Bad times. But we've been there before.

It is a hard Spring in America.  "Domestic enemies" nibble around all four edges of the Declaration and Constitution that made America the most generous, productive, successful and strongest country in the history of the world.  Foreign enemies continue to probe our defenses to "destroy the epidemic of freedom".  Our own leaders work to weaken and impoverish us.  The sheer absurdity of the arguments of those that wish us ill is galling.  And now, deadly weather, driven by cooling Pacific waters in a cold cycle in our ever-changing climate, repeatedly pounds wide portions of our neighborhoods.

This is among the worst we have seen.  But very little of it is actually record-breaking.  Many of the reports are of the "worst in recent memory" or "worst since the 1940's", etc.  It just comes at a time when we are already weary of fighting, and our finances are strained.

But Americans shine in such times.  We built this first-in-history free nation of laws from a wilderness, opposed or ignored by the stronger nations and superpowers until we were committed to the fight.  It was America's tiny navy of 6 greenwood ships that led the Superpowers' fleets in finally crushing the Jihadist Barbary Pirates after centuries of unopposed robbery, hijacking, kidnapping for ransom and murder.  We started the worldwide freedom movement with our founding documents, opposed by the few controllers among us, and ultimately gave 1 million lives to uproot slavery.  We fought back revolts from Socialists and others that their revisionist history books won't acknowledge.  We freed the Old World from tyrants - twice!  We have sacrificed our young men and women to free and hand back others' countries, cleansed of despots, with their resources intact to sell to us, only to be called "colonialists" or "imperialists" by those that seek world domination. 

Here's the point, folks:  Americans have made a habit of generally helping anyone and everyone as well as we can.  BUT WE HAVE ALWAYS GOT THE BACK OF OUR FELLOW AMERICANS.  Watch and see how Americans who live far away in comfort, or who have lost family or property themselves, will be doing what they can to help their neighbors who are the latest to be struck.

Captain John Paul Jones, battered, outgunned and outnumbered, proclaimed, "I have not yet begun to fight!"  Admiral David Farragut, with mines threatening his ship but his fleet and mission needing him, ordered, "Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead!"  General Tony McAuliffe, surrounded in Bastogne with his bloodied, starving, freezing, 101st Airborne, answered the overwhelming German army's surrender offer with, "Nuts!"  At the other end of that same battle,  General George Patton prayed fervently just for the opportunity to risk all to "crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men and nations".  To quote some Marine friends, "FIDO!" (Look that one up)

Things are bad.  Our systems and traditions are being twisted and abused and our people are in jeopardy.  But don't ever tell me that, "this country is done".  

Hell, friends, we're just getting warmed up.  They've got us right where we want them.