Closing
Thoughts
By
Chris "Dances
With Hornets" Vargas
Months
have passed since our country was attacked, but challenges still lay ahead.
I know we have all come to appreciate the freedom our country affords us,
but doubts have been expressed as to whether our current actions against those
who did this act of war are appropriate.
To
those who criticize our present course, the testimony of our freedom is the fact
that we openly debate if what we are doing is just.
This search for the truth does not currently exist in those we oppose,
and I fear that they have lost all reason.
In the aftermath of the attack, we have shown that the greatest testimony
of any nation is the wisdom, strength and grace of its citizens.
For all of us around the globe united in this conflict, more importantly
than love of country, we share a love of freedom.
I
have great faith in the American people to do the right thing.
The fact that we not only celebrate Christmas but Ramadan as well shows
not only the tolerance of the average American but the religious freedom of our
country as well.
And not just toward Islam but towards Buddhists, Hindus and all
religions.
This demonstrates that Americans understand that freedom and loving your
fellow man are more important than what his religious beliefs are.
Our experience in Bosnia protecting the Moslem Albanians from the
Christian Serbs proves this.
I,
like many of you, take no joy in a military solution, but I believe that this is
a just war, not against Islam but against evil.
I pray that God grants us the strength and wisdom to defeat this evil and
not become evil in the process. Inevitably innocent lives will be lost, but that
is why they call it war.
The
story of Christmas is the story of a new beginning.
How the love of God was so great that he allowed his son to live his life
as a human—and would later sacrifice him for the sins of man.
In Christian thought, God freed us from evil by the sacrifice of his son.
This changed the world.
It
is my hope that the sacrifices that our country will be asked to make will also
result in the freedom from evil.
I believe that our focus is not only to defeat our enemies but to free
our fellow man.
During this time when we celebrate the birth of a Savior, I can think of
no better gift to the world than this.
"If
we fail, at least our children, and our children's children, will say of us we
justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done."
Ronald
Reagan
As some of you know, I recently suffered a back injury. Although this has been a trying time for me, it has also been one of discovery. I have come to realize how blessed I am to have family and friends who care deeply for me. The help that my fellow club members have given me, and their words of support and prayers and those of others, has carried me through some dark times when not only my ability to get back on my bike was in question but also the ability to do the job I love. They have made me realize that although my body may be broken, my spirit is not; a warrior still lies beneath.
We've
kidded around in this issue with the relief effort in Afghanistan but the
situation there is very serious. If you are interested in helping the common
people who have been terrorized for over 20 years we encourage you to check out
these links:
www.afghanwomensmission.org/volunteer/
To my family, fellow Warriors and friends, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am very grateful for your support, prayers and love. God bless you all and my best wishes in this holiday season.
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