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In the spring of 1775, while many in the Virginia delegation were content on waiting for King George to respond to Congress’s latest petition for “reconciliation”, one was not – Patrick Henry.Henry presented a proposal to the Virginia delegation to organize a volunteer company of cavalry or infantry to defend themselves against the British. His words expressed urgency and a commitment that we should all remember today. Our enemy is not as visible as King George and the British grenadiers. However, terrorists stealing our freedom and killing our citizens is once again at stake in a much more insidious and evil way. And just as Patrick Henry refused to appease the enemy and wait for “reconciliation”, he instead prepared for battle. We as Americans need to wake up and take action instead of waiting for government to “protect” us.
How do we do that? Shall we raise a militia? We already have one. Shall we send more troops to find al Qaeda? We already did. Shall we use “conciliatory” words against Iran? Nice try. How about treating captured terrorists like enemy combatants and can recognize that we are at war with an enemy that seeks our annihilation? Obama prefers to read them their Miranda rights and provide them a lawyer at taxpayer expense. It is becoming clear that this administration refuses to take the forceful and deliberate action required to stop terrorism.
The use of economic warfare to stop evil doers is nothing new. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan laid out a strategy to take down the Soviet Union without risking war. It was a multifront offensive combining diplomacy, military power, propaganda, subversion and economics to undermine communism from within. One of the key elements was to deprive the Soviet Union of needed loans and technology. This same strategy should be adopted by the Obama Administration. Additionally, today, we have options available to us that can be added to a multifront strategy in fighting the war on terror. Every American has the ability to participate in choking off money to terrorists. Even if our government chooses to turn their head and ignore American companies illegally doing business with state sponsors of terrorism like Iran, we do not have to. (For a list of American companies go to United Against Nuclear Iran UANI) We can choose to divest our investment dollars from companies who help terrorist sponsoring governments and instead invest in funds that screen their funds ensuring that only companies that do not do business with terrorists are included.
In 2005, the state of Missouri created the first “terror free” fund. Any company that did business with a state sponsor of terrorism (which include Iran, N. Korea, Sudan and Syria) was removed. After all it is illegal for Americans to do business with governments who are designated as state sponsors of terrorism. Since the creation of that fund, not only have many other states divested taxpayer money from these companies, there are investment funds available to any citizen wishing to invest in a “terror free” fund. In other words, every American can now do their part to fight this war by choosing to invest in a “terror free” fund thereby choking off the flow of money to terrorists which includes the nation of Iran and their nuclear missile program.
Patrick Henry understood that doing nothing was not an option.
“They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance, by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?”
He also understood that the secret to securing freedom was in rallying the will of the individual to take action.
That’s why he called upon his fellow patriots to rise up and defend freedom instead of waiting until the British soldiers were knocking on their doors. He understood that the cause of liberty was worth fighting for and the time for action had come. He was willing to stake his life upon his commitment to America being free. Are we too lazy or too preoccupied with American Idol to comprehend what is happening to our country? Are we too reliant on government to be able to take action ourselves? Are we going to wait until another 911 kicks us in the gut? Are we going to continue “hugging the delusive phantom of hope” until they strike us with a nuclear weapon? In the immortal words of Patrick Henry, “Forbid it almighty God!...Why stand we here idle?” We as Americans can and must do our part to fight the war by divesting our personal and public investments from companies that continue to help terrorists and the nation of Iran to develop nuclear weapons they intend to use on us. We have a proud history beginning with Patrick Henry and the patriots who won our independence – each generation of Americans has risen to the occasion to defend this great nation. Now is our time. We must not fail.
