Tuesday, March 31, 2009

By the people, for the people?

It would be too easy to jump on the new administration and some of the things that they are doing these days with regard to “running” the country and “serving” our best interests. No, I think I will take this opportunity to vent about one particular pet peeve of mine that gets to the core of my angst with how government has been growing recently. Don’t you just hate terms like Big Government? Good thing we have people staging modern day “tea parties” to show their dissatisfaction; but I digress.

I would like to know what the turning point was when the government decided that it knew better than we did on how best we should protect ourselves. No, I am not talking about the military and protecting us from foreign enemies or our ability to arm ourselves for self defense. I am speaking about the sneaky way the government interferes in our daily lives to “protect” us from ourselves….simply because we don’t know better. Relax conspiracy theorists, I am talking about the seatbelt law or as it is commonly referred to with their catchy slogan…Click it Or Ticket!

I welcome the backlash for the commentary and argument that will follow as it is something that I have been arguing for several years now. If you are a little open minded…and I hope you are by following this site…you may have your opinions altered if not questioned in the end.
Back in the day, there was a nationwide speed limit of 55 mph. Studies showed the increase in safety and reduced fatalities by staying under this magical number. Yes, victory for the American citizen for arguing this and allowing…get this…the states to decide their own speed limits by the type of road etc. How about that….Federal Government makes a ruling and then defers to the States to set standards. Wow…the good ole days! Don’t get me wrong, I was ok with this attempt at “helping” us out since people are reckless and inherently bad drivers in this country. This law was actually an attempt to protect us from others that share the road with us.
Somewhere over the last decade or so, the government has come back to us with the “Click it or Ticket”campaign and subsequent policing in order to protect us and make us safer. I am not buying into this whatsoever. Don’t get me wrong, I wear my seat belt every time I get in the car. Yes, it is the first thing I do once I turn that bad boy on. But should it be an offense punishable by up to $250 for not doing so?

Look at that again. Should the government really be allowed to fine us $150-$250 for not wearing our seat belts? Who stands to get hurt in the event of an accident? Of course, we as individuals do or the passengers riding with us are in jeopardy. But is our safety really something that the government should mandate? Does an individual who elects not to protect themselves in their own car jeopardizing the safety of anyone else on the road or just themselves? Shouldn’t the individual be able to make the decision on their own as to how they “protect” themselves in their own car? Again...it is not like the seatbelt is going to make them a better driver or will it prevent them from getting into an accident. The seatbelts function is to protect the user from injury…Period.

If the government is really concerned about our safety and the safety of others….why isn’t there a National movement or law to ban cell phone use while driving? Why isn’t it a fineable offense to apply makeup or read or eat food while driving? Clearly all of these “activities” take the drivers focus off the task at hand…driving their car…and thus putting the safety of everyone else on the road in jeopardy. While I applaud states like New York and California for their laws banning cell phone use without a hands free device, I would like to know why this is not pushed on the Federal level.

Clearly there is a disconnect in the eyes of the governing body as to why certain laws are federally mandated while others are left to the states to decide. It is ok for the States to decide whether they mandate motorcycle riders to wear a helmet but the federal government mandates seat belt usage across the board? Isn’t that ironic? I can ride my motorcycle in most states with no protection on my head and certainly no seat belt and I am in compliance with the law. Too bad for that poor schmuck in the Hummer that got nabbed for forgetting to buckle up.
Isn’t the mantra, a Government of the people, by the people and for the people? Let’s hope the administration starts making the “change” they have talked about and start to do what was intended. Set the parameters and policy, allow the states to make their law and let citizens protect themselves.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Dinner With the President

The kerfuffle over AIG and banking bonuses has been labelled bad Kabuki Theater by many. Not only did these AIG employees have an agreement with AIG, AIG had an agreement with the government. Chris Dodd, lead arsonist in the mortgage meltdown and now the Senate fire chief, Secretary of the Treasury (SOT) Geithner and the White House added language to the proculus, non-stimulus bill which guaranteed these bonuses. So how about some perspective? These bonuses are one time payouts which are budget dust when compared to the Obama stimulus package and budget bill. AIG bonuses are 1/18,500th of the proposed $3.1 trillion budget. The bonuses are 1/4000th of the total porculus package and they were put in that bill by Democratic Leadership.

These bonuses were no secret to anyone in the Dem Leadership, the Treasury or the White House. We should all be very afraid if government believes it has the authority to retroactively tax monies from anyone, but especially when targeting specific individuals. If we don't speak now who will speak when they come for us. Niemoller is always relevant.

Now Dodd and Geithner are doing the two step describing what they knew and when they knew it about these bonuses. Sadly the President and Dem leadership, abandoning election vows of transparency, allowed no time for anyone in Congress to read the 1000 page compendium of liberal dream spending. Time was of the essence, however. We surely didn't want any patriotic Americans or congressman nosing around that bill and figuring out exactly what the administration was trying to pull off.

Dodd and others benefited royally from AIG contributions over the years and this may have been payback. This is the likely explanation. It may also have been done in the name of trying to keep some halfway qualified individuals at the wheel at AIG. There may be a third possibility, though it may be too clever by half to have been conceived by the keystone cops running the White House. What about the possibility that AIG was set up as a convenient strawman for populist rage? Knowing that the President's sprint left through his Fulda Gap would rouse the opposition; a number of diversions would be needed to keep the eyes of the public and opposition party off, or uncertain of, the real mission. Innumerable distractions would be needed to create the chaotic environment necessary to gain the acquiescence of citizens to solutions which mandated toleration of the horror of building trillion dollar deficits in the first weeks of office. While some adult Democrats, like Ben Nelson are just beginning to question the budget math behind this socialist agenda, 85 Republican House jesters including Minority Whip Cantor, joined in this Kabuki for the absurd production.

Team Obama continues to stagger to the end zone of an American socialist state. There appears to be no Republican on the field capable of stopping them. It seems the screaming fans are left only with the hope that some Republican upstart will leap from the bench and knock the legs out from under the ungainly President. The crocodile tears and forced “outrage” from grifters like Dodd, Frank, Schumer, Pelosi, Waters, Obama and the rest are part of the game plan and serves one purpose. It is to advance the mantra that chaos reigns in the financial world and we need even more government control! As Rahm Emmanuel says, "never waste a good crisis."

The President is delivering on the promises he made to the American people during the never ending campaign. The apathy and mindlessness of hopey-changey Americans led them to strike a deal with the devil. The promise of hope and change was the promise of a government committed to taking care of everyone’s needs. The President’s message, at times subtle and at times obvious, has always been a massive consolidation of power centrally. It seems only a handful understood this was socialism. Many still do not appreciate the socialist net being dropped on them. Who can forget the memorable words of Peggy Joseph, choking back tears, “I won’t have to work to put gas in my car…”

Years of indoctrination by socialists at the public school and University level have negated the evidence which demonstrates the abject failure of socialism and have made it impossible for a large number of Americans to thoughtfully analyze the lessons of history.

We are getting change. There just doesn't seem to be a seat reserved for hope at the table the President has set.

The Feds now own banking, housing, and the auto industry.

The Department of Education, the National Education Association and other teacher union associated organizations have big plans. All hands prepare for a Crazy Ivan turn portside.

If you like the selection of appetizers, next on the menu at the table of hope is resting control of the energy sector from private industry. For those who couldn’t hear above the din of “hope and change” in the week before the election, Candidate Obama told us, in comments that were recorded by the San Francisco Chronicle nearly a year earlier but which were only released a few days before the election, that we should expect electricity and other energy bills to rise.

"Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket...because I'm capping greenhouse gases, coal power plants, natural gas -- you name it, whatever the industry was, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money they will pass that money on to consumers." Cap and trade, if it passes, will hamstring current energy industries, , make them unaffordable for Americans, bankrupt those industries and leave state run alternative energy options as the only option. The smart meters the President told us about last week are less about assisting you in optimizing energy use in your home and more about the government being able to optimize how best you use energy in your home.

Health care is a favorite on the Obama prix fixe menu. Democratic leaders are committed to a national health plan which will follow the course of all other such national systems. All points lead to rationing, restriction, and limitation under the watchful of eye of the same Congressional specialists that brought us the mortgage crisis. Those European nations that have not been successful in fully sanitizing the citizenry's free market memory are scrambling to re-introduce private enterprise solutions in efforts to resuscitate their failing health care systems. The costs of rationing are not merely inconvenience. Utilitarian methods will be part of the armamentarium employed to assist in rationing health care costs. This is standard operating procedure in the Netherlands, where adolescents may request euthanasia and infanticide is employed to kill infants determined to be doomed to a "poor quality of life and suffering." The methods to be used are well practiced and include limitation of care at the ends of the age spectrum (abortion, infanticide and euthanasia) and, for a number of conditions, palliative care (a good idea which has become perverted by some into a tool for actively ending life).

The culmination to this meal, the piece de resistance of this governmental orgy, is wresting control of other business sectors like manufacturing, farming and retail through an overhaul of immigration policy, elimination of current immigration restrictions and aggressive unionization.

What we are witnessing is nothing less than the march of a socialist blitzkrieg host whose only orders are to take no quarter and advance.

The government, including some sellout and cowardly Republicans, is absolutely responsible for the mess we now find ourselves in. First the Community Reinvestment Act which provided the opening to loosen lending strings and laid the groundwork for the mortgage crisis. Then the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 which began cutting the strings of sound banking practice. Finally, the corrupt growth of Fannie and Freddie provided the perceived financial backstop lenders would need in disregarding common sense reasonable lending practice. Fannie and Freddie had full support and backing, and received all the authorization necessary to become the base for this unsustainable Ponzi scheme, from Congress. The leaders of the charge for massive government intrusion into the housing market in Congress were none other than Chris Dodd and Barney Frank.

Politicians, mainly Democrats, in the early 1990s, determined that home ownership was the latest inherent human right overlooked by the Founders, joining amongst others the "right to reproductive freedom" and the "right to redefine marriage." Trumpeting home ownership became the battle cry of Andrew Cuomo (then at HUD, now the AG of NY chasing down all the evil AIG bonus recipients) and Bill Clinton in the 90's, supported by the watchful eye of bank inspectors, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Attorney General Janet Reno.

Banks and financial houses profited from this mess, yes. Some eagerly jumped on the mortgage party bandwagon, abused it, and deserve prison time. Countrywide is a great example of just such an organization. Countrywide was run by Angelo Mozilo. Some may remember who Angelo numbered among his friends and preferred clients? Yes, the senior architect of the subprime crisis, Senator Chris Dodd! Dodd received a $75,000 reduction in mortgage payments through the "Friends of Angelo" program at Countrywide. Dodd still refuses to release all records related to that transaction and Dodd still sanctimoniously calls for the hides of banking executives.

These banks and institutions, against the better judgment of many, were told to make these loans or else face scrutiny and suits from DOJ, bank inspectors and a variety of "community organization" groups. They were told not to worry about the loans defaulting, Freddie and Fannie were the backstop. The chronology is well documented at American Thinker. The bubble continuously expanded, burst and the rest is history; lots of people in homes they never should have purchased, bad loan paper everywhere, and financial mayhem.

The government has failed the nation miserably as it inserted itself into the housing market over the last 20 years. Yet the same leaders who got us into this mess are not only not held accountable, they are supervising the resuscitation of the patient and all they can prescribe is the same snake oil they have fed the citizenry for 20 years. More government intervention. Yeah, that’s the ticket.

As America burns, the citizenry blithely ignore the malevolent and criminal behavior of many in Congress who have led the assault on the principles which have previously guided our nation. Benjamin Franklin cautioned, when asked what type of government the deliberations of the Constitutional Convention had given the new nation, "A republic, if you can keep it." These words today fall on many ignorant or deaf ears.

We are all on the fast track to become wards of the state. In the next budget year it is likely that a minority of citizens will be paying taxes. So we ask why would we willingly allow this to happen? Why would we allow ourselves to go from the most productive nation on earth, and the greatest guarantor of freedom around the world, to a junior partner in the collapsing nations of the Western world socialist union club?

Europe has become torpid and apathetic, content to wallow in mediocrity in the name of increased state custodial care. Alexander Bernard writes eloquently on this topic in National Review. Europeans pay enormous taxes, work little as it only incurs greater taxation, produce less (from industry through the art world), are incapable of mounting even a decent military parade to celebrate European Union day, and don't have any interest in having children to contribute to a failing tax base which desperately needs more workers. Europe, from an indigenous European population viewpoint, is dying. A nation with households that average 1.1 children cannot sustain population growth. Those unfamiliar with the catastrophic demography facing Europe should read America Alone. With all due respect, we should acknowledge that given the utilitarian view of socialists, most in Europe see their own destruction as perhaps one of their greatest achievements.

Freedom is not free and while not lost yet, it is ours to lose. The greatest challenge is awakening an increasingly disinterested, self-absorbed populace with an attention span measured in seconds. We are witnessing the greatest transfer of wealth from the private sector to the government in the history of man. The President wrote in the Chicago Tribune last week, “I also know that we need not choose between a chaotic and unforgiving capitalism and an oppressive government-run economy. That is a false choice that will not serve our people or any people.” Mark Steyn replies, "Really? For the moment, it’s a 'false choice' mainly in the sense that he’s not offering it: 'a chaotic and unforgiving capitalism' is not on the menu, which leaves 'an oppressive government-run economy' as pretty much the only game in town. How oppressive is yet to be determined." Those who that say we have all already been victims of unforgiving capitalism review the previous synopsis of Fannie, Freddie and the unindicted arsonists Frank, Dodd and others.

From GK Chesterton, "The chief feature of our time is the meekness of the mob and the madness of government." So where to from here? D-Day is Election Day 2010, but those of us who are concerned with the survival of liberty have our work cut out for us. Conservative citizens should consider five actions:

1. Innumerable issues are under consideration now which will enormously impact the direction of our country. Conservative voices need to be heard by political leaders at the local, state and federal level. For those who have never called or visited a legislator's office, get to it. Email is convenient, but means little. We are still in the main guaranteed free speech, unless you work in a government agency or on a university campus, so use it.

2. Consider making campaign contributions, $10 or $25, to individual candidates committed to personal liberty and American exceptionalism. Do not contribute to general Republican Committees (the RNC, or the National Republican Senatorial Committee for example) until they hold phony Republicans accountable. Never forget that three Republican Senators, Collins (Me) Spector (Pa), and Snowe (Me), are responsible for the passage of the porculus "stimulus" package which we desperately needed, but waited five days for the President's signature in a staged Denver venue.

Candidates worthy of your support may not be in your district. You are free to support them, however. Examples include LTC Allen West running for Congress in Florida and Pat Toomey, who will declare as a candidate for Arlen Spector's Senate seat in Pennsylvania. Pray for the identification of strong Republican candidates in Connecticut for Chris Dodd's Senate seat, in Pennsylvania for opposition to the treasonous John Murtha, and in New Jersey for the Governor's seat in that great people's republic.

As conservatives it is our responsibility to be informed and understand where Republicans in name only serve and support conservative Republican challengers. The list of so called Republicans who need to either be defeated, or join the party which best represents their views, is lengthy. Identifying these individuals and other key political races local and nationally is labor intensive work. Mainstream media will not give any attention to such candidates and has become an organ of the Democratic political machine. The good news is that others in the new media of the blogosphere are committed to this purpose. Blogs such as Hugh Hewitt's and Michelle Malkin's are some of the increasing number of conservative political sites providing insights on candidates for key political seats at all levels.

3.
Regarding voting, do it.Voting is a privilege shared by few other citizens of the world.We all need to exercise our right to vote.In addition consider volunteering as a poll watcher and support get out the vote efforts

4. References to supporting the Republican Party may not be well received by many who have given up hope on the GOP, but it is our current best chance to loyally oppose the Democratic Party's reckless lurch to socialism. Consider this time as an opportunity to remake the Republican Party. We have established that a nuanced, Republican lite non-ideology does not work. Ask Senator McCain. The Libertarian route has repeatedly proven to be a non-starter and recipe for, more often than not, Democratic success.

A return to traditional conservative principles of individual responsibility, limited but effective government, reduced taxation, strong national defense, energy independence and the stimulus of a new energy industry (oil drilling, nuclear power plant construction, clean coal and continued pursuit of alternative energy sources), appreciation of the right to life (for the unborn, for the aged), a responsible immigration policy, and a willingness to tolerate the Judeo-Christian Enlightenment tradition which has been the source of this nation's prosperity.

Many Republican Party organizations will need our assistance in the quest to rediscover their role as a party of loyal opposition committed to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This includes not only supporting proper candidates but reviewing current primary voting procedures which may have allowed, in many states and perhaps nationally, Democrats to have a greater influence on Republican nominees than Republicans.

5. If conservativism is to survive, concerned parents have to take a very active role in what is being taught to their children, wherever they may be schooling. Understand that there is an agenda at state schools which will likely only become more radicalized over the next several years. This may seem like the rhetorical comments of a knuckle dragging, narrow-minded ignorant conservative unable to appreciate the enlightenment offered by state education. It is the duty of thoughtful citizens to regularly re-evaluate their positions. On the matter of public education I take seriously the words of President Obama's good friend Bill Ayers. Ayers, in addition to being an unrepentant terrorist who bombed the nation's capitol, is also an internationally recognized Professor of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, recently elected vice president for curriculum of the 25,000-member American Educational Research Association (AERA), the nation’s largest organization of education-school professors and researchers. This board writes the curriculum agenda for public schools across America. Ayers terrorist history is reprehensible but worries me far less than the indoctrination he envisions for children in public schools. From the WSJ, "Mr. Ayers is the founder of the 'small schools' movement in which individual schools built around specific political themes push students to 'confront issues of inequity, war, and violence.' He believes teacher education programs should serve as 'sites of resistance to an oppressive system.' The point, says Mr. Ayers in his Teaching Toward Freedom is to 'teach against oppression, against America's history of evil and racism, thereby forcing social transformation.'"

Will we awaken from our self induced slumber and realize that the dream of individual liberty may have been just that, a short lived romp through a mesmerizing garden that required maintenance and upkeep we were unwilling to support? It seems we have beome a nation of Chance the Gardeners. Are we capable of recognizing that we are beginning a long day's journey into night? This journey is being expedited and its path obscured by the daily reaffirmation from leaders that chaos reigns and government must act now to save our nation. Our government retains all the superficial trappings of the vital republic it once was, but the advance of tyranny in premeditated fashion destroys the vital core that has made our nation great.

The words of the great American patriots, unknown to many Americans today, ring as true today as in 1776. From Thomas Paine, "These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it Now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph."

Quaere verum

Are You Paying Attention?


Back when the possibility of Barak Obama becoming President was a strong possibility I noticed a change occurring among the friends and people I associate with on a regular basis. There has always been a strong commitment with my friends towards God, family, patriotism, freedom, personal reliance and the belief that our forefathers new what they were doing when they founded the greatest country in the world.

But I found that many were "getting back to their roots". Now, an outsider looking at these families may say they were already checked out of normal society. They would see families of 6, 7, 8 or more kids, they would see parents homeschooling their children, stay at home mom's, a high proportion of business owners, a commitment to their church and a lack of material items. But I sensed something more than that was going on around me. Then Barak Obama became President Obama and he immediately began tearing down fibers that I believe hold this Country together; funding for worldwide abortion, rescinding the ban on stem cell research, government control of banks and financial institutions and the banning of guns just to mention a few.

It just happened that I was invited to several men's functions all in a short period of time, poker evenings, cigar get together and a dad's night out and I discovered these men are all on the move. They were either in the process of planning or some stage of completing things like, growing their own garden, moving their family out to more land or stocking up on guns. These are not a bunch of fanatics, these are smart men with great families. A group of guys I was honored to be associated with, whose opinions I trust and give much thought to and they were voicing concerns about issues happening in this country and how to handle them.

My family is moving forward with many of the suggestions I heard during these get together's and one of them was getting firearms. Something I haven't had around the house since my first child was born but something I felt was needed now more than before. I went to a gun show to get reacquainted with the industry and the products available. The entire time I was there I felt welcomed and among people with similar concerns, ideas and values, these were my people. Just regular dad's, some with their sons and a few with their entire family. I also noticed it was packed, wall to wall people. This wasn't a surprise since I have read how gun permits were up 40%, gun producers are up to 8 months behind on orders and some types of ammunition are jumping off the shelf. So my wife and I decided to buy some guns and start a program to get our whole family to learn to hunt, and protect oneself.

While at a local gun store I ran into the same quality of persons I did at the gun show. One of them who was a retired police officer from the great state of Texas. I began telling him my story of why I am now purchasing a hand gun and the reason why I feel my family needs this protection. He then retold a story of where he was involved in trying to bring order to the Hurricane Katrina area. He reminded me of how easy it was for some people once they became hungry to turn to violence. That if you did not poses a firearm at that time you were at a high risk of a home invasion, being robbed or even raped. He said that even though people knew they were being rescued at some point still resorted to violence. He told me that under duress there will always be some sizable portion of people who would turn to violence for their own survival.

This was my wake up call. Our Country is in economic duress, certainly not by any measure as bad as the great Depression but you wouldn't know it listening to our President. President Obama is and continues to feed the message that we are in for a whole lot more hurting. What if he's right? What if more people start having a harder time feeding their families? What if people who don't have any skills to provide for themselves or moral character decide they will just take it from me? My family isn't going to wait for that time to come before we are prepared and neither should you.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Judgment Day?

I thought I would use the bulk of my blog this week to highlight something someone else wrote. It ties in with my last blog and goes with a continued theme I am hearing more and more from those of faith. There is a retired Catholic priest in my family that is the epitome of the righteous priest. He has lived a life of poverty and has served his community without self regard. In a conversation a few years ago, he alluded that we were coming up to a time of great changes in what our faith truly is. I have heard another prominent priest say that within the next 10 years, we may see Our Lord’s wrath. Another has said that our fate has been sealed by voting in Obama as our president. My parish priest has said (privately) that we should be prepared for something soon. All of these have come on the heels of our newly elected president. The third Fatima prophesy is thought to have not ever been truly revealed. Malachy, a 12th century Irish bishop, had revelation of the lineage of the Popes and by his recollection, we have only 2 more left. There are others that theorize what the Mayans meant by their 2012 prophesy. All of these culminate to the same direction. SOMETHING is coming. Those with deep faith and understanding in Jesus Christ have an idea.
Too many of us have our heads in the sand and shrug off the plain signs before us. If it looks, waddles and quack like a duck, guess what? It’s a duck! With all of the new policies Obama is putting forth, how much harder do you need to be hit over the head to understand what is happening? The democrats are setting us up for the coming of their messiah (please not to be confused by my Messiah, Jesus Christ) by enslaving the American people. When that fully happens, America will see that all they have left is Faith. Just as our Christian brothers and sisters did in Soviet Russia, Commie China, under Saddam’s Iraq, Palestine, various African nations and a host of other countries through out the world. It is coming. He is coming. To use a line I have heard some of our protestant brothers use, “You better have yourself right with Jesus.”

The following is an email that was sent out. It sums it up better than I could, hence why I have included it:
Within the passed few years, I’ve been hearing a call which I was unfamiliar with. Not that the call was new, but is one that the world in large part has been suppressing. Now I am finding myself bombarded with this warning regularly; and I feel compelled to share it. so that all may either consider this for the first time or recognize that you, too, have been receiving this message.
I am not a prophet nor a theologian, so I offer own my simplistic understanding and childlike trust. Many whom I believe to be credible are speaking about the coming tribulations. While no man can claim knowledge of the day and hour, a few are actually speaking in terms of years. I’ve heard it twice stated that within the next 10 years a major event or correction will take place or begin. I, myself, have felt an urgent sense to prepare.
Some might call me naïve or over reactionary, but it doesn’t matter. Judge me personally, however you choose, but please do not ignore the message that I am attempting to share with you. One need only to look around to realize that the current times are troubling and I realize that many people are anxious. While I won’t deny my underlying anxiety which is the result of my weakness, I see this time as a gift.
From the time of Christ and His apostles, we have been called to preparedness. At first, when the return did not come, scoffers began to introduce us to doubt. Now 2000 years later vanity, impatience, and ignorance have obscured the words that were given to us. We prepare for nothing, but waste our time and energy filling up our days with selfish gain and material possessions. Adam and Eve were punished with pain and hard labor. We seek to find our way around this punishment, but we may have missed the point of God’s decree. Jesus did not deny the cross of daily life as the poor Son of a carpenter. I think that I need to reflect on His daily toils, so that I may follow Him instead of whining and whimpering when I am faced with the struggles and challenges of my vocation.
The sweat and discomfort of today are a gift that are meant to strip away my weakness and forge my strength. The sense of urgency I feel seems to be a very real need to teach myself and my children to become more self-reliant. Actually, we need to be dependent on Him by stripping away our dependence on the convoluted things and people of this earthly home. When I pray for my daily bread, I must trust in His goodness to provide it and accept the amount and means by which He gives it to me. As for my children, I must teach them that all of the glory and thanksgiving belong to their Lord and Savior, who loves them beyond measure. I must teach them that they have a purpose and help them to prayerfully discern their vocations. Realizing that I am full of sin, I beg my Blessed Mother to protect them and form them to be her soldiers for Christ Jesus .
Allow your ears to be open. Let the scales fall away from your eyes. John Paul II instructed us to be not afraid. Surely, we can see that this instruction wasn’t simply a message meant for t-shirts and bumper stickers, but to be burned into our hearts and minds. There are signs and messages all around us. We cannot escape the troubles ahead, but we can heed this warning and recognize that it is a blessing.
God, Who is Mercy and Justice, promised to return. He instructed us in the Way so that we may have eternal life. His ways are far above our own and they are for our good. Rather than write about countless examples, I think it better to encourage you to be alert and rediscover for yourself what is true. Read your bible, read your catechism and believe what is written. We are being called to prepare TODAY. The call is not new, but perhaps we might see it as a renewed gift. Perhaps, in passed years we were placated with the belief that time was on our side, but today we are being reminded that the time is coming like a thief in the night. We can repent, we can pray for mercy, we are being giving another chance to prepare.
God will show mercy to the righteous and justice to those that choose to remain in their sin. Be not afraid because you already know that in the end Jesus Christ is victor, but do not do nothing. You were made by Him, for Him, proclaim that truth to all in everything you say and, perhaps more importantly, do. We will be persecuted for this. Do not doubt that fact, but do not let the persecutions distract nor deter you. Pray for those who are persecuted, so that they might be strengthened. Pray for our Holy Father because His persecutions have begun. Pray for the priests and bishops.
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His Truth and His Will to you today. For me today, I was led to read 2Peter 2 & 3. Again, I am not claiming any glory nor acclaim for myself in sharing this message. I am nothing, but I feel prompted to write these words perhaps for someone’s benefit. Go beyond me and find the Truth as it is being made evident to the world today. Prepare the way for the One, Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
All glory and honor be Your’s, Christ Jesus. Let not me nor mine be lost, but given to Thee through the hands of the Immaculate.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.
Our Lady of Good Counsel, pray for us.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.
Mother of the Word, pray for us.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Police State?


How would you like an MP pulling you over?
Currently in Schenectady NY there are 5 police officers facing disciplinary action or criminal charges of some sort. And the messy history of the men in blue in that town goes way back. The Schenectady Police Department employs approximately 160 sworn officers but those 5 in trouble along with the troubles of the past are giving the department a bad name. The town is small… only 60,000 and there doesn’t seem to be much trouble there except for the naughty police. Why not just get rid of them? It’s not that easy. It seems the union that they have there has made it nearly impossible to get rid of bad apples unless they can be criminally charged and convicted (which some have).The desire the “clean house” and start over is there but the union stands in the way. This has led the mayor of Schenectady to some pretty remarkable suggestions. First on the list is the possibility to merge with the county police department, or bring in the state police. But again the union would force the current long timers including any bad apples be considered for rehire first. Finally the Mayor suggested declaring Martial Law and bringing in the militia.


Military police.


In a regular US town not under dire emergency.


Do you remember Posse Comitatus post from last week?


Does anyone else have trouble getting a foothold on this slippery slope?

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The Apathetic American

I love this country and all that it stands for. I still get goose bumps during the national anthem and I thank those that served on Veterans Day. I do however have contempt for the majority of people that make up this country due to their lack of consistency and general apathy to what goes on in the world around them…unless it impacts them directly.

Take a trip back in time roughly 7 years ago to one of our countries darkest moments. 9/11 is embedded in our memories much like that of the Kennedy assassination and the bombing of Pearl Harbor…people remember all of the details of the time and place where they were when they heard the news etc. Moments like these are etched in our memories forever…time invariably stands still…at least for a little while.

This is where my angst comes in. For a short period of time following 9/11, I was inspired by the unity that the event of that day brought to this country. People banded together with a single purpose and goal to stand up for this great land much like our ancestors did some 60 years earlier. Race wasn’t an issue. Little things did not matter anymore. People were friendly to one another. The core values of being happy to be alive and having friends and loved ones meant so much to everyone. Why is it that good things never seem to last.

One could argue that this Nationalist sentiment and Patriotism has endured to this day but that would be wishful thinking at best. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Living in the New York area I was shocked at how quickly the tarnish formed on the Patriotism in the region. Once things stabilized and people realized that the world was not going to end...things got back to normal and people went back to their “old ways”. People in this country only care when something DIRECTLY impacts them...short of that Apathy reigns supreme.

If you were to doubt this assumption, fast forward to the events of the last 6 months. Up until last summer things were pretty quiet on the National Front. Sure there were fights to be had and issues to argue but nothing widespread enough to knock the National Apathy off its perch. Not until the stock market took its historic plunge. Sure people would complain about Bush, they would lament at the housing crisis, mock the war on terror…all over cocktails before dinner. Still, it didn’t really effect that many…not to where there was outrage. You want to incent the public in the United States…hit ‘em where it hurts…in their 401(k).

Call me old fashioned but I wish I lived in the 30’s, 40’s or 50’s. Sure life was hard back then but more importantly, people in this country cared about this country. People worked hard and believed in the American dream. People knew that if they put forth the effort they could succeed and make a better life for themselves. They came from all walks of life and cared for their families, their neighborhood and their country. They took pride in their right to vote and used it wisely to elect those that they believed would serve them best. People took pride in themselves and the way they dressed…it was a more formal time but I feel a more dignified one as well. People cared…apathy was reserved for those that were truly oppressed.So how about it America? How about a little consistency? Why don’t we all just make an effort to read, listen, learn and talk more about what is going on in this world instead of only when it hurts?

Monday, March 23, 2009

When Will We Speak?

We are a blessed nation. What other country can boast of a Speaker of the House who is a visionary Catholic scholar, as comfortable speaking on the Augustinian view on ensoulment, as she is on the inexplicable phenomenon of 500,000,000 Americans losing their jobs every month our nation is without a “recovery package”. The Speaker’s formidable intellect was once again on display when she was asked last month how expanding family planning services might stimulate the economy? Speaker Pelosi replied:

"Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government."

Pelosi, Reid, Biden, and Obama….Oh my. How about a mulligan on this one. Well, might we be able to exchange the plague America has wrought upon herself for the trivial annoyance of infestation by frogs, flies, boils, and locusts? Yes, elections do have consequences.

Even before this comment, there has been clear evidence that policy makers, while not all as vocal, are willing to at least give consideration to the utilitarian view, rooted in eugenics, and so candidly championed by the Speaker. Eugenics is the study of agencies under social control that improve or impair the racial qualities of future generations either physically or mentally. Utilitarianism is the belief that the moral worth of an action is determined solely by its contribution to overall utility or happiness. Succinctly, utilitarianism is the greatest good for the greatest number.

The work of Charles Darwin, in particular The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, formed the foundation of modern eugenic thought and inspired its founder, Francis Galton. Galton’s efforts led to an explosion of eugenic thought and practice which had its birth not in Nazi Germany but in the United States. The most staggering evidence of this is the forced sterilization and relocation program carried out in the United States over a period of thirty years in thirty one states. During this time over 20,000 “unfit” individuals were sterilized against their will. Notable amongst Eugenic advocates was Margaret Sanger. The founder of the American Birth Control League (ABCL) organization, the ABCL leadership council was dominated by members of the American Eugenics Society. Sanger ultimately went on to found the organization which became Planned Parenthood. Margaret Sanger stated birth control "is nothing more or less than the facilitation of the process of weeding out the unfit, of preventing the birth of defectives or of those who will become defectives." Say what you want about Speaker Pelosi, she is honest in saying what she thinks about birth control, its usefulness in containing costs to society and her commitment to support it. Sanger would be proud of Speaker Pelosi’s candor.

Abortion, a primary plank of the Democratic Party, always shrouded in the language of “reproductive freedom”, has been the “secret” weapon in the liberal utilitarian march. At least two communities are prime evidence of this agenda. Exhibit one is infants with Down syndrome. Down Syndrome Awareness day was March 21st. Down Syndrome results from an extra (3) number 21 chromosomes…thus Down Syndrome Awareness Day is 3/21. The march of the utilitarians has led inexorably to the targeting of unborns with Down syndrome. It is very possible, given the current recommendations of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) that all pregnant women be offered screening for Down syndrome that in the future there will be no infants born with Down syndrome. It is a disturbing fact that 80-90% of unborn infants diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted, and even more will be identified with current screening recommendations. Rates of births of Down syndrome infants have dropped in many nations. Denmark recently reported rates have been reduced by 50% with current prenatal testing. This is looked at by policy makers as a reduction in birth defects. Eugenicists, costumed as supporters of women’s health, reproductive rights, fiscal responsibility, and “quality of life”, wield abortion as a primary weapon in the battle to eliminate Down syndrome.

Despite the rapid disappearance of infants being born with Down syndrome, some of the greatest advocates for individuals with Down syndrome are incapable of confronting the larger utilitarianism at work. There is insistence from some advocates that if we are to reverse this disturbing trend of aborting unborn children with Down syndrome, we need to educate the community. Some believe that if more parents understood that individuals with Down syndrome can be functional community members, this trend of “discrimination” could be altered. Such work must be and is being carried out by tireless Down syndrome advocates; yet while all Down syndrome advocates ultimately believe that aborting the unborn with Down syndrome is “discriminatory”, the language is laughable. Only in 21st Century America would we call the systemic selective termination, abortion, and targeted killing of a population of the unborn, with a condition that is not life threatening but will render them less capable mentally, “discriminatory”.

As the ability of scientists to diagnose potentially undesirable traits in the unborn progresses, there will no doubt be more called to the eugenic banner. Genes for a predisposition to cancer, autism, and homosexuality are under investigation. Such diagnostic “advances” will lead to the further elimination of many unborns. What may be less consistently discussed in these cases is the uncertainty that even with a possible genetic predisposition it is not known whether such genetic material would ultimately be expressed in an individual. That aside, the ability to assess unborns for even mild abnormalities or a preferred sex will support a very personal eugenics. Imperfection, and eugenics, will mean different things to different people, and science will be expanding to accommodate the increasing demands from states and individuals for diversity in eugenic selection. What will become increasingly inapparent to our increasingly secular citizenry is the fact that we are all imperfect, in somebody’s eyes.

Peter Singer, the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, and a leader in utilitarian thought, has openly stated what few find controversial, that it is moral and ethical to abort unborns with Down syndrome. Professor Singer, speaking for an increasingly vocal element of the utilitarian movement however, takes the next logical utilitarian leap. Professor Singer also supports the killing of infants with Down syndrome, and infants and individuals with other mentally and physically impairing conditions. From Professor Singer, “the fact that a being is a human being, in the sense of a member of the species Homo sapiens, is not relevant to the wrongness of killing it; it is, rather, characteristics like rationality, autonomy, and self-consciousness that make a difference. Infants lack these characteristics. Killing them, therefore, cannot be equated with killing normal human beings, or any other self-conscious beings.” To the utilitarian, targeting the unborn population with Down syndrome offers the opportunity to eliminate a group of infants who, in their judgment, are incapable of societal integration, are a burden on families and communities, and would otherwise live a life of “suffering”.

Some have referred to the unborn with Down syndrome as the canary in the eugenic coal mine. The Down syndrome population is certainly the current canary in the ever expanding netherworld catacombs of the eugenicist coal mine. The mine floor, however, is littered with the bodies of millions of other victims. The African-American unborn infant population is the second exhibit in the expanding eugenic exhibit. African-Americans have historically used abortion services at three to four times the rate of other groups. The comments of Rep. Pelosi bring this well into perspective. While the Speaker prefers to use the terms family planning and contraception, refusing to use the “a” word, she makes her point. It seems unlikely that the Speaker is talking about family planning services reducing cost in families supported by “high skill people who are already professionals” or families supported by “white male construction workers”. These are not the groups that concern the Speaker, nor the President’s Economic Advisor Robert Reich for that matter. No, the Speaker is referring to individuals in low income groups who, if they were allowed to see the natural result of sexual liberties we promoted in their communities over the last forty years, would bankrupt the ever diminishing assets of state and federal treasuries. I will go out on a limb and presume the Speaker is referring to the African American community.

A rough estimate is that approximately 10-12,000,000 unborn black infants have been sacrificed on the abortion altar since the passage of Roe v. Wade in 1973. That represents an abortion rate of black infants at least three times the rate of white abortion rates. A rarely discussed medical finding is that abortion elevates the risk, in a dose dependent fashion (more abortions more risk), for a future extremely premature baby born at less than 32 weeks. Such deliveries can result in the death of the infant or injuries associated with extreme prematurity, including debilitating cerebral palsy. The evidence for this is powerful and based on over 100 studies over the past 40 years. So the end result of abortion is...well....it doesn’t end. For the black community it has meant not only the loss of millions of infants, it has meant extreme prematurity rates that are three to four times that of other groups. This means large numbers of premature deaths of very small African-American infants and much higher rates of cerebral palsy.

G.K. Chesterton, noted author and opponent of eugenic thought in the early 20th Century quotes, in Eugenics and Other Evils (Perry edition), the eugenics founder Francis Galton. Galton writes openly and unapologetically of strategies for developing acceptance of eugenic theory. “The course of procedure that lies within the functions of a learned and active society includes persistence in setting forth the national importance of eugenics. There are three stages to be passed through: (1) It must be made familiar as an academic question, until its exact importance has been understood and accepted as fact (Global warming anyone?) (2) It must be recognized as a subject whose practical development deserves serious consideration. (3) It must be introduced into the national conscience, like a new religion. It has, indeed, strong claims to become an orthodox religious tenet of the future, for eugenics cooperates with the workings of human nature by securing that humanity shall be represented by the fittest races.”

Chesterton offers another pearl, “There is one strong, outstanding thing about Eugenics, and that is its meanness. Wealth, and the social science supported by wealth, had tried an inhuman experiment. The experiment had entirely failed. They sought to make wealth accumulate and they made men decay. Then, instead of confessing the error, and trying to restore the wealth, or attempting to repair the decay, they are trying to cover their first cruel experiment with a more cruel experiment. They put a poisonous plaster on a poisonous wound. Vilest of all, they actually quote the bewilderment produced among the poor by their first blunder as a reason for allowing them to blunder again. They are apparently ready to arrest all the opponents of their system as mad, merely because the system was maddening.”

We are well down the road of Galton’s stages for the promulgation of a eugenic religion. It is standard fare now in the black community. African-American political leaders doggedly search for all variety of disparities and espouse their elimination, but in adhering to the abortion industry which has helped bring them to power, not only accept but vociferously defend policies which slay 300,000 black unborn infants a year. Their solution is to double down on affirmative action and diversity training which they claim will abate the racism cited as the root of all evils in the black community. Parents of Down syndrome children are routinely asked, “Didn’t you have the test?”, close their eyes to the wanton decimation of their communities ranks and put their faith in education to turn back the tide of the ultimate from of “discrimination.” Nancy Pelosi’s comments are stunning, not because they are revealing to anyone who has been watching, but because she, like Galton, feels no remorse at openly stating a eugenic agenda.

Rep. Pelosi went on to comment, later, “Let the State give every defective full knowledge of how to avoid children, and supply them free with contraceptives; better still, offer them a substantial monetary reward to consent to sterilization, and as long as they are given to understand that the operation ‘will make no difference’, they will in most cases agree.” Most of us would not be surprised to hear the Speaker utter these words on a national stage. Amazingly, I think few of us would have been shocked at all to hear her make such a statement, and some might actually agree. That is how desensitized many of us have become. These are not the Speaker's words, however. The above quote is from one of the primary eugenic journals of the 1920s, Birth Control News, published by Margaret Sanger.

Advocates of eugenic thought have increasingly fortified their position in American society. Like a malignant, determined tumor they have metastasized throughout their host over the past 100 years. These elements are now poised for a tumor explosion. While focusing on the unborn and young life in this discussion, the utilitarian menace is an equal opportunity destroyer, seeking out the defenseless whether they be unborn, young, old or otherwise infirmed. Maternity, geriatric, and chronic disease wards are target rich environments for the utilitarians. America may not have fully acquiesced in the Eugenics war but the clock is ticking. Lest we develop the will to overcome this utilitarian cancer, the end result will inevitably be the literal and figurative death of the host, an end to the American society built on individual liberty and the right to self-determination.

It may be that the outrageous targeting of unborn African-Americans and unborns with Down syndrome for elimination, if exposed, could be mobilized to expose the nefarious motives of increasingly utilitarian political and social policy. Many in racial and disability advocacy cling to the sacredness of women’s reproductive rights and the hope that education will stave off decimation of their communities. What we all must ultimately recognize is that the true utilitarian has no loyalties in determining who the non-persons are, who are the unfit. Authorities in the utilitarian movement reserve the right to judge cognizance, self-awareness, and the capacity to reason. These qualities define personhood for utilitarians. Many (the elderly, newborn and others) humans will find themselves unable to meet the utilitarian criteria of self-conscious beings or persons. Infanticide and euthanasia then become the order of the day. In Holland, euthanasia is common practice and protocols for euthanasia of infants are well developed and have been published in major American medical journals.

While we may not yet be the Netherlands, we have a President who has made it clear that it is "above my paygrade" to state when life begins. That said, the President seems willing to make some assumptions, given that he was unwilling, as a state senator, to support a vote on the same Born Alive Infant Protection Act that was supported by the staunchest abortion supporters in the US Senate. The Freedom of Choice Act, also supported by the President, will allow for an unprecedented expansion of access to abortion. Many seem willing to sprint down the path of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism, in deploying abortion and euthanasia, does not discriminate. There are multiple groups that are and will be targeted by the proponents of such a philosophy and we must be willing to confront this immoral ideology that has devalued life, born and unborn, to such a degree that it is left for a few to decide on a grand scale what life is worth living and what life is not.

At his time in our history, government appears to have become ungovernable. Chesterton described the rise of the Progressives in 1914 as a period where “law has become lawless; that is it cannot see where laws should stop. The chief feature of our time is the meekness of the mob and the madness of the government. In this atmosphere it is natural enough that medical experts, being authorities, should go mad as well.” As I have listened to very well meaning Down syndrome and African American leaders dismiss opposition to abortion in favor of advocacy strategies based on educating the public in an attempt to turn back societal tides, I am reminded of the words of Martin Neimoller, German Lutheran pastor in Berlin who lived through the rise and fall of the Nazis. He was an outspoken proponent for accepting the burden of collective guilt for WW II. He viewed this as a means of atonement for the suffering that the German nation, through the Nazis, had caused before and during WW II. He was imprisoned in 1937 and sent to Dachau. He barely escaped execution and wrote these words shortly after he emerged from prison:


First they came for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up, because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.

Quaere verum

Friday, March 20, 2009

Taxing AIG


The United States Congress is furious that employees of AIG are receiving personal compensation that the legislators have deemed excessive and unwarranted. AIG has responded with something similar to “…it’s in the employees contract, we have to pay them…” Well the leaders of the free world, President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are not going to get duped by that excuse, they have something in their back pocket, and it’s called taxation. The House of Representatives (and soon the Senate) have passed a bill imposing a 90% tax on AIG employee bonuses and in some cases taxing 100% leaving the worker with nothing. "I look forward to receiving a final product that will serve as a strong signal to the executives who run these firms that such compensation will not be tolerated," the president said in a statement.
I am not outraged as so many American’s are about executives of a U.S. bailed out company receiving a “Bonus”. But I am very scared that our citizens don’t recognize what has really happened. Let’s just review a few things. First, this is a United States Company and those receiving monies are U.S. Citizens. This is crucial in realizing that what is happening to them can happen to us. Second, the employees have a written contract to receive these funds. In our Country a contract is honored by the law. Third, the word “Bonus” is nothing more than deferred compensation. Lastly, the US Congress has passed a law targeted towards taxing a specific company.

The people receiving the “bonuses” are just like you and me, well several live a lot larger life styles than me but I am happy for them not jealous. These citizens made a deal, a contract with a company on what their job is and what they would take in compensation for doing it. None of us have read their contracts and have no idea whether they completed the tasks necessary to receive the compensation. But I am sure that under the duress AIG is currently under the employees must have fulfilled their tasks in order to get paid. This is no different than the contract I have with my kid’s orthodontist. I will pay him in full when he completes the task of making their teeth straight. He didn’t give me any guarantees that when he’s finished that my kids smile will provide them a better paying job or more dates. I may have hoped for that outcome but that wasn’t the deal.

You may say, “Fine, but they received tax payer money to keep the company afloat and without it these people wouldn’t have a job and therefore wouldn’t be getting a bonus”. Perhaps, but the company didn’t go under, they didn’t go into bankruptcy, they continued on running the business. Our representatives made the decision to spend our money to keep that business from going into bankruptcy. Our government made the decision to spend billions of dollars to make sure that these people who are now receiving bonuses stayed in action. You can’t have it both ways. The deal made by Obama, Pelosi and Reid was we need AIG not to fail, so here’s the money. Senator Dodd from Connecticut even had added into the deal that the bonuses were protected. That was the deal, the contract, the agreement.

So now we have an outraged public and every politician is deflecting this anger onto AIG as greedy people, with no conscience and self-serving one Senator even calling for them to commit suicide. To address the grumblings of its people our leaders have decided they have the authority to specifically tax a particular company or person in any manner they choose. Think about this, what is stopping them from coming after you? Do you think you’re safe because you “don’t make enough money”? Ask yourself, how much is not enough? Do you think your business is safe because “I’m just a small business owner?” Really, how small is too small? Perhaps you have said “well I’m not taking government money”. Is socialized health care, Medicare, social security, food stamps, mortgage assistance, or State colleges government assistance?

We all need to peel back the onion and see how we are losing freedoms and liberties at an alarming rate.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Who is Responsible?


One thing that has dominated the airwaves of late and has been fodder for water cooler conversations from Coast to Coast has been the Madoff scandal. There is no need to rehash the specifics since it has been done ad nauseam over the last several weeks. We all agree that Madoff is pond scum and should rot in jail for what he did but I want to address a different take on this as well as a broader examination on something that is far too common these days – lack of personal responsibility.

When did America become the “it wasn’t me” or “it’s not my fault” nation? Regardless of the topic whether it is finances, education, job status etc, people are always quick to point the finger at others. This point has never been more prevalent then in the instances surrounding the Madoff scam.

First, what Madoff did was wrong. His Ponzi scam was illegal and he used deception to fraudulently “invest” money for the rich and famous. People involved in the scheme have lost millions of dollars. Many have lost “everything” and are left wondering how they will survive. Every television station has reported on these poor individuals and their plight often times fighting for ways for them to recoup their losses in some way. Madoff should pay or The government should bail them out etc.

Really? Let me offer a dissenting opinion. How about each one of these people recognize that they ALL made a bad financial decision. They ALL invested their money on their own free will and that investment went to Zero. To those that say that it wasn’t their fault as an advisor made the decision to invest with Madoff…those individuals still made the choice to invest with that advisor. Any way you try to deflect it, it still comes down to the decision that the individual made on what to do with their money. Trust me, when these people were making millions on other investments over the years, I will assure you they were bragging at cocktail parties as to how smart they were or how great their investment “team” was. It is typical how when things go bad, everyone else is to blame.

I would love to see the ONE individual step forward and say “you know what, I made a bad decision and now I have to live with it and move forward”. Taking responsibility for ones actions either good or bad WAS a cornerstone of this great country. Somehow, greed, apathy and irresponsibility have become the NEW way of life. It’s alright, corporate America has been getting away with this for quite some time…can you say Bailout. Wake up people! The only bailout that is on the horizon will occur when you stand up and recognize that YOU must take care of YOU. You are responsible to you, your family and most importantly your actions and decision made on their behalf.

So How Did We Get Here?

How has this great country survived so long from it’s humble beginnings? BY THE GRACE OF GOD HIMSELF!! Yes, I said God. It was the Holy Spirit that inspired our Founding Fathers to write our founding documents. The United States was founded on the cornerstone of our faith in God. It has been up until the very recent times that His guiding hand has led this country to be the shining city on a hill. But as with all good things, evil creeps its way in. It did in the Garden and as great as the USA is, it is not the Garden. Evil, the Devil, Satan, Beezelbub. Whatever the name you call it by, it is the opposite of Good and God.
Well, by and large, we have as a society turned our back on God. As individuals we may be the most pious people, but together we have decided that we can do it without God. Instead of reflecting on what our vocation should be, we decide to go for what will make us the most money. We marry (and divorce) with little regard for the magnitude of what we do. It’s all about the dress and how many bridesmaids we can cram on the altar, right? All for the moment. No deep reflection. No regard for long held moral beliefs. “That’s so old fashioned!”.
Well as stated, there are good, honest and yes, GOD fearing people in this country. We generally don’t speak up because we don’t want to offend others. We usually don’t watch to see what our neighbor is doing, because that would be nosey and gossipy. We don’t push our faith on others because we’ve been told that we shouldn’t be pushy. Well, brothers and sisters, now is the time to pull up the boot straps, tighten the belts, dust off your Bible and take a big bite of courage. The time to sit on the sidelines has passed. You can no longer sit by and hope the world leaves you alone to live your life as you want. Anything worth keeping must be fought for. Whether it is a spouse, a job or your very freedoms to pursue them, YOU MUST be willing to fight for them.
Society has convinced many of the God fearing people that THEY are the ones that are shallow and closed minded. They have convinced many that because they are opposed to gay marriage, sex-ed in grammar school, teenagers being sexually promiscuous, teens (and tweens) having babies (or abortions), abortion and the right to choose (to choose to kill your own child or not to…), greed and government control of our life that they are unsophisticated and simple minded because they are led by their meaningless superstitions. Mother Earth is the new god and Al Gore is the cult leader. Obama is the new messiah.
The Day may be coming; coming very soon. OUR Good Book says no one will know the day and time, not even the Son. It says that before the day comes, believers will face many hardships and they will have to carry their crosses once again. For some of us, particularly those who already greatfully carry our crosses daily, we look forward to the day of Our Savior’s return. Here is some foreshadowing of what is to come. Are you ready? WE WIN!! God said he will return and overcome evil. So ultimately, We Shall Overcome!!
So here is what YOU must do. Wear those knees out by getting down on them and praying to the Almighty for guidance and strength to carry out His guiding words. Pray. Pray for our great country. Pray for all of our political leaders. They need our prayers. Pray for yourself. Pray for forgiveness and ask for him to draw you closer to Him. We have a lot of sins to confess and the confessional is open. Go to church. He is waiting.

What Are the Rich Thinking About?


When I ask the question, what are the rich thinking about, I am only referring to riches involving money and I consider the well-to-do to be the top 4% of wage earners in this Country, those making over $100,000/year. The easiest way to spot the affluent is to see if they bought a home over $500,000 because those are the only ones who could afford it.

I have several friends who are loaded but every single one of them doesn’t consider themselves rich. Some own well over a $1,000,000 in real estate, have expensive cars, kids who go to private schools and who travel the world. Yet they all want to complain about President Obama taxing them and how hard it will be on their family and how it will plunge our economy even further into recession. Now I agree with their conclusions on the results of over taxation but come on, their rich. A strange thing though, they all want to be included in my sphere of people, the people without all the toys, struggling to make ends meet, face losing a job or perhaps own a small business under pressure. OK I’m a big tent type of person so I am willing to welcome them in joining the cause in helping us over throw this oppressive leaning government. I say how we must stop the pro-abortion groups, save our rights to own a gun, stop the government’s attempt to silence free speech and rise up against the invasion of illegal aliens so I ask them, are you with me? Are you with me?

Well, not so much. You see, the rich care about their money, that’s probably why they have so much of it. But the problem the well off don’t recognize is that people like me, those who apparently give higher value to morals and the principles on which this Country was founded on than to the mere existence of money are the ones fighting to save the rich their money. If I was only interested in my family’s immediate needs I would be an Obama supporter. My family stands to benefit from a majority of the Presidents social programs from health care to lower taxes. So if the wealthy only represent 4% of our Country and need the support of the conservative middle class to help them why would they shrug off our concerns? If the rich don’t want the conservative majority to abandon them then I suggest that the wealthy start picking up the causes of their friends as well as their own.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Annie, Get your gun!

Are you an advocate of owning a gun? You may have heard plenty about the dangers of owning a hand gun and the news is full of examples of guns that end up in the hands of criminals, drug addicts, mentally ill or even young children with horrific results. But the truth is that owning a gun is not just a right that we have as a citizen but perhaps an important requirement to responsible citizenship.

Recently, there was a terrible shooting spree in Samson Alabama. The town is very small with only a 5 person police force. They were overwhelmed by the attack. The story might have just ended there with another example of how guns in the wrong hands are dangerous.

However there is more to the story with much broader implications. That small town was surprised to receive some quick assistance from 22 military police soldiers from Fort Rucker, Ala., along with the provost marshal. Statements since say that the soldiers, were directing traffic, securing the crime scenes and otherwise assisting the police of Samson where needed. What is not known is who called for their help- nor why they responded.

CNSNews.com says "Wrongful use of federal troops inside U.S. borders is a violation of several federal laws, including one known as the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, Title 18, Section 1385 of the U.S. Code. “Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both,” the law states."

Silly law? I think not! The President or the Alabama Governor still have the ability to call for the military to aid in civilian difficulties in extreme circumstances under the law, but neither party admits to calling for that aid. It was helpful in this instance but what if the military was not to be trusted and came in using their weapons and numbers to enforce whatever they saw fit at the time? Worse yet, what if, as some gun opponents wish, ONLY the military are allowed guns and civilians are completely unarmed? Then what happens in the situation where an armed military presence comes into town UNINVITED, to assist with something that they "deem" needs assistance?

The early Americans would have had no trouble recognizing the threat this poses. They were used to being bullied by a tyrannical government that used force to control the citizens, and the government thought that what it was doing was in the best interest of everyone. This understanding is the underlying reason for why the 2nd amendment exists. The right to bear arms was considered an integral part of keeping the goverment at a healthy distance.

It is never a bad thing to be prepared. Don't neglect the lessons learned by our founding fathers.
Get your guns and be vigilant. You may never need them ... but even if you don't you might hear what Ronald Reagan called the 9 most dangerous words in the English language, " I'm from the government and I'm here to help..."

Thursday, March 12, 2009

What America Means to Me

I don’t remember a time when I was a kid, much unlike most children today, when I was NOT proud to be American. I said the Pledge of Allegiance every morning at the start of class. I took off my hat whenever the Star Spangled Banner was played. I had a joyous heart on the 4th of July walking down Broad Street with the Little Leaguers in the ANNUAL parade. Later that same day my heart felt heavy when the VFW did a 21 gun salute to the fallen heroes. Yes, I was PROUD to be American.
I was only the 3rd generation born in the USA. My parents had a close link to their grandparents, the founding immigrants. Having my family ties from what was a communist country, I had to endure all of the commie jokes most of my adolescence, but I was only one of a few from high school to enlist in the military and fight for what I believed in. Dad was a Vietnam vet. Grandpa fought the “Big One”. I went with my dad and watched him cry as he touched The Wall, seeing the names of his buddies that didn’t come back. That is what America is to me- the softening of the hardest warrior after doing his duty. These men and women know better than most what freedom and liberty is because they fought for it.
America IS the greatest country this world has ever seen. Sure, it has it’s warts, blemishes and atrocities. What country doesn’t? I ask you this- how many other countries are there where people are dying in their efforts to get to it? Those desperately trying to flee a communist country to a lesser evil communist country doesn’t count (think those trying to get INTO China from N. Korea). We are the most philanthropic country, the most caring, the most generous with our time, talents and treasures. When a natural disaster occurs anywhere in the world, who does the world look to for help? When some country needs “policemen” to help quell some uprising, who’s phone rings? Don’t bother listening to Mr. Tingles or the rest of his ilk. The media is full of turncoats and liberals. If you are American, whether natural born or naturalized, BE PROUD OF IT!!
That’s what we as Americans are. We’re proud people. We are fun loving. We have fun at a Sunday church picnic or a NASCAR tailgate party before the race. We reach out and lend a hand to a neighbor that needs it, without looking for payment or paybacks. We’ll pull you out of a ditch or help you out with $20 to see you through to payday. We cheer for the underdog and praise the victor. We have an American flag hanging in at least one room of our house and one on the lawn and another on our bumper. We drive Chevys, Fords and Dodges, not Toyota, Nissan, or Volkswagen. We cheered and jumped for joy when we beat the Soviet Union in Lake Placid (1980 Olympic ice hockey for you young ‘uns). We loved Rambo, Rocky Balboa and Superman. Yes, we are Americans and damn proud of it. Those of you that don’t agree- Fidel always needs new people to add to the gene pool. Got it, Comrade?