The Spark of Patriotic Fire

Reading the news (although scantily covered by democrat-allied media, formerly known as the mainstream media) this past weekend, I was encouraged to see hundreds of thousands of people that protested in Washington. And the thing that was most encouraging was that they spoke out against out-of-control spending and intrusiveness of the American mega-state. I am convinced that our greatest threat today is the exaltation of the state (i.e. statism) in place of God. It seems like the state bailing out banks and companies, paying for more education or health care, etc, etc is something that is benign, perhaps even "good." But when God saw them building a great tower at Babel it was not an obvious evil, yet God saw the danger and decided to "come down" (i.e. intervene in human affairs) and stop it (Genesis 11). Statism is a problem in both major parties today. George Bush saw no problem with his major increase in funding of education at the beginning of his presidency and then did not flinch to spend billions at the end of his term in office. In his first 6 months Obama has spent fourfold what Bush did!
All of it was unconstitutional but it no longer matters. Many of our founders (Thomas Jefferson was one) died in debt and bankruptcy because they neglected their farms and businesses for so many years during the Revolution and then suffered in the economic chaos that followed. Yet not one expected the government to bail them out, even though they were so beloved by the American public. Our founders said that government funds were never to go to anything that was not consistent with the powers listed in the constitution and certainly never for anything that did not serve every citizen at once (called the "general welfare" as in contrast to special welfare).
When the British government first started to increase taxes in the early 1770s few people spoke out. One person wrote to Boston's Sam Adams and complained that “They are dead, and the dead cannot be raised without a miracle. But Adams responded: “Never Despair. That is a motto for you and me. All are not dead, and where there is a spark of patriotic fire, we will rekindle it.” Soon thereafter Adams went on to start the committees of correspondence that helped unite people to stand up for their "rights as Christians."
I think I see new sparks.
Yet at the same time I grieve over the murder of a prolife activist this past weekend. It has been hardly noticed, yet I find in it even deeper resolve as the high cost that some of us must pay is made more clear. But the blood of martyrs is like seed. May it sprout up and grow until all of our God-given rights to life and liberty are restored to our land.