July 2019 President’s Message

Aloha!

Before I get into the gist of my new message, there are some changes to our website:
We have been given permission to link to Stop Comprehensive Sexuality Education (stopcse.org), so a link has been added, and their 10-minute video will be featured.
There is a new Photo of Trump and Pence, and a link to President Trump’s Florida speech announcing his 2020 candidacy for President.
Once again, I want to thank Teddy Fletcher of RaneWorks for the updates and changes.

During the last Presidential election, and with the realization that our country had two different political philosophies, I wanted to find out what our Founding Fathers envisioned when they formed our great nation. Hence, I took my first college course in 40 years and enrolled in Hillsdale College’s free Constitution 101 online class. For 10 weeks, I sat at my computer listening to the professors’ interesting lessons, took tons of notes, and read the required readings which were, to me, very difficult to understand at first. While reading the assignments online, the left side of my computer was for Googling the definitions of unfamiliar words. It was an enjoyable class which I passed. One of the quotes I found profound from the class says: “Nowhere in the history of the world has there ever been or will there ever be an assemblage of political genius as when our forefathers created our Constitution.”

There are some takeaways I want to memorialize about what I learned:

Publius, the pseudonym of Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, and the 85 articles they wrote, later called the Federalist Papers, was crucial to getting the Constitution ratified by New Yorkers, and those papers are still considered one of the most important sources for understanding and interpreting the original content of the Constitution.

Our forefathers had bounties on their heads because Britain’s crown wanted them all dead, so many meetings were in secret. They were all gifted writers, visionaries, and deeply, deeply entrenched in the fight for independence. Most importantly, the early Americans S.T.R.U.G.G.L.E.D. to get this country going amidst treachery, traitors, and loyalists to the British. I can’t emphasize enough just horribly difficult it was for our forefathers and the early American patriots. Even the tricky political maneuvering amongst themselves was fragile.

To further my knowledge, I have been enamored with the writings of a man from Boston, MA, a city I have yet to visit, unfortunately. Nathaniel Philbrick’s books on early America, should be included in high school history curricula because they are quite detailed, epic, and fascinating reading. The man, while doing due diligence on his research, uses authentic documents. I have read, “The Mayflower,” “In the Heart of the Sea,” “Bunker Hill” (it took him 3 years of research for this book), and just recently completed “Valiant Ambition” which is about George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the various battles during the Revolutionary War.

In “Bunker Hill” we get a glimpse as to what our First President, George Washington, was about, and we learn that his greatest desire was to become a British noble. To help with his prestige and to add to his property, President Washington married the wealthy Martha Custis, who at the age of 25 became a widow with 4 children. At first, he had great disdain for the New England patriots because he saw those soldiers as undisciplined, but his opinion changes as the war progresses. One thing both “Bunker Hill” and “Valiant Ambition” note is that President Washington was an impressive man, very tall, and, when on his horse, he looked formidable. There are accounts of him being in the midst of a battle, encouraging his men, with lead balls from British muskets flying and whizzing by him, and even with holes in his jacket, he remained unscathed. We need to remember, especially, he was never always successful, because in a few crucial battles he was out maneuvered. Sadly, he even had to deal with jealousy among his generals. But, in the books, we see the warrior, undisputed leader, and his greatness emerging.

Washington, like all leaders, had enemies within his own camp. One of his greatest handicaps was Congress. He could only do what Congress allowed him to so his hands were often tied behind his back, and, remember, communication was turtle-like…slow, and it frustrated him when Congress never responded to his demand for the supplies necessary to sustain the thousands of soldiers fighting in the Continental army. He also had to deal with men just up and leaving, even during battles, en masse. It was in the description of Valley Forge that I got a true sense of his army’s great despair because during the winter his men were being decimated by disease, the severe cold, and, especially, lack of any food. Many of his soldiers starved to death. We all know the outcome of Washington’s army being saved when provisions reached his men.

Benedict Arnold was one of America’s great generals during the Revolutionary War. I will not go into detail about how and/or why he became a traitor, you will need to read the book, but I can say that Mr. Philbrick has written many pages describing Arnold’s actions and his accomplices. When documents reach Washington noting that John Andre, a British Soldier, has been caught with drawings of West Point, I could feel Washington’s rage when he realizes Benedict Arnold has betrayed his country. There is an excellent description of the importance of West Point’s location and fortifications in the book. Nathaniel Philbrick describes Arnold as being one of Washington’s close friends. Arnold was a very fierce fighter; he loved being in battle, but he was also ill-tempered, impatient, and, in the end, narcissistic. The whole irony about Arnold’s character was that he still tried to portray himself being a patriot while all the time becoming the devious traitor.

What is the point about all of this?

When Trump became President, the treachery he has encountered since his inauguration, in my view, equals that of what our Founding Fathers and early Americans were going through when the United States of America was being formed…but without the bloodshed. Grievously, rather than the British hating the American patriots, it is our own people who want our President totally vanquished from the American scene. Nonetheless, our economy is booming; people are working; our country is now looked upon with respect; trade agreements are being bettered to benefit our industries; and the American people’s needs are being addressed before another country’s citizens.

Like many of you, I voted for President Trump because I like his no nonsense, powerful pro-American stance, and he is a brilliant businessman. In these times, we need a leader who is fearless and unafraid to face tyranny not only in our own country but in the global arena. Since his election to that high office, he has proven himself, and I will unabashedly vote for him, again. Like George Washington, the man is a warrior.

We must NEVER EVER forget the paths forged by the genius of those great Americans, our Founding Fathers and the incredible heroes who sacrificed so much during the Revolutionary War. Two hundred forty-three years later, I am still in awe!

May God Almighty continue to bestow on this country His innumerable blessings.
Happy 4th of July!

President, Hawaii Federation of Republican Women