Yesterday! Today! Tomorrow?

By Jerry Jones - Central Intelligence Agency, Ret., native of Sparta

I often recall the “Norman Rockwell” days of my youth; i.e. the warm carefree days of summer, the bonding of youthful friendships that would become lifelong, the opening of a new school year and the annual county fair, the snowy winters of Christmas, and the warmth of a coal or wood-burning stove, the freshness of spring and the awakening of nature.  And, neighbors looking after each other, raised summer windows, no locked doors, and the togetherness of our family of five seated around the kitchen table for the evening meal.  And, the calm quietness and reverence of Sunday mornings, the resonating sound of welcoming church bells and songs of praise and hope.  That was when God, country, and family were interlocking and provided the solid foundation of our daily lives.

And, then I ruin it all by asking myself, “What happened  between then and now?” I keep getting the same disturbing answer.  In fact, that question generates more questions than answers.  I do know that as the direct descendants of the ‘Greatest Generation’ (our parents and grandparents), we grew up, and, along the way, it seems we let them down in a number of ways.  This was not intentional, but it happened.  I have written on this subject before, but it is worth revisiting as the past impacts each dawning day and the history to be made that day.  It is also applicable to my story line.

Remembering the hardships which they were born into, our grandparents and parents didn’t just trudge through their lives; they created and bequeathed to us a better life.  That fact was not fully realized by many of us in the anxious flowering of young adulthood.  As a result, and for far too long, what they did for us went unappreciated.  Why?  Because it was given to us.  We didn’t have to work and sacrifice for it.  The Greatest Generation shielded us as best they could, and gave us a far more promising future than the hard day-to-day existence they fought to rise above.  We and the better future they sought for us were their motivation.  But in a future much different than that of our grandparents and parents, many of us forgot the importance of what they taught us about God, country, family, friends, patriotism, integrity, decency, dignity, the honor of being native-born Americans, and that together we stand and apart we fall.

The hardships they faced, the sacrifices they made for us faded in the minds of many.  How can it not be remembered that they survived the Great Depression, won two world wars against seemingly insurmountable odds, saved South Korea, positioned the Iron Curtain for defeat, answered the challenge of “Sputnik” and initiated space exploration, and forged the greatest economic power in the world.

In our “growing up” days, we were eyewitnesses to history.  A history  of magnificent human triumph that required sweat, blood, unimaginable agony, life altering sacrifices, uncommon bravery, and dogmatic determination of common people, good people (men and women) who protected their offspring, saved our beloved country, served God and refused to lose.  THAT WAS YESTERDAY.

TODAY, I am humbled by the remembered sacrifices, determination and accomplishments of the entirety of the Greatest Generation.  I am honored to be the first born of Greatest Generation parents.  That and my inherent love of God and country is why most of my life has been spent in service to our country.  That is why I write these OPINION articles.  That is why I warn you of the serious threats to our great country, our government, and our way of life.

TODAY, I bring your attention to the following statement: “We have met the enemy, and they are us.” I am not the author of the statement, but it serves the purpose of letting you know the severity of the current threat we face as Christians and pro-American citizens.  Yes, we are fighting Americans who have succumbed to the propaganda of the failed political systems of Socialism and Communism.  Both Russia and China, working independently of each other (they hate each other, but we are their common enemy)  are moving behind the scenes and using front groups to hide their direct intervention.  Their goal of subverting the United States from within has never changed.  The Socialists pulled off a major coup four years ago when they infiltrated/hijacked the Democrat Party.

The Socialist hold on the Democrat Party was solidified when some of their aggressive operatives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, and Mazie Hirona were united in Congress under the Democrat Party banner.  Like it or not, the Democrat Party is in enemy hands.  This will be solidified/verified in coming elections when Socialist operatives replace old Democrats.  The old Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have gotten rich and their so-called glory days have come and gone.  They will soon fade into the past with only the slightest  of whimpers.  I do not wish them anything bad.  But, given my inquisitive nature, I can’t help but wonder if a well-known after-life destination, positioned in an undesirable  zip code, serves ice cream.

TOMORROW may be too soon, but start looking for the issuance of  some long overdue criminal indictments from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for the arrest of former ranking FBI officials, along with some DOJ officials, and other ranking government officials who were involved in the apparently now-provable conspiracy to fraudulently unseat President Donald Trump.  Details are sparse at this early stage, but the summer months promise to be explosive as justice is served.  God bless America!