Dr. James P. Wickstrom
Grey-Haired Brigade
Grey-Haired Brigade
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They
like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies, geezers, and in
some cases dinosaurs. Some of us are "Baby Boomers" getting ready to
retire. Others have been retired for some time. We walk a little
slower these days and our eyes and hearing are not what they once
were. We have worked hard, raised our children, worshiped our God and
grown old together. Yes, we are the ones some refer to as being over
the hill, and that is probably true. But before writing us off
completely, there are a few things that need to be taken into
consideration.
In
school we studied English, history, math, and science which enabled us
to lead America into the technological age. Most of us remember what
outhouses were, many of us with firsthand experience. We remember the
days of telephone party-lines, 25 cent gasoline, and milk and ice being
delivered to our homes. For those of you who don't know what an icebox
is, today they are electric and referred to as refrigerators. A few
even remember when cars were started with a crank. Yes, we lived those
days.
We
are probably considered old fashioned and out-dated by many. But there
are a few things you need to remember before completely writing us off.
We won World War II, fought in Korea and Viet Nam . We can quote The
Pledge of Allegiance, and know where to place our hand while doing so.
We wore the uniform of our country with pride and lost many friends on
the battlefield. We didn't fight for the Socialist Communist States of America
, we fought for the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave." We
wore different uniforms but carried the same flag. We know the words to
the Star Spangled Banner , America ,and America the Beautiful by
heart, and you may even see some tears running down our cheeks as we
sing. We have lived what many of you have only read about in history
books and we feel no obligation to apologize to anyone for America .
Yes,
we are old and slow these days but rest assured, we have at least one
good fight left in us. We have loved this country, fought for it, and
died for it, and now we are going to save it. It is our country and
nobody is going to take it away from us. We took oaths to defend
America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is an oath
we plan to keep. There are those who want to destroy this land we love
but, like our founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent.
It
was mostly the young people of this nation who elected Obama and the
Democratic Congress. You fell for the "Hope and Change" which in
reality was nothing but "Hype and Lies." You have tasted socialism and
seen evil face to face, and have found you don't like it after all. You
make a lot of noise, but most are all too interested in their careers
or "Climbing the Social Ladder" to be involved in such mundane things as
patriotism and voting. Many of those who fell for the "Great Lie" in
2008 are now having buyer's remorse. With all the education we gave
you, you didn't have sense enough to see through the lies and instead
drank the 'Cool-Aid.' Now you're paying the price and complaining about
it. No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes, and less freedom. This is
what you voted for and this is what you got. We entrusted you with the
Torch of Liberty and you traded it for a paycheck and a fancy house.
Well, don't worry youngsters, the Grey-Haired Brigade is here, and in 2013 we
are going to take back our nation. We may drive a little slower than
you would like but we get where we're going, and in 2013 we're
going to the polls by the millions. This land does not belong to the
man in the White House nor to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.
It belongs to "We the People" and "We the People" plan to reclaim our
land and our freedom. We hope this time you will do a better job of
preserving it and passing it along to our grandchildren. So the next
time you have the chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance, Stand up, put
your hand over your heart, honor our country, and thank God for the old
geezers of the "Grey-Haired Brigade."