Guest commentary
Exclusive to The Zelman Partisans
By PigPen51
Heroes have existed seemingly for all eternity, in nearly every culture. From Native Americans with tales of great bravery by men with names like “Eagle Feather” or “Bear Claw” to tales of heroes from ancient Israel like David vs Goliath to more modern times with real-world heroes like Audie Murphy, we all are familiar with the stories of those who inspire us to courage and faithfulness.
Often, however, we in America have created heroic images around people who have actually harmed us rather than benefitted us or society. Many men have been written into the history books as heroes not by virtue of anything positive they have done, but instead because of circumstances that chose them.
One such man is John F. Kennedy. He did nothing to deserve the title of hero. In fact, realistically, a strong case could be made for him as a horrible example of a leader, and one who was unfit for the office of president. From his disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion to his adultrous affairs to his escalation of the Vietnam war to his possible ties with Mafia leaders, he definately had feet of clay.
Of course, we can’t forget honest Abe Lincoln. His abuse of power is legendary. Even before the Civil War, he suspended the Writ of Habeus Corpus, then imprisoned the leaders of the pro-slavery movement from Maryland. This ensured a win in the next election in that state, which kept it from going to the south, thus landlocking and isolating Washington, D.C. Eventually, Lincoln would imprison as many as 14,000 people for political reasons. Many were held for the entire war. He also censored the mail and the telegraphs and shut down up to 300 newspapers for varying lengths of time.
We don’t have to go that far back in history to find “heroes” who have in fact been nothing but the same political self serving, freedom-stealing murderers that have been around for years.
The obvious candidate for first place is George W. Bush. For many conservatives, he is a paragon of freedom, second only to the great Ronald Reagan in modern times. And yet for those of us with any common sense, who can forget the Patriot Act, or the torture committed in our name?
A controversial one could be Edward Snowden. Many believe that by coming forward and releasing the documents he did, he is a hero. He did, after all, bring to light the many abuses of the NSA. However, the possibility remains that by his reckless release of these documents he caused many U.S. human assets to be put in danger. Whether or not this resulted in actual death remains a matter of contention.
I could go even further. I could go to other countries. Perhaps the great humanitarian Nelson Mandela. The man who united a nation. The communist leader who also was a ANC leader, the group who popularized the execution method called necklacing. Let’s just say it involved gasoline and an automobile tire. That narrative isn’t politically expedient, so we will just sweep it under the rug and call Mandela an unalloyed hero. It is the same for many others.
Someone can of course be a hero to one group while being hated by another. Even worse, in our case, many publicly extolled “heroes” rob our freedom while other genuine heroes go unsung or are even villified.
I am sure most people who are reading this are familiar with many freedom-movement activists. You have probably read their blogs, or seen their names in the comment sections of other writers. They all have the same thing in common with the heroes that I remember from the Vietnam war. They never thought they did anything heroic. They always said, if asked, “I didn’t do anything anyone else wouldn’t do.”
I think our country is certainly in need of heroes. We face a growing threat from without in the form of terror and financial attack. Perhaps more significantly, we face a threat from within, which, if left unchecked could rival that seen 150 years ago. It will take courage — and dare I say heroism — to lead our country back to where our founding fathers, and yes, mothers, meant for us to be.
However, as we consider this, I urge caution before making anyone into a hero. Think of all the different leaders of the past, especially those who ran for office with good intentions. Some probably genuinely thought they could make a difference. In my own state, many times “good” politicians swore, “Only two terms, and then I will not run again.” They quickly abandoned such promises, claiming they didn’t realize how long it took to get the feel for the job and to build relationships. We passed an amendment to our state constitution limiting them, and they continually bitch and moan about it, wanting to change it back.
Perhaps money and power are disqualifing factors for being a hero.
As I write this, I realize the question is not how can we make anyone into our hero but rather how can we become our own hero?
I think it would be great to try to become a hero myself. That way nobody loses. I don’t have to wait for someone else to act. And being a hero doesn’t mean waiting for some big event to sweep me up. I can start with the everyday things. I don’t have to wait for someone else write a letter to the editor. I don’t have to wait for someone else to take a new shooter to the range. I don’t have to wait for … fill in the blank.
Give up your heroes and work to become a hero by your own actions. Once you do, freedom can’t be far behind.
It has often been said, “be the change you want to see.” The same can be said for freedom. Be the freedom that you want to have. Don’t want to feel like the government owns you? The change comes first not on the outside, but on the inside. Fill your mind with the idea that first and foremost, you own yourself. They can only take away what you let them.
We must stop waiting for our heroes to do anything for us. Once we truly get that, really get that deep down in our heart, and start to actively do the things that the free people do, we will see our nation, or at least our communities, turn around. But just as we musn’t look for others be our heroes, we can’t stop to wonder if we are making any difference. A hero doesn’t look back. A hero doesn’t worry if what they are doing will be perceived by others as right or not. Heroes just act the best way they can, and count on someone else to be there for them later if they stagger or fall.
Freedom once tasted, can never be taken away, but can only be given up. We will never let each other down if we simply stand on our own.
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