Land of the Free, Home of the Brave

As we rapidly approach November and election day, I sit and think about the position of President of The United States. The title has such a sense of pride and honor. The man who holds that position is the leader of a free nation that sacrificed so much for the rights to be free.

The men who founded this country did so out of respect for a new way of life. They valued freedom and liberty more than money and security. They respected each other and worked together to create a new nation that was not only formed for total liberation and the rights of the people, but also formed under an attitude of submission to God.

I see commercials on a daily basis that are your standard "mud slinging" ads directed toward anyone who differs in opinion for the attacker. I can't help but wonder...what would the leaders of the past think of all of this.

I'm no history major and I can't say exactly how campaigning went in the late 1700's. But I can say the men that ran were men of respect, valor and integrity. What happened to the days when you could look to your president as a fearless leader, an honest individual whose only interest was the growth and prosperity of the nation...not their own pocket or agenda.

I know I wasn't around for the Battle at Valley Forge. I didn't hear the eloquent words of The Emancipation Proclamation. I didn't witness the creation and signing of the Declaration of Independence. I can't claim that the politicians of the past were perfect men, but I can admit that I miss the respect I used to have for our leaders. I want that boyish adoration I used to have when sitting in history class listening to the stories of men who united together to create one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.