Where will you go to find another country that provides the opportunities and individual guarantees of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness outlined in our founding documents and guaranteed by a government of, by and for the people?

Name a country that offers you and your family the same or more than our United States of America? The answer is: Nowhere; there isn’t such a place.

This is our land, these are our people, these are our cities, neighborhoods and streets and this is our country.

President John F. Kennedy described America as the beacon of hope for others around the world. This is our place and our responsibility. Our founding, evolution and growth as a nation are precisely defined by our imperfections, experiences and abilities to redeem and renew ourselves.

What makes America that beacon of hope is that we are, traditionally, a nation of idea generators, problem solvers, decision-makers, communicators, doers, builders and warriors; we can think for ourselves, speak freely, act and deliver results.

But being hopeful is not a survival plan: Hope has never won a war, nor will it win peace on the home front.

We cannot hope to shut our eyes against the painful truth that our very existence is, once again, in jeopardy. Failed Marxist ideologies have invaded the mainstream of our consciousness like a network of choking vines seeking to strangle the mighty American oak tree.

These ideologies manifest themselves through 1) social media censorship of the free exchange of ideas; 2) mainstream messaging that drives toward thought control; 3) political correctness designed to force behavioral compliance; 4) unethical technology use supporting security state command by an over-reaching few; 5) lawfare as the application of warfare in the courtroom and 6) the selective application, weaponization and enforcement of the very ideals, laws and institutions designed to protect us.

We are but one generation from third-world poverty, dissolution and enslavement if we choose to stand idly by and allow those seeking to project their failed ideology onto the landscape that is America. The shining city on the hill is the last stronghold of freedom and we are under siege.

So, I ask you, if America falls, where will you go?

Ensuring that situation does not happen requires that we all go on the offensive. The time of fear must now turn from anger into inspiration and action. Now is the time for all good people of America to act to protect what is ours by right and law.

Our strengths as a nation have been our diversity of thought, judgment, unity of spirit, courage as a people and devotion to what is right and just.

Our Founding Fathers were imperfect and not politically correct. They spoke their minds, shared their ideas, worked with their fellow countrymen and risked life, liberty and property to ensure that the opportunities that freedom presents would be institutionally guaranteed during their lifetime.

In short, they sacrificed much. Generations of Americans, unknown to our Founding Fathers, have benefitted from their resolute courage, devotion and profound sacrifice. But knowledge of history is not enough to secure and protect what is now rightfully ours by birth, law and responsibility.

Don’t blindly vote for an unknown future.

Kindness, generosity, courage under fire and willingness to help our fellow Americans in time of need are hallmarks of the American dream. But the American dream isn’t truly a dream for the future; it is manifested as opportunity now.

The American dream is rooted in the power of the American people — exercising the ultimate power of our vote. Thus, we are empowered to positively make a difference in our lives, our children’s lives and our neighbors’ lives.

We can minimize any post-election buyer’s remorse by researching the candidates we choose to send as our representatives to local, state and federal government.

If the candidates before us are unknown, we should reach out to them and ask them their intentions as well as what they believe are the priority issues, problems and crises before us. Don’t blindly vote for an unknown future. Make your vote count and don’t allow others to manipulate your vote for their own purposes.

Consider sending to those government positions rational and thoughtful representatives who are willing to fight for the betterment of our nation, our states and our neighborhoods.

As Martin Luther King Jr. suggested, character matters. And once elected, it is we the people who are responsible for holding those officials accountable to ensure their words equal their actions. Among others, these just actions are within your power.

This is grassroots patriotism, and we should not be shaken from what we believe in. Standing up for American ideals and for the American dream are important components of American values. I value my faith, my family, my country and the true friends who willingly stand with me during thick and thin times.

America is the land of opportunity, and freedom of the human spirit is the way toward achieving that opportunity.

To secure our republic, every American must then do their part; this is what shapes America. All of us working on the little things across the country — for example, working on school boards, at your state capitol, in your church communities, in local races, on reforming voting laws, observing voting sites, or about uncertain vaccines, etc.

Everyone doing something, no one doing everything, none of us needs to be a Washington, D.C., “superstar.” Many people doing their own small part will produce big results.

Although we need leaders at the national level to fight for us, the work done at the grassroots level maintains a strong foundation that keeps us free. America has a few Joan of Arcs, but the “Little Flowers” living their hidden lives and being faithful in the small things are crucial for our country to thrive.

People need to decide to get involved. Give up your personal plans and go to the local meeting at your town or city hall. Make efforts to stay informed and tell your friends what you think in order to encourage one another. We have to make sure we discuss politics with our children and instill good, positive American values in them, instead of leaving them to the school system to indoctrinate.

These are all things that we can’t let slide.

Sometimes we feel like if we can’t fix everything, why start now? Fight this feeling and instead chip away at the small things you can do, and together we will turn this ship around.

Keep in mind the work I describe is neither fast-paced nor exciting. It is slow and tedious. Local council meetings are usually long and drawn out; lobbying at your state capitol is time-consuming; discussing politics with your friends, family or neighbors is uncomfortable and sometimes alienating. Yes, it’s hard; life is hard.

At the local level, we must encourage each other to take care of the little things. That is how we inspire and motivate, that is how we make a difference.

As an American, I served in the armed forces that guard our country and our way of life. I was and am prepared to give my life in its defense. I have but one lantern that guides my actions, and that is the lantern of experience.

I have seen evil, and evil’s greatest fear is courageous, devoted accountability. The mask of evil will often have a smile and a handout, but let’s not be fooled or lulled into sleep by the actions of appearance only but be awoken by the actions of courage and devotion.

Founding Father Samuel Adams said, “If you love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; may your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”

In essence, if you don’t like America or what it stands for, leave.

It is not uncommon for man to be complacent while indulging in the illusions of hope.

Tyrants want an uninformed public. In fact, it is in their best interests.

Why do you think our media constantly deceives us through false and anonymous reporting? Hoping that someone will save us, that God will strike down evil before us or that others will stand in our place and do the right thing is foolish thinking.

Shutting our eyes against the painful truth that tyranny is knocking on America’s doors won’t save us from the hazards we will certainly face. The future is unknown, but there is no need to move into it blindly.

America now stands in need of its patriots to prevent its ruin. Never forget: Those things that are most precious can only be saved by sacrifice.