Happy, Happy, Happy (28 page)

You know what Jefferson had to say about the health care programs our government is trying to force down our throats? He said, “To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical.” We shouldn’t have to pay for stuff we hate, and I don’t want to pay for a health care program that endorses legalized abortions. No one has the right to make us pay if we don’t want it. Now, the government is saying we have to pay for
programs like health care, whether we like it or not. It’s sinful and tyrannical, according to Jefferson.

Jefferson also warned us to make sure we maintain our right to bear arms. He said, “No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.” Jefferson was telling us, “Boys, make sure you keep your guns.” In a democracy, the strongest reason for the people to retain their right to keep and bear arms is as a last resort to protect themselves against tyranny.

Jefferson was one of our first presidents, so you’d think the first thing he’d want to do is confiscate everyone’s guns. But he actually said the opposite and believed that if things ever went south, the people were going to need their guns. That’s pretty serious talk, but that’s what Jefferson said. Washington agreed with him and basically said firearms are America’s liberty teeth. In his first message to Congress on the State of the Union on January 8, 1790, Washington said, “A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined.” Do you see their point? It’s by the people, for the people, Jack!

John Adams, our second president, said, “Statesmen . . . may plan and speculate for Liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand.” Adams told us that if we don’t have God in our lives and aren’t morally righteous, we’re going to lose it all. That’s where we are now, and I fear that’s what’s fixing to happen.

Now we can’t figure out what’s wrong with America’s youth. Our children are plagued by violence, alcohol, drug abuse, teenage pregnancies out of wedlock, and high dropout rates. Well, Noah Webster, who is considered the father of American education, basically believed that the Bible was America’s basic textbook in all fields. In his
History of the United States,
Webster wrote, “The most perfect maxims and examples of regulating your social conduct and domestic economy, as well as the best rules of morality and religion, are to be found in the Bible.” Webster must have been a pretty intelligent guy, because I’m still using a
Webster’s Dictionary
! But we’re not even allowed to start the school day with a prayer or have a Bible in a classroom. Webster believed you had to vet everything through the Bible. We got away from it and now we’re paying the price. We should have listened to Webster.

Webster must have been a pretty intelligent guy, because I’m still using a ‘Webster’s Dictionary!’

What are we going to do with our youth? How are we going to reduce crime? How are we going to prevent our children from having babies? What are we going to do? The only solution our government can come up with nowadays is to pour more money into our problems and research solutions. Webster said what we need to do is put the Bible back where it ought to be. I’m right there with him!

Without the Bible as a blueprint for living our lives, I’m not surprised to see our country struggling so mightily. Romans 1:28–32 says:

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents, they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

The apostle Paul was writing about the Roman Empire, but he might as well have been talking about present-day America. We fought Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s, and then we continued to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq for more than a decade to weed out terrorists. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, we lost nearly seven thousand brave soldiers during those wars. But there’s a bigger war going on in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over sixteen thousand people were murdered in the United States in 2010. While a good chunk of our firepower was in the Middle East trying to get a handle on terrorism, we were
losing an even bigger war right here in the good ol’ USA. Sadly, our children are the ones doing a lot of the killing.

I’m extremely worried about our country’s youth. Remember the scene from
Duck Dynasty
when I joined my grandson on a date with his girlfriend in my boat? I told him, “Son, no hands below the neck.” What was I trying to tell him? My greatest fear is for one of my grandchildren to come up and tell me they have herpes. Don’t you think it a little ironic that what follows sexual immorality is herpes, chlamydia, AIDS, syphilis, and gonorrhea? How could something as much fun as sex all of the sudden bring these horrible diseases upon us? Doctors have been researching these diseases for centuries, but they can’t cure most of them. They can’t get rid of most of them. What do you call that? You call that the consequences of disobeying the Almighty.

Look, you’re married to a woman and she doesn’t have AIDS, chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, or any of the rest of them. Here’s the good news: you don’t have it and she doesn’t have it. Guess who is never going to get it if you keep your sex right there? The only way it can be transmitted to you or your spouse is if you go out and disobey what the Almighty says. When it’s one woman and one man, you won’t catch this stuff. But if you disobey God, His wrath will be poured out upon you. It’s not a coincidence that horrible diseases follow immoral conduct—it’s the consequences that follow when you break God’s laws.

During the 1960s, I was involved in a lot of the sins I’m talking about. Remember, before I was converted when I was twenty-eight, I was running with the depraved crowd. I’ve been there and done that. I’m sorry to say it, but my generation gave itself over to sinful desires and sexual impurities. Thankfully, it’s not too late to save our next generation.

What in the world ever happened to the United States of America, folks? Our country is so different from the nation that was founded more than two hundred years ago. I’m absolutely convinced that the reason America went so far and so fast is that our founders were God-fearing men. It was godly from the start. Our founding fathers fled the wickedness of Europe and came to America to build a nation built on principles, morals, and their beliefs in Jesus Christ. They drew upon their faith and biblical ideals to actually construct the framing documents of our great country.

The irony of it all is that we’re right back to what they ran from 237 years ago. We’re right back to old King George. Our forefathers’ greatest fear was that the very thing they revolted against would come full circle and we’d be right back to where they started. When Webster was asked what the greatest thing that ever passed through his mind was, he said it was his accountability to God. I agree with him wholeheartedly. I’m not going askew from the principles on which the United States was built;
I’m right there with our founding fathers. I’m a patriot and a Christian, and I’m moving forth with what they started. But now it’s gotten to where I’m some kind of nut or Bible beater.

I say, so be it. I’ll still go across the country spreading God’s Word, like I’ve done since I was twenty-eight. I may be only one man reading Scripture and quotes, carrying his Bible, and blowing duck calls to crowds, but, hey, it has to start somewhere. It’s what makes me happy, happy, happy.

Out of the many memorable lines and quotes I have heard from my dad through the years, the one that always seems to stand out the most is “Son, don’t ever tell people how good or great you are at something; let them tell you.” For a man who has achieved his own level of greatness in the eyes of so many, those words were both prophetic and wise. To be the best at anything, one has to have a lot of confidence and a certain amount of ego and drive. But one must also have humility to make a life-changing impact on people. I realize now that that is what Dad was teaching me all those years ago. Of course, to become a legend, one that other people admire and want to emulate, you also have to add faith and dedication to what you love. A good woman doesn’t hurt either.

My mom has always been Dad’s biggest cheerleader, from
when he was a high school quarterback to when he became a Christian to when he faithfully plunged into this dream that is now known as Duck Commander. Her humility and dedication held them together when he was not the man he needed to be, and now she keeps him humble as his right hand and soul mate. Believe me, there would be no Duck Commander legend without Miss Kay!

What I respect most about my dad is that he allowed and continues to allow God to guide him. He offered himself to the Creator and humbly accepted a path that has now led to fame, recognition, and greatness, but has led mostly to glory to God and a life change for thousands of people. What I respect most about my mom is that she never gave up on him. Through her love for God and us boys, she led Dad to his relationship with God and changed all of our destinies. Their motive for Duck Commander has always been Kingdom first.

From my perch as the oldest son, I have had the opportunity to see the longest and greatest impact Dad’s life change and legacy have had on our earthly family, our forever family, and the world we live in. I have also personally experienced his love and support throughout my days here on Earth, even when some of those days were dark and I didn’t want to listen to him or Mom. I have grown and flourished as a man and as a man of God because of the influence of my parents, and I am forever grateful for them.

I thank my mom for her tenacity, long suffering, and close friendship. She taught me how to forgive and see potential goodness in people that others cannot see. She taught me that hope is one of God’s greatest virtues when things seem dark and difficult. I thank my dad for his guidance, commitment to God, and visionary faith. He saw what we couldn’t, and he has taught me to appreciate what can be done when others say it cannot be done. He taught me how to work hard and achieve your dreams. He taught me to appreciate God’s creation through a love of the outdoors and the simple beauty in the smallest things. From a smartweed stalk to a crawfish hill to a buttonwillow thicket, Dad has always seen the hand of God in the nature that surrounds us. He also taught me that people are worth loving because God made us to be loved and to share a message of love and redemption.

My dad would follow his own advice and never tell you how great he is, but I don’t mind telling you at all.