Who Looks Foolish, Alamo Heroes or Us?
By Chuck Baldwin
March 4, 2008


This column is archived at
http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2008/cbarchive_20080304.html

During this week back in 1836, the Alamo fell. For more than 13 days,
186 brave and determined patriots withstood Santa Anna's seasoned
army of over 4,000 troops. To a man, the defenders of that mission fort
knew they would never leave those ramparts alive. They had several
opportunities to leave and live. Yet, they chose to fight and die.
How foolish they must look to this generation of spoiled Americans.

It is difficult to recall that stouthearted men such as Davy Crockett
(a nationally known frontiersman and former Congressman), Will Travis
(only 23 years old with a little baby at home), and Jim Bowie (a
wealthy landowner with properties on both sides of the Rio Grande)
really existed. These were real men with real dreams and real
desires.

Real blood flowed through their veins. They loved their families and
enjoyed life as much as any of us. There was something different
about them, however. They possessed a commitment to liberty that
transcended personal safety and comfort.

Liberty is an easy word to say, but it is a hard word to live up to.
Freedom has little to do with financial gain or personal pleasure.
Accompanying Freedom is her constant and unattractive companion,
Responsibility. Neither is she an only child. Patriotism and Morality
are her sisters. They are inseparable; destroy one and all will die.

Early in the siege, Travis wrote these words to the people of Texas:
"Fellow Citizens & Compatriots: I am besieged by a thousand or more
of the Mexicans under Santa Anna. . . . The enemy has demanded a
surrender at discretion, otherwise the garrison are to be put to the
sword . . . I have answered the demand with a cannon shot & our flag
still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or
retreat. . . . VICTORY OR DEATH! P.S. The Lord is on our side. . . ."

As you read those words, remember that Travis and the others did not
have the A.C.L.U., P.E.T.A., People for the un-American Way, and the
National Education Association telling them how intolerant and
narrow-minded their notions of honor and patriotism were. A hostile
media did not constantly castigate them as a bunch of wild-eyed
extremists. As school children, they were not taught that their
forefathers were nothing more than racist jerks.

The brave men at the Alamo labored under the belief that America (and
Texas) really was "the land of the free and the home of the brave."
They believed God was on their side and that the freedom of future
generations depended on their courage and resolve. They further
believed their posterity would remember their sacrifice as an act of
love and devotion. It all looks pale now.

By today's standards, the gallant men of the Alamo appear rather
foolish. After all, they had no chance of winning--none. However, the
call for pragmatism and practicality was never sounded. Instead, they
answered the clarion call, "Victory or death!"

Please try to remember the heroes of the Alamo as you watch our
gutless political and religious leaders surrender to compromise and
political correctness. Try to recall the time in this country when
ordinary men and women had the courage of their convictions and were
willing to sacrifice their lives for freedom and independence.

One thing is certain: those courageous champions at the Alamo did not
die for a political party or for some "lesser of two evils" mantra.
They fought and died for a principle, and that principle was liberty
and independence. So did the men at Lexington and Concord. That is
our heritage.

Today, however, our national leaders are in the process of turning
America over to the very forces that the Alamo defenders gave their
lives resisting. On second thought, do they look foolish, or do we?

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