67 years ago, November 3rd, 1942, was the beginning of the end of the Second Battle of El Alamein. By November 4th Rommel was in retreat from Montgomery’s forces.

On November 10, 1942, Winston Churchill said of El Alamein,

I have never promised anything but blood, tears, toil, and sweat. Now, however,

The bright gleam has caught the helmets of our soldiers, and warmed and cheered all our hearts….

…General Alexander and General Montgomery fought it with one single idea. they meant to destroy the armed force of the enemy and to destroy it at the place where the disaster would be most far-reaching and irrecoverable….

Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.

This year began with the inauguration of a president who quickly began to extend the power and reach of the federal government as his programs and policies dealt severe blows to the economy. He developed a shadow cabinet of power-wielding czars without accountability, committed to radical leftist ideology.

Citizens slowly began to awake with concern about taxes and spending in the stimulus bill and growing consternation over the White House programs and personnel. On February 15, Keli Carender of Seattle organized a grassroots protest and on February 19, Rick Santelli in his rant cried, “This is America!” and called for a Tea Party! Momentum grew as Tea Party protests started taking place across the nation. A national Tax Day Tea Party was planned. As the government proceeded with the takeover of two of the big three auto makers and the bullying of banks, more citizens became outraged.

The Tea Party protesters were ridiculed and defamed, but they continued to make their signs and show up: veterans, grandparents, children, moms and dads, and students. 4th of July Tea Parties came with their emphasis of our heritage of liberty and the reminder that our nation was founded as a Constitutional Republic.

Then came the August Town Halls protesting the massive government debt and the proposed takeover of the health care industry. YouTube came into its own as video after video was posted of citizens confronting Congress, revealing the breadth and depth of concern and anger over the fiscal irresponsibility and political overreach of the Obama administration and the Democrats. On September 12th the Tea Party movement marched on Washington, D.C., and hundreds of thousands of Americans protested the programs and policies designed without regard to liberty and fiscal and moral responsibility.

Yet still Democrats moved ahead with arrogance, trying to bluff their way to the most massive government grab for power in the history of our country. On the other side of the aisle Republican party leaders also ignored the concerns of the grassroots, but this time in NY-23, citizens and conservative leaders were able to wrench the direction of a campaign and bring to national prominence the concerns of citizens who will consent to be governed, but who will not be ruled.

So here we are, with even NPR saying: Coming Tuesday: ‘A Referendum On The President’.

Today is the end of our beginning. May today be our El Alamein!

It may almost be said, “Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat.”

Winston Churchill

In What men may do, we have done. Moe Lane wrote that today is a prologue to 2010:

…today is the day that we start to take back that which was ours.

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Crossposted to Be John Galt and J’s Cafe Nette.

H/T: BBC, The Churchill Society, Michelle Malkin, Hot Air, The Corner, NPR, Wikipedia, RedState.