Common Sense

Get off your stadium seat, and get down into the arena!

You are not winning anything, while part of the audience.

In fact, you CAN’T win anything, as part of the audience - unless someone else, down in the arena, wins it for you - and where is the glory in that?

And it’s just possible the few guys and gals down there, in the arena, could use some help.

Let’s look at our experience in the Appleseed program.

Let’s see, now that we have a track record, four years (nearly) of uninterrupted rapid growth, we can make some definitive statements:

First, let’s craft a non-profit, all-volunteer effort calculated to one thing supposedly near and dear to our hearts: Pass on a dying Tradition.

Second, let’s take a look at the response of all our people who want to see that happen.

Have they uniformly stepped forward to put their shoulder to the Appleseed wheel?

Of course they haven’t. After all, this is 21st-century America.

And why haven’t they? The answering mantra is “ignorance, apathy, and laziness” - but while a possible explanation, none of the three is an excuse.

As an observer in this process, it would be easy for me to speak an obvious truth and say, regardless of how fast this program has gone, it could have gone a LOT faster.

Sure, we met our goal, the first year, of 1000 participants - even if it turned out to be nearly twice as much work as originally planned (in other words, instead of a projected 10 Appleseeds to do the job, it took 18, IIRC).

Announce a 2A-saving program, and - the first YEAR - have only 1000 participants?

Man, the shame of it! We should have had 100,000 participants, minimum (no, we couldn’t have handled them, so maybe life is kind in allowing us to get off to a slow start). And I could argue, a million would not have been out-of-line…

Now, at the end of the first year, with an entire year of program exposure to people, two things should have been obvious, and a third partly so:

1. After a year on the Appleseed Trail, it should have been clear we were in this to stay - and it was time to “sign up” for this program.

2. There was nothing in this program to be afraid of - no, we are not militia, nor is Appleseed ‘militia-training’. Shameful you have to deal with issues of fear amongst such strong, two-fisted, freedom-loving Americans, but the fear was palpable - and still is, in the FOURTH year of the program, in more than a few faint-hearted quarters.

3. Not quite as clear, as it takes time for direct word to spread, but the hint should have been already apparent: This program has the power to do what it says is its mission - to wake up Americans to a much-needed acquaintanceship with their history and heritage. To get ‘em off the couch, and into being American, again. No longer just TV zombies…

Now, in the FOURTH year of the program, there should be no doubt remaining about that.

Yet, millions of our fellow Americans are still up there, seemingly glued to their stadium seats, watching the show (we hope they are at least rooting for us, but many seem more interested in hot dogs and twittering).

Leaving those struggling in the arena without the help they need.

Do you know why we ‘lost’ at Bunker Hill? Did you know we did not have to “lose” that fight? Did you know American reinforcements were on the scene, but held back from joining the fight because they had to cross a narrow neck of land swept by British cannon fire?

Now, take away the cannon fire - in 21st-century America, we do not have to “sweat” any fire from British cannons - and ask yourself, since you don’t have that excuse, why are YOU holding back?

To make it easy, simply nod at one or more of the following reasons:

1. Ignorance - I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to do to help my country, I don’t know my country needs ’saving’, I don’t know what to do to save my country, I don’t know what I SHOULD be doing - in short, I don’t know - I am Ignorant. (Please, be kind to the writer - DON’T say that last with any pride in your voice.)

2. Laziness - Being in touch and well-connected with all my fat cells, I simply don’t want to put any of them in danger by bestirring my lazy self. It’s a lack of motivation thing, what they used to call, in the military, Lack of Moral Fiber (LMF) - and it was grounds for dismissal, primarily on the basis of being worthless. I am Worthless. (Please, be kind to me as an author - DON’T let me hear you say that last with any pride in your voice.)

3. Apathy - I simply don’t care. I don’t care who wins; I don’t care who loses. While part of the reason may be ignorance, and part may be laziness, I simply don’t care. “Whatever” is the mantra of my generation, and “whatever” is fine with me. Hand me another hot dog.

4. Fear - Yes, this is a new addition to the lexicon, but covers many more people than any of us would like to believe. Fear, of consequences, of getting hurt, of getting on some List, of getting dirty, of getting sweaty, of losing (if you don’t fight, you don’t lose, right?), fear of this, fear of that. Even a fear of working hard! What a betrayal of trust this one represents! I doubt not there was plenty of fear to go ’round on April 19, 1775 - but enough of our forefathers failed to let that stop them to run the Brits back to Boston. And they had, unlike you, to pass over ground which had musket balls whizzing over it. Any fear they had was real fear, not a fear of commitment, a fear of being asked to step up and take a stand…

What does fear get you? Fear keeps you locked in your seat. Fear ensures the risk of failure of something you’d like to see win, except you are so fearful you won’t get out of that safe seat in the stadium.

5. Ego - now maybe we come to the Big One. ‘Fear’ after all, is simply one way of saying “I’m the one who has to be protected. Not the Cause - whatever that is.”

Yes, sir, be sure to put yourself and your personal safety above all else. In the old days, the result used to be called “cowardice” and you, when you did it, were called a “coward”.

Now, being a coward is not that rare in 21st-century America.

In fact, so far as eyewitness testimony allows, it’s pretty much the “law of the land”. Don’t make waves. Keep yourself safe. Don’t this. Don’t that.

Not a pretty sight, my friends.

Not something the founders would have looked forward to - and they were forward-lookers, being much concerned for future generations, and the challenge of keeping liberty.

No sir, the battle for liberty was not supposed to be a one-time thing. It was recognized back then, but not today, that liberty was something each generation was responsible for preserving - for itself, and for generations to come.

Yet the image of 300 million modern Americans mesmerized by TV and so dumbed-down they can hardly think should be the alarm bell that wakens you to action.

As in, if YOU don’t do something, nothing will get done. You don’t see anyone doing anything, do you? Only those pathetic few already down in the arena - and no way THEY can save the nation - not by themselves…

So, get out of the stadium seat - you weren’t born in it after all - and some of us would even go so far as to say you - as a proud American - weren’t born FOR it, but for something greater, something more glorious…

Get out of that stadium seat, and take sides…

Hope I don’t have to tell you, which side to take, in the battle for Liberty…

Appleseed is about winning in that arena. About waking up our fellow Americans by holding up to them a proud history and heritage, and letting it soak into their minds: they are destined for a better future than the one lurking in front of us.

We can have that better future, but we’ll have to fight for it, not “sit on our bottoms” for it.

Stadium seats: If there were some way to rip them right out, the guy who figures out how to do it will be savior of liberty in this country…