Monday, March 18, 2019
howeenterprise.com
Freedom to chains
Continued from page 16
a lot of little government bureaus.
Seattle, from San Diego to Plymouth Rock? In this little bitty instant, as Do you know they even had a historical time is measured, our Transportation Act back there, seven percent of the Earth’s prescribing the fee required to rent population has come to possess more one laden jackass per mile and at than half of all the world’s good today’s rate of exchange it would things. How come? have amounted to about 1/8th cent per mile? Which meant that in Well sir, when that early pioneer order to make a profit a jack ass turned his eyes toward the west he would have to carry five didn’t demand that somebody else passengers? That was simply look after him. He didn’t demand a beyond the capacity of the jack free education. He didn’t demand a ass. Diocletian put millions of guaranteed rocking chair at eventide. people on the public payroll, but He didn’t demand that somebody when this failed to do the job, the else take care of him if he got ill or country was still in trouble, he got old. There was an old fashioned asked more personal powers for philosophy in those days that a man himself. For a brief while, was supposed to provide for his own incidentally, they were standby and for his own future. He didn’t powers, but then he used them, all demand a maximum amount of at once. He froze wages, he froze money for a minimum amount of prices, he froze jobs, he stopped work. Nor did he expect pay for no profits, he dictated to the farmer work at all… Come to think of it he what he should plant, when and didn’t demand anything. That hardhow he should sell it and for how handed pioneer just looked out there much and he rationed food and at the rolling plains stretching away what happened? The labor market to the tall green mountains and then closed down, incentive was gone. lifted his eyes to the blue skies and Farm life became dependent on said “Thank you God. Now I can bureaucratic red tape. take it from here.” That spirit isn’t dead in our country, it’s dormant. Exorbitant taxes cost the farmer It’s been discredited in some circles, his land. He kept for himself only driven underground, but it isn’t a small plot on which he might dead. grow turnips for his family. He lost the rest of it to the state and It’s just that a few seasons ago without food and with incentive politicians baiting their hooks with gone city life stagnated and free barbeque and trading a Ponzi declined. And Rome past into promise for votes began telling us what history has recorded as the “we don’t want opportunity “Dark Ages” lasting a thousand anymore, we want security.” “We years. Just by turning to the left, don’t want opportunity” they said, the world has gone in circles. A “We want security.” And they said it nation would evolve from a so often we came to believe them. monarchy, into an oligarchy, from We wanted security. And they gave oligarchy to dictatorship, from us chains and we were secure. dictatorship to bureaucracy, from Suddenly with our constitutional bureaucracy to pure democracy guarantees depleted, with our where, finally, the people would national character eroding away, cry out from the chaos and with our tax laws penalizing those confusion of the streets “Oh! who would dare to prosper, with Please God give us a king!” And workers concentrating on how little God would give ’em a king and they can get by with instead of how they’d have a monarchy again and much they can produce. Suddenly start the whole silly cycle anew. we looked overhead one day to Now either we will profit from the discover that the first to the moon in errors of their ways, or it follows space was a Russian as the night the day, our children accomplishment. That free men are going to have to relive the dark dragging their feet had been ages, all over again. How come outdistanced by slave workers after thousands of years of dragging their chains. And we were experiment our new nation has sore afraid. Perhaps this was a come so far, so fast? disguised blessing, too. All this in less than two hundred years. What is the secret of our success? Well, I think it had to do with a basic American’s Creed. Perhaps it never passed a pioneer’s lips in this form, but if it had I think he would have said something like this: “I believe in my God, in my Country and in Myself.” I know that sounds like a trite too simple thing to say, and yet it’s a rare man today who will dare to stand up and say “I believe in my God and my Country and in Myself.” (And in that order.) When the early American pioneer first turned his eyes toward the west, there were only Indian trails or traces as they were called, for him to foll’er through the wilderness. Do you know today you can roller skate from Miami to
Maybe a dramatic accomplishment by this cold war adversary was necessary to get us off our dead centers and back to work again. If we can revive in ourselves, then in our youth, something of that basic American’s Creed, the horizon has never ever been so limitless. For Man stands now on the threshold of his highest adventure of all: his first faltering footsteps into space. Twenty years from today, half of the products you will be using in your everyday living aren’t even in the dictionary yet. We’ve got it made. If we just keep on keeping on. We’ve got it made – and if we don’t? We will follow those other great nationstates of history into the graveyard of ignominious oblivion. History promises only this for certain – We Will Get Exactly What We Deserve.”
Page #20
A fitting tribute It has been fifty years since SGT Jimmy Burchfield, from Whitewright Texas, gave his life in Vietnam, but even after all these years, our memories of him are still fresh. His determination, courage and the love of country linger in our minds. He strived for education and always dedicated himself to the goal of being the very best he could. He studied hard for his grades and labored hard for his tuition. The day he graduated from college was only one of the highlights of his short life. Quickly after college, he was drafted into the Army to serve in Vietnam. There were many things he could have done, but he took his obligation to serve his country proudly. His journey to Vietnam began on March 2, 1969. The letters he sent home showed concern for all of his family and friends. He didn’t want anyone to worry about him. After reaching his final destination, he wrote his last letter on March 18, 1969, stating that he had finally gotten to his company. He said it was like one big family where everyone looked out for each other because it was the only way they could survive. Knowing that he was going on his first mission the next day he said, “I’ll probably find out tomorrow what it’s all about. Believe it or not, I’m less nervous than I was just before I left home. Scared – Yes – the guy that says he’s not is not only a liar but a fool as well. I look at it this way, if other people have done it and made it so can I. Worrying about what can or might happen doesn’t really help anyway.” This was the last letter he ever wrote. On March 23, 1969, a Western Union telegram was sent to his parents from the Secretary of the Army that said with regret Jimmy had been missing in action in Vietnam since March 20. The news received was he was killed on March 20, 1969, near the village of Duc Tan. It stated that at 12:30 PM, Jimmy received fatal fragment wounds when his unit’s position came under intense mortar attack. Ten minutes into the first battle of his first war, his young life ended on Asian ground. He died in the performance of duty. Jimmy was awarded several posthumous medals that included the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantry Badge and the Good Conduct Medal. Jimmy stands in the unbroken line of men who have given their lives so that our nation’s goal of freedom and peace is maintained.
Jimmy Burchfield
The following article was written in the local newspaper following his death. “A fitting scholarship in honor of a worthy individual is being set up in Whitewright. This scholarship is to be called the Jimmy Burchfield Memorial Award and will be presented to an outstanding graduating senior from Whitewright High School whose work and attitude best exemplify Sgt. Burchfield. We hope the goal is achieved and the memory of this fine, young warrior who fought for an education only to give his life for his country - is perpetuated by those who follow the pattern he set.” The scholarship fund set up in memory of Jimmy has been given to a graduating senior since 1969. His name as written on the Vietnam Memorial wall represents a flesh-and-blood human who had plans and dreams that went far beyond dying in a jungle. He was a son, brother, uncle and friend whose death left an unfillable hole, like a piece of their own life went missing, decades ago, and never came back. To be remembered, it’s not too much to ask on this 50th anniversary of his ultimate sacrifice. His name, as it is written on the wall will always be written on our hearts. The family of SGT Jimmy F. Burchfield, May 8, 1945 - March 20, 1969 Written by his sister, Dot Huckaby
