History

Have you seen this bumpersticker?

Allthough our ability to freely express dissent is a cherished civil liberty and one absolutely crucial to a free and equitible society, it certainly is not The Highest (tm) form of patriotism. In fact, it barely even relates to patiotism at all, but I digress. More importantly, it is NOT a quote attributed to our esteemed forefather, Thomas Jefferson. Apparently this mis-attribution does not matter in the least to cry-baby liberal leftists who have wholly embraced it as a whiney credo of self-legitimization. It was coined by the "historian" Leonard Zinn. The highest form of patriotism is doing something in your community, state, society or nation which makes IT a better place for our heirs--not self aggrandizement in the name of patriotism. Dissent is fine--be glad you can express it. Use your dissent to motivate you to DO SOMETHING constructive to make your community or nation a better place (work & educate). For that matter, protesting, complaining and denigration of America does not improve our nation per se. Therefore, dissent alone, does not qualify as patriotism at all, let alone the highest form of it. Jefferson would roll in his grave!

In fact most of my family, and consequently my own existence, is a product of immigrants with a dream and a boat ticket. I also have a great affection for culture. Having grown up in the era of Whitebread-TV-Culture, I have always sought out and enjoyed the cultural flavor of others--especially Mexican culture. I love the food, the music, the family tradition, the language and art. But these are but fibers in the tapestry that is America. On some level, I don't even have a problem with "illegal" immigrantion, since I understand the motivation behind it and the general idea that these people come here to work. However, these protesters should hire a PR agency, because burning the American flag, chanting "viva Mexico" and waving that flag just plain looks bad. Also, this Mexica Movement/Aztlan-Reconquista movement is nothing short of seditious treason.

Here is my advice to the movement, sumarized by a quote from Teddy Roosevelt:

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American… There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

I like this quote from Samuel Adams:

"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams

'Liberty' has become a mythical concept in this cosumerist-society.
It's not mythical; in fact each one of us lives and prospers daily
because of Liberty. You can do what you want to do in this country.
However, in the words of Wendell Phillips, " Eternal vigilance* is the
price of liberty"

* Note to the youth: eternal vigilance extends indefinitely. i.e. today, tomorrow and forever after. The vigil may not be forsaken during periods of peace, complacence or disinterest.

The Knights Templar were a monastic military order
formed at the end of the First Crusade with the mandate of protecting
Christian pilgrims on route to the Holy Land. Never before had a group
of secular knights banded together and taken the monastic vows. In this
sense they were the first of the Warrior Monks. The Templars fought
along side King Richard I (Richard The Lion Hearted) and other
Crusaders in the battles for the Holy Lands.

From humble beginnings of poverty when the order
relied on alms from the traveling pilgrims, the Order would go on to
have the backing of the Holy See and the collective European monarchies.

Within two centuries they had become powerful enough
to defy all but the Papal throne. Feared as warriors, respected for
their charity and sought out for their wealth, there is no doubt that
the Templar knights were the key players of the monastic fighting
Orders. Due to their vast wealth and surplus of materials the Templars
essentially invented banking, as we know it. The church forbade the
lending of money for interest, which they called usury. The Templars,
being the clever sort they were, changed the manner in which loans were
paid and were able to skirt the issue and finance even kings.

They were destroyed, perhaps because of this wealth
or fear of their seemingly limitless powers. In either case, the Order
met with a rather untimely demise at the hands of the Pope and the King
of France in 1307 and by 1314, "The Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and
the Temple of Solomon" ceased to exist, at least officially.

Although originally a small group of nine knights,
they quickly gained fame largely due to the backing of Bernard of
Clairvaux and his "In Praise of the New Knighthood". Bernard at that
time was often called the Second Pope and was the chief spokesman of
Christendom. He is also the one responsible for helping to draw up the
Order's rules of conduct.

In European political circles, they became very
powerful and influential. This was because they were immune from any
authority save that of the Papal Throne. (Pope Innocent II exempted the
Templars from all authority except the Pope.) After the crusades were
over, the knights returned to their Chapters throughout Europe and
became known as moneylenders to the monarchs. In the process many
historians believe they invented the Banking System.

The secret meetings and rituals of the knights would
eventually cause their downfall. The King of France, Philip the Fair
used these rituals and meetings to his advantage to destroy the
knights. The real reason for his crushing the Templars was that he felt
threatened by their power and immunity. In 1307, Philip, who
desperately needed funds, to support his war against England's Edward I
made his move against the Knights Templar.

On October 13th, 1307, King Philip had all the
Templars arrested on the grounds of heresy, since this was the only
charge that would allow the seizing of their money and assets. The
Templars were tortured and as a result, ridiculous confessions were
given.

Philip was successful in ridding the Templars of
their power and wealth and urged all fellow Christian leaders to do the
same thing. On March 19th, 1314 the last Grand Master of the Knights
Templar, Jacques de Molay was burned at the stake. De Molay is said to
have cursed King Philip and Pope Clement, as he burned, asking both men
to join him within a year. Whether he actually uttered the curse or if
it is simply an apocryphal tale; what remains as fact is that Clement
died only one month later and Philip IV seven months after that.