Posted on Thursday, 18th June 2020 by

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[Note to Reader: I recently completed a memoir of my early years and the following two paragraphs are excerpted, with slight modification, from the epilog.]

“Time and circumstance separate us from our early roots, and for most, life in the moment overshadows those early experiences, relegating them to the remotest corners of our mind. However, our character is fomented from those early years, and without us realizing it, it influences our behavior and underlying actions throughout life.

As I sit back and reflect on tragedies, protests and challenges in our country from a comfortable vantage point at age seventyone, I realize that fate and faith had much to do with getting to where we are today. Yet, we know that we are today who we were back then. No matter how big a tree grows, the roots have a great deal to do with determining its destiny. We are guided and influenced by our roots each and every day and if you discard them, a part of you dies.”

Tyrants often try to erase history (our roots). When ISIS formed the califate in 2014, they destroyed countless national religious and cultural treasures. Hitler tried to erase not only history, but an entire ethnoreligious group, the Jewish people. Stalin did the same in Russia; murdering anyone who got in his way. The list goes on throughout history.

America today has much to be thankful for! If you think we are suffering today, history will show all of us how fortunate we actually are, thanks in large measure to our brave men and woman who sacrificed their very lives to defend and preserve this great country. Yet a number of Revolutionary War monuments and the WW-II Memorial have recently been desecrated!

There have been many injustices recorded throughout history. Do we deny them, or learn from those past experiences? We could burn perceived undesirable books; the Nazi regime did this during WW-II. Should we ban classic movies now deemed controversial, like Gone with the Wind, and tear down monuments back to the beginning of time? What then would we have? Nothing would have changed, because our roots remain and they can’t be denied.

Mob rule leads to anarchy; and when you call the police and no one responds, all of us suffer the consequences, including the anarchists. Burning and looting stores down to their bare shelves, dangerously blocking traffic, and illegally pulling down monuments aren’t protests: it’s criminal behavior. For those who are peacefully protesting, you have that right and America supports you.

When anyone resists arrest, expect chaos. The person stopped is obligated to comply, but police officers must be responsible for their actions, as well. Kneeling on a person’s neck for 9 minutes and suffocating him is murder, and currently that individual is being prosecuted for that crime.

We are blessed to live in America with opportunities for all who choose to take advantage of them; regardless of your race, religion, national origin or gender. I’m proud to be an American and sad that so many wish to tear America down.

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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed herein by the author are not an investment or benefit recommendation and are not meant to be relied upon in investment or benefit decisions. The author is not acting in an investment, tax, legal, benefit, or any other advisory capacity. This is not an investment or benefit research report. The author’s opinions expressed herein address only select aspects of various federal benefits and potential investment in securities of the TSP and companies mentioned and cannot be a substitute for comprehensive investment analysis. Any analysis presented herein is illustrative in nature, limited in scope, based on an incomplete set of information, and has limitations to its accuracy. The information upon which this material is based was obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but has not been independently verified. Therefore, the author cannot guarantee its accuracy. Any opinions or estimates constitute the author’s best judgment as of the date of publication, and are subject to change without notice. The author explicitly disclaims any liability that may arise from the use of this material.

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