. These two forces alone cannot keep Barack Obama in power nor  replace him with another choice without either significant support from mainstream America or a division in traditional America that would essentially destroy the power of their block, and that is where the media comes in. They are a secularist faction that does not necessarily receive any monetary remuneration nor does it hold passionately to any particular economic or political philosophy. The only threat to the world that they have created on the pages of their print media and screens of the broadcast media is religion, and even there it is not Islam, liberal Christianity or Judaism but Biblical Christianity. Having said this...having given these purely personal opinions, I need to reiterate as I have done consistently in this blog that any of our schemes and all of our schemes, whether they be noble or ignoble, sound or unsound, cleverly devised and painstakingly developed or simply mob induced, will indeed either fail or succeed but not without God's staying hand or lifted hand. We cannot go one way or the other apart from His permission which will ultimately lead to His glory and the benefit of those who trust in Him. We do have a cause, that being a future for us and our children in a nation that insures freedom and liberty, and acknowledges that God is not only the source of all blessings but the author of all truth. The hard reality is that that may not be what's in store for our children. They may look at us one day and inquire as to what we did in the final days of the constitutional republic of the United States of America. Our answer will have to be either we tried and failed to protect that heritage, or we failed to try. Returning to that first political block in this whole equation, mainstream America, it will either wake up, as there are signs of, or return to a deep sleep, either of which will be as God sees fit to permit, for His ultimate purposes and to His everlasting glory

"Lawfare"...What Is It?

Vaclav Klaus, the President of the Czech Republic, in a blurb on the back of John Fonte's new book Sovereignty Or Submission, Will Americans Rule Themselves Or Be Ruled By Others, begins with these words "John Fonte accurately identifies the coalitions of institutions, interests and individuals that are promoting global governance..." John O'Sullivan, Vice President and Executive Editor of Radio Free Europe, had these words to say in his introduction to the book, "Global governance...seeks to take ultimate political power from parliaments and congresses accountable to national electorates in sovereign states, and to invest it in courts, bureaucracies, NGOs and various transnational bodies." This is reality but the threat is concealed in the roar from stadiums and the mesmerizing effect from the Oprah and Facebook mentality that rules the American mind today. I have argued on many occasions in this blog that the elites of this world have grandiose plans for an entirely new world but that those stubborn and religious American people fight them every step of the way. Barack Obama was a major crack in our defense and euphoria reigned in many countries but his utter incompetence and the American people's harsh awakening to it is forcing them to ramp up the flip side of their assault on the sovereign state. What kind of arguments do these elites make? One given in the book is "sovereignty must be redefined as something shared or pooled," a ridiculously illogical, nonsense statement but one that the postmodern mind listens to and says.... whatever. The Transnational according to Fonte, is one who seeks "legal action and authority beyond national laws, constitutions and officials." Does this make your blood boil? It should for they are saying that they will make the rules and we will be submissive. Who are the players? NGOs are a big one. They are the "nongovernmental organizations" who we hear so much about in the news and automatically accept as if they just want to give us advice and nothing more. Fonte lists a number of them throughout the book. Some of which are: Human Rights Watch,  the National Council of Churches, the ACLU, La Raza, Amnesty International, the Ford...MacArthur and Rockefeller foundations. The next time you watch a program on PBS promoting international issues that you disagree with, check the credits at the end to see who sponsored it and you will probably find an NGO. How does this statement sound to you, "It seems to many of us that if we are to avoid the eventual catastrophic world conflict we must strengthen the United Nations as a first step toward a world government with a legislature, executive and judiciary, and police to enforce its international laws and keep the peace. To do that, of course, we Americans will have to yield up some of our sovereignty. It would take a lot of courage, a lot of faith in the new order..." This came from "the most trusted man in America"....Walter Cronkite. John Fonte gives the historical and philosophical background of this argument for a world government along with what our nations founders had to say in response to such suggestions. Those founders used the concept of law as it appears in the Bible and that that respected, proven, concept is today being torn asunder on the international stage. Every one of us is a philosopher but most of us have no idea where that philosophy came from or even that it has existed and was argued over from time immemorial. Fonte's book is a needed introduction into philosophy and the American mind. Alexis de Tocqueville's name comes up often in books of this nature. Yes, our favorable geography helps keep us together as a republic as well as our political institutions but de Tocqueville summarized our strength this way "I would say that physical causes contribute less than laws, and laws less than mores." These last two are being systematically eroded every day in our nation. Fonte states that the Founders "promoted education to help develop the mores required to sustain a free society." He spends a good bit of time on the rule of law and a new concept known as "lawfare" or the "use or misuse of law- litigation for harassment, propaganda, or ideological purposes-to achieve strategic, political, or military objectives." Fonte's book is a primer on Europe and what is going on there. I have dozens of books sitting on my shelves where a blurb on the back might say something like "every American must read this book," and many do but we are losing this battle. How does the saying go...You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink? The 127th Psalm begins. "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain." Ultimately, He will either open our eyes or we will no more be a sovereign nation. This book would certainly be a help to anyone but after reading even the few morsels given here, a simple bowing of the head and asking God to have mercy upon us is what we really need.