'Restoring A Once Great Nation', by Douglas Edelman, touches on subjects
from economics to spirituality and from gas prices to parenting and
education. The author says it is a message of hope; believing that an
informed and thinking populace is capable of reversing our current cultural
decline.
Written to expose commonly held myths and to promote truths which are not
commonly known or understood; and premised upon the idea that Americans are
capable of making good decisions when they are fully and accurately
informed, the book is both a training tool for the warrior in the grassroots
efforts to reclaim the culture, and as an "evangelistic" tool to cause any
intellectually honest person to question their preconceived notions. Most of
all, it will cause the reader to think; or in some cases, to wake up!
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'Restoring A Once Great Nation' can be ordered online at:
https://www.createspace.com/4053608
Or for Kindle at:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keyword
s=Restoring+a+once+great+nation
The book's introduction is reprinted below.
INTRODUCTION
Why this book? What made us a "once great" nation, and why does it need
restoring?
As I survey the landscape of America today; with our divisiveness and
strife, our narcissistic generations, our nihilistic and hedonistic
attitudes, our failure to accept or to assign personal responsibility and
accountability etc, I lament that our nation is no longer that shining light
that it once was.
Sure, America had its growing pains from the Revolution through the Civil
War, Slavery, Westward Expansion and so forth. Yet the 20th Century saw the
United States of America blossom into the jewel of the planet. There is
little wonder why we were a magnet for immigration from all corners of the
earth.
Not only was the USA a land of opportunity, where anyone willing to put
forth an effort could make a life for themselves, it was a land of proud
rugged individualists, who would thirst for a challenge to overcome. Our
people were the most productive in the world, driven by a belief in
Exceptionalism, our people had a work ethic, pride, and self-sufficiency.
The Dust Bowl and Great Depression years brought hardship, but also showed
our character. Out of those years came those who would later be called "the
Greatest Generation". Just a few years later they would be called upon to
sacrifice in the struggles of worldwide conflict. Not only those who served
in uniform, but all who served on the home-front.
We were a nation respected and appreciated by the rest of the world. Our
military strength was relied upon by our allies and feared by our
adversaries. Our economic strength bolstered the world economy. Our currency
became the reserve currency worldwide. Our expertise was sought on almost
every endeavor and we were the innovators and inventors that brought us in
65 years from horse and buggy to the moon. Our scientific, medical and
technological advances improved life for mankind. We were the envy of the
world.
Today many of those characteristics no longer describe our nation.
Opportunity was once celebrated; and it was freely acknowledged and accepted
that with equal opportunity some would excel and others would underperform,
and that there would be diversity of outcomes.
Today, equal opportunity has been supplanted in favor of enforced equality
of outcomes. With diversity of aptitudes, attitudes and effort there remains
a call for uniformity of outcome! They call this fairness!
Where adversity once built character and challenged people to achieve, today
it fosters dependency and entitlement.
Today, instead of our being an immigration magnet for productive people
looking for opportunity to build success, we are a magnet for those seeking
the benefits and handouts we've too freely offered.
Our military's purpose has been distorted. Warriors are an instrument to
protect our vital interests by their efficient ability to kill people and
break things. There is no sugar coating what the military has been and is
meant to be from the time one Paleolithic tribe took up sticks and stones
against another. The supremacy of our military might once stood as a
deterrent against aggression by others against our interests. The Latin
axiom "Si vis pacem, para bellum", (which translates, "If you wish for
peace, prepare for war") is as true today as when penned in Roman times.
'Peace through strength' is more than a Reagan-Era slogan. It is a
successful and necessary strategy for maintaining the peace and for
safeguarding our interests.
Today our military are used as policemen, nation-builders, and social
experiments. Today's Rules of Engagement are so limiting to our warriors
that we sacrifice our own lives rather than returning fire on our enemies,
if there is even a hint of risk of collateral damage. We commit to long term
occupations with no clear mission, no clear objective and no established
exit strategy. There is a fundamental misunderstanding of the use of the
military.
War is hell. War is brutal. War is tragic. War destroys lives of both
combatants and civilians - the guilty and the innocent. Unless you are
willing to unleash hell and commit to all out destruction of an enemy -
don't go to war. There is no such thing as a polite war or a gentler bullet.
If you're not willing to decimate and eviscerate an enemy - don't bring the
military into the squabble.
Today our economy is in a shambles. Our credit rating has experienced
multiple downgrades. Instead of being the financier of the world, we're a
debtor nation. Our dollar is no longer the "gold standard" reserve currency.
Instead of self-sacrifice, we promote self indulgence. Instead of
responsibility, we promote excuses. Instead of lauding the rewards of hard
work, we teach dependency and entitlement.
Our nation is following a downward path which will lead to its destruction
if it is not curbed; hence the inspiration behind this book.
It is hoped that by calling attention to the myths and to the undeniable
truths, we can begin the process of restoration from the ground up - one
awakened person at a time.
Doug Edelman is a conservative political analyst, essayist and commentator,
active in politics since 1976, and served as a contributing editor for The
Conservative Voice. Currently a writer for the St Louis Examiner, his work
has been found on such outlets as Western Front American, Small Government
Times, Western Journalism, News By Us, The American Daily, The Post
Chronicle, New Media Journal, Capitol Hill Coffee House and more. Mr.
Edelman is also an IT Consultant/Contractor and owner of a Computer Services
Business.
Married with 2 kids and 3 dogs, he lives in a suburban neighborhood in
Missouri, where he settled after leaving his native New York for college in
St Louis
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