Land of the Free...Because of the Brave

I took this at Christian's last football game against Bear River

Anyone that knows me knows that I am a geek.  (A Genealogy Geek) I am very enthusiastic about my family history.  I have done a lot of research and am extremely proud of my roots.  My most recent ancestor to immigrate to the United States was my great grandfather Axel Mattson in 1910 when he was 18.  Before that, his father-in-law Gustaf Broman came in 1882 for Sweden.  

My ancestors have been in the United States over a hundred years before it was the United States of America.  I have capitans in the Revolutionary War, Cherokee indian blood, Mormon pioneers who had been forced out of their homes again and again.  I am so proud of my heritage, and so proud of my country.

The freedoms we have here are incredible.  I have five children and have married my best friend, in some countries, a woman is lucky if she can even pick her own spouse, let alone have more than one child.  I work from home, I have the gospel of Jesus Christ, for the most part, I can come and go as I please.

As I sit here typing (ranting) I am watching "Guliani's 9/11".  There are men and women separated from their families and loved ones literally fighting for our freedom.  They fight for and idea, the idea of freedom.  The idea that when we go to work or to school, we are safe. 

They fight for our right to vote, our right to choose how we live our lives.  We vote for our president, mayors, senators, governors, any elected official, we vote.  There are other ways to vote...we vote everyday whether we know it or not.  We vote for favorite hamburger, fast food restaurant, types of movies, we cast our vote everytime we make a choice.

As a mother of 5 boys...all football lovers, I have voted by signing my children up for full contact football.  My oldest has the MOST AMAZING coaching team.  They are there to teach the boys, to build them up, to teach them to be better men, not just better football players.  They have the most amazing hearts.  They love the kids.  They are so dedicated to building young men, it is their chosen profession.  Because one parent didn't feel comfortable having the young men the coaches work with near our children.  That parent voiced the opinion to the coaches' boss.  Now we have no coaches.  

Every single parent thinks the current situation is a good one.  The older kids learn from our kids, and our kids learn that everyone deserves a second chance.  Repentance is an amazing thing, it's up to the Lord, not us.  It is up to Him, not us to judge.  Our kids are/were safe.  24 sets of parents think that these coaches are the best thing to ever happen to our kids.  1 set disagrees....guess who wins?  Not the majority.

When did we become a people so afraid of offending the ONE that the entire majority has to go along with what that one person wants?  If there are 100 people on a bus, 99 that want a steak and 1 is a Vegan, you aren't going to a steak house, you're going for something vegan.  Why?  Because no one wants to offend the 1.  

I think I"m done with my LONG rant.  Normally I edit EVERYTHING i write before I sent, post, whatever.  Not today.  I am an American.  Born and Raised.  I love everything this country stands for.  I vote. If you don't like how things are around here, leave.  This isn't a country for one, but a country for ALL.  God bless America and all who fight every day to protect our freedoms....including ranting on a blog that no one will ever read.