Editor’s note: A pastor and Marine veteran, Zielinske delivered this speech at rallies of the Meeker and Rangely-Dinosaur Tea Party groups. He is pastor of the Meeker Assembly of God Church.
We have a great country, and we have great freedom. But there are people across the oceans who hate the freedom that we have and would like nothing more than to take that freedom and even our very lives from us. If we intend to keep our lives and our freedom we need a strong military presence both here and abroad. As a Marine who did three deployments in four years I know what it is like to be overseas and away from home. I know the personal cost involved; and so do all of the men and women in the armed forces. We have a voluntary military and the draft is not in effect. People know what they are signing up for and they do it willingly. We need to let them do what they signed up for and protect our country. And as for the effectiveness of a strong presence abroad, I saw the difference that it made in Iraq. As our convoys made their way through the villages, men, women, and children lined the streets waving American money, giving us thumbs up, and cheering, “George Bush, George Bush.” Not that they knew everything about George Bush and were in love with his politics, but they understood why we were there and what we were doing. And they were glad to have us there to free them from the oppression of a cruel dictator. And with the establishment of a free government in Iraq we have made the Iraqi citizens safe and our own country more secure, by eliminating a portion of the threat against us. We must continue to strengthen our military presence abroad to protect our lives and our freedom from other nations.
Aside from the protection that our military provides for us, the second amendment to our constitution gives every single one of us, as American citizens, the right to bear arms and protect ourselves; and that is a right which must be maintained. We are like no other country in the world. Typically, and I know from experience, if one country is going to invade another, they have to figure out a way to defeat their military. But, if anyone were to think about invading the United States, they would have to first figure out a way to defeat our military, which is rather unlikely, and then face the daunting challenge of figuring out a way to defeat our citizens and attempt to occupy. Can you imagine what would happen to a foreign power if they tried to set up camp in Western Colorado? I can tell you it wouldn’t happen very easily, because we all own guns and we know how to shoot them; and the rest of the country is the same. But that scenario is only viable if we maintain the right to bear arms. So we must protect our Second Amendment rights to secure our freedom.
Finally, we must seek the face of God to give us strength and wisdom to do what needs to be done. We can’t do anything on our own. Both military and militia will fail without Him. But with him all things are possible. Our founding fathers knew how necessary God’s help was in establishing this great country. And his help is just as necessary to maintain it and protect it. We can never forget that we began as and should remain one nation under God, not separated from him. So as we strive to take America back to its roots let us renew our commitment to strengthening our military, maintaining our second amendment right to bear arms, and most importantly, let us renew our commitment to pray and to seek the face of God as a nation, in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. And may he be with all of you and bless you richly with his grace.
