Gunfighter: A Modern Warrior's Life

Haiku XXVII (Lutherans and other Christians)

Together in faith

We greet each other with love

"God's Peace Be With You"

Haiku Week

Welcome to Haiku week here at A Modern Warrior's Life!

If you have been reading here for a while, you know that I like to write Haiku from time to time... not because I have a talent for it, mind you, I do it mostly for a mental exercise.

I have written a few lately and have been holdin on to them because I had been planning to post other things.  Unfortunately, I have been overcome by events for the past few days, and since this week is already abbreviated (and since I am giving myself some room to actually write something), I am going to post some of my scribblings for you. 

By the way, you may not enjoy Haiku, and even if you do, you may not enjoy mine, but you've gotta admit, reading these have got to be better than a slap on the belly with a wet fish! (If you get that reference, I will  love you forever)

Please to enjoy!

Dear America, On Your Birthday

Dear America,

Happy Birthday, kid!... you look pretty good for being two hundred and thirty four years old.

I gotta tell you, to be your age and in the shape you are in, you must be doing something right.  It must be that freedom thing that you have going on.  Yeah, the ability to vote in elections and pick your leaders... that is one heck of a thing.  I think that having the ability to stand up and be counted is one of the best things about you, pal, may it last your whole life through. 

There are other things about you that I like that I think are vital to being as strong as you are.  That thing is your ability to accept and digest practically anyone from anywhere, and remain strong.  Sure, I know what some people say about you... some say that your best years have passed.  Some say that you are getting older and you can no longer digest elements from certain parts of the world.  Some say that in order to be safer you should be LESS free. Can you believe that?  There are even those who say that in order to be free, you need to start checking people for proof of citizenship on the streets of our towns.   Well I say that is a bunch of crap!  My friend, your strength is in your liberties.  Your strength is in your openness.  Your strength is in your people from wherever they hail... and that includes places outside of Western Europe!

So, on this important birthday, my great and good friend, let me tell you that I think that you are just getting started.  I think that you are getting better every single day.  I think that you improve every time there is a violence-free election.  I think that you improve every time a foreigner takes the oath of citizenship.  I think that you improve every time someone shouts dissent at unjust laws, or the unjust use of power, violence, or intimidation.

America, thankfully you have a strong, yet flexible constitution.  You are healthy, and as we all know, the healthiest among us have the ability to adapt and change as needed.  It is a blessing to us all that you can do it too.

 

Happy Birthday, my friend.  Live long, and prosper.

With warmest regards,

Gunfighter

Book Review: The Lost Constitution

You know, I’m not much for mysteries, unless they involve spies and a fair amount of gun play.  This book is something I would never have noticed had I not had an encounter with a very rude young couple in the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Springfield, Virginia a couple of months ago.

 

True story… there were these two really dopey people who wanted to use the B&N Wi-Fi for their computers, but didn’t want to sit near other people, so they took an end-cap table and two chairs and set them up in the aisle!  The aisle! So, my attitude, being somewhat confrontational at times, decided I needed to browse the aforementioned aisle… right where they were set up.  Turns out it was the mystery aisle.  The first book that I found was this one:  The Lost Constitution.  I saw the premise and I knew I had to read it (I downloaded it on my Kindle that same afternoon).  It goes something like this:

 

Rare book dealer Peter Fallon and his girlfriend, Evangeline Carrington, are on the trail of an original first draft of the United States Constitution… which is a rare enough find… only this one is even more rare, because it had been marked-up and annotated by the men of the New England delegation to the Constitutional convention!

 

This first draft, which was stolen shortly after it was written, had a far-reaching effect over families and fortunes, starting in the eighteenth century, and potentially having a huge impact on the future of the United States in the 21^st century… that is, if it can be found.

 

Through the centuries, people have been hunting for this historical document, believing that it will be the bringer of good fortune, or because it may prove that the Founding Fathers had different intentions regarding slavery or even the right to bear arms.  The document has been important enough to kill over from the days of Shay’s Rebellion to the present day.

 

The story is exciting and well-written, and the author does a great job of pacing the story, which bounces back and forth from the past to the present throughout the book.  What is more, the author knows more than just a little about suspense, as we don’t find out the answers to many questions until the very last pages of the book.

 

If you liked the DaVinci Code and other books like that, you would really like this story.

 

It is worth noting that the author, William Martin, has written several novels starring Peter Fallon, so if you like this novel. You might want to check out the other books that he has written.

 

I hope that you have enjoyed Book Review Week here at A Modern Warrior’s Life.  Perhaps I’ll do it again soon.

 

Cheers,

 

GF

Book Review: The Loyalists

Today is Canada Day, so in honor of my Canadian readers on their national holiday, I have decided to review a book that I read a few years ago:  The Loyalists, by that excellent Canadian author, Christopher Moore.

 

If you think you know everything about the American Revolution, think again!

 

Did you know that by the end of our Revolutionary War there were as many as 50,000 crown loyalists that couldn’t or wouldn’t support the American Revolution who were headed north to Canada?  Did you know that some of those loyalists weren't moving to Canada because they wanted to? 

 

In “The Loyalists” Christopher Moore's work does something extremely important for the student of early American history. He de-mythologizes the beginnings of the American Revolution, and sheds new light on the people that most Americans are taught to view as villains: those who remained loyal to King George III.

Moore not only describes the revolution from the perspective of those that remained loyal to their King and country (remember, many, or even most people in America considered themselves to be English, despite the fact that they were colonials), he also details some of the less-than-democratic ways that our “liberty” loving forebears treated them.

The history of our revolution and it's aftermath is absolutely amazing (and sometimes tragic), and there is so much truthful information about it in circulation that is missed, or intentionally glossed over.  I challenge my American readers to learn as much about the true stories of our revolution as possible.  Moore’s book should be part of that study.

Please note that Moore's book isn't some sort of anti-American treatise, it is just an insightful perspctive on American history that the truly informed and intelligent should not hide from.

I highly recommend this book to all who are interested in a more even-handed study of the period than the highly propagandized version that is constantly dished out here in the United States.   

Happy Canada Day, friends!