I want you to close your eyes and picture in your mind the soldier at

  Valley Forge, as he holds his musket in his bloody hands.

  He stands barefoot in the snow, starved from lack of food, wounded from

months of battle and emotionally scarred from the eternity away from his

family surrounded by nothing but death and carnage of war.

  He stands tough, with fire in his eyes and victory on his breath. He looks

at us now in anger and disgust and tells us this...

  I gave you a birthright of freedom born in the Constitution and now your

children graduate too illiterate to read it.

  I fought in the snow barefoot to give you the freedom to vote and you stay

at home because it rains.

  I left my family destitute to give you the freedom of speech and you

remain silent on critical issues, because it might be bad for business.

  I orphaned my children to give you a government to serve you and it has

stolen democracy from the people.

  It's the soldier not the reporter who gives you the freedom of the press.

  It's the soldier not the poet who gives you the freedom of speech.

  It's the soldier not the campus organizer who allows you to demonstrate.

  It's the soldier who salutes the flag, serves the flag, whose coffin is

draped with the flag, that allows the protester to burn the flag!!!

  "Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect

us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us

in our time of need. Amen."