Fighting Free Speech

This week amidst all of the Massachusetts election fervor and fall out the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to lift free speech restrictions from corporations with regards to election laws. The Supremes ruled that Corporations and others can now use their funds to back a particular candidate or campaign against someone they don't feel is right for their business or group.

I believe that even during elections that everyone has the right to give to whomever they believe will speak for them. I do not think the government should be in the business of telling folks how to spend their hard earned dollars. Yet our President does believe he has that right.

Obama has vowed to fight the ruling of the Supreme Court by enacting legislation to do an end run around the legislation the Court just struck down. Here is the rub on that, the law that the Supreme Court struck down does not benefit any particular political party it opened the door for supporters of any political party to put their money where their mouth is.

I find it troubling that Obama feels it is necessary to tell anyone and everyone from private citizens to corporations to unions that he believes it is his right to take away their 1st Amendment rights.

There are many things protected under the first amendment that I disagree with including pornography however expanding governmental powers to stop those who might disagree with you is not what our President should be doing. He knows the midterm elections will likely not turn out well for his party so this is his answer, stifle those who are willing to stand.

Results Are Telling

First let me say thank you to all who have been praying and please continue to do so. Things are not as I would have wished or desired but I am aware that even if I can't see the outcome or even when life seems overwhelming God's promises hold true. I am a daughter of the Most High King even if I do not feel like or my circumstances don't seem to illustrate that in my mind's eye.

Now onto what happened on Tuesday with the election of Scott Brown to the US Senate. I find it telling that those who are in the leadership positions in the House, Senate and White House, as well as the DNC cannot bring themselves to face the truth that We the People are angry.

Martha Coakley did make mistakes during her run for the Senate however that does not mean that the reason Scott Brown won was because she was a poor candidate, she was well ahead in the polls even a few weeks ago. The results of the MA Senate election are due to a populist anger.

The malaise and anger that one sees in everyday folks is because those who have power do not use it wisely or with any great discernment. They are arrogent and willing to tell you and I that we are not bright enough to know what is best for us and our families or our society.

Is this telling for the mid term elections? I believe it is, because unless those who sit inside the beltway take a good hard look in the mirror many will lose their jobs in November as they should. Being elected to represent We the People is an honor but unfortunately it has turned into a license for many to do anything they desire despite what their constituents want.

I pray Scott Brown stays grounded and remembers what he said during the election cycle that he was running for the People's Seat. Let him not forget and it is likely that this will turn back some of the policies that those who hold power have been foisting on We the People despite our protests, phone calls, letters, and emails.

A Personal Blog Today

Today is a day when my whole life took an unexpected turn and if you need an uplift this blog is probably not one you should read.

I had thought we were out of the bad parts from the previous year. But life does what life does and throws unexpected turns at us. While I wish I had tons of pearls of wisdom I could tell myself, none of them are there.

I have watched over the last few days as my life once again imploded. I know that God never gives me more than I can handle but today it seems like it I also know that even though I am reeling I am not alone (and I praise God for that). My heart hurts and the tears are free falling (who knew a body held so many tears).

I am to that point when the only choice I have is to hit my knees and trust that God knows best but that faith is wavering today. The blessing I have is that I can take my words and get them out of my head in a place where people geniunely pray. The blogosphere at least from my experience is full of real folks who understand that when life happens that prayers are the one thing you can do.

So today my dear bloggy buddies I ask humbly for your prayers for comfort, grace, and direction.

A Battered Country & 153/365

Like many of you I have been watching what has transpired in the tiny poverty stricken country of Haiti. Such scenes of devastation are heart wrenching and many are not for the faint of heart. What is happening in Haiti first and foremost brings me back to how blessed my life is no matter what may be happening or on the mornings I may groan and complain when the alarm clock goes off.

The earthquake aftermath in Haiti also causes me to look at what happens to everyday people when a government is tyrannical and corrupt. The population of Haiti lives daily even before this in abject poverty not because aid is not given from the US and many other countries but because corruption is rampant. The unemployment rate exceeds 50% with less than 50% of the population able to read and write, not because Haitians are worse people than me or you but because they live with little to no hope and no example of how liberty allows a population to move forward.

Tuesday's earthquake was just one more slam to a population who for years has lived under tyranny and a population without education who can see no other way. Haitians like most yearn for a better life but have not lived in a place where ingenuity and ambition are rewarded. We often times forget how freedom and personal liberty have given our ancestors and us much of what we experience everyday. It is easy to forget in the day to day how blessed we are to live in the US.

While I look at things like health care, bail outs, government takeovers, corruption, back room dealings, bribes, etc...and get frustrated, I am also mindful of the fact that I have the right to stand and speak my mind and to make a difference. The individual liberties that are afforded to me have enabled me to live a way much different than other people around the world.

It is likely that the country of Haiti may not recover unless things fundamentally change in that country despite the aid of the US government, the American people, and others around the world. My prayer is that this disaster will open the eyes of many to see that without hope money won't matter.

On another note members of my church have been in Haiti for a long time working to build a hospital, which collapsed, and word has not really gotten to us how they are so if you could say a prayer for this group.




153/365

On a day like today I am thankful:

1. For those things that I often take for granted like water, food, and electricity.
2. For those things I complain about like cleaning house, doing laundry or loading the dishwasher.
3. For those who stand and fight for my freedom here and abroad.
4. For the band Casting Crowns, their music speaks to me in a huge way.
5. For this amazing promise, "Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." ~Isaiah 41:10

Arrogence At Its Best

It seems the more time that passes we see arrogance inside of our government grow exponentially. About a month ago our President told Oprah he would give himself a grade of B+ on his first year performance. That was one of those you have got to be joking moments. He went on to state emphatically had health control been passed he would give himself an A on his performance. Such statements illustrate at least to this member of We the People that self reflection is not Obama's strong suit and that yes his arrogance trumps his common sense.

Then when the underwear bomber due to his own incompetence and brave passengers failed to blow up a plane of folks headed to Detroit, Janet Napalitano stated the system worked, again an arrogant and incompetent statement. Not to mention that those in the upper echelons of government believe this man who committed an act of war is entitled to the same rights we have and will be tried in civilian court.

The latest move of arrogance is the controlling members of the House and Senate are locking out the minority party on reconciling both health control bills. This is to ensure that despite the desire of We the people this bill will pass because arrogance states they believe they know what is best for you and I and our families. So even as we disagree those who work for us have thrown our wishes out the window. I guess even more arrogent is that they don't care what we want, and each bill illustrates this more and more.

The good news is this bill barely passed the House by 3 votes and one of the folks voting yes has said he has seen the error of his ways and will vote no this time. And on the Senate side Attorney Generals from 13 states are getting ready to file suit because of the pay to play deal given to the Sen. from Nebraska who could have stopped the bill cold but chose to be bribed which seems by all accounts is costing him big with those he was elected to represent.

We the People while we are frustrated cannot let up on our efforts to stop this seeming nonsense that we are being treated to daily. Our job is to stand firm and to remind these folks we put them in office, they answer to us and we can remove them from their jobs come election day in November. But we cannot become complacent or let malaise fall on us. They are counting on are seemingly short memories. The time has come to let them know that we are not willing to be silent anymore and that they serve at our pleasure. We need to continue to hold their feet to fire.

154/365

Today I am thankful:

1. That my sweet boys returned to school this week.

2. For new opportunities to discover areas in my life that need healing.

3. For the ability and chance to help some incredible young men further their careers.

4. For daily learning how to deal with an ever expanding family. Or maybe better stated they are loving and accepting me even with my weird and strange quirks.

5. For this promise that I really need to put on my computer screen so that maybe I will remember to let God do God's job instead of me:
"He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:10-12

Falls Under "You Can't Be Serious"

I just read this and am shaking my head in disbelief, although by now I should not be shocked by anything that happens on any level of government.

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene decided that spending $32,000 on a pamphlet that teaches how to safely shoot drugs. The 16 page booklet uses both words and illustrations to teach users how best to prepare both drugs and veins to inject illegal drugs.

How on earth does such an idea come to fruition? How many people or levels did this have to go through from the concept to the final product?

Here is the link to the article on how hard earned tax dollars are being sent.

When To Say When

Is it human nature to know when to say when, or do we always want to see how far we can push the envelope? If we go back several months it is likely one can remember the furor Congress created with the stimulus bill or porkulus bill as it was so aptly renamed.

Now the Democrats have decided to add a bit more to our ever increasing debt with a bill called "Jobs for Main Street Act", the starting price tag for what is being referred to as the "son of the stimulus" is 174 Billion bucks.

This is the part that seems to allude those sitting in the comfy chairs on the Hill our debt ceiling was just raised to 12.4 Trillion dollars and on January 20th the Senate will vote to raise it once again.

One thing that puzzles me I suppose is that there seems to be an inability for many of those inside the halls of Congress to see that throwing more and more of our children and grandchildren's money at the economy is not the answer. The proof seems to be in the pudding as they say, this strategy has not worked and throwing more good money after bad will not all of the sudden make it a sound plan of action.

I hope that at some point those in Congress will discover the harsh truth that their actions are alleviating the issues that this country is facing. If not all of them, at least a majority of them.

Ringing Out 2009

I have to say that 2009 has brought for me a year that could best be described as roller coaster like. It was a year of ups and downs, twists and turns, slowness and extreme speeds. In the end though like every year before it it is drawing to a close with me a bit wiser and my faith stronger.

My prayer is that 2010 will bring more than I imagined for my family and friends.

So here's to the start of a new decade, Happy 2010.

Here is a verse that has been a cornerstone for me during this past year, it has proven true even when I could not see how it could be:

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."~Romans 8:28

A Retrospective

I have to say that I have missed blogging more than I imagined. It seems daily that anything and everything seems to occur as I sit down to type up a blog, certainly there has been no lack of material on which to blog about in the political world. The saying "the hits just keep on coming" pops into my mind when I stop to think of the daily happenings inside the beltway.

I find it hard to believe that 2009 is quickly drawing to a close and my mind jumps to all that has transpired in one short year. So I thought I would do a retrospective on the politics of 2009.

The year opened with the the build up and inauguration of our nation's 44th President. Many of us pondered if he would govern from the center as the pundits and those seemingly in the know said repeatedly would happen. We the People were quickly shown that that would not be the case. The new President wasted no time in showing his true intentions of governing from the far left and We the People should not have been taken by surprise at the antics inside the Senate and the House led by Reid and Pelosi.

We the People have seen our wishes tossed aside by many who sit in halls of Congress for the wishes of a few. We have witnessed bailouts galore, the promised closing of Gitmo, less security, the turning of this country's back on some of our staunchest allies along with pandering to our some of our worst enemies, the passing of bills not read while We the People said no, a continued rise in unemployment despite a porkulus bill that WE the PEOPLE screamed no about but that we were promised would stimulate our economy, we have seen the government infringe upon private companies, numerous Czars appointed without anyone but the President's approval, and a laundry list of appointments by folks who are less than ethical, we have seen the House and Senate despite protests by We the People move on a takeover of 1/6th of our nation's economy with the passing of healthcare bills, and let us not forget we have witnessed the take over of the housing, banking and automobile industries.

It seems the list is endless on the trampling of our Constitution and all of it was accomplished in the name of you and I. I must say the list is depressing. However, the one thing I have witnessed is that due to the actions of a select few inside the beltway the silent majority is no longer silent.

Our governments seemingly callous and detrimental actions have allowed many of us to find a voice we never knew we had or never believed we would need to use. I do believe 2010 will bring another change inside the beltway. The question I have to ask is will the change be the voting out of those who turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to the wishes of those who elected them?

While I believe our country has sustained damage with the Obama administration in power I am also aware that most of damage can be reversed if We the People take a strong stance and vote in those who believe in the prinicples this country was founded on and has thrived on.

My solemn hope is that 2010 will bring much more blogging time as well as the change this country now truly needs.

Happy New Year!!!

The Last Vestiages Of Decency

The idea of what decency entails and decorum calls for, isn't that something we all grew up with? These were lessons we in general learned in our homes, our churches, our friends', and at school. However, it appears that neither decency nor decorum are allowed within the walls of our schools anymore, or at least what most of us consider decent.

I have written more than once about the various czars appointed by this administration and the fact that none of the czars were vetted by the Senate and they answer to only the President. There have been more than one questionable choice yet the man appointed by Obama to oversee our schools takes the cake on questionable behavior and judgment.

Kevin Jennings, who before being appointed Safe School Czar founded and ran GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network), created an approved reading list from K-6, 7-12, and for teachers. "According to GLSEN’s own press releases from the period during which its recommended reading list was developed, the organization’s three areas of focus were creating “educational resources, public policy agenda, [and] student organizing programs”; in other words, the reading list (chief among its “educational resources”) was of prime importance in GLSEN’s efforts to influence the American educational system." )

Several different groups of journalists have been researching this particular list of books and choose 11 books out of the list of 100 recommended for 7th to 12th graders. I will not list the books on this blog that were reviewed due to the extreme pornographic nature but here is the link for what our current School Czar believes is appropriate reading material for pre-teen and teens.

After going through the list and reading a few of the excerpts I had to stop, but I can say without reservation that while adults have the right to read whatever they choose, our children do not need to be exposed to these books and certainly not in our public school system. We the People are unbeknownst to most of us picking up the tab for this type of reading material.

What I fail to understand is why the President would appoint such a man who apparently holds so little regard for our children would be appointed to oversee anything having to do with our pubic school system. I cannot imagine that the President of the United States would not realize who he was appointing to oversee our children's education.

I do know that we as parents must remain vigilant especially as the last vestiges of decency and decorum disappear from places like our public school system. I had no idea about this particular reading list until I read about it over at Gateway Pundit's site. We must realize that we as parents have the right to opt our children out of such reading assignments, we have the power to speak with our school board members, children's teachers and administrators, etc...If we don't speak up for our children, who will?

On another note I have missed you all terribly. I feel like I have been away on vacation for weeks, unfortunately it was not a vacation. My new to me computer decided to catch a computer cold, not good. Have a Wonderful Wednesday.