



Original article published on www.SOFREP.com on January 1st 2016 ![]() The War on Terror continues to be the major focus of many as 2016 dawns today. As Obama’s administration begins their final year at the helm of the most influential nation on earth, the eyes of the world remain fixed on the U.S. election and who will be steering America’s military and foreign policy for the next four years. However, regardless of the ultimate decision, new leadership is still a year away and the current occupant of the people’s White House must make real decisions impacting the security of this country. ![]() With that said, America’s destiny for the next four years and potentially that of the entire free world rests in the hands of each one of us. Viewed in such terms, it is truly an enormous responsibility that requires an equal or greater consideration. As each of us rings in 2016, we must reflect on the fact that voting is not only a right, but a solemn duty we call a privilege of citizenship. This privilege is secured through the sacrifices of so many; it’s a right that was purchased with the blood of countless men and women through the ages. ![]() This country we enjoy, the freedoms taken for granted, are a culmination of thousands of years of human evolution and civilization. From the dawn of man in the savannahs of Africa and Mesopotamia, through the ancient empires of Egypt, Babylon, and Persia, to Greece and the Roman republic whose footsteps guided our founding fathers, through each age of human history, the groundwork of this nation took shape. From the Magna Carta and the founding of the English parliament to the Mayflower Compact, our ancestors framed the beginnings of man’s inalienable rights to freedom while fixing the limits of power for those that governed. These forward steps toward universal freedom came at great cost in lives through wars that circled the globe hundreds of years before WWI and WWII. ![]() As another year falls behind and a new one begins, our responsibility to those who came before us and, to a greater degree, to those who will come after, has never been more tangible. We find ourselves living in a pivotal time in modern history, perhaps one from which our decisions will ripple on for many years into the future. Our future is filled with frightening uncertainties, but also with great potential—a dichotomy much like the founding of America, a beacon of justice born of inequity. Always Forward!
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Original Published Article Found at www.SOFREP.com 2016 has been a historic year, one for the books my friends. The Cubbies, my Cubbies, have won the World Series and America has elected a brash businessman turned reality star into the White House. As I write this article I could have sworn I saw a pack of pigs flying out my 23rd floor window in downtown Chicago. America has spoken and Mr. Trump is our president-elect, like it or not, so let’s kindly move on. In his first major interview, Trump has commented on 60 Minutes that he will forgo the annual salary of the office which sits at a healthy (though to Mr. Trump this is a few minute’s pay) $400k a year and will only accept the by law minimum which he believes is $1. I must say, this is a bit refreshing and though will only amount to a savings to the government of nearly $1.6 million, it’s the thought that counts. Speaking of the thought, I have a better idea for our new President-Elect Trump. Instead of an empty, though no doubt good-intentioned, gesture, perhaps take it to another level. My challenge to Mr. Trump is to take that $399,999 he is entitled to as our Commander-in-Chief and donate it to a veterans or service member-centered charity. Considering President-Elect Trump has had his share of controversies, specifically as it relates to his claim he would give $6 million to veteran organizations, going further to say he would donate $1 million of his own money to these organizations. He eventually did but it appears only after he was called on the carpet by the Washington Post, but let’s not open old wounds, so to speak. Starting a new charitable giving slate, donating his presidential salary to veteran and service-member-centered organizations would go a long way to wipe it clean and produce some much-needed goodwill for the President-Elect. Starting once he is inaugurated, President Trump could choose a new organization each year, benefiting up to eight different organizations over the course of his max term potential as president. Just an idea, but seems to me would have a much more effective impact on these men and women who have served our nation than it would on the bottom line of the US budget, considering the size of our shortfall, an estimated $544 billion-with-a-B. The 4-year savings of nearly $1.6 million just seems less likely to make an impact but could be powerfully felt by these organizations. I have listed four worthwhile organizations below as examples for President-Elect Trump’s first term as president. Mr. President, go one step further and start your presidency with a giant leap in the right direction for our veterans and military communities. Hope for The Warriors – 94.18 Charity Navigator Rating Fisher House Foundation – 97.17 Charity Navigator Rating Disabled American Veterans – 98.23 Charity Navigator Rating Special Operations Warrior Foundation – 96.46 Charity Navigator Rating Sources: Congressional Budget Office; Charity Navigator; Forbes.com Click HERE for Doc's Original Published Article on SOFREP.com
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