Preserving the Cause for which Our Soldiers Died Published Monday, May 27, 2024 OKLAHOMA HISTORY CENTER 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, OKC, OK THIS WEDNESDAY We are in a day when the hymn-singing communities represented in Sheriff Andy Griffith's Mayberry, RFD is under assault. Gone is the expectation that the church will set the tone of an overtly God-fearing community. Sheriff Tommie Johnson III is facing the enemies of traditional family and society as he works to maintain law and order in Oklahoma County. The release of convicted criminals into the community is one of the issues Sheriff Tommie Johnson III will address this Wednesday. Barney will not be with us, but . . . Senator Shane Jett will share the stage in a blockbuster announcement regarding the threats launched recently by Shawnee Schools demanding he release all the confidential conversations he has had with parents who have confided with him regarding the sexual aggression of form Shawnee coach Ron Arthur who was convicted of these crimes. On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, former Shawnee basketball coach, Ron Arthur, was sentenced to prison for soliciting sex fro a Shawnee student. Several news sources reported that there were many other students who stated they were sexually assaulted by Ron Arthur for a period of 15 years. In April of 2022, Senator Shane Jett held a press conference calling for a multi-county grand jury to investigate not only the behavior of Ron Arthur, but also the district's response (or lack of response) to allegations which had been surfacing for many years. Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for (audience)? Why should they care (benefit)? What do I want them to do (call-to-action)? Create a great offer by adding words like "free," "personalized," "complimentary," or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take action, so consider inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining!" Bring a friend!!! Send this Newsletter to another here. Come and be a part of building an informed Oklahoma! Bring your family and friends Wednesday Bring your pastor and buy his lunch! Send this Newsletter to another here. Lunch is optional for $10 Doors Open 11 AM Meeting Noon to 1:15 PM OKLAHOMA HISTORY CENTER 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, OKC, OK $5 ENTRY FEE Tax-deductible donations accepted at door. SEE YOU AT THE WEDNESDAY LUNCHEON Find us at Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. BOB LINN ESG Preserving what the American Soldier Died for Today we honor those who have died in the course of their military service. War has been immensely costly to millions of Americans whose loved ones traded their lives that others might be free. John Stuart Mill has been called the most influential English philosopher of the nineteenth century. Reflecting on war, he observed: War, in a good cause, is not the greatest evil which a nation can suffer. War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. ABOVE: John Stuart Mill statue Mill continues: Worse is the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing is worth a war. A war to protect other human beings against tyrannical injustice; a war to give victory to their own ideas of right and good, and which is their own war, carried on for an honest purpose by their free choice—is often the means of their regeneration. A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares more about than his personal safety, is a miserable creature. He has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. Find the complete text here Purchase in book form here In his book, Character of Nations, Dr Angelo Codevilla states: The capacity to fight and win wars is the ultimate test of character. He points out that an army composed of those with no passion for the nation’s soul is no match for soldiers fighting for a cause in which they believe. America is losing its soul. Postmodernism has come to our shores and our children’s schools have left the harbor of epistemological certainty. A couple of months ago, one Oklahoman spoke at the State Department of Education’s monthly meeting to inform State Superintendent Ryan Walters that “there is no truth”. Of course, I knew right away that nothing that person said was true. America’s fallen soldiers did not give their lives for the idea that there is no truth. Rather, they exchanged their life for a nation built upon the Christian ideals our founders established. Ideals which produced political liberty, individual freedom, and a moral fabric from which a robust culture could blossom. Wokeism, the common term for postmodernism, leftism, and Marxism, has left our youth with nothing to die for. As a result, there is declining interest in military service. Recruiting goals have been lowered. Lower goals are being established not because the numerical need is lower. Rather, recruiting goals are being lowered to provide recruiting officers something achievable. At the close of last year, even with the “dumbed-down” targets, the Army, Navy, and Air Force fell 20,000 recruits below expectations. Read more here.  Christine Wormuth, Joe Biden’s nomination for Secretary of the Army, was sworn in on May 27, 2021. Mrs. Wormuth denies that the recruiting troubles have anything to do with the “wokeness” of the military which has introduced leftist concepts of diversity and inclusion. Quoting Military.com: She said the "wokeness" charges stemmed from the hyper-partisan political climate gripping the nation. In an article on January 22, 2024, journalist Richard Sisk quoted Duke University political science Professor Peter Feaver as having said in a phone interview: There's no evidence that the military itself is “woke" or has been taken over by the political left. The bulk of our troops would disagree, as Matthew Lohmeier’s book, Irresistible Revolution, demonstrates. Indeed, the “woke” revolution has removed the soul and identity of 21st century America. Beginning with the American war for independence, Americans have historically fought for a body politic encased in concepts of individual liberty. Private property, free speech, and both the freedom and the responsibility to bear arms. GEORGE ORWELL and RONALD REAGAN Since 1949, the year George Orwell’s famous book 1984 was written, educated Americans feared the tyranny it described might arrive on our shores in that year. Tyranny in 1984. It was, after all, the fate of many other nations in the 20th century. Some Americans felt better about our national prospects when the year 1984 drew to a close and the Orwellian antagonists were not in charge of the White House. Ronald Reagan, the man at war against communism, was in the White House. Only a few scattered glimpses of the ominous Orwellian clouds of 1984 were even noticed. It appeared we had escaped the 20th century's communist nightmares which had engulfed China, Russia, Cuba, and so many other nations around the globe. Now, after seventy-five years of suspense, Orwell’s readers could breathe a bit easier. The dreaded year known as "1984" was past. Then, only three years later, in June of 1987, the hope that Communism was dead seemed even more certain. Ronald Reagan launched a verbal warhead as he stood in Berlin in front of the Berlin Wall. Mr. Reagan, as only he could, bolstered our confidence that liberty was here to stay in his now internationally famous Berlin Wall speech. Well, possibly not so well known in the dark kingdoms of China, North Korea, and other top-heavy regions. Going against the loud protests of his political advisors, he said: Behind me stands a wall that encircles the free sectors of this city, part of a vast system of barriers that divides the entire continent of Europe. . . . Standing before the Brandenburg Gate, every man is a German, separated from his fellow men. Every man is a Berliner, forced to look upon a scar. . . . As long as this gate is closed, as long as this scar of a wall is permitted to stand, it is not the German question alone that remains open, but the question of freedom for all mankind. . . . General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! —Ronald Reagan, address at the Brandenburg Gate, June 12, 1987 The story of the writing of the speech and the fight to give speech is even better. The speech was written by a young Peter Robinson. He sought to give the President nothing but Reaganesque content. (More on Reaganesque here.) Unlike most political speechwriters, Peter did not fill Reagan’s speech with bureaucratic nonsense. Instead, he emulated all the other speeches Reagan himself had written for so many years. The speech Peter Robinson gave Ronald Reagan for his West Berlin audience was relevant, clear, and driven with the vision Reagan had for setting the people of the world free from political tyranny. Reagan hated Communism. He loved the liberty possible only with small government operating in fear of the people. THE INSPIRATION The speech was inspired from a dinner conversation with a dozen Berliners hosted by Dieter and Ingeborg Elz, a couple who had retired to Berlin after Dieter completed his career at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. The Elzes had invited Berliners of different walks of life and political outlooks—businessmen, academics, students, homemakers. With the speech he was writing for Reagan in mind, Peter Robinson then told the group that a diplomat said to him that Berliners have become accustomed to the wall. ROBINSON ASKED IF IT WERE TRUE Initially, there were some uneasy glances. Then one man raised an arm and pointed. My sister lives twenty miles in that direction. I haven't seen her in more than two decades. Do you think I can get used to that?" Another man spoke. Each morning on his way to work, he explained, he walked past a guard tower. Each morning, a soldier gazed down at him through binoculars. He said: That soldier and I speak the same language. We share the same history. But one of us is a zookeeper and the other is an animal, and I am never certain which is which. The hostess broke in. A gracious woman, she had suddenly grown angry. Her face was red. She made a fist with one hand and pounded it into the palm of the other. It was with great passion that she said: If this man Gorbachev is serious with his talk of glasnost and perestroika, he can prove it. He can get rid of this wall. Reagan was the great communicator because he was a man with clear convictions that resonated with men and women who simply wanted to be able to live their lives without government interference. It was a simple message and it defined him: Dmitri Myerezhkovski authored of some of the most brilliant books on the Communist Revolution. In his book, Tsarstvo Antikhrista, are these words which explain the downfall of old Russia to the Bolsheviks: The deeper reason for all that has happened is found in the fact that vanishing Christianity has created enormous cavities in the civilized world and now everything is tumbling down. The church must learn to apply Christianity to the affairs of state, and every other element of culture. The church must pray fervently that the Kingdom will come on earth and work fervently to disciple the nations. We must obey The Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 and The Great Commission in Matthew 28. Reagan’s war against Communism is unfinished. SEND THIS NEWSLETTER TO A FRIEND HERE. Join us Wednesday to hear two freedom fighters: Sheriff Tommie Johnson III & Senator Shane Jett Shawnee School's Intimidation tactics against a Senator The nation is in peril and is calling to each of you for help! See you Wednesday! 11:00 AM Doors open 11:00 AM Lunch Available NOON to 1:15 PM Meeting OKLAHOMA HISTORY CENTER 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, OKC, OK  God bless! MARK YOUR CALENDAR JUNE 12, 2024 Author and lecturer DR. CAL BEISNER AN OCPAC WAR HERO HAS DEPARTED The funeral will be on Saturday, June 15, 2024 at 2 PM. Smith & Kernke Funeral Homes 14624 North May Avenue Oklahoma City, OK 73134 Phone: (405) 302-0021 For more information, email: [email protected] _____________ I encourage each of you to support our mission. To get started, we are suggesting: The Century Club To join, mail a cancelled check to: OCPAC FOUNDATION P.O. Box 721212 Norman, OK 73070 Your $100 per month donation will help support the development of the Foundation’s work to widen our audience and outreach capabilities with quality meetings and enhanced educational video content. Our beginning financial goals will allow us to secure the initial permanent staff positions necessary to the function of a foundation with ambitions to change the world. We are in desperate need of returning our nation and our state to Biblical foundations. Thank you for your activism. _________ OCPAC | P.O. Box 2021 | Edmond, OK 73083 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice