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From the Gazeebo...  

"INDEPENDANCE FOREVER"

"Fiat Justitia ruat Coelum" - let justice be done though the heavens should fall. - John Adams, written to a friend during the darkest days of the American Revolution.

John Adam's love for his country - our country - was so much a part of who he was that at the age of 91 years, ailing and fading fast, he was determined to live to see the fiftieth Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. At dawn of that day, July 4, 1826, Adams was awakened by his servant, who asked if he knew what day it was. He replied, "Oh, yes, it is the glorious fourth of July. God bless it. God bless you all." He then slipped into a coma. That afternoon Adams regained consciousness briefly and whispered, "Thomas Jefferson lives." Those were his last words. He did not know that Thomas Jefferson had also died, on that same day. Such was the strength of the will of John Adams.

John Adams, statesman, orator, principled founding father, second President of the newborn United States of America, is probably the one man most responsible - through the depth of his political vision, his moral integrity, and the force of his reasoning - for the independence of the 13 original American Colonies.

"The man to whom the country is most indebted for the great measure of independence is Mr. John Adams...I call him the Atlas of American Independence. He it was who sustained the debate, and by force of his reasoning demonstrated not only the justice, but the expediency of the measure."

And so having won the debate, the mind of Adams, the "force of his reasoning, set into motion the most noble war that mankind has ever fought, a war not just to prove the superiority of one system over another, but a war for a bold and brave idea - the war for freedom itself, the war for the birth of a new nation built not by men in chains but by men of fierce independence and unbending integrity - a grand and masterful experiment in self-determination that would rock the world and forever alter the course of history.

In fact, in his closing years, John Adams was fond of saying that the War of Independence was only a consequence of the American Revolution. In other words, it was not the war that was the Revolution, rather the Revolution, the real Revolution, began 15 years before that first shot was fired in Concord.

The true American Revolution was an intellectual and moral revolution, a revolution of the Spirit of the American People. The War for Independence was the inescapable outcome of that Revolution of ideas and moral clarity and justification. Therefore Adams appealed to his countrymen to apply their reason and to study and truly understand the philosophies and historical foundations upon which their rights and liberties are built. To Adams, liberty means freedom from foreign domination, from government force and intrusion, from other individuals, and freedom from one's own human weakness. "Americans," Adams wrote, have a "habitual, radical Sense of Liberty, and the highest Reverence for Virtue."

For John Adams, the Spirit of Liberty "is and ought to be a jealous, a watchful Spirit." Adams knew that a Free People need to be jealous of their freedom. They must always be on guard, because as long as a people are free, others will seek to steal away that freedom for the sake of gaining power - through encroaching powers, trading away freedom for money or other "security," or by force of arms. Adams understood that freedom is fragile, fleeting, and rare. Even today, very few have it, and those who do must continually fight to keep it.

As the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and the end of his life, approached, 91 year old John Adams spoke these final, solemn public words when asked to provide a toast: "INDEPENDANCE FOREVER." For you, for me, and for all modern-day Americans, we must decide what things, material and spiritual, we are willing risk and sacrifice for the ideal of INDEPENDANCE FOREVER, for the ideals that were first dreamed of in that American Revolution of the Spirit and later won for us at so bloody a cost. John Adams and the other signers of that terrible document - terrible in its absolute finality - dedicated their lives, their property, and their sacred honor to the cause of Liberty.

Would I? Would I, given the chance, rise to that level of honor? Would you? In that position, would we, today, in Modern America, truly rise to the level of honor that would drive us to risk the loss property, prosperity, and life itself for an idea?

In the year 2009 we have an entire generation of Americans who are doing exactly that, who have proven by word and deed that yes, they are equal in vital principle even to the Founding Fathers. They have dedicated their young lives, they risk their futures and their lives in the exercise of nobility. They are the men and women of the United States Armed Forces, and they are, in character, the height of moral achievement to which each of us should aspire.

We in the Warriors' Watch Riders are fortunate. We're some of the lucky ones, because we have found, through the Warriors' Watch and other outlets, a way to show our deep regard for the character of those warriors. We have a means of exercising in a tangible way our respect and honor, and because the Warriors' Watch organization gives us this means, we in turn take meaning and justification from it.

For our troops, past and present and future. For our families, for our God and our Country, I offer this borrowed toast: INDEPENDENCE FOREVER!

- Wayne Lutz

SEND A CARE PACKAGE TO OUR TROOPS

If you are looking for an easy way to support our troops, look no further than my favorite troop-support fund, the Adam Conboy Fund's "Operation Bedding." Since its founding three years ago by Gold Star Mom Mary Conboy, Operation Bedding has sent over 10,000 care packages to troops. They know the ropes, they know what's needed. For $20, Operation Bedding will pack and ship a care package in your name to a Warrior who needs it most. Go to the Operation Bedding website to get yours!

CONTINUE TO SERVE OUR TROOPS. HONOR THE FALLEN BY SUPPORTING THE LIVING.

Some people go to their graves wondering if their having lived made any difference in the world. If you are a WWRider, you will never need to wonder. You will KNOW beyond doubt that your actions made a difference in the world, in the lives of our troops and their families.

Please check the Mission Planning Forums for upcoming Welcome Home rides - we need your support! The Mission Planning forums can be viewed even if you are not registered on the forums. However, if you have NOT YET REGISTERED ON THE FORUMS, PLEASE DO SO NOW to ensure that you do not miss any of the excitement, planning and discussion of this upcoming activity! Click on this link and register on the forums now!

Until next time: MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS THIS, STILL THE GREATEST NATION ON EARTH, AND ALL OF THOSE WHO DO, HAVE, OR WILL DEFEND HER, AT HOME AND ABROAD.

- Wayne Lutz

*This newsletter is named "The Weekly Ride" or "The Ride", for short, in memory of and to honor Sgt. Jennifer Hartman, U.S. Army. Sgt. Hartman was killed in Iraq by America's enemies. She died in defense of our freedom at the age of 20. This quote from Jennifer was read at her graveside:

"It's not about what happened in the past. It's not about what might happen in the future. It's about the ride, for Christ's sake."

Click here for a Tribute to Sgt. Jennifer Hartman: "The Ride"