Remembering Memorial Day...

(Editors Note: This blog was originally supposed to be posted on Tuesday, the day after Memorial Day, on another blog service. Continued problems with the other service have caused me to post late - and with this new service. Thanks for your patience!)

Without fail, Prestonwood Baptist Church does it to me every time they host a patriotic themed holiday! Through images and song they tell such a convincing story about the history of our country, and those who fought for our freedoms that I can't help but get emotional! What a sacrifice so many have made with their time and their lives so that I can sit here and blog without the threat of "Big Brother" censuring my thoughts!

Freedom is such a BIG DEAL! in many ways you don't really know what you have until it is taken away. How ironic that the men and women of our armed forces literally leave it all on the battlefield for our right to be free, yet the erosion of those freedoms seems to be occurring every day through our own infighting! Consider just a few examples of the erosion that we see everyday in our media:

• Our nuclear family is imploding! The Dallas Morning News revealed that the 2010 census shows that only 48% of today's "families" are married. This is down from 52% in 2000. Matter of fact the census bureau actually had to re-define "family" to accommodate this shift!
• Divorce is way North of 50%. Not only are we having trouble defining family, we seem to be having more trouble keeping them together!

• Freedom of choice is being wrestled away! All of a sudden we don't get to pick our own health insurance anymore. A national survey recently found that 56% of all Doctors are not accepting new patients due to over regulation. The American Dream of owning your own home has been aggressively regulated by lenders who can't lend, and appraisers fearful of stiff penalties associated with tough new rules of the game. The United States owns car companies, insurance companies, investment banking firms - and on and on it goes!

• Republicans and Democrats can't agree on anything! Where debate used to be healthy, today is is vicious! I fear the emphasis has become on "winning," instead of doing what's right.

• Greed has become our centerpiece! Forget what's right - decisions are being made based on what is best for the person making the decision. We have lost sight of "the greater common good."

America was never stronger than that period following the tragedy of 911! We came together, united to fight the unseen enemy of terrorism. Universally what was good for one was good for all. How have we drifted so far in so little time? Are we patronizing our soldiers by thanking them for their service on one hand, and allowing the erosion of freedom on the other?