Editor’s Note: We bring you this blog post as part of our Memorial Day rememberance of all those who faithfully served our country.  It was written by guest blogger Janne Myrdal, who serves as state director for Concerned Women for America of North Dakota, and it was originally posted April 19, 2011.

Abby Sondeland, a 15-year-old high school freshman, bravely honored her grandfather, Lawrence Sondeland, by playing Taps at his funeral.

This morning I attended the small town funeral of a World War II veteran.  He served in the Air Force B-24 Bomber Squadron, 8th Air Force, England.  Watching the presentation of the flag to his widow, a British war bride (they were married 66 years), I was deeply touched once again by what these brave Americans did way back then.  Hearing Taps being bravely played by his 15-year-old granddaughter, a local high school freshman, put it over the top for me.  It was honor of a higher level as she nailed it and then collapsed in tears as the last tone from her trumpet hung in the air.  I happened to be standing near her and took her into my arms and held her sobbing frame while telling her that were it not for men like her grandfather, I might have grown up speaking German.  She looked at me and smiled through her tears.  I hope she understood what I was trying to tell her.  Indeed a moment to preserve.

Often, when I have the blessed opportunity to speak at gatherings here in this great country, I ask if there are veterans, but especially WWII veterans present.  Why?  Because I want them to know that I remember.  I grew up in Norway raised by parents who lived through five years of horror during the Nazi occupation.  And though I was born what seems to be an eternity away from that horrible era, it was only 17 short years that seemed like a blink of an eye to those who lived through it all.  The small town I was born in was the home of the factory that produced Heavy Water, a vital component sought after in the race for the atom bomb.  So, needless to say, the presence of the Gestapo as well as the Norwegian Resistance movement was large and intense.  (If you are interested, Heroes of Telemark, the 1963 movie featuring Kirk Douglas, is based on the true story.)  My grandfather was in the Resistance and hid in the mountains for months on end, while the Gestapo took his sons hostage and put them in labor camps in order to flush him out from hiding.  He could not come out as he knew the price for surrender was too high, even higher than that of his children’s well-being and even their lives.  At the recent funeral of my mother, one of my uncles stood up and talked about it all for the first time that I can remember, and I was stunned at some of the information that came to light, the price they all paid, yet the determination to fight for freedom at all costs.  It was something my parents drilled into our heads, almost daily, while growing up.  Stories of my dad smuggling horse meat home to cook, cut and stolen from a Nazi commander’s portion, and tales of my mom’s encounters with the Allied bombs that rained over the friendly little town – bombs aimed at saving the world, not to kill; however, kill they did.  Now, so many years later, I am ever grateful for the upbringing and heritage of a family devoted to liberty and freedom, to honor and sacrifice, and I often wonder about the providence of being born into such a family and where it takes one along the path of life.

Lawrence G. Sondeland and his wife, Pamela. Lawrence served in the U.S. Airforce, B-54 Bomber Squad, 8th Air Force in England during World War II.

So, today, at the funeral, I was overwhelmed by the honor shown this precious man and his family.  After all, how can you not be when standing in the bitter cold North Dakota wind, the soldiers with great precision folding  Old Glory and passing  on not only his memory but to remind the grandchildren and great- grandchildren of the exceptionalism of the American soldier and what is required of him/her in the quest for liberty.  Granted, this man came home, farmed and raised a large family, but many returned in a casket, and even more bodies never did return to the soil of their birth.  We must never ever take their service for granted, nor stop passing on the stories of history to our children, no matter how far removed it may seem.  Humanity has a way of repeating history, for good and for bad.  It is up to us to make sure it is for the better for the coming generations. 

We need leadership from the local to the state to national level that understands the blessing that is America, the fundamental beauty of the charters set forth by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, and the duty that comes with it. 

I believe leadership that understands America and her charters and blessings cannot but exude patriotism as they share their passion in the public square.  I cannot say what the future holds for any of us and much less who will reside in the White House come January 2013, and out of honor for this family on this day, I will not be as political as I would generally be in regards to the 2012 presidential race.  However, suffice to say that we need, and I sincerely hunger for, patriotic, proud leadership in this great nation.  Several years back, I swore an oath to America becoming a citizen of this great country.  And while doing so, having pride in the fact that my roots and upbringing come from a nation who has stood with America through over a century of partnership for freedom and liberty.  Sure, there are differences, but the core belief in liberty is deep in both nations and the willingness to sacrifice similar throughout history.  The words of my late father urge us to always “stand up for what you believe in, never be silent, and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves”, and my late and non-political mom’s advice after September 11 was, “never trust any bad guy, do not let anyone give you a Chamberlain message of peace in our time as long as bad guys are out there; tell your American President to always get the bad guy before he gets you.” Their advice rings loud and true in my soul.  Being an American comes with great responsibility, and that oath I took meant something to me.  Combine that with the heritage with which God has blessed me, and I will not stay silent, nor will I apologize for what I believe, that God did shed His grace on thee, America.  Hope comes from Providence.  That is nothing for which to apologize!  And we will not apologize for it, not now and not in the future.   This belief in America is nothing for which to apologize! 

Although I fear for America and the world today, (we have leadership on many levels that cannot see clearly that America is truly exceptional) we are a nation that has always lent itself to fight for the cause of liberty across the world regardless of cost.  I have great hope that we can see America renewed, revived, and restored to the values that made her great.  We must find and elect leaders who will insure that a future of freedom and prosperity will be provided this precious 15-year-old granddaughter who, by sounding the trumpet today, gave the honor so well deserved for her grandfather’s service.  I, for one, was reminded once again today that were it not for America and its staunch allies, my path of life would indeed have been different and may not have included freedom.

Janne Myrdal serves as state director for Concerned Women for America of North Dakota.

MTV has banned an ad offering help to pregnant women, even as it runs PSAs for the abortion provider Planned Parenthood. Click here to watch the ad “We Can Help.”

The network notified Heroic Media that it was rejecting the “We Can Help” ad a day after it announced the decision to the press.

The pro-life group explained in a statement that “an MTV sales representative, who notified Heroic Media’s advertising agency of the decision, indicated that MTV President Stephen Friedman made the decision.

“According to the sales representative, MTV, ‘Was in the works with doing a partnership with Planned Parenthood and different opportunities for PSA’s when he decided that he did not want to run Heroic Media on MTV.’”

MTV has previously run ads from Heroic Media, but Jeannie Kedas, Vice President for the cable music network that gained notoriety for pushing the cultural envelope, said the MTV “standards department” ruled against airing any more ads from the group.

The script for “We Can Help” reads:

Young Woman: I’m pregnant.
Adult Woman: It happens
Young Woman: I’m afraid.
Adult Woman: That’s normal.
Young Woman: I’m worried, my boyfriend’s scared, my parents are mad.
Adult Woman: Get a grip people.  You’re not alone.  We can help.

A recent Queerty blog entry,¹ written by Daniel Villarreal, admits that the “gay activists” actually do want to indoctrinate America’s children.  Villarreal wrote, “We want educators to teach future generations of children to accept queer sexuality.  In fact, our very future depends on it.”  He bragged that their agenda was even broader than mere indoctrination, “I and a lot of other people want to indoctrinate, recruit, teach, and expose children to queer sexuality AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT” (emphasis Villarreal’s).

Writing in response to advertisements by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) opposing the same-sex “marriage” bill in New York, Villarreal said, “Recruiting children?  You bet we are.”  He identified anti-bullying programs and social studies classes that teach children about the “historical contributions” of famous homosexuals2 as examples of the ways that the “gay” activist movement is deliberately educating children to accept homosexuality as normal.

In a blog post filled with crudities, Villarreal expressed the opinion that the younger generation doesn’t “fear homosexuality” as much as older people do.  He attributes the success in better attitudes toward homosexuality among young people to the pervasiveness of homosexuality on television, in media, and at school.  Villarreal admits that he wants children to learn that “it’s OK to be gay, that people of the same sex should be allowed to legally marry each other and that anyone can kiss someone of the same sex without feeling like a freak.”  He portrayed both homosexuality and heterosexuality in vulgar terms and described birth as a process that “forcefully excrete(s) a baby.”

So, there is nothing wrong, in his view, with vulgarities and crudities in talking about sex or with graphically depicting homosexual sex to children as young as pre-school.  The “rights” and goals of these adults supersede concerns about the well-being of children.  In fact, our nation’s children are nothing more than fodder in their gay activist campaign.

ENDNOTES

1) Daniel Villarreal, “Can We Please Just Start Admitting That We Do Actually Want To Indoctrinate Kids?” Queerty: Free of an Agenda: Except that Gay One, May 12, 2011.

2) Assertions of homosexuality can be made whether there is supporting evidence for their claims or not because the historical figures cannot defend themselves, nor can historians find evidence to refute the accusations about private behavior of historical figures.  As a result, those who are not committed to truth can say anything and get away with it.

American Idol + Lady Gaga = One Bad Romance

American Idol is one of TV’s top rated shows, with millions of viewers per week.  My family and I often watch it together and enjoy voting for our favorite contestants; and we are not alone.  Parents Television Council routinely lauds it for its family friendly tone.  This week I am disappointed to say that Fox really forgot who was sitting in the audience.  They were so excited to have Lady Gaga as their celebrity coach that they allowed their programming to be hijacked.

Lady Gaga, who by the way is no lady, consistently spewed foul language and instructed the contestants with helpful hints like “pretend the microphone is your girlfriend and see how far you can stick your tongue down her throat,”  or something very similar.  Okay, she could have been much raunchier — and routinely has been — but most of her comments weren’t helpful when viewing with my ten-year-old.   The problem here is a bait and switch.  Just when you think a show’s producers have your back as a mom, bam!  Lady Gaga.

Thank you for cleaning up the Viagra commercials Fox, but PLEASE what’s with the new tolerance for homosexuals campaign disguised as anti-bullying?   Bullying is wrong.  It is wrong for any reason.  Apparently, American Idol, with the help of Woody from Disney’s Toy Story, thinks that my 4th grader needs to be fully aware of the plight of teens who view themselves as “gay.”  I am sorry, but he doesn’t even know about heterosexual sex yet.  Can you give me some room here?

I am ticked because I feel tricked.  Fox blew it last night.  I love my Idol and Steven Tyler is the best judge ever, but I digress.  The point is parents felt secure in allowing our entire families watch this show.  They lured us into a false sense of security and broke trust with us last night.  We will probably give it another try, but trick parents again and you will find my poker face switching the channel.

A crucified Christ: Too much violence, or too much to consider?

Our family has the Good Friday tradition of watching Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, the well-documented, spectacular account of Christ’s crucifixion.  Although intense and tear-provoking, we want to be reminded, at least once per year, of the incredible price paid for our sins — the whips, the jeering, the nails, the blood — all required for our atonement.

So, once again this year, my husband and I sat down with our two teenagers, 16 and 13.  No popcorn, no movie-candy, just four believers willing to be exposed to the traumatic death of our precious Christ, the One whose death saved us from eternal suffering in hell and separation from God.

But it always astounds me the number of comments I get from fellow believers with regard to our tradition.  Comments like “Oh … I can’t watch that movie.  It’s too gory,” or “oh … I watched that movie once; that was good enough for me,” or “you let your kids watch it?  It’s way too violent!”

“Really,” I say to all those comments, “too violent?”

• Our children watch the deadly intense wizardry violence of the most recent Harry Potter movies;
• Our teenagers indulge in the blood-sucking fantasy of the Twilight series;
• They are allowed to engage in all sorts of pre-meditated, simulated violence and murder on Xbox and Playstation;

Yet we’re afraid to help them face the reality of the crucifixion; the single most important event in all of history?

And forget our teenagers for a moment, what about the countless adults I know who “can’t” watch it, saying it’s too hard to watch?

• You can’t watch Christ’s suffering, but you can watch Showtime’s Spartacus or HBO’s The Sopranos or Russell Crow’s Gladiator — all graphically violent, yet vividly accurate according to the documented accounts of that day?
• You can’t endure Mary’s sorrowful heart as she watches her Son fulfill God’s plan, but you can waste countless hours indulging in the triviality of the Real Housewives?

Oh my, believers, let’s “step up to the plate” and be honest with ourselves.  The real-life display of the Roman crucifixion — a brutal torture willingly accepted by our precious Lord — is something we should be re-living because it keeps fresh in our minds the cost of our sin.  Someone had to die for our petty selfishness, our infidelity, our deceit, and our hypocrisy, and Christ “stepped up to the plate” on our behalf. 

I KNOW that watching someone get ripped to shreds at the Roman whipping post is painfully intense, but Isaiah 53 foretold that Christ would indeed be beaten in that way; and in fact, He was beaten beyond recognition.  I KNOW that dragging a splintered cross up the Via Dolorosa while soldiers punched Him and crowds spit on Him and fans deserted Him is not part of our typical movie night, but Christ dragged that cross all the way up to Calvary’s hill … for us.  I KNOW that actually watching five-inch spikes being pounded into His hands and feet is disturbing, but imagine how He felt — and yet He allowed it so we wouldn’t have to die in sin and shame.

The cruelty of the soldiers, the deceit of the Sanhedrin, and the corrupt nature in which His trial was conducted is merely a demonstration of mankind’s depravity, the reason Christ was compelled to hang on the cross in the first place.  Shouldn’t we be willing to observe these atrocities in order that our minds may be properly prepared to meet Him face to face each day?  Don’t be afraid, believer; be strong.  Allow the reality of the crucifixion to weigh heavily on your heart so that you’ll be changed from the inside out, knowing that “by His stripes you are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

CWA friend and member Julie Tate is a wife, mother, speaker, and Bible study author/teacher. Find out more about her ministry at www.julietateministries.com.

Today we learned that an elite team of Navy Seals took care of an outstanding debt for the American people.  Osama bin Laden is dead.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our military for keeping us safe day in and day out.  It is because of them that our country rejoices today in the assassination of the world’s most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11th tragedy in which thousands of Americans lost their lives.  Nothing will ever replace those lost that day but, hopefully, Osama bin Laden’s death can bring some sort of closure to the victims’ families.

Because of the persistence of our military, our intelligence community, and especially our interrogating officers at Gitmo, Osama bin Laden was finally brought to justice.  These brave men and women who defend us every day should be honored and given our unending gratitude.

But we must always continue to be vigilant against evil and our enemies in radical Islam who continue to want to suppress our wonderful country and freedoms we hold so dear.