 |
Foreword
Freedom is not free and liberty never comes without sacrifice. I can personally testify, as a member of the Polish Underground Army, fighting the Nazi regime during the fall of 1944, that the cost of freedom is great and the toll in human sacrifice beyond comprehension. I can also testify that freedom’s reward is undoubtedly worth the struggle. Further testimony to our American struggle for freedom, is manifest by the thousands of American GI graves spread across Afghanistan, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the Pacific Islands, at the Pentagon and in New York City.
Everywhere we go today, a person, a government or a tyrant wants to vanquish the American dream and replace it with what they believe is a better interpretation of what they think is best for each of us. If we are not willing to fight for our unalienable rights, we will lose them and the enemies of liberty will prevail. A Polish guerrilla leader was once asked what he would do if the comrades, meaning the Russian communists, took over the government of his country. He thought for a moment, and then responded, "Start fighting against the new regime!" He made that statement after four years of fighting German oppression. Our struggle for liberty takes many forms. Many threats are overt and some are clear while the most intransigent of those threats, are those that begin small and become intertwined within the fabric of our society.
In Obamunism – The Enemy Within, Ed Kugler identifies the same problem in today’s society that I experienced over 60 years ago in Poland. People who have personally known the fear of death, as Ed did in Vietnam, have a profound understanding of human nature and the value of life and sincerity.
When Ed listens to speeches designed to mislead, manipulate, distort the facts or falsify evidence in order to induce the citizens to react in a manner not corresponding with national interest – Ed reacts. His reaction, to the bending of our national interests, is eloquently presented in this book. Regardless of his own political viewpoints, Ed presents his case in a clear and concise manner, leaving the reader to make their own determination based on facts. Mr. Kugler’s use of a reasoned approach, to our country’s current crisis, is well documented and accurately presented.
As terrorism progressively rears its ugly head, whether in New York, Bali, Somalia, Berlin or Tel Aviv, the entire world witnesses the suffering. The misguided people in our country, who call themselves “occupiers”, trample on the freedom of other citizens in the name of the 99%. Yet, we as a citizenry watch the occupiers trample the rights of citizens while our elected officials exhort them in the name of free speech. Obama acknowledged the Occupy protest movement by saying: “You are the reason I ran for office.”
Is this the beginning of the tacit acceptance of a group of people to infringe upon the rights of others? Allow me to quote a part of pre-sentencing address of the Shoe Bomber by Judge William Young U.S. District Court: “You are a terrorist. You are not a soldier. It seems to me you hate the one thing that is most precious. You hate our freedom, our individual freedom to live as we choose, to come and go as we choose, to believe or not believe as we individually choose. Here, in this society, the very winds carry freedom. They carry it everywhere from sea to shining sea. It is because we prize individual freedom so much that you are here in this beautiful courtroom.” I witnessed the birth of this same type of “occupy” movement, on a smaller scale in 1930’s Europe, all in the name of the greater good and redistribution of resources.
Ed Kugler clearly demonstrates his sincere commitment to basic human rights. His devotion and loyalty to nonviolence calls for and advises for us a peaceful metamorphosis, the return to America as our ancestors knew it. Ed has a keen awareness of the political injustices within society and has the courage to speak out against it. He advocates a return to the freedom and democracy from which our country was born – the freedom to succeed or fail, without government intrusion. He notes that the re-distribution of wealth and other failed socialistic-liberal agendas do not fit into American society. Ed has risen to this new challenge, as he did in the jungles of Vietnam, but this time, he is involved as an educator, role model, patriot and peacemaker. Ed Kugler challenges the reader in the same way that he has challenged himself.
Today, our young men and women are willing to sign up, to defend our freedoms, always with the possibility that one day they may be called upon to pay the ultimate sacrifice. Nowhere else in the world, is this ‘volunteer force’ the cornerstone of a nation’s defense. These ‘volunteers’ are not fighting to preserve ‘hope and change.’ We were not fighting to preserve ‘hope and change’ in 1944 Warsaw either. We were fighting to preserve those unalienable rights endowed by our Creator beginning with freedom. Let’s not squander our liberty for empty political slogans such as ‘hope and change’.
In his previous book, Dead Center – A Marine Snipers Two Year Odyssey in the Vietnam War, Ed used language and terminology that was very expressive and self explanatory. He does so in this book as well. Mr. Kugler has proved his competence in dealing with political and social issues. Someone once said, “Heroes are real people, not perfect, not infallible, not immortal, but nevertheless constructive role models.” Ed Kugler is one of them.
I especially like the way Arthur Ashe defines what it means to be a hero. He said, “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.” Our country needs men like Ed Kugler and books like Obamunism. They’re not perfect, but they’re true to the core beliefs and disciplines that made America great.
It is the adherence to those unalienable rights by people committed to America which have made our country great. Look at the former Soviet Empire. The Soviets planned and managed every aspect of the lives of millions of people. Did they succeed? Those small private patches of ground, in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and other countries where people could grow their own crops thrived. Eventually, it was the Soviets inability to quell the peoples thirst for freedom that did them in. It started with the Polish people’s desire for the freedom of religion. Haven’t we learned from the failures of history in the last century? It is only by allowing a free people to pursue their individual goals, that a country becomes strong.
Yet, with billions of dollars of government stimulus, our real unemployment rate remains at 16% and we have lost the respect of countries throughout the world. What has hope and change delivered? In our new war against the terrorists and different “isms”, we are waging a two-front war. One against radical Islam and a second-front at home against the backers of class warfare. The loss of freedom can come head on, or, through a slow and methodical degradation of our unalienable rights.
I was witness to the onslaught of “freedom’s loss” through tyranny and violence. At least I knew where to look and who to fight. In the fight against the slow degradation of our rights, who do we fight?
Who do we point our fingers to as the executioner of our liberties? It is a much harder and protracted offensive but make no mistake, it is a war that we can easily loose. As free Americans, we must show courage, patriotism and devotion to our country.
Ed’s personal experience, as well as his knowledge of the meaning of freedom, determination, oppression, success, failure, foresight, aspiration, and a love of country, he provides the reader an ability to grasp our country’s current predicament, downward slide and loss of individuality. He has a distinct no BS manner and offers practical solutions. Ed’s patriotism and commitment to truth has been a cornerstone of his life regardless of the price he paid for what he believed in.
We must understand our enemy cannot be trusted. Warsaw, Poland appeared to present the last major obstacle to the Soviet army's triumphant march from Moscow to Berlin. When the German Wehrmacht was pushed back to the Vistula River which divided the city into two parts, we believed that liberation was at hand. So, too, did the Western leaders. We believed that because Soviet radio was calling on Poles to start the ‘uprising’ for a long period of time before August 1944.
On August 1, 1944, when the Soviet Armies were at the gates of Warsaw, the Polish Underground Army started an Uprising against the German occupation of Warsaw ‘hoping’ that the Russians would enter the city and help with our ‘uprising’.. We Poles forgot that, “Hope is a fool’s paradise” (Paraphrased from The Paston Letters, 1462).
The Polish Resistance poured forty thousand plus armed fighters into the streets to drive out the hated Germans. Unfortunately, this action did not coincide with Stalin's master plan for post-war Europe. While the Western Allies were making all possible efforts to win the war against Hitler's armies, Stalin was setting up his plan for control of post-war Eastern Europe.
Stalin condemned our ‘uprising’ as a criminal adventure and refused to cooperate in assisting Warsaw’s freedom fighters. It was simple. It interfered with his plan for post-war Europe.
Keep in mind that just eight months before the uprising, Soviet government radio was calling on the Polish Underground to rise up with their implied support. However, Stalin’s most likely purpose was for the Polish Underground to be decimated by the very strong German Army. The sudden stop of Soviet progress at the gate of Warsaw allowed Hitler enough time to order the city of Warsaw and its inhabitants to be annihilated without any mercy. The tragic results indicate that the SS followed Hitler's and Himmler's orders to the letter. Bear in mind that the Uprising was originally planned to last no more than three to four days - just enough time to allow the Russian Army, to cross the Vistula river that divides the city thus having the chance to push towards Berlin. No other natural obstacles existed. But Stalin had other plans.
Today’s enemy has no morals, loyalty or commitment to freedom. They are just like the enemy I fought so long ago. There is no doubt that Stalin purposely delayed capturing Warsaw. Providing victory to the Polish Underground was not in Stalin's plan even at the cost of his own soldiers' lives. Did the communists care about the 300,000 casualties that Warsaw suffered – no?
But the communists of old aren’t the same today. They learned valuable lessons from their experience. If fundamental revolutionary change, change such as I experienced, were to take place in America, it would require countless lives to be lost. But how many lives would be lost through the slow degradation of our individual liberties? Who would we fight? Would we fight or would we just acquiesce in the name of political correctness?
It would seem impossible that we would ever experience the type of class warfare that was imposed upon my native country by the Soviets. Yet I cannot forget that America and England turned a blind eye to the evidence of the systematic elimination of an entire class of Polish officers, Polish intelligentsia, landowners, and factory owner’s, officials and priests at Katyn Forest. The number of victims is estimated at about 22,000. It can and did happen.
We must consider what is being suggested today, by our President when he talks of redistribution of wealth and government control of every aspect of our lives – does it differ from the former Soviet policies? Socialists no longer call themselves socialists. They are disguised under the banner of progressives. Their political philosophy did not change; they just have a new modus operandi. We must wake up!
In Obamunism Ed Kugler identifies the ‘enemy within’. He was a Marine Sniper fighting for two consecutive years in the Vietnam War. He fought a well camouflaged ‘invisible’ enemy that was hiding amongst the population in villages and hamlets. He has indentified a new, old enemy within. Ed suffered injuries and was decorated and never lost his love for his country.
Life was not easy for Ed Kugler, but these tough times taught him many lessons, and hardened his determination to succeed. Conditions in Vietnam were very difficult, just as they are in today’s war in Afghanistan. Ed wrote in Dead Center, “When you are in the death business, each dawn could be your last.” In spite of all that, Ed learned to skillfully separate fact and fiction.
I am glad Mr. Kugler made it and wrote Obamunism- The Enemy Within. We live in the most beautiful country in the world. Until recently we lived under a constitutional government. Are we perfect, of course not, humans are not perfect, but as a country we are an example to the world.
No other country has ever been such a magnet to immigrants as America was and still is. People living under Communist regimes continue to risk their lives to come to America. We should remember the Berlin Wall and how many Germans risked their lives to escape to the Western Sector.
There was and is only one reason, to be free. Fellow Americans, our country is not perfect but it is the best in the world. I have lived under the German occupation and felt the brunt of their brutality, violence and viciousness - our lives had no value – we were the subject of execution any time any German decided. Allow me to be a little sentimental and let me conclude paraphrasing something I read some time ago, but do not remember the source, being a senior citizen, at times, my memory is not what it used to be. According to the American Heritage Dictionary the word grateful means: appreciative; thankful; expressing gratitude; pleasing; agreeable.
In my heart the deep meaning of grateful is remembering and being very thankful, for the little and special blessings in my life. I never take for granted the simple blessings like being alive, having a great family and being a free American. America is a very special country. I am grateful to live in America. I lost my freedom once. I do not take my freedom in America for granted; I respect it and am grateful for it. Consider the following:
1. I am most grateful every day because I am reminded that I am alive and living in a free country.
2. I am grateful that I can become what I aspire to be and practice my beliefs freely. I am healthy and happy and thankful for all of God’s blessings.
There is an appropriate Latin proverb, “Audaces fortuna iuvat”. The translation reads, "Fortune favors the brave (or bold)". Ed Kugler is a brave man who wrote his book “Obamunism -The Enemy Within” for the benefit of all Americans. He wrote it bravely and boldly. There is never a question what Ed Kugler wishes to say. He is a Marine through and through – a true man that is part of a vanishing breed.
My advice to all of my fellow citizens is to read it and take it to heart. We need to love, protect and honor America. We must be proud to be citizens of this beautiful country while we remain committed to its freedom forever. God Bless America!
Stanley Rozycki
Jacksonville, FL
Authors Note: Mr. Rozycki fought with the British underground in Poland at the age of 14. He was wounded and among other rewards received the equivalent of Poland's Medal of Honor. The British took care of him after the war, he was brought to the United States, leaving his family behind. He was educated here and became a highly successful Fortune 500 executive.
"We are a nation that has a government, not the other way around."
President Ronald Reagan
Freedom is not free and liberty never comes without sacrifice. I can personally testify, as a member of the Polish Underground Army, fighting the Nazi regime during the fall of 1944, that the cost of freedom is great and the toll in human sacrifice beyond comprehension. I can also testify that freedom’s reward is undoubtedly worth the struggle. Further testimony to our American struggle for freedom, is manifest by the thousands of American GI graves spread across Afghanistan, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the Pacific Islands, at the Pentagon and in New York City.
Everywhere we go today, a person, a government or a tyrant wants to vanquish the American dream and replace it with what they believe is a better interpretation of what they think is best for each of us. If we are not willing to fight for our unalienable rights, we will lose them and the enemies of liberty will prevail. A Polish guerrilla leader was once asked what he would do if the comrades, meaning the Russian communists, took over the government of his country. He thought for a moment, and then responded, "Start fighting against the new regime!" He made that statement after four years of fighting German oppression. Our struggle for liberty takes many forms. Many threats are overt and some are clear while the most intransigent of those threats, are those that begin small and become intertwined within the fabric of our society.
In Obamunism – The Enemy Within, Ed Kugler identifies the same problem in today’s society that I experienced over 60 years ago in Poland. People who have personally known the fear of death, as Ed did in Vietnam, have a profound understanding of human nature and the value of life and sincerity.
When Ed listens to speeches designed to mislead, manipulate, distort the facts or falsify evidence in order to induce the citizens to react in a manner not corresponding with national interest – Ed reacts. His reaction, to the bending of our national interests, is eloquently presented in this book. Regardless of his own political viewpoints, Ed presents his case in a clear and concise manner, leaving the reader to make their own determination based on facts. Mr. Kugler’s use of a reasoned approach, to our country’s current crisis, is well documented and accurately presented.
As terrorism progressively rears its ugly head, whether in New York, Bali, Somalia, Berlin or Tel Aviv, the entire world witnesses the suffering. The misguided people in our country, who call themselves “occupiers”, trample on the freedom of other citizens in the name of the 99%. Yet, we as a citizenry watch the occupiers trample the rights of citizens while our elected officials exhort them in the name of free speech. Obama acknowledged the Occupy protest movement by saying: “You are the reason I ran for office.”
Is this the beginning of the tacit acceptance of a group of people to infringe upon the rights of others? Allow me to quote a part of pre-sentencing address of the Shoe Bomber by Judge William Young U.S. District Court: “You are a terrorist. You are not a soldier. It seems to me you hate the one thing that is most precious. You hate our freedom, our individual freedom to live as we choose, to come and go as we choose, to believe or not believe as we individually choose. Here, in this society, the very winds carry freedom. They carry it everywhere from sea to shining sea. It is because we prize individual freedom so much that you are here in this beautiful courtroom.” I witnessed the birth of this same type of “occupy” movement, on a smaller scale in 1930’s Europe, all in the name of the greater good and redistribution of resources.
Ed Kugler clearly demonstrates his sincere commitment to basic human rights. His devotion and loyalty to nonviolence calls for and advises for us a peaceful metamorphosis, the return to America as our ancestors knew it. Ed has a keen awareness of the political injustices within society and has the courage to speak out against it. He advocates a return to the freedom and democracy from which our country was born – the freedom to succeed or fail, without government intrusion. He notes that the re-distribution of wealth and other failed socialistic-liberal agendas do not fit into American society. Ed has risen to this new challenge, as he did in the jungles of Vietnam, but this time, he is involved as an educator, role model, patriot and peacemaker. Ed Kugler challenges the reader in the same way that he has challenged himself.
Today, our young men and women are willing to sign up, to defend our freedoms, always with the possibility that one day they may be called upon to pay the ultimate sacrifice. Nowhere else in the world, is this ‘volunteer force’ the cornerstone of a nation’s defense. These ‘volunteers’ are not fighting to preserve ‘hope and change.’ We were not fighting to preserve ‘hope and change’ in 1944 Warsaw either. We were fighting to preserve those unalienable rights endowed by our Creator beginning with freedom. Let’s not squander our liberty for empty political slogans such as ‘hope and change’.
In his previous book, Dead Center – A Marine Snipers Two Year Odyssey in the Vietnam War, Ed used language and terminology that was very expressive and self explanatory. He does so in this book as well. Mr. Kugler has proved his competence in dealing with political and social issues. Someone once said, “Heroes are real people, not perfect, not infallible, not immortal, but nevertheless constructive role models.” Ed Kugler is one of them.
I especially like the way Arthur Ashe defines what it means to be a hero. He said, “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.” Our country needs men like Ed Kugler and books like Obamunism. They’re not perfect, but they’re true to the core beliefs and disciplines that made America great.
It is the adherence to those unalienable rights by people committed to America which have made our country great. Look at the former Soviet Empire. The Soviets planned and managed every aspect of the lives of millions of people. Did they succeed? Those small private patches of ground, in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and other countries where people could grow their own crops thrived. Eventually, it was the Soviets inability to quell the peoples thirst for freedom that did them in. It started with the Polish people’s desire for the freedom of religion. Haven’t we learned from the failures of history in the last century? It is only by allowing a free people to pursue their individual goals, that a country becomes strong.
Yet, with billions of dollars of government stimulus, our real unemployment rate remains at 16% and we have lost the respect of countries throughout the world. What has hope and change delivered? In our new war against the terrorists and different “isms”, we are waging a two-front war. One against radical Islam and a second-front at home against the backers of class warfare. The loss of freedom can come head on, or, through a slow and methodical degradation of our unalienable rights.
I was witness to the onslaught of “freedom’s loss” through tyranny and violence. At least I knew where to look and who to fight. In the fight against the slow degradation of our rights, who do we fight?
Who do we point our fingers to as the executioner of our liberties? It is a much harder and protracted offensive but make no mistake, it is a war that we can easily loose. As free Americans, we must show courage, patriotism and devotion to our country.
Ed’s personal experience, as well as his knowledge of the meaning of freedom, determination, oppression, success, failure, foresight, aspiration, and a love of country, he provides the reader an ability to grasp our country’s current predicament, downward slide and loss of individuality. He has a distinct no BS manner and offers practical solutions. Ed’s patriotism and commitment to truth has been a cornerstone of his life regardless of the price he paid for what he believed in.
We must understand our enemy cannot be trusted. Warsaw, Poland appeared to present the last major obstacle to the Soviet army's triumphant march from Moscow to Berlin. When the German Wehrmacht was pushed back to the Vistula River which divided the city into two parts, we believed that liberation was at hand. So, too, did the Western leaders. We believed that because Soviet radio was calling on Poles to start the ‘uprising’ for a long period of time before August 1944.
On August 1, 1944, when the Soviet Armies were at the gates of Warsaw, the Polish Underground Army started an Uprising against the German occupation of Warsaw ‘hoping’ that the Russians would enter the city and help with our ‘uprising’.. We Poles forgot that, “Hope is a fool’s paradise” (Paraphrased from The Paston Letters, 1462).
The Polish Resistance poured forty thousand plus armed fighters into the streets to drive out the hated Germans. Unfortunately, this action did not coincide with Stalin's master plan for post-war Europe. While the Western Allies were making all possible efforts to win the war against Hitler's armies, Stalin was setting up his plan for control of post-war Eastern Europe.
Stalin condemned our ‘uprising’ as a criminal adventure and refused to cooperate in assisting Warsaw’s freedom fighters. It was simple. It interfered with his plan for post-war Europe.
Keep in mind that just eight months before the uprising, Soviet government radio was calling on the Polish Underground to rise up with their implied support. However, Stalin’s most likely purpose was for the Polish Underground to be decimated by the very strong German Army. The sudden stop of Soviet progress at the gate of Warsaw allowed Hitler enough time to order the city of Warsaw and its inhabitants to be annihilated without any mercy. The tragic results indicate that the SS followed Hitler's and Himmler's orders to the letter. Bear in mind that the Uprising was originally planned to last no more than three to four days - just enough time to allow the Russian Army, to cross the Vistula river that divides the city thus having the chance to push towards Berlin. No other natural obstacles existed. But Stalin had other plans.
Today’s enemy has no morals, loyalty or commitment to freedom. They are just like the enemy I fought so long ago. There is no doubt that Stalin purposely delayed capturing Warsaw. Providing victory to the Polish Underground was not in Stalin's plan even at the cost of his own soldiers' lives. Did the communists care about the 300,000 casualties that Warsaw suffered – no?
But the communists of old aren’t the same today. They learned valuable lessons from their experience. If fundamental revolutionary change, change such as I experienced, were to take place in America, it would require countless lives to be lost. But how many lives would be lost through the slow degradation of our individual liberties? Who would we fight? Would we fight or would we just acquiesce in the name of political correctness?
It would seem impossible that we would ever experience the type of class warfare that was imposed upon my native country by the Soviets. Yet I cannot forget that America and England turned a blind eye to the evidence of the systematic elimination of an entire class of Polish officers, Polish intelligentsia, landowners, and factory owner’s, officials and priests at Katyn Forest. The number of victims is estimated at about 22,000. It can and did happen.
We must consider what is being suggested today, by our President when he talks of redistribution of wealth and government control of every aspect of our lives – does it differ from the former Soviet policies? Socialists no longer call themselves socialists. They are disguised under the banner of progressives. Their political philosophy did not change; they just have a new modus operandi. We must wake up!
In Obamunism Ed Kugler identifies the ‘enemy within’. He was a Marine Sniper fighting for two consecutive years in the Vietnam War. He fought a well camouflaged ‘invisible’ enemy that was hiding amongst the population in villages and hamlets. He has indentified a new, old enemy within. Ed suffered injuries and was decorated and never lost his love for his country.
Life was not easy for Ed Kugler, but these tough times taught him many lessons, and hardened his determination to succeed. Conditions in Vietnam were very difficult, just as they are in today’s war in Afghanistan. Ed wrote in Dead Center, “When you are in the death business, each dawn could be your last.” In spite of all that, Ed learned to skillfully separate fact and fiction.
I am glad Mr. Kugler made it and wrote Obamunism- The Enemy Within. We live in the most beautiful country in the world. Until recently we lived under a constitutional government. Are we perfect, of course not, humans are not perfect, but as a country we are an example to the world.
No other country has ever been such a magnet to immigrants as America was and still is. People living under Communist regimes continue to risk their lives to come to America. We should remember the Berlin Wall and how many Germans risked their lives to escape to the Western Sector.
There was and is only one reason, to be free. Fellow Americans, our country is not perfect but it is the best in the world. I have lived under the German occupation and felt the brunt of their brutality, violence and viciousness - our lives had no value – we were the subject of execution any time any German decided. Allow me to be a little sentimental and let me conclude paraphrasing something I read some time ago, but do not remember the source, being a senior citizen, at times, my memory is not what it used to be. According to the American Heritage Dictionary the word grateful means: appreciative; thankful; expressing gratitude; pleasing; agreeable.
In my heart the deep meaning of grateful is remembering and being very thankful, for the little and special blessings in my life. I never take for granted the simple blessings like being alive, having a great family and being a free American. America is a very special country. I am grateful to live in America. I lost my freedom once. I do not take my freedom in America for granted; I respect it and am grateful for it. Consider the following:
1. I am most grateful every day because I am reminded that I am alive and living in a free country.
2. I am grateful that I can become what I aspire to be and practice my beliefs freely. I am healthy and happy and thankful for all of God’s blessings.
There is an appropriate Latin proverb, “Audaces fortuna iuvat”. The translation reads, "Fortune favors the brave (or bold)". Ed Kugler is a brave man who wrote his book “Obamunism -The Enemy Within” for the benefit of all Americans. He wrote it bravely and boldly. There is never a question what Ed Kugler wishes to say. He is a Marine through and through – a true man that is part of a vanishing breed.
My advice to all of my fellow citizens is to read it and take it to heart. We need to love, protect and honor America. We must be proud to be citizens of this beautiful country while we remain committed to its freedom forever. God Bless America!
Stanley Rozycki
Jacksonville, FL
Authors Note: Mr. Rozycki fought with the British underground in Poland at the age of 14. He was wounded and among other rewards received the equivalent of Poland's Medal of Honor. The British took care of him after the war, he was brought to the United States, leaving his family behind. He was educated here and became a highly successful Fortune 500 executive.
"We are a nation that has a government, not the other way around."
President Ronald Reagan
Web Hosting by iPage