"HOW DID IT COME TO THIS ??"

The news reported lately has become very discouraging....Not that we didn't face tough times in the past, but the recent issues seem more daunting than the one we faced in our past.

The recent issues ofnote are the economy, recession, unemployment, housing prices, healthcare, the deficit, Mexico, illegal immigration, protests of burring of the Quran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, etc. etc. The pace at which new issues arise is also staggering....each day we have a new issue presented to rival all others.

Our parents lived under the threat of Nuclear War and had the Cold War as a constant companion. An energy crisis and inflation presented great challenges to our country but we were able to work out the issues. Was it easy for them?? No, but they had better leadership and men who took their position seriously and had been raised in simpler times.

The President complained the other day about the issues he has had with his political rivals.

CBS NEWS reported it this way, [ " Rebuilding the middle class, (The President) said, has "meant taking on some powerful interests -- some powerful interests who had been dominating the agenda in Washington for a very long time."

"And they're not always happy with me," Mr. Obama added. "They talk about me like a dog. That's not in my prepared remarks, it's just -- but it's true."

It was not entirely clear what the president meant by "like a dog." ]

I have written at length about the fact, an indisputable fact, that we have an embarrassing lack of LEADERSHIP in Washington, DC. To compare the political leaders of our past with POTUS, Biden, Pelosi, Reed, and the rest of the Administration & Congress in Washington is frankly embarrassing. I feel that Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and FDR would all be shocked at hearing the President whine about ""They talk about me like a dog." They all took criticism from rivals, even within their own White Houses as part & parcel with the job- They were made of tougher stock and were true leaders - POTUS acts like a petulant 7-year old whining to his parents after not getting picked first for sandlot baseball.

As I was writing this post, the movie " LOTR -The Two Towers " was on in my bedroom. JRR Tolkien's epic story features the Kings of Middle Earth facing an insurmountable evil that threatens to destroy their world and enslave all free men.

Of the three movies, I am drawn to this chapter as it presents the maturing of the characters as they struggle to fight Saruman the White Wizard and his Orc army.

The leader of Rohan is King Theoden. He is a wise and brave leader, who is beset on all sides by the destruction of his kingdom, the loss of his men in battle and the loss of his own son. Theoden displays the LEADERSHIP that we could use today. He is confident but not arrogant - He is wise and not afraid to share the wisdom of his years - He values the lives of the citizens of his kingdom and will do whatever is required. His character is that of a true leader, one who has been tested in battle, listens to the advice of others and places his own needs below the needs of his people.

A pivotal scene occurs just before the battle for Helm's Deep. Theoden is trying to understand what has occurred to bring him & his kingdom to Helm's Deep, to fight this key battle.

He speaks with Gamling, the leader of his Army:

Inside the Great Hall Gamling is helping Theoden to put on his armour

GAMLING: Every villager able to wield a sword has been sent to the armoury. My lord?

THEODEN: Who am l, Gamling?

GAMLING: You are our king, sire.

THEODEN: And do you trust your king?

GAMLING: (places his breast plates on him) Your men, my lord......will follow you to whatever end.

Gamling puts more armour on Theoden. The Uruk-hai are shown marching towards Helms Deep.


THEODEN To whatever end. Where is the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?

The men are seen sharpening swords. The villagers are handed staffs. A boy has a over-sized helmet put on, and another handed a huge axe, which he looks at in disbelief.

THEODEN: They have passed like rain on the mountains. Like wind in the meadow. The days have gone down in the West... ...behind the hills......into Shadow.

THEODEN: How did it come to this?

That is the key question we all are facing - How did it come to this? How did we allow ourselves to be in a position of having an obviously unskilled, incompetent President setting a course for our country, a course that the majority of citizen feel is wrong? How have we allowed him to tell us that while the rest of the world burns our flag, we are in need of another lecture from him? Why is our position in the world seen as WORSE now than when we had GW Bush in office?? All of POTUS' supporters said it was Bush's fault that we were seen poorly, but POTUS' World Apology tour made it only worse for us....the world sees us as weak and unwilling to defend ourselves. The President condemns his critics quickly but fails to condemn out-of-control idiots that riot, kill and burn our flag.

Theoden asked the key question. He understood the nature of the peril he faced. Our President worries more about his own popularity & standing than the fate of millions of Americans who need jobs.

I echo Theoden's words by also asking, " How did it come to this???" - We need to answer the question along with putting in place good leadership and a plan to allow us to beat back the peril marshaling outside the wall's of our own Helm's Deep.