Christopher Rhoades Dÿkema
precepts at claremont.org wrote:
> The Claremont Institute--PRECEPTS
> | | December 21, 2001
> Visit <http://www.claremont.org>
> | | No. 314
>
> Claremont Institute Precepts: Christmas, War, and the
> American Mind
> By Thomas L. Krannawitter
>
> This Christmas the American mind is preoccupied with
> thoughts of war. We are reminded of a Christmas long ago,
> in the winter of 1776, when war was also very much on the
> minds of Americans. The American Revolutionary War for
> independence was in its beginning stages, but, unlike
> today, the prospects for victory in that war were slim.
>
> George Washington was at the head of a ragtag band of
> citizen-soldiers who were hungry, cold, and ill supplied.
> His charge was to lead this motley crew against the British
> army, the mightiest fighting force on earth. As winter
> weather set in, members of the militia began deserting at
> an alarming rate. And by the end of the year the
> enlistment of the regulars would be up, leaving Washington
> with only a small number of disheartened and poorly trained
> soldiers to face the British.
>
> In this desperate situation, Thomas Paine appealed to the
> honor and patriotic duty of his fellow soldiers with these
> famous words: "These are the times that try men's souls.
> The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this
> crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he
> that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and
> woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered." Paine
> also reminded us that "the harder the conflict, the
> more glorious the triumph" -- that the highest things are
> often the most difficult to attain.
>
> Shortly after Paine wrote "The American Crisis," Washington
> planned an ingenious assault against 1,400 Hessian troops
> camped in Trenton. As the evening twilight fell on
> Christmas Day, Washington's army crossed the icy Delaware
> River, and marched through the bitterly cold night, many
> without shoes. Washington took the Hessians completely by
> surprise in the early morning hours of December 26. It was
> a rout. This was the first real military victory for the
> patriot cause, and it changed the course of the
> Revolutionary War by signaling to Americans that the enemy
> could be beaten.
>
> Unlike those in the Continental Army, our soldiers today
> are neither hungry nor cold. They are well trained and
> well armed. The best of them are the ablest fighting men
> in the world, and our enemies shrink from them in fear.
> They are achieving great success as they fight in
> Afghanistan and prepare to take the war elsewhere. And if
> given the permission to kill and destroy those who must be
> killed and destroyed, we have every confidence that our men
> of war will do just that, and America will enjoy true
> victory.
>
> The challenge we face today is ignorance regarding the
> conditions of freedom, and all that is required to preserve
> freedom from threats both foreign and domestic. The elite
> opinion in America -- from the most distinguished
> professors in our most distinguished universities, to
> political intellectuals and pundits, to those in the media
> and Hollywood --would counsel us to talk with our enemies
> rather than killing them. At home they would have us
> exchange our liberties for security. They would ignore the
> Constitution and expand the illegitimate scope and power of
> a government that already operates with little
> Constitutional conscience. And they would call this
> victory. These people, and these opinions, are wrong, and
> they are more of a threat to the enduring freedom and
> happiness of America than Osama bin Laden and his militant
> Islamic cronies.
>
> Now more than ever, proper education in the meaning of
> America and of freedom, the rights and duties of
> citizenship, and the legitimate scope of government power,
> is vitally important. There is one organization uniquely
> prepared for and dedicated to providing such education: The
> Claremont Institute.
>
> We thank all of you for your past and continuing support,
> and we ask you to keep vigilant in the defense of the last
> best hope of mankind, the United States of America.
>
> >From all of us at the Claremont Institute, Merry Christmas
> and Happy New Year.
>
> Thomas L. Krannawitter is Director of Civic Education at
> the Claremont Institute.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Copyright (c) 2001 The Claremont Institute
>
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