A Soldier's Christmas

(I received this today from a sister-in-law who has one
son in Afghanistan and another son in Iraq. Hooah.)

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE
MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
AN UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I 'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA, DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE.

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY HOME."

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL,
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS, MY FRIEND,
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

(This poem was written by an unnamed Soldier.)

The 2006 Mid-Term Elections

I’ve been asked to comment on the recent mid-term elections. But before I do so, I suppose I should iterate where I stand politically.

For most of my voting life, I was a registered Independent. Regardless of party, I typically voted for the person or issue that most closely resembled my view of life, my values and the role of government in my life.

A few elections ago, I realized that there were fewer and fewer candidates in the Democratic Party that seemed to view things as I did. Also, at about the same time, I came to the realization that the mainstream media was essentially one-sided. I studied journalism in college and was taught that an effective media had to be totally objective and I was seeing very little objectivity in today’s media.

So I changed my affiliation and became a registered Republican. Even so, will I vote a strict party ticket? No, I doubt it. Unlike our media, I feel I can remain objective enough to vote for whoever I feel is the right person for a given position, regardless of party affiliation.

Was I shocked at the results of the recent election? Historically, mid-term elections in a second presidential term often go against the president so, no, I wasn’t shocked. I’m curious to see if the Democrats have any ideas about any issue. Over the last 6 years, I’m not aware of any proposed, viable solutions from the Democrats, on any issue. Overall, they’ve done nothing but complain.

Was I discouraged about the results of the recent election? Not really. I fear that the Democrat’s perceived “cut and run” policy of dealing with Iraq and Afghanistan will lead to more terror activities on our soil, but I’m not discouraged. Nationally, there were a number of “conservative Democrats” elected to Congress and this was encouraging. However, I’ll be watching these freshman legislators to see if they vote along their campaign promises or just blindly follow the new liberal leadership in Congress.

Many people, including my own mother, don’t seem to realize that today’s Democratic Party differs greatly from the Democratic Party of the past. Today’s Democratic Party does not resemble the Democratic Party of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman or John F. Kennedy.

Want an example? In 1960, when John F. Kennedy was running for president, there were three major planks in his political platform. He was pro-defense, favored limited government and favored lower taxes. Are these the ideals of today’s Democratic Party? I’m afraid not, these appear to be solely the ideals of the today’s Republican Party and have always been my ideals.

For the most part, I’m content to watch our government change peacefully, as intended by our Founding Fathers. However, I still have many of the same concerns that I’ve stated in this blog previously. (See “Concerns and Rants”, July 5, 2006.)

So I say this to the Democratic Party: “Congratulations on your win, but I and many, many others will be watching.”

And the beat goes on……….