The Republic of the United States of America, “one nation under God,” has taken a pummeling over the past two years or so, mainly from many within the protection of its shores, including its own president. Am I going to hear the claim, as Americans have been described by the president, that I am being “arrogant,” and “divisive”? I am being neither. The dearest desire of my heart is to see all Americans, no matter their respective agendas, learn to appreciate the greatness of this country, and work together, to preserve it.

I am here to praise God and give Him thanks for this Republic, battered and bruised as it is. It reminds me of the old Rocky movies, down for the count, but staggering to effect a miraculous comeback. Why should I even be thanking God for America when it is so chic to find fault with America, thereby guaranteeing acceptance to certain chichi parties? I would be more popular if I found all of the perceived warts. Why should I be thankful for a country ruled by potentates who have come to expect that they are entitled to the fruits of our labor, and not expected to give much in return? Why should I be thankful for a country where suspected terrorists have more rights than ordinary non violent American citizens, because “political correctness” is the new god of many in the ruling class? Why should I be thankful for a country where increasingly the “American dream” is morphing into the American nightmare, for many of its citizens?

I am thankful for America because of its people. The citizens of America are a combination of the Energizer Bunny and the Timex watch. They will take a licking, and more, – and still “keep on ticking,” banging that bunny drum until they bang the enemy into submission! Which other country has people who are so accepting of countless living examples of the Peter Principle in the portals of government, especially among the protected class of politicians and bureaucrats? The incompetence of the “Peter Principalians” is astonishing. They remind me of a former boss whom I described as being more interested in the perks of his job, than the work of his job. Unfortunately for him, he suffered the consequences for his performance. He should have been in government.

At the highest levels of government, there are folks, technically in “service to the people,” who are draining the lifeblood out of the nation. They are given more chances than a player in a rigged game. Some may say that the political “game” is rigged – against citizens Joe and Josephine Ordinary. But, good old Joe O and Josephine O keep plugging along. A family member, a friend, a stranger, whoever needs a helping hand – gets it. I have first-hand experience of that generosity. I will be forever grateful to various Americans across this country, some who have never even seen me, but yet stretched their loving arms from one end of this country, from Maryland to Nevada, to encircle me. They refused to let me fall.

The United Nations should be thanking God for America and its taxpayers, on whose behalf their president recently presented $100 billion to that organization. The Palestinians should also be very grateful, with another $150 million promised. All of those governments to whose countries American jobs by the millions were shipped, should be more than grateful. They were able to build up their economies, at the expense of Joe and Josephine Ordinary. They have benefited from US technology, either reportedly given by some in the ruling class, for substantial remuneration, or “conscripted.” Maybe a fortune cookie will one day reveal all.

The president himself should be thankful to America for funding all of those vacations and trips abroad. The Mumbai extravaganza comes to mind. He should also be extremely grateful for that outfitted vehicle called the “Beast.” The vehicles at the disposal of some other world leaders resembled toy cars in comparison to this presidential grandiosity. He, the rest of the ruling class, all of America, and many foreign countries, should be very grateful to Joe and Josephine Ordinary for raising sons and daughters who willingly go into the US Military to serve.

Ah, the troops of the US Military....I don’t think that any words I use to express my gratitude will be adequate, but I will try. They are both Energizer Bunnies and “Ever Ready Batteries.” We pile backpacks, weapon packs on them, and we send them out. They are expected to “win friends and influence” the natives of the lands to which they were sent – and to fight – almost with one hand behind their backs. They do it. We ship them back home – sometimes in body bags, or oftentimes minus a limb, or two, or all four. Without God and their role in protecting our liberty, we would be slaves to one rogue regime or another.

A “what if” scenario keeps playing around in my mind. The answer is too grim to contemplate. This country will always be under attack because of the bountiful blessings granted by God. Some world despots envy those blessings. It does not help when enemies get messages from the US ruling class, that the US is weak and potentially open to stealth or even overt attack. But, we have those troops. They are our human flak jackets, as God is the Ultimate Flak Jacket – my description of His influence in my personal life.

Who else comes to mind in my grid of gratitude? I am thankful for the triumvirate of the president, the soon to be former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, and the leader of the US Senate. They served as useful instruments to remind many Americans of the value of this country, which came so close to being totally downgraded and degraded. The Founding Fathers had King George III as their inspiration. We have the team of Obama-Pelosi-Reid. I have always been patriotic and became doubly so after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Coincidentally, my patriotic quotient appears to have tripled in the last eighteen months or so.

I almost forgot. I am also grateful to the other members of the OPR team. The results of their “public service” in assisting in pushing through unpopular legislation, caused me to learn to appreciate Joe and Josephine Ordinary even more. Joe and Josie got up off of their sofas and hit the streets, as they saw the egregious and imperial behavior directed towards “we the people.” There was no tea thrown in Boston Harbor this time around, but the fervor was hotter than a hot cup of tea, as the Tea Party Movement, maligned from coast to coast and continent to continent, made its presence felt. The members took a verbal licking and kept on agitating for what they perceived as a loss of liberty and too much government intrusion into the lives of citizens.

The evolution and the actions of the Tea Partiers remind me of the words of George Orwell: “During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.” They forced both major political parties to reach back in time and remember that this republic is about “we the people.” One major party chose to ignore, even mock this movement – to its detriment. The other party wisely, if belatedly, decided to at least listen.

So God, I thank You for America, “land of the (still relatively) free, and home of the brave” – mainly the troops! May we again prove worthy of the land that you entrusted to us. May we resemble people in whom “virtue and genuine graces...speak what no words can utter,” in the words of William Shakespeare.

God bless America!

The following request came in after this article had already been completed...another piece of very tangible evidence of the price our troops pay on our behalf. Thank you, Gary S., for the heads up. I will be praying without ceasing.

We are asking everyone to say a prayer for "Darkhorse" 3rd Battalion 5th Marines and their families. They are fighting it out in Afghanistan & they have lost 9 marines in 4 days.