“May the father of all mercies scatter light, and not darkness, upon our paths, and make us in all our several vocations useful here, and in His own due time and way everlastingly happy.” –George Washington (1790)

Standing guard in defense of Liberty is a constant vigil. And it can be as exhausting as it is exhilarating. But like you, your Patriot team never wavers in its steadfast commitment to that defense.

History informs us that there has never been a day when Liberty was not under assault by those endeavoring to displace Rule of Law with the rule of men. Liberty thus requires constant defense. Indeed, it deserves no less, given all the blood and treasure that has been spent in that defense.

During a particularly rancorous battle earlier this year, I paused to reflect on the many things good and right about our great nation. In doing so, I noted that we should welcome every sunrise as “morning again in America,” every dawn as affirmation that, in the words of Ronald Reagan, “America’s best days are yet to come. Our proudest moments are yet to be. Our most glorious achievements are just ahead.” Indeed, the Reagan model for restoration was based on the sum total of our nation’s history, and it is as applicable today as ever.

No less important, we should welcome every sunset with the same optimism and the same indomitable spirit as a fellow Patriot from Reagan’s generation, John Wayne: “There’s a lot of things great about life. But I think tomorrow is the most important thing. Comes in to us at midnight very clean, ya know. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.”

These are difficult times for Patriots. They try our souls. But they are no more difficult than in many seasons past. Then, as now, we faced daunting challenges from enemies both foreign and domestic. Then, as now, we can be heartened by the awesome power that has emboldened Patriots from the dawn of our nation, who understood that an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men, will prevail.

Each new sunrise provides great opportunities to meet those challenges and conquer our adversaries. And our victory is ensured when we form a unified front, which we must do in the coming year and beyond.

Let us remember that the burden we bear on behalf of Liberty is also borne by tens of millions of fellow American Patriots who are, likewise, committed to our nation’s First Principles. Pause with me to reflect on who we really are.

We are Sons and Daughters of Liberty – Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and public servants standing in harm’s way at home and around the world, who remain loyal, first and foremost, to our sacred oath to “support and defend” our authentic Constitution and its enshrinement of our Liberty – “Endowed by our Creator.”

We are grassroots leaders and local, state and national officeholders who, likewise, honor that commitment to Liberty.

We are mothers, fathers and other family members nurturing the next generation of young Patriots. We are farmers, craftsmen, tradesmen and industrial producers. We are small business owners, service providers and professionals in medicine and law. We are employees and employers. We are in ministry at home and on missions abroad. We are students and professors at colleges and universities, often standing alone for what is good and right.

We are producers and consumers, and taxpayers and voters.

We are not defined by race, creed, ethnicity, religion, wealth, education, geography or political affiliation, but by our devotion to our Creator, and the Liberty He has entrusted to us, one and all.

We are heirs to the blessings of Liberty bequeathed to us at great personal cost by our Patriot forebearers, confirmed in the opinion that it is our duty to God and Country to extend that blessing to our posterity, and avowed upon our sacred honor to that end.

Fellow Patriots, stand unified and hold the line. Stand firm in the knowledge that our Creator, who endowed our unalienable right to Liberty, is Just and Merciful.

In keeping with the Spirit of this Christmas season, I invite you to visit our Patriot Christmas page, which provides some insight on the history and current context for the celebration of Christmas.

In this last of my 2013 columns, as with all preceding it, I close with a few words in Latin – words that summarize our mission:

Pro Deo et Constitutione – Libertas aut Mors
(For God and Constitution – Liberty or Death)
Semper Fortis Vigilate Paratus et Fidelis
(Always Brave, Vigilant, Prepared and Faithful)

To these I must add “et Gratus” – and Grateful. I am eternally grateful to God for all His provisions, and that includes YOU, our Patriot countrymen.

At the end of each year, your Patriot Post team takes leave between Christmas and New Year’s. We do so to be with our families, and to reflect on the year past as well as the year to come. We will return on 3 January 2014, when we launch our new daily Patriot Digest.

Have a Merry Christmas, fellow Patriots! May the Father of all mercies scatter light upon our paths, and may it shine bright upon you, your family and our great nation in the coming year!

Pro Deo et Constitutione – Libertas aut Mors
Semper Fortis Vigilate Paratus et Fidelis