Daily Archives: July 8, 2017

Every generation of Americans needs to know that freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought. St.John Paul II, October 8, 1995 Homily, Apostolic Journey to the United States of America

July 4, 2017 is now past, but its never too late to ponder a fundamental question related to our nations founding: What is freedom?

Thats the exact question with which I began each semester of classes during the seven years I served as an adjunct professor of theology at a local Catholic college, teaching Healthcare Ethics and Sexual Ethics.

Every year, students answers inevitably boiled down less and less surprisingly to one clear mantra: freedom is the ability to do whatever we want, without restriction. I would then spend several weeks explaining the Christian concept of freedom, and why it has more to do with having the grace and strength to exercise self-restraint than the ability to act upon limitless choices.

I am reminded of that experience every July 4th, when I hear these words from America The Beautiful:

America! America!God mend thine every flawConfirm thy soul in self-controlThy liberty in law!

Our freedom is made possible in large part through the practice of self-restraint, and as Pope John Paul II said on his apostolic visit to America in 1995, through a shared commitment to certain moral truths about the human person and human community.

He went on to ask:

The basic question before a democratic society is: how ought we to live together? In seeking an answer to this question, can society exclude moral truth and moral reasoning? Can the Biblical wisdom which played such a formative part in the very founding of your country be excluded from that debate?

St. Paul gives us some key points of such Biblical wisdom in his letter to the Galatians, wherein he writes about freedom:

For freedom Christ has set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slaveryFor you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love.For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another. Galatians 5:1, 13-15

As we Americans celebrate freedom, and concurrently observe the world around us engaged in macro and micro level wars (including those among our brethren on social media), we would do well to ask ourselves how free we really are, and whether we are personally promoting war or peace, slavery or liberty. More specifically, are we engaging in behaviors that prevent us from inheriting the kingdom of God, including hatreds, rivalryoutbursts of furydissension, factions and the like? Or in contrast, are we allowing the Holy Spirit to grow us up in true freedom; freedom that is manifested in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? (Galatians 5:19-23)

To paraphrase John Paul II, are we living together as we ought?

Of course, Im preaching the Gospel to myself, and it is a message I am earnestly asking God for the grace to take to heart and live. Will you join me? Let us pray together the Peace Prayer of St. Francis, which first appeared in France in 1912 on the eve of World War I.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

Amen.

Read the original post:

What is freedom, anyway? And how are we living it? - Aleteia EN

Have your eardrums recovered yet?

In the aftermath of another Fourth of July, its a fair question to ask. Nowadays the blasts, brocades and breaks of July Fourth are so extreme that I wear the sound-deadening earmuffs I would use while sighting in a hunting rifle. Sure, they dont look very cool but they look much cooler than a hearing aid.

Now, dont get me wrong. I enjoy a good fireworks display and we detonate our fair share in the driveway. But over the last few years weve had some close calls.

Like the artillery shell that exploded a few feet in the air, landed in my friends lap, and started him on fire. We promptly put him out, but still.

Nor will I forget the firework cake that tipped over and started shooting multiple flaming balls into a lawn full of kids and a garage full of more fireworks. That was fun.

July Fourth is a day to celebrate and remember our freedom but these accidents have changed our family display. This year, we were more selective in what we bought. Were free to blow up whatever legal fireworks we can find. That doesnt mean we have to.

When my freedom is putting my children and party guests in danger of being, you know, set on fire, then maybe its time to dial things back a bit.

To me, its a colorful reminder of how freedom isnt the same thing as license.

Christianity is sometimes seen as freedom to do whatever we want, because after all, God is forgiving and kind. He certainly is that and more but does that really mean I can do whatever I want?

The Rolling Stones lit the fuse on this concept back in 1965 with the resounding report, Im free to do what I want, any old time.

That song has been covered and sampled through the years because of the ideology that keeps it smoking: freedom means being able to do what we want for ourselves.

Just this year, the recording artist Pitbull threw some Stones into the lyrics of his song, Freedom.

Feel free, do whatever you want whenever you want with whoever you want. Feel free, who cares what they say? Just live your life cause we dont live twice.

With my lips, I might say I disagree with those lyrics. With my life, I seem to affirm them. Often, Ill use my freedom as an excuse to serve myself. Were all guilty of that from time to time. Those kinds of choices usually wind up blowing up in our faces and burning other people. Its what we do.

But is it what we were made to do?

Jesus displayed a different kind of freedom. He was free to do whatever he wanted during his earthly life: Free to turn stones into bread; Free to put on a sparkling show; Free to have all the wealth, fame and recognition imaginable.

But he didnt abuse his freedom. He used it to serve others instead of himself. He served the duds, the discontinued and the damaged. Thats what love does.

Greater love has no man than this, that He lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

What if we celebrated the freedom that men and women have laid down their lives to secure for us by serving others? That kind of love can light up a neighborhood in an entirely different way.

And, no one will wind up on fire, either. Which is nice.

Gregg Madsen is the lead pastor of Steadfast Gretna.

See original here:

Freedom to light up the neighborhood - Omaha World-Herald

If you've never been, it's a beautiful little spot tucked in by Buckley Airforce Base. The series of glass panels has the names of every Coloradan who gave their lives for this country.

Allison Sylte, KUSA 6:54 PM. MDT July 07, 2017

The Colorado Freedom Memorial, which honors fallen soldiers from the Centennial State, was damaged on Fourth of July weekend. Police are investigating. (Photo: Byron Reed)

KUSA - May we make a recommendation? This is where Next points you to something that isn't ours, but is worth your time.

In this case, its an event thats trying to do something good after a shameful act.

You might remember how over Independence Day weekend, the Colorado Freedom Memorial which is dedicated to Colorados fallen soldiers was apparently vandalized, its glass shattered.

The damage is estimated at between $40,000 to $55,000.

But this is Colorado, and one amazing thing about our community is how we band together for people in need.

You can help restore this important memorial from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday at a fundraiser and open house.

Starting at 8 a.m., you can get a breakfast burrito and bottles of water in exchange for a donation. Later, Jim N Nicks will sell barbecue sandwiches, with all the proceeds going toward the Colorado Freedom Memorial.

There will also be tours of the memorial, chances to ask questions as well as a look at some of the heroes the memorial honors.

If thats not incentive enough, were also told the Denver Broncos cheerleaders will make an appearance.

What happened at the Colorado Freedom Memorial was a shameful act, but once again, this is Colorado and one thing you can count on is for our community band together.

You can find more details about the event here:http://bit.ly/2tqXkBt

2017 KUSA-TV

See the original post:

A recommendation: Support the Colorado Freedom Memorial - 9NEWS.com

WASHINGTON This years 4th of July Freedom Fest at Guantanamo Bay featured a live music performance by a band whose music was used to interrogate detainees at the Naval base.

The heavy metal band Drowning Pool played a show for U.S. troops at Guantanamo Bay on Tuesday before the fireworks display, the Miami Heralds Carol Rosenberg first reported.Years ago, interrogators blasted the bands song Bodies as part of an effort to break down prisoners will and keep them awake during extended interrogation sessions.

In a 2006 story in Spinabout using music as a tool of torture, David Peisner wrote that almost every interrogator and soldier he spoke to mentioned Bodies as their preferred song for psyching out enemies and captives.

Years later, the Senate Armed Services Committee confirmed in a report that military interrogators used Bodies during interrogations with Mohamedou Slahi, a Mauritanian detainee.

Slahi, who was transferred from a CIA black site to Guantanamo in 2002, was released last year after 14 years of detention. He was never charged with a crime. While in prison, he hand-wrote a diary, chronicling his experiences being subjected to interrogation techniques that have since been banned. A redacted version of Slahis diary was published in 2015. In it, Slahi wrote that he might never forget that song.

Mohamedou Slahi

The chorus of Bodies includes the line, let the bodies hit the floor, a reference the brotherhood of the mosh pit, the band has said.

Slahi told the Miami Herald that he still has hearing problems because of lengthy exposure to loud music during interrogations. I love art and good music and feel much pain for music to be used as a tool of torture, he wrote in an email published by the Herald. This is so twisted on many levels. Because music is supposed to make you happy and make you a better person; sometimes.

A 2005 internal review of alleged prisoner abuseat Guantanamo found that loud music was part of a futility technique designed to break down prisoners ability to resist answering questions. Futility technique included the playing of Metallica, Britney Spears, and Rap music, the report read.On a few occasions, detainees were left alone in the interrogation booth for an indefinite period of time while loud music played and strobe lights flashed.

Southern Command spokeswoman Army Col. Lisa Garcia told HuffPost that because the event was planned by the Naval stations recreation office and not the joint task force that oversees the prison at Guantanamo, the link between past interrogations using music was not on the forefront on the planners minds.

It is likely that leadership was not informed of the potential for negative connotations because individuals were more familiar with the song Let the bodies hit the floor than the name of the band that performed it or its past history with detainees, Garcia wrote in an email.

Some bands have objected to the military using their music as part of interrogations. Just as we wouldnt be caught dead allowing Dick Cheney to use our music for his campaigns, you can be damn sure, we wouldnt allow him to use it to torture other human beings. Congress needs to shut Guantanamo down, The Roots said in 2009.

A manager and a spokeswoman for Drowning Pool did not respond requests for comment, but one member of the band has said in the past that he was not concerned by the militarys use of his music. People assume we should be offended that somebody in the military thinks our song is annoying enough that, played over and over, it can psychologically break someone down, bassist Stevie Benton told Spin in 2006. I take it as an honor to think that perhaps our song could be used to quell another 9/11 attack or something like that.

Benton later posted an apology on MySpace and said his comment was taken out of context.

Before their performance at Guantanamo, the band went on a tour of the Naval base. Words cant describe what an honor and privilege this is, band manager Paul Gargano posted on Instagram. Another post by Gargano shows the band performing before an enthusiastic crowd.

The metal band regularly performs shows for and to benefit members of the military. Days before the show at Guantanamo, Drowning Pool played at Soto Cano Air Force base in Honduras. They are scheduled to perform in the Rock the Troops concert next month in Colorado Springs.

This story has been updated to include comment from Southern Command.

Here is the original post:

Guantanamo 'Freedom Fest' Features Band Whose Music Was Used To Torture Detainees - HuffPost

Im not the only one asking this question. A startling message came through to me on Facebook a few weeks agoeven before the Steve Scalise shooting. It was from a business acquaintance in India whom Ive corresponded with for the past five years. His message: Are you safe? America seems in big chaos and trouble. If you need to escape, you and your family can stay with my family.

So Im not alone in this uneasy feeling that America is walking on the edge.

What do workers, sightseers, or bikers do when they come to the edge of a cliff? Either plunge over to their demise or push back to safety. Standing on the edge for too long leads to anxiety at best and destruction at worst.

For the past several months, Ive been trying to collect my thoughts on why, after all these years, I feel fearful about freedom. After all, terrorism, racial tension, and nuclear threats are nothing new.

Something else is in the air.

Peggy Noonan, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Wall Street Journal, recently scolded both political parties with her line, Democracy is not your plaything. Political rancor, misrepresentation, deception, and outright lying on both sides of the aisle and between the left and the right has reached a fevered pitch. But thats not new.

Neither is it news that those who call themselves journalists dish out biased reporting, selecting which stories to report and which to ignore and shaping attitudes by the language they use and the tone they choose in their coverage.

What is new? This: How pervasive the discord has become. The degree to which it has gridlocked our government. The intimidation now used to destroy businesses with an opposing opinion. The intimidation used to destroy an individuals reputation, job, and livelihood if they voice an opposing viewpoint. The anarchy reigning on university campuses.

Traveling and Entertainment

Every time I sling my belongings on the TSA conveyor belt at the airport, I realize how much the convenience of an openly free society is slipping away. Recently, TSA announced even more stringent regulations will be introduced at the end of the summer travel season. Those who travel with their jobparticularly internationallyunderstand that the safety regulations affect more than convenience. They affect productivity and the pocketbook. Safe travelers must pay to skip the long lines and then must still concern themselves about a bomb scare in the terminal that causes a late or cancelled flight.

And who goes to a concert or sporting event in a large venue today without looking around at the crowd and thinking, Sure hope some crazy suicide bomber isnt loose in here?

Personal Responsibility to Earn, Succeed, Give Back

In the past, personal responsibility meant to learn, earn, succeed, give back to the less fortunate and less able-bodied who needed assistance. Today, personal responsibility has come to mean Im responsible to get all that Im entitled to receive.

Coptic Christians are being slaughtered in Egypt. Islamic extremists have declared Jihad on all other faiths in the name of their false religion. Congress passes laws and the federal court system rules on matters of religious liberty routinely, as businesses and individuals struggle to maintain freedom to practice their religious beliefs.

Those whove never fought or sacrificed for freedomor lost someone who has-can never appreciate its fragility. Those who fail to speak up to protect it may soon find themselves silenced for good. Be grateful for the freedom you enjoy today. Never take it for granted.

The Morning Email

Wake up to the day's most important news.

Continued here:

Is Freedom More Fragile Today Than in the Past? - HuffPost

Freedom is defined as the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. On July 4th, 1776, delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, fueling the actions in the American Revolution that would render America a sovereign nation.

Although it wasnt until 1941 that July 4th was declared a federal holiday, Americans have celebrated their independence every year since the adoption of the declaration. 241 years later, Independence Day is a holiday filled with festivities. It provides time to grill out, marvel at the bold and brilliant displays of fireworks, and time spent with friends and family all with the purpose of celebrating the nations freedom.

But, while in the throes of elation it is important to not only rejoice in our freedom but remember what it took to get here.

This is the land of the free because of the brave and I like to envision thats because of our military, said Cpl. David Torres, combat camera, Marine Aircraft Group 49. In the 1700s when we took our independence, they really had no idea what was going to happen. Independence Day is a time to reflect on all the contributions everyones made to this country. Its a good day to reflect on the countless men and women who gave their lives for the freedoms and the liberties we all enjoy.

The principles outlined in the declaration; life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, still ring true and are the guidelines by which the Constitution was formed. In 1787, just four short years after the victory of the American Revolution, delegates representing almost every state met at Philadelphias Pennsylvania State House for the Constitutional Convention. It was there, in the same building that saw the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, that the Constitution was signed. Due to the actions of our founding fathers a nation was formed, but the actions of its citizens have made the country what it is today.

Americans are like their own type of breed, said Cpl. Alexander Rood, food service specialist, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. We all come from different places but those who feel patriotic and love their country so much, wont ever back down.

Since before its inception, the nation has been a country of immigrants. Those seeking refuge or just looking for a fresh start, can find it here on Americas shores and though at first they might see it as a foreign nation, America quickly becomes their home.

Im a first generation American. My parents were born in Ecuador and moved to this country in the late 80s, Torres said. Ive always had strong ties to my Ecuadorian background, but I growing up I remember thinking I might be Hispanic but this is my country, I was born here. I think its only right that you should serve your country for a given amount of time. Its the least I can do for the place I call home.

July 4th allows Americas citizens to rejoice not only in their freedom but in the very pillars this nation stands on. Strength through adversity; the courage to break free and the willingness to begin anew against all odds are few of the many attributes that make America what it is, and the very principles that earned the nation its freedom.

Original post:

Independence Day: USA celebrates 241 years of freedom - Hi-Desert Star