Happy Birthday Winston Churchill

Justin D. Lyons writes a piece on Churchill worth reading, especially today on his birthday. Churchill is one of those historical figures that looms over many of the great men in history. I have tried (in vain) to find the time to read the vast array of writings on him. He was also a prolific writer. This essay sums up (if there can be a summary) the essence of Churchill’s political thought. Lyons concludes with this…

The study of Churchill’s statesmanship deserves a central place in the scholarship of the politics of freedom. He believed in the metaphysical freedom of mankind, and he insisted that it should be reflected in political arrangements, that political freedom was necessary to the flourishing of the human spirit. But the conditions of freedom do not simply occur. Humanity must fight to establish them, struggle to maintain them, and sacrifice to defend them. Because these tasks have no end in this world, the lessons of Churchill’s words and deeds will remain central to the human political experience. They are, to echo the Greek historian Thucydides, "a possession for all time." We may therefore take Churchill’s message as inspiration to undertake the tasks we have still before us: "The day may dawn when fair play, love for one’s fellow men, respect for justice and freedom will enable tormented generations to march forth serene and triumphant from the hideous epoch in which we have to dwell. Meanwhile, never flinch, never weary, never despair."

I think the bolded statement sums up what is going on over here in Iraq. The conditions of freedom have never “just occurred in history. It has always taken a lot of blood, sweat and toil to establish it. Moreover, liberty will not last in any country without people willing to defend it. I recommend the entire essay for your reading on this great man’s birthday.
http://www.ashbrook.org/publicat/oped/lyons/04/churchill.html

Also, it was Winston Churchill that said, “a reservist is twice the citizen” because he/she has both civilian responsibilities and job along with the responsibility to answer the nation’s call to defend it and lay down his/her life. Here’s to all my fellow reservist who have admirably responded to these two responsibilities in the past and who will again respond in the future.