Freedom Now And Then

I shall build me a house with no windows and doors

This house I shall build has no roof and no floors.

I shall lock myself inside and swallow the key

And fall down to earth, propped up on one knee.

I shall close my eyes tight and imagine a day

A time long ago of which men dare not say.

Through many a day, week and year I do fly

Till finding myself under a cold moonlit sky.

Around me are tents and war-weary men

Wearing torn tattered clothes barely covering their skin.

A musket in one hand and a fire in their eye

Men who knew that tomorrow they too may die.

Nearby was a tent, mighty steed tied outside

Inside was a man who from his heart cried.

“Dear God give us strength, give us wisdom and might,

For tomorrow, together for freedom we fight.”

I crept to the tent and whispered one word

“General?” I said, unsure if he heard.

“Amen” he did say and with that said, “Come in”

“What troubles you son?” he said with a grin.

“General Washington, sir, before tomorrow you go

There’s something I think you really should know.

In days yet to come, where this night I do stand

Two centuries from now in this then-sovereign land.”

“Men will be selfish, forget what you’ve done

They will throw away freedom, the freedom you’ve won.

They‘ll remember your name, not the cause of your men

They’ll forget why you’re here, where you’ll go, where you’ve been.”

“Sir, I don’t know if your time you should waste

Let your men go back home, away in great haste.

Two centuries from now we will give it away

Just thought you should know before another wasted day.”

He was quiet for a time, no doubt in deep thought

There was much on his mind, a war to be fought.

He looked up at me with joy in his eyes

A look from a man both mighty and wise.

“Thank you, my friend”, he said with a smile

“But you don’t understand why we fight this next mile.

Men come and they go like the wind that does blow

But for freedom they will fight through the rain, sleet and snow.”

“Our purpose here is much beyond you and me

We fight this good fight on land and on sea.

For those long since gone and those not yet born

We struggle with pride ‘gainst this tyrannical storm.”

“Our purpose is freedom so that all may live free

Both two centuries hence and my family and me.

Our cause it is right, it is just, it is true

But when the battle is done it will be up to you.”

“We hand you a torch, a beacon in the night

A bright shining star for which you must now fight.

Go back to your time, to your family and home

But remember tomorrow we fight not alone.”

“We fight for your vote and your voice and your cause

And when men do forget encourage them to pause.

Remind them we fight for freedom for all

We gladly shed blood for this our true call.”

“So go back to your time and fight YOUR good fight

Side by side with us here on this cold, moonlit night.

We’ve started a war that through time must be fought

You pay now the price for the freedom we’ve bought.”

“But just one thing more ‘fore you leave now our day

Betsy made this for us but with you it should stay.

Take it in your hands, your heart, soul and mind

Gaze at its beauty when the strength you can’t find.”

“It warms me to know that our fight’s not in vain

Many more men will die as we continue to strain.

You’ve come a free man but the fight’s not yet through

200 years hence it will be up to you.”

“Now excuse me dear friend, for some sleep I must get

This fight that we’ve won, we haven’t won yet.”

He turned to his side and blew out the light

I returned once again to the cold, moonlit night.

As I walked through the men, back to my own life

I thanked them each one for their struggle and strife.

But back to my day, away I did fly

As I traveled through time, my heart it did cry.

How soon we forget and plot a new path

In spite of those men and forgetting God’s wrath.

We live in a land that for now remains free

These thoughts plagued my mind as I returned to one knee.

I stood straight and tall, upon my two feet

I whispered “Amen” as I began to repeat.

The last words he said on that cold, moonlit night

My eyes filled with fire, heart primed for a fight.

“This fight that we’ve won, we haven’t won yet”

His words pierced my soul, I will not soon forget.

Even knowing that men may soon give it away

He fought even for them, for his time and our day.

I looked to my hands and was shocked now to find

That majestic old flag, which was given in kind.

The flag was now old, it was tattered and torn

Much like the clothes on those men that were worn.

That flag speaks the story and the story is true

A tale of the fight for the “Red, White and Blue”.

It’s dirty at times and the cost it is high

But the freedom we have, no man can deny.

Tyranny stands at the door and always does knock

Both outside and in, so we too must take stock.

In the freedom we have and the price that was paid

In the men who have died and the flag that was made.

We live in a time with threats far and wide

Even threats from within, as we stand side by side

With free men from that night and free men from this day

With women and children all willing to pay.

The time now is ours and the fight is ours too

The price to be paid is for me and for you.

So stand we together and this fight we shall win

For this fight is for freedom, Freedom Now And Then.

Unpublished work © 2009 by Darrin Neil Wilcox

Shovel-Ready Jobs

I think I actually spotted one of those elusive “shovel-ready jobs” recently. I was driving down I-75 on my way to vacation in Florida. As I crested a hill, I could see in the distance a strange, circular sign on the side of the road. It caught my attention because most interstate signs are square or rectangular…this one was round and rather small. As I got closer, I could clearly read “Recovery.gov” on the sign and immediately realized why traffic was slowing…we were entering a construction zone.

I have to admit, I was rather irritated. I know road construction is an ongoing necessity in life but the slow-downs (especially when you’re trying to get to sunny Florida) are still annoying. I’ve got no problem slowing down for the safety of myself, other drivers and especially the workers but when no workers are present, it just grates on my nerves.

And that was exactly the situation in this case…not a person in sight. Granted, it was a Saturday but you usually see road workers on the weekends and even in the middle of the night. That is, of course, if the job isn’t being paid for by the federal government with the “Stimulus” money. “9-5 baby, let’s keep that road shut down as long as possible.” Besides, isn’t making orange traffic barrels a “green” job too? I guess for every worker hired to pave the road, there is a worker hired to make a barrel. The brilliance of exponential job creation was apparently part of this reformative plan all along.

As I drove through the “ghost-town” construction zone, something started to occur to me. “Hey, somethings not right here”, I said to myself. After another mile or so, I finally realized what it was. I was driving on the side that hadn’t been paved yet and I’ll be darned if the ride wasn’t as smooth as a baby’s backside. That’s right folks…the road didn’t even need to be paved in the first place. Now let me make clear that I am not a Civil Engineer. I’m no expert in asphalt or concrete. But I have been driving for nearly 25 years, so I think I can tell the difference between a good road and a bad road. And this one? As far as roads go, I would give it a 9.5...before the stimulus-funded paving.

According to the government, only about 10% of the stimulus money has actually been released. I’m sure we have all seen the lists of just some of the “shovel-ready jobs” this money has gone toward. Recently I read that some of the money went to Oregon, netting the recipients of the “shovel-ready jobs” a total of about 1 week of work. Of course, the government counts that as a “created job”. I suppose if I hired one of those "Will Work For Food" guys to clean my gutters for a day I would have created a job too. No insurance, no retirement, no benefits and no job next week but it’s still a “created job”. It may have only been a week of work but one thing is for sure…each worker sure as heck paid a week’s worth of income taxes. I suppose if they re-hired the exact same people 3 weeks later for a week of work that would count as a second “created job”. With that math, you could create those 2 million jobs in only a year by only hiring a little over 150,000 people and working them 1 week out of each month for 12 months. Tricky, tricky.

Ah, yes…your federal government at work using your money and your kid’s money and your grandkid’s money to create a "shovel-ready'", 1 week, Monday –Friday, 9-5 job with no benefits, doing something that doesn’t even need to be done anyway.

“Shovel-ready jobs”? The only thing I see being shoveled is…well, I think you get the picture.

The $8,000 Enviro-Windows

July 23, 2009

Dear New First-Time Homeowner:

Congratulations on the purchase of your new home and on exercising your constitutional right to be a United States homeowner. As you are probably aware, as a first-time homeowner (or at least having not owned a home within the past 3 years), you now qualify for an up to $8,000 tax rebate on your 2009 federal taxes. This rebate can be claimed on your 2009 taxes by simply checking the box adjacent to Line 74 – C – 3 on your 2009 federal income tax return. If you should need assistance with filling out your return, please contact the Internal Revenue Service tax-payer hotline.

Pursuant to provisions as laid out in the recently passed Cap & Tax (oops…did we actually say that…sorry) Cap & Trade legislation, you will be required as a new homeowner to make certain “green” modifications to your new home.

Phase 1 of this process, as laid out by the Federal government, will be to replace all westward facing windows (sun sets in the west…lots of sun in the afternoon) in your new home. These windows are environmentally-friendly, very “green”, they create millions of “green” jobs, they reduce your personal carbon footprint, they help fix global warming and…well, President Obama has outlined these benefits in several of his daily news conferences over the past several months, so you are probably well aware of them and are most excited about what you are being forced to do.

Based on satellite footage of your new home, which we have acquired from the National Security Agency, we have calculated a total of six windows which will need to be replaced in your new home during Phase 1. As the cost for your area of the country is roughly $6,375.41 per window (including installation), your total cost for Phase 1 amounts to $38,252.46. As such, we will be taking the $8,000 tax rebate from your 2009 taxes. Additionally, please find enclosed a bill in the amount of $30,252.46. Based on information we have reviewed concerning your finances (obtained from the Department of Homeland Security), we have determined that you are at this time incapable of paying this amount in full. So, for your convenience, we have taken the liberty of setting up a convenient payroll deduction for these payments through your employer. Do not be alarmed when you discover a “shortage” in your next paycheck and for goodness sakes don’t try to contact us. Just know that you are doing your part toward preserving your future.

Please be looking for future mailings concerning Phases 2 – 7 of our plan, including such things as more enviro-windows, enviro-doors, enviro-friendly roofs and “Lawn Care Tips for the Environmentally Friendly”.

The provisions, as laid out in the Cap & Trade legislation, will culminate in the installation of your new Hardline Temperature Control Device, which will help moderate your energy consumption and thus further reduce your carbon footprint. All such HTCD’s will of course be directly wired to the master control device, situated conveniently within the Oval Office, with satellite control devices situated at Camp David, in Air Force One, in Marine One, in the White House master bedroom and in the lavatory just off the Oval Office.

Over the next six months from the date of this letter, please be watching for the no-bid contractor picked exclusively by us to perform your Phase 1 improvements.

Congratulations again on purchasing your new home! Your are doing your part, as mandated by us, to help solve problems which have not yet been scientifically proven.

Sincerely,

Your United States Government

P.S. If at any time you should find yourself unable to make your monthly mortgage payments due to the cost of these mandatory improvements or other factors, please directly contact the office of Congressman Barney Frank. His office will be delighted to assist you in acquiring the necessary funds, which they have rightfully extracted from those dirty, rich, capitalist pigs who can afford to pay their mortgages and which are conveniently being held for you in offshore accounts in Beijing.