What "Lies" Ahead - Post Inaugural Thoughts.....

I have been silent since the travesty of an election that was “completed” in November.  I have been quietly studying, reviewing history, reading source documentation, assessing and decidedly preparing for what is apparently ahead.  We are in uncharted territory in our country, not that they influences have not been present, but that they have taken hold and swayed the minds of the masses to the level that is today, apparent, is new ground.  The ramifications are largely unknown to our citizenry, but not unfamiliar around the world.  

This morning I read and responded to a post on a second amendment themed page on Facebook.  I decided to use that response to theme my first post, post inauguration of this “President” in this new era  of what may or may not be “our country”. 

I have left the response intact (with the odd formatting) for integrity sake, then expanded below it.

--FB response:

 I agree completely with the sentiment of your post Kevin, but as a realist and one who studies and places stock one the words and actions of our leaders, be they as they may, I would like to offer a different perspective. 

President BO is as offensive as his initials suggest. He is not inept, a puppet, or in any way a failure with regard to his stated addenda. He is the figure head of a long entrenched effort to do exactly what he promised during his 2008 campaign, "Transform America". The movement has been active and visible at varying levels in this country for all of a century. If you want to understand them then you have to recognize them for who and what they are. They have goals of a Utopian society, wrought though keynesian economic theory, without regard to the masses who are mearly tools, subjects to be used as weak minded and easily swayed devices to further the agenda by whatever means necessary.

They have over several decades infiltrated and taken control of our schools (the means of education of new generations), the courts, and much of government federally and in many major local areas. To these purveyors of Utopian, yet proven disastrous dreams, the end justifies the means, honor and integrity is defined by results archived. You must view their achievement in the vein of their intended end to understand what they do now. 

Not only has BO NOT FAILED, he's has done what no other of his type has previously done.  He actually told the people what he intended to do, did it, and was reelected all in the light of day.  He was entirely successful in deflecting responsibility for negative aspects of his intent while successfully accomplishing his intent.  He provided job growth according to his philosophy, in the government, where allegiance and dependence are fostered, while agitating the masses, creating and deepening necessary divisions among them. He provided the single largest spending package in history to further his philosophy, that of government dependence, spending that which created an irresolvable burden on the subjects, causing, by necessity their further allegiance and dependence in order to survive.  He, through the health care act, has “legally”  transformed 1/12^th of our economy (in good times, 1/10^th as it stands today) to a socialist model giving government unlimited power over one of the most critical aspects of the people, their health and how care for it is provided. The ramifications of this will unfold for decades.   The list goes on and the agenda of transformation continues. it does not take a brain surgeon to see where this leads, with intent. 

You just have to read the words, and review the actions of those of similar mind in the past.  It has resulted in the extermination of hundreds of millions of citizens of various countries by their own governments in the last century alone.  

No, he has not failed, he has done exactly what he said and intends.  The job is as he said, not complete, he has more work to do.

 -End of FB response

What lies ahead? That depends on several factors, the boldness of the Utopianists, the speed at which they decide to press their agendas, the continued complacency of a citizenry turned subject, and the tipping point on either’s behalf when it comes to that.

For my part, I intend to remain as free as possible for as long as possible.   

Footsteps in the Miracle Laden Path of our Loving Father

This morning, like many days, I awoke early, with a pressing thought in my mind, you know the kind that you ask yourself why am I thinking about that, I really just want to sleep. But you soon realize that weather you want it to be or not, you your mind is actively pursuing this path and unless you do something to change its activity, it will continue.  In any case you are not going back to sleep.

I have learned, not without hardship, that these strong impressions, not only occurring at waking but oft times throughout our waking lives as well, are not just subconscious activity somehow manifesting them self in my sleep or activity lulls.  Believe me, as a collage graduate in research psychology, as one of my emphasis', I understand all the quasi-scientific theory behind R.E.M. and other mental sleep activity as well as subconscious thought. What I know, though, comes from years of personal experience, mistakes, examination and confirmation of truth.  Though various trials, I have learned to pay attention to these impressions, to regard them as gifts, rather than odd occurrences or annoying sleep interruptions. Yes I have learned, and while I am still not perfect at exercising that knowledge, I have learned that focus on these impressions, pondering them, often results in needed perspective adjustment, clearer understanding of sometimes troubling circumstance, even guidance needed to overcome life's trials. Sometimes they are just Gods way of saying I know you needed a good laugh just now.

I rarely write about these impressions, in fact more often than not I do not even discuss them, but today I will make an exception.  I did the other day in my election day post, although I did not refer to the impression, it did orient my perspective and set my thoughts that day.  This morning's impression was of a totally different sort though.  It was, in part, related to a dear friend, a past employee and coworker who I have the greatest respect for.

We live in turbulent times.  Each of us have trials, burdens that we bear, failed relationships, lost jobs, physical and emotional trials/pains that can become dehabilitative; events that can cause us to question our own personal worth, and what our life is really about.  Juan has suffered more than his fair share of these,  but it is the test of character, the measure of a man as it were, that is found in how we approach and overcome life's trials.  It is in the trials that we become strong, or not.  It is in difficult times that we progress, we grow and find purpose, or simply allow ourselves to regress and despair.

This morning I woke thinking about Juan.  I would like to share with you a story.  One of Juan's trials.  I am sure he will not mind. I am also sure I will not do it justice, but I hope in my feeble attempt you will, as I have, find meaning, purpose, and maybe even receive on some level an impression of your own that will add meaning to your day for having taken the time to read this.  I have not saw Juan in seven years, since we both suffered, in our own ways,  the trials of a corporation that we helped to build into a worldwide powerhouse, lose its luster and go the way of many that do not change to meet the needs of the times.  Although I have not saw, him as we live thousands of mile a part, we have remained friends and I share in his sorrow of  difficulty and in his joy of triumph as if it were my own.

Just for point of reference on Juan, he is a brilliant young (I use the term young liberally, hoping to somehow include myself in that realm) man.  His studies have given him uncanny abilities in the field of computer artificial intelligence and modeling.  His character has blessed him, after previous trial, with a beautiful wife and supportive companion.  Juan loves the outdoors, the wonders of creation on this earth, he loves sports, friends, and fellowship, and respects life and all it has to offer.

Twenty one months ago, Juan who was actively building his life in this less than ideal economy, was taking a break from the rigors of work to enjoy with friends some exercise in a friendly game of flag football.  In what was a normal friendly leisure activity with friends a freak accident occurred.  He suffered a fall that blew out both knees, rendered him totally unable to walk and turned upside down his life.   I will not go into all the gory details as I am sure I do not fully understand myself the multiple surgeries, the pain and mental distress of having not only to rely totally on others for your basic care, but having to relearn to even walk.

I followed Juan's recovery, from a distance with interest, knowing that he would, as has always has, overcome adversity, but I was not sure at what point he would accept that life is normal again given his new circumstance.  I watched as he went from incapacitated to beginning therapy for atrophied muscles after months of necessary immobilization, from learning to stand and walk to, ten months after the accident, being able to ride a few minutes on a stationary bike.  It was an amazing day when 11 months after his word was tuned upside down, Juan posted a picture of a jumbled mass of medical aids, walkers, crutches, supports, etc. that he was done with.  Yes he was back on his feet, under his own power, moving on.

For many of us that would have been the end of an era, we would have considered it a success that we were able to once again provide for ourselves, we would have accepted that while we were mobile we would likely never do some of the things we had done before. In short, we would have settled, basking in our triumph over adversity.

I watch with interest when a month later Juan posted that he was returning to the gym, that he found that he could even jog a bit. A year after his surgery, he had full strength back and said he needed to step it up.  He started biking, and I shared in his triumph as he made his first hikes. He was back!  Nearly good as before and doing what he loved!

In October, of last year he celebrated his 3 year anniversary with his beautiful companion who became his caregiver and lifeline.  Quite a trial in and of itself on a young marriage.  I am sure, as I know them both, that they are stronger as a result.

In January of this year they celebrated his clearance from physical therapy with one hundred percent recovery.  A few months later he was on top of Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas.  And in September he was up in one of my favorite places, and his too, Banff National Park in Canada, hiking trails that many of us would not attempt in our prime.  Yes, Juan had not only recovered but reached new heights, literally.

It is a testament of courage, determination, and possibility.  Proof that one can accomplish, in the face of absolute desperation, anything one has the will to achieve.   I was so happy for him.  For their family!

But that is not the end of the story.  Last month, I received a note from Shannon via post to Juan's friends on Facebook that Juan was at it again.  This time he was doing what most only think about in there mental explorations as they read about great climbers scaling the peaks of the world.  Juan was on his way to Nepal.  He was scaling some of the toughest terrain on the earth.

Yes, while many of us were bickering about upcoming election, commiserating about the economy and what is happening to our country, Juan was out fulfilling a dream.  I watched and followed his progress via coordinates on goggle maps as Juan, who was totally incapacitated just 21 months ago, in a state that some would likely never had recovered from, scaled the Himalayas.  I participated vicariously in his triumph as he
reached Makalu base camp at 16,000 ft!  He commented that the trip broke his will twice, but that sometimes you just have to keep moving,  and as I congratulated him on all he had accomplished on this trip and over the past twenty one months, he said simply and humbly:

 "Thanks, Dave! God paved the way for me, I just showed up."

So this morning as I woke early, to darkness knowing that there was a a couple feet of new snow waiting for me outside in the darkness, I wasn't thinking about that or the plowing in the cold, or anything that my tired old bones would normally be contemplating.  I was thinking about a humble friend who rose from the depths of adversity, to triumph, reaching the pinnacle of human feats of exertion. I was thinking of a friend who recognized that it was not because of his will, but because of the tender mercies of a loving Father who stands ready as we are willing to follow.

Today I am thankful for the gift of waking impressions, for good friends, and for the attitude adjustment that comes from pondering the impressions given, as gifts to us, from our Father above.

The Morning After....Forward! But to what?

It is November 7th 2012.  It is the day after what truly may have been the most historic election of my lifetime. Maybe in the history of our nation. I watched in near silence last evening as the voice of the people was made known.  I'll admit, I am disappointed, discouraged, even a feeling bit of despair.

I have been a outspoken proponent of liberty, of the foundational principles of our forefathers. I love the country that I was raised in, what it stood for, it was a light on the hill, a beacon to all that would be free, those who would seek prosperity through the fruits of their own labor. Those that came to be apart of the law abiding citizenry that knew anything was possible if you just worked for it.  Sadly, I hardly recognize it today.

What was so historic last night?  Well it certainly wasn't that we elected a Black President.  Frankly unless you are a racist, I am not sure why that was so historic 4 years ago.  What was truly historic, was that after four years  of exposure to what the POTUS's believes, his policies, his actions and intent, that as a people, America has affirmed his direction. The voice of the majority, eyes wide open (or at least they had ample opportunity to have been) voted for social transformation, departed from our constitution, affirmed that the governance style of the president, which overtly disregards the congress, has sought to amass power unto itself beyond any previous presidency, and seeks to live by social re-distributive principles, is consistent with  the will of the majority. In short, while the Republic was not tossed out the window literally, the voice of the populace is that it should be.

Beyond the presidential election, state initiatives that oppose federal law passed handily with regard to same sex marriage and legalization of pot.  Indeed, in the face of fiscal peril, social issues prevailed.  There is now no hope of repeal for the healthcare act, that literally does nothing to provide for better healthcare but turns 17% of our economy into another government regulated program of taxation and redistribution. The act will be fully funded and will transform our healthcare system beyond the expectations of most Americans, not necessarily in a favorable way.

Yes, last night was historic, but history is not always kind. We see through out history, while man, at times, has freedom to act, the agency to choose as it were, he does not choose the consequence of his choice.  Consequence is self evident, it follows decision, for good or for evil.

The American people have made their choice.  Now they will receive the consequence of their decision. The majority has cast off fiscal responsibility, morality, traditional values of self-reliance and those of our forefathers, for social engineering, Keynesian economic philosophy (of this most do not understand or or hope to control the outcome) and Saul Alinsky tactics, to reshape this country into what?  Most do not know or frankly care enough to figure it out.  They just want the false security of government to tell them it will be okay as they slowly waste into serfdom.

Yes, last night was historic, the people voted in favor of the party who sought to remove God from their platform (actually they did it but their leaders and a few who claim to serve Christ but support the murder of millions of innocent children through abortion, feared the effect on the election and replaced the words to brunt the effect in opposition to the voice of the delegates ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8BwqzzqcDs  ). They agreed with the POTUS who said we are no longer a christian nation, who supports those who would destroy us and affronts those who have been our allies and friends.  They traded traditional values and individual responsibility for free birth control, same sex marriage, and pot.  The voice of the people  disregarded  the necessity for fiscal responsibility and instead chose to approve of the POTUS plan that will double our debt in the net 10 years, as if the economy will last that long if we go down the path he has knowingly set.  The people have chosen instead to bury there heads in the sand and pretend that if we cut our military to the point we can't wage war on multiple fronts we won't have to. Our enemies seemingly will just smoke weed with us and hold hands. Forget that the stabilization around the world for the last 60 years has largely been a result of our efforts though the strength of deterrent which is our military.  Yes, they choose to believe the spreading influence of radical Islam, largely ignored even in some ways fostered by this POTUS, poses not threat to us, they only, as a stated objective, want to wipe us off the face of the earth.

Maybe I am becoming cynical in my old age,  maybe I am no longer, in the know. You see,  I do not believe in a global federation of peace, no I didn't even buy into the idea when it was sold as Star Trek in the 70's,  but we probably had a better chance of it then.  Do I think the end of our nation is staring us in the face, no, I think, judging by the will of the people last night, it has actually already occurred.  We have, by all indications, past the tipping point the fallout is just beginning.

I, for one will indeed hold on to my guns, and my religion.  I will as it says in Luke 6:28, pray for my enemies, and those who despite-fully use me. I'll also give heed to the lessons in Samuel, Kings of the Bible, and of Mosiah 29: 26-27 (Book of Mormon):
------
 26 Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people.

27 And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land.   
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The voice of the people has spoken.  America will reap what it sews, and at the end, well this will serve as a reminder that as America chooses to pursue other paths, forgetting God and the foundational values of our forefathers that made this country what it was (not what is, or is becoming):  3rd Nephi 25 (Book of Mormon)

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 1 ^aFor behold, the day cometh that shall ^bburn as an oven; and all the ^cproud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

 2 But unto you that fear my name, shall the ^aSon of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and ^bgrow up as ^ccalves in the stall.

 3 And ye shall ^atread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of Hosts.

 4 Remember ye the law of Moses, my servant, which I commanded unto him in ^aHoreb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

 5 Behold, I will send you ^aElijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful ^bday of the Lord;

 6 And he shall ^aturn the heart of the ^bfathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and ^csmite the earth with a curse.
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Where will you be?  With whom will you stand?  Where did you stand last night?

Election Day

Here is my closing comment on this election, please take a moment to read and share:

It has been a long brutal campaigning process. You may have made up your mind, you may have already voted like me. If so, thank you for exercising your right to vote your mind.

We all have our reasons to vote for the candidates we choose to support, the economy, jobs, spending, foreign policy........

But there is one clear difference between the two major parties that was made clear at their conventions this year that merits pondering. It is one that every American must weigh. One that is so fundamental that it was the basis for our founders writing of our constitution. It is inherent, in the very act of exercising your right to vote, to life, to liberty, to the pursuit of happiness, to all of the rights that every elected federal official is sworn to uphold.

This difference, which the Democrat Party clearly removed from their platform, by will of their representatives, then only because of pressure, took three verbal votes, all of which supported the change, still overrode the actual voice of the convention to return the wording to their platform against the clear majority's will. (If you didn't see. It, it is worth reviewing the convention video.)

The difference is God. Whether you are religious or not is not at issue, but a belief in where your rights come from, your value as a person is. Our founders clearly stated this as the basis of our freedom, that our rights are granted of our Creator. The democrat convention removed even a belief of deity from their platform. By doing so, they showed that they are a party that no longer believe in our constitution, that the individual is inherently free and worthwhile, with rights endowed in them of their Creator.

In doing so, they have established, that they believe that rights are not of God, but of the government. This is a departure that is irreconcilable with our founding principles. It voids the inherent value for which this nation was founded and shifts the responsibility of government from protecting rights to becoming the supreme power. That is not a platform of my country,

So today as you exercise your right to vote, consider what you believe, where are your rights endowed from. Do you support the constitution, do you agree with the founders? Do you want to remain a free American? Or are you only voting social issues? The choice has been made clear.

CAN YOU, WITH ANY OUNCE OF INTEGRITY, VOTE FOR A PARTY AND PLATFORM THAT SEEKS TO REMOVE THE VERY BASIS OF OUR FREEDOM? VOTE YOUR CONSCIENCE! I HAVE.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/09/democrats-shift-language-on-israel-remove-god-given-from-platform/

Logical Thought or Talking Points?

Last evening a friend sent me an email she had received from a friend who said she wholeheartedly supported the message below and asked that everyone consider it in preparing to vote this year.  I have prepared my thoughts as I have considered it and they will suffice as today's post.

Wake up people, decisions should not be made on talking points (right or left they are of course form the left).  A modicum of thought, research, and actual logic is required.

My comments follow:

In response to the image above...

The talking points of the democratic party are easily written on a card, even spoken ad nauseam by the propagandist media who have voided all journalistic responsibility to actually research and report.  Do you believe what you have written?  Have you actually studied the topics you claim are reasons to support the president?  If so, well, everyone has the right to an opinion  but the superficiality,  lack of actual truth, will ultimately be the demise of individual freedom and if followed nationally, our representative republic.

Item 1:  The affordable healthcare act was never about affordable healthcare.  It was about redistribution and control of 1/7th of our entire economy. While it does have allowances for the acceptance of preconditions, it in no way makes it cheaper for small business to provide healthcare, it does in fact, actually provide a way to remove the employer/employee relationship, tax the employer and employee, and make the employee a ward of the state with regard to insurance which is then subject to the regulation of a bureaucratic board for allowed healthcare services. Who would not want these changes you ask? A freedom loving people who believe in personal responsibility and the innovation and quality of medicine in this country that has occurred because of the free market. Those who choose not to have there live run or effected in every way by an overbearing government.  Those who believe that others should not be forced to pay for the products and services of those those who are illegally here and or are unwilling to be productive citizens.  Those who believe in the constitution of the United States of America and that the limitation of the Federal Governments powers as as specified there in.  The issue of health care is not a federal issue, it is a states issue.  We, as an American people are the most charitable people in the world, we believe in helping others, we believe in free market principals, that the most efficient road to provide goods and services is not through government programs, but through free market competition.  If anything, our medical system has been strapped and stifled by regulation, and is in no way improved by the current healthcare act.  Yes there are issues that need to be addressed, a safety net needs to be available to those who are unable to otherwise receive care, but this, the most inefficient, innovation stifling  overbearing and overreaching piece of legislation that was not supported by the American people, but rather rammed through against their will is not the way.  Do you support a different form of government? In supporting this president one would assume so.

2.  While this administration did end the war in Iraq, they did so in a failure to secure a armed forces agreement, that would allow for the protection of the gains we had made in the sacrifice of capital and human life that was granted there.  As a result, much of what we fought for is lost, that nation is quickly failing into another state of continual civil war and our adversaries are and have been gaining ground in the country since the day of our departure.  Yes, he did end the war, but he did so irresponsibly, without regard for the sacrifice of life that America gave.  He is winding down the war in Afghanistan  and is attempting to do a better job than he did in Iraq.  As you are reading this they are negotiating an armed forces agreement, weather they achieve it or not remains to be seen but the president's defined timeline for exiting the country has done nothing but give hope to those who would oppose us.  It has created a no win situation, a waiting timeline for reinsurance of those we have fought to remove, if you will.  The written statement on the card of reason for support is so simplistic that one has to wonder if there is any understanding of the purpose of conflict in the first place.

3. Because, there are many who believe in personal responsibility for one's own body, and that others should not have to pay for the irresponsibility and personal choices of others. What you fail do see is that every penny that is spent by our federal government is the earned labor and wealth of its citizenry.  The freedoms proscribed in our constitution include religious freedom. The act of force to require the provision of birth control, abortifactants, and other processes that are against the religious moral beliefs of those who are required to pay for them are at the very least unconstitutional, and those measures that terminate life at a point of greater decision is irrepressible.  Life and the sanctity of life is a non-negotiable, that is protected via religious freedom.  To wrap these complex issues into a simple talking point statement promoted by an now godless, moraless, socialistic DNC party, disrespects both women and men alike.  This is not a reason to support the president unless you are blind to the facts. 

4.  Talk is cheap, actions show the measure of the man.  While he signed the act, his own administration pays women in same level jobs 18% less than their male counterparts. He does not believe in the equality of all, his entire campaign is based on division of classes, the haves and havenots, the entitled and the evil overlords.  His definition of equality is not that every one has the same opportunity and human potential but that regardless of effort your reward should be equalized and redistributed, not equally by the way, but as the government sees fit to maintain their power base. Anyone who has studied world government in the least bit, with any objectivity understands where this leads and it is not what America was founded on.  Our foundation is on the principle that all men are created equal, that the human potential of man is unlimited, and that the right of man to pursue life liberty and happiness in just that, an individual right that is not to be infringed upon by government.  This President's, and I guess your position by your statement of support, does not reflect that foundational principal but does reflect much of what are failed and often disastrous principles of government that have lead to the extermination of vast populations in many parts of the world.  The presidents record on this is not a reason for support although his words sometimes sound nice.

5.  His investments in green energy for the most part has not been based on sound economic principal, providing incentive to develop, sound market initiatives that will be self sustaining in a free economy. Rather they have been paybacks to campaign supporters, who have in turned failed in their initiatives because not only were they not qualified in the industries, but the industries were propped up on artificial government subsidies relying on the false assumption, that by necessity energy prices will escalate at astronomical rates do to lack of supply and that will overcome entry barriers for inefficient alternative products.  This is not sound investment.  This is simply, at best a waste of taxpayer money and more obviously simply an another attempt to shore up power by paying off huge donors.  Innovation occurs not out of pouring money into economically inefficient research, it comed from the desire to fill a need that is driven by market forces.  To force an economic climate that simulates need in the hopes of overcoming an eventual problem is both dishonest, and destructive to the country.  That is what you have been experiencing in in this presidency, an unwillingness to use resources existing in an attempt to force development of alternative energy.  It will not work, has never worked and can not be subsidized indefiantly. Failed policy is not a reason to support a president.      

6.  When will the left finally recognize that no child left behind was a good idea, gone awry?  The admirable objectives have been largely voided by a corrupt power hungry administrative oriented teachers union who have clearly stated that the child is not their prime concern but their power and ability to control policy. The solution to problems in our education system is not more money to a corrupt system. It is found in the structure itself.  Once again we can rely on our constitution that reserves the power of education to state governments not the Federal government.  Like other usurped powers of the states who have the constitutional obligation for the care for their citizenry, education is a reserved power of the states.  Solutions to local needs are never more efficiently met by a distant body with other priorities.  The problem is the same at the college level.  The president has not made funding more available. He has only moved the burden to a federal agency.  This is not more efficient and in reality only serves the interest of politicians and the educational union to more easily direct available funding to institutions of their choosing. Massive federal takeover of free enterprise is neither efficient or a reason to support this president.

7. Yes, and they do, have and always will.  The question is what is a fair share?  Are you a socialist, marxist or communist?  If so you will support the presidents definition of "fair"  meaning equality trough redistribution (previously addressed). We already have a progressive tax rate system that is more than "fair" in fact it unequally shifts the overwhelming burden of taxes to those who create wealth.  What is fair?  What should I, you, or anyone else be required to turn over to a bloated inefficient government, who's priority is power and scope is way beyond its charter? Please define fair and equal because the presidents definition of either is not constant with America's foundations and as the official elected to uphold those foundations, sworn by oath, this is not a reason to support his positions either.  

8. This shows you absolute gullibility to leftist talking points, the president has not added 2.6 million jobs.  We are in the hole 5+ million jobs.  Millions of Americans have given up looking for work, the assistance roles have doubled, economic growth continues to slow each year, not expand.  The president's fabrication of "saved or created jobs" rhetoric has doubled the american debt, only shifted jobs to the public sector, adding tax burden rather than economic growth, and his policies are a disincentive to private enterprise investment, the actual creator of economically beneficial job production. Only a "useful idiot" as the left likes to refer to the general populace, or a Keynesian economist (the ones who subscribe to destruction to recreate the world in a more perfect sphere) would attribute what has occurred in the last 4 years a positive influence.

Your talking points of the left may give you solace as you accept the "new norm" that this administration has put before you, you may even think that you are somehow a humanitarian by supporting them but you points are void of reality, facts, and supporting principals that are the foundations of freedom and individual pursuit of liberty and happiness that is enumerated by the founding documents of this nation and supported by the blood of countless Americans in preservation.  In short, your support of this administration, based on the points you have put forward are: either uniformed, or anti-american. I will let you decide which.

I am always happy to have a continued discourse based on fact if you should choose to engage in such a manner.

David A. Roskelley

Courage of our Conviction

I recently returned from a road trip with my family during which time we visited several of the beautiful natural spaces in the Western United states and many of the temples of our faith along the way.  During this time, and since, I have had time to consider much as we were largely out of the clutter of mass communication, news, internet, etc.  It is funny, even when we sometimes think we have removed adverse influences from our lives, how much remains.  It takes a change in daily routine to make one realize how much of the worldly influence still holds fast in our daily activities.  A couple of weeks of separation and solitude are good for the soul.

So here I am back home in my still somewhat removed Western Montana Mountain home, considering what to allow back as influences in my daily routine and what to shutter all together.  It is interesting that at this point those things which are most important are so plainly visible, yet within a few weeks, without conscious effort, those core convictions which make life have purpose and value will be swallowed up in the necessity of daily routine, those priorities, while still important, become at best guiding influences rather than the purpose for the activities that create our end.

With this clear perspective, let me set down plainly those things which are my convictions.  If you can find some separation to clear your mind, I would invite you to do the same.  Convictions, to me at least, are those things which you value above all else in life.  They are the purpose for which you act on the majority of the things you do.  Here are my convictions: Integrity, Faith, Family, and Freedom.  Yep, that is it.  Those are the drivers in my life at this point.  Without any one of these I would be at a loss, and when I stray from these, I reduce my happiness, effectiveness, and slow my progress in life. 

Since we are still in this cycle of a major election year, I will continue to orient my posts for the next couple of months to that end.  Some people say that this election is the most important of our lifetime.  When asked why, there are a multitude of reasons, but how important are they really.  I can boil the criteria for whom I will vote for to one thing.  Who most closely supports my convictions?

In the last few days, as I have begun to reengage the world and my daily routine, a few things have entered my sphere that have really made me think.  They have solidified for me, once again, not only the necessity of following our convictions, but why my convictions are what they are.

The first event was the horrific event of the killing of our Ambassador and staff in Benghazi Libya and the associated Islamic protests along with the media rhetoric around it. The second was the feigned liberal media outrage and attempted spin created over the truthful comments of Mitt Romney regarding the propensity of those who are in some way dependent on the government for their livelihood or subsistence to vote for him.   The third was a simple response to a discussion post on Facebook from a friend who I have long held respect for, that was somewhat different than I had expected.

I would like to address each of these in brief as each could fill an entire entry on their own and may in the coming days, but for now I would like to set them against my convictions.  Might you do the same?

The attack on our embassy, the method of torture and killing of our Ambassador in Benghazi along with the media storm surrounding it and the other protests should heighten our awareness of just where we, as Americans, stand in the world.  Our president, when he was elected or as he portrayed it, was anointed, gave a speech that suggested that by the mere act of his election, racial tensions were healed, environmental issues were being reversed, that the world had come together and we would all live in symbiotic harmony.  If you don’t remember the acceptance speech look it up, it is something to watch even now.  But was it honest, did he and has he acted with integrity?  The simple answer is NO!  Whether you believe he is eligible to be president or not, weather you think he is a good man or not,  this president has a consistent record of deceptiveness and misinformation, from his own personal biography, much of which we now know was carefully crafted and fabricated, though his presidency and most recently the official position on the killing of our ambassador, he has used those around him including a complicit media to maintain an image at the expense of integrity and without regard for those whom he was elected, not anointed, to serve.  Whether by malice or incompetence without the courage of conviction I will not judge, but the simple fact of record, is that integrity does not drive this man.  The atrocity in Benghazi also highlights the simple differences and complexity of Faith.  Our president thought that by nature of his special personage, the tables of animosity around the world, had been or at least could be reset as a result of his arrival.  Remember his speech at the Berlin Gate?  He was a “citizen of the world”, well whatever his conviction of faith, of which many are still unsure; be it that of Black Liberation Theology, Muslim, Jack Christian, or agnostic, what is sure, is that his arrival, policies, dogma, and apologetics for American exceptionalism have not reset the tables, have not subdued animosity, have only weaken us in the eyes of those who would destroy us in the name of their faith. 

http://freebeacon.com/witnesses-there-was-no-protest-in-benghazi/

Faith as a conviction is a powerful motivator, for good, or for evil depending on the source of inspiration.  I am a respecter of Faith, regardless of religion, given the source is that which inspires man to do good.  It concerns me as a person of faith when others either condone or apologize to or for those, who out of “inspiration,” do evil.

I was watching the news as a well know reporter (Heraldo Revera) was explaining that the Muslim societies that have been protesting and attacking us around the world "are a hundred years behind western civilization, we have to regard them almost as children" with regard to their fundamental violent religious behavior.  This was after a week of hearing that their motivation was a film trailer on You Tube.  As I listened to this reporter, I realized that what he was saying is that these radicalized Muslims need a hundred years to evolve their society into a Godless - religious beliefs don't matter society  like most of Europe and much of the US have become. As unlikely as this evolution is (they have held the same beliefs for a millennia), I have another question, is this really idea an advancement to societal development? Is this what liberals feel is the equalizer that will draw all mankind together? Or is this logic just another liberal excuse/victim rational to excuse behavior that is deviant, deteriorative or just plain evil.  I maintain it is the latter.

While I vehemently disagree with radicalized Muslim doctrine (that which is used to incite violence), I only disagree with it slightly more than the views of those on the left who protest and oppose and moral and responsible behavior, in the name of tolerance and "equality". The right to act in an immoral, degenerative way, or to work acts of evil, is not an advancement to our society.  Just because you can act in such a manner, for whatever reason, does not make it right or good.  This goes for unnecessary dependency (unwarranted welfare), deviant sexual behavior (the act of homosexuality), the murder of unborn life for convenience sake (medically unnecessary abortion), or the murderous behavior of a belief that others lives are worthless because they do not share the same faith.  The source of all of these behaviors is not good.  It comes from another place, one that I choose not to endorse.

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/mark-tapson/the-sexual-pathology-of-the-libyan-attackers/

It is time to stop making excuses for evil. The fight against Muslim governance and the associated repressive behavior has been a struggle for centuries, after all that was what the crusades were about. Not saying that crusades were good, but that the philosophical difference is not one that we should excuse, it will not go away, we must stand for good.

It is time to stop the Politically Correct degeneration of our society.  It is time to stand up for integrity and call deception and evil out for what it is.  We live in a country founded on the principles of Faith, liberty and freedom to enjoy the fruits of one own labors.  We are losing that foundation.  We have given up Freedom for the promise of security; we have given up integrity for the appearance of tolerance.  We have given up faith in capitulation to those who are “offended”.  We accept the lack of integrity from our political leaders as normal because we have ceded much the responsibility for our own well being to the “better judgment of others” knowing full well from observation that they are void of integrity.

How is this good for us, our families, and our country? The answer is simple, it is NOT GOOD!  It is past time to stand up for our convictions.  Past time to examine our own beliefs and abilities.  Time to return to integrity of self, to the faith of our fathers that we are endowed by our creator with rights that are not subject to men, but rather, the foundation that men who seek to lead are subject to God, and as our elected servants, they who shall be great (in their own mind) shall be least, and they that shall be humble shall be great in the sight of God and of men.  

Whoever you are, weather you have family, fame, fortune, or are suffering from the current climate that we have allowed to be brought upon us in this country.  Consider your convictions, what is the source of your inspiration.  Stand for that which you value regardless of that which you see as acceptable to others.  If you have lost integrity in your life. Start fresh and return to your core values.

We saw an example of this in Mitt Romney’s currently attacked speech from last summer that was cut by a left leaning media source to create a sensation, and with the mainstream media’s willing aid, did.  This was the distraction of the moment that was going on to change the focus from the misinformation coming out of the White house about the attacks on our embassies around the world by radical Islamists.  (The attacks were not over this You tube film trailer, it was as it was 11 years ago; it was an act of terrorism inspired of a radicalized faith that hates America, and sees it weakened by the current administration.)  Mitt had made a speech at a fundraising event in which he said there were a large percentage of people who, do to their reliance on government for their lively hood or subsistence, were not receptive to his message, that they were predisposed to vote for President Obama because of their dependence.  This was truth, maybe not comfortable truth but it was truth.  He said it was not his goal to reach these people in terms of message for the election but to reach those who had not already made up their mind.  This is truth, maybe not comfortable truth but it was truth.  Now if you listen to the leftists in the media who cut the recording and used a clip to spin a different meaning, you might understand differently what he was saying.  But truth stands on its own as does integrity.  I have sat in homes of people who are as husband and wife, spilt in their political philosophy.  I have heard the logic for why the left leaning person would vote for the current President, not because of policy, or what he has done or accomplished but because if he were not elected, “I would not have my job”.  This particular person holds a position that is paid for by a government program.  Policies were not the issue, spending wasn’t the issue, integrity wasn’t the issue, only personal subsistence.  And the sad fact is that we have created such a level of enabling programs, government jobs and entitlements beyond that which is truly necessary that there are a great number of our citizens, dependent on these programs that fear their loss. The truth is not always pretty but it is still the truth.

I would say to any person, employed in any way, by any level of government, or compensated by  government subsidized funds, that if you yourself recognize that your position or compensation received from whatever government source is not necessary but exists only because of the political persuasion of a power base, then you are part of the problem.  You are, by virtue of your understanding, voiding your own integrity.  Someone is suffering more because of your willingness to take that which you know is not needed.  That which you enjoy is from the hand of another who earned it. 

Don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting that all government jobs are unnecessary, or that they provide no value, but there are many that are either misplaced (at the federal level when the should be at the state or local) or are funded (especially at the federal level) outside of constitutional parameters and serve largely to bolster a power base rather than to serve a necessary constitutionally authorized purpose.  The same is true for the many arts, aid, and some portion of entitlement programs.  Government is, and has almost universally proven to be the least efficient means of delivering goods and services to its citizenry and those who are linked to dependence on it are enslaved to a system of socially repressive and productively deteriorative behavior, often believing that they are involved in a cause that is just the reverse, but in reality they are part of the parasite in the free economy that our country was founded on, and that our military (actually authorized by the constitution) have fought for, sacrificed, and died for.  Truth is not always comfortable but it is truth.

The final item that has solidified for me that it is our convictions we must stand for not a political party was the response from a friend, into a query as to whom my friends were supporting and why.  You may sense, as I did a bit of frustration, and even embarrassment in the response as I did, but I at least applaud my friend for the willingness to share the thought: 

               

 I have looked at both candidates very carefully. I watch a lot of news on both sides. From what I see they are both good men. They are both honest men who love their families. I'm always afraid to put political comments on here because I am more liberal than my friends and neighbors. I am liberal because I feel that helping people does not make us weak. It makes us strong. I'm more liberal because everyone has a right to believe how they want. And I'm a liberal because human rights issues are important. You call it redistribution of wealth, I call it building roads for all, paying teachers and police what they are worth and yes helping the poor, sick and needy. I am a liberal for good reasons, and I believe others are conservative for good reasons. But in government we need to compromise, listen and respect other views.

This friend, one that I grew up with, who shares my faith, a person whom I have always had respect for, has arrived at a very different perspective than I at this point in life.  I share many of the same concerns but believe the solution is very different.  I will share my response then comment a little further to wrap up this post:

While you did not do as the post topic requested, I can take from your answer that you are either leaning or decided on voting for President Obama. Could you please cite for me what you feel he has done or will do doing his next term that is driving you that direction if it is the case? 

I don't think most conservatives disagree with you about the ideas of helping others, human rights, or the role of government in the infrastructure of our country. We may disagree on who's responsibility (ie. government or individual/religious) it is, and if it is the government's responsibility, at what level (local, state, or federal) it should be handled under the constitutional structure of our country. One philosophy is that it is the responsibility of the individual to first take care of himself and his family (ie self reliance) then as he is able to share and to aid others. With regard to government, this same philosophy would say that the federal government has limited powers (ie as enumerated in the constitution and it's amendments) and that all other powers are reserved for the states as they and their citizenry decide, this would include most infrastructure, education, and public assistance. The founders believed and wrote via the federalist papers that when the federal government assumed these type of powers it would be the end of our republic because the ability of government to create dependency (control the citizenry) for the sake of power becomes the driving force of decision. That is being born out today. Not just by this administration but by the entire federal gov. process.

The real question is are you okay with the socialization of our republic? Are you in favor of continuing to spend beyond our means. Is dependency on the government for subsistence consistent with your philosophy, as that is where we are and will increasingly become if the path that we are on continues. And if all this is okay with you, then who will pay for it as the private workforce continues to shrink, the government labor roles and entitlements grow and foreign money ceases to flow to our country as a result of our fiscal irresponsibility.

Someone once said: Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. At what point does Ceaser (ie government) become God. I would answer this, when we allow the government to assume a role (power) that forces one to do what we are granted our agency to choose to do. It seems to me that the plan of forced compliance came from another source.

This is the crux of the necessity of conviction.  While I feel the logic of liberalism is misplaced in general; the logic that human rights, helping others, freedom of belief, etc. are liberal not conservative values is in itself distorted.  They are values that are of individual conviction, not of a political party.  The parties would have you believe that the other is uncaring, want to do harm, etc., but this is for a want of power, not out of rational observe actionable logic.  The large majority of people in this country want good, they want reasonable human rights (as outlined in our founding documents) they are willing and often desirous to help others.  We are and have always been a nation that has been willing to assist in times of need.   These are not items that are divisive.  The divisions comes from the extreme, from those who would like to create “rights” and special classes where none exist, those that take offence at others views and would legislate away rights such as freedom of speech and religion, those who would sacrifice rights for political correctness, those who would make excuse for bad, immoral, even evil, behavior.

My friend is right in that we need to maintain the human rights that were defined in our constitution, right to say that we are stronger when we are willing to help others, right to maintain that we should be free to believe as we choose!  These are not Liberal or Conservative values, they are American values.  They are values that our Founders held individually and structured a government that was to allow individuals, even local government to flourish as individuals chose to uphold them. They sought to provide a framework in which there would be cooperation among the states to provide for national security from threat and influence abroad and to limit the power and influence of that national authority at home.  The provision and power to provide basic services, aid, and even education was left to the states so that the freedom of people to believe and live as they chose would be preserved.

Our division of opinion, my friend and I, and largely that of the majority of good Americans comes in the method of delivery.  I believe in the goodness and potential of the individual.  That freedom and rights apply at the most basic level; ourselves.  We have the right to choose to be who we want to be and we have a moral obligation driven by that inspiration that is of God to do good.  We are a nation of laws to control and maintain a level of civility from those who are void of integrity values and conviction.  We are not a people who is meant to be controlled, subject of, and/or compelled to do, anything as a result of national government oversight, their oversight is to be servitude to us and is only to maintain our freedoms.  Both parties are far awry from these basic tenants of our Republic.  Neither party conforms to or serves completely the interest of the American Citizenry. Many political figures have devolved to act on only that which will help them maintain power.   It is for this reason that we cannot, should not, must not rely upon party politics, but must be engaged at a more basic level.

We must seek out truth, not the spin from media sources, but look at actual records and source information to determine who most closely meets our individual convictions.  Regardless of the platform or party line, it is only our conviction, mine being: Integrity, Faith, Family, Freedom,  that will carry us through troubled times and guide us successfully forward.  Stand for what you believe in and choose those that act as you would.  Truth is not always comfortable but it is still truth.

The choice this November: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=D9vQt6IXXaM&hd 

The Dumbing Down of America.

What is all this campaign rhetoric about outsourcing? 

To listen to the campaign rhetoric you would think this is the most egregious, anti American practice out there.  Listening to either camp, you would guess that the other is the evil mastermind, trying to destroy America through the export of jobs.  We all know that isn’t so, so why all the focus on this issue?

We have been hearing of late that the economy is not a winning issue in this election, that given the change of the social demographic, the state of the economy is just not enough to push the election over the top.  Why is that? Are things so much better than in 2008 and 2010?  Are people’s lives, their perspective of the potential for success so much improved? Has hope been restored?

I contend that, if indeed the economy is not a “winning issue” it is for the exact opposite reason. Hope has been lost. If the economy is not a winning issue, it is because the majority has been convinced that where we are, is the new norm.  That the rise in government dependence is the new economy. That success, individual effort, and enjoying the freedom achieved from the fruits of one’s own labor is now just a fantasy.  In short, that we are no longer America, the exceptional country, the “Land of Opportunity” that individuals have come from all parts of the earth to be a part of for the last 2 centuries. 

Listening to our President, we never were that country.  His rhetoric is that the principals that built this nation, the America that has stood as a witness to human ability, individual achievement, and entrepreneurship, have never worked.  I am sure from his perspective, it hasn’t but that is almost another discussion all together.  I say almost, because there is a common element to his perspective and to the citizenry that share his perspective.  Something has indeed changed in America, it threatens our very way of life and it is directly related to why we are in this quandary about outsourcing, why the economy is not a winning issue, and why hope is, in many corners, lost.

America was built on a foundation that was unique in the world.  It was formed with the idea that the individual had inherent worth and ability, potential that was untapped, that inherent in man was God given ability to achieve and excel l without the necessity of an overlord of government to rule him.  The principal of America was that men had the right to pursue happiness on their own terms in so far as it did not harm another’s freedom to do the same.  We believe that all men were created equal, that at our birth, man is inherently talented and he should have the opportunity to exercise his will to reach his potential.  This was the basis of the formation of our country.

So what has changed?  Why, now after 200+ years of amazing expansion, yes with some tough times along the way, are we reduced to a people who now increasingly desire to rely on government assistance, to accept what they have not earned without reservation, and in increasing numbers with desire and expectation?

I contend it is about education.  Depending on your view it may be the success or failure of our educational system, including the responsibility of parents at home, but it is about education.  For many years there has been an attempt to shift education from focus on individual success and liberty, to equality among the citizenry.  There has been an initiative to mitigate the value of individual achievement, for the idea of equality. In effect there has been a concerted effort to rewrite the principals of freedom and personal liberty that our country was founded on to shape our country more into the model of servitude that has been the basis of other governments around the world.

I hope at this point you are starting to get a sick, even angry feeling, whether it is toward me or those who have perpetuated this shift, it doesn’t matter.  The fact of the matter is that as a citizenry, we have been dumbed down so that a few can have power, we have been taught to conform, to give up freedom for perceived security, give up opportunity for comfort (even at a subsistence level), to forgo liberty in the name of equality.  It is a common social structure around the world, one that Communists, Socialists, Marxist, Leninists, even tyrannical dictatorships all hold in common as a way to control the citizenry.  They do it under different philosophical dogma but they all share the principal that the masses are only worthwhile when they are in the service of the authority.  It is what our founders fled from and sought to avoid in the foundation of our system of government.

Yet here we are, nearing a tipping point, some say we are already past.  We fight about menial issues while ignoring the fact that we are doing exactly what those who have moved us to this point would have us do.

Is it coincidence that as a developed nation, our citizenry understands less about their country’s actual history than any developed nation, that the principles of free enterprise, and capitalistic economics are demonized if taught at all? That we are prodded to despise those who have wealth and to regard them as selfish, thieves, and uncaring rather than celebrating their achievement and aspiring to attain the same?  Is it coincidence that no longer is a high school education is not regarded as adequate for entry into the workforce yet a college diploma also doesn’t ensure that an individual will even understand the basics of our capitalist economy?  Is it a coincidence that we are more and more led to believe that conformity is desired, that political correctness is better than questioning, that everything is a right regardless of whether it is a deviant behavior,  legal, moral, or constructive for our society?  Is it a coincidence that dependence is regarded as the most appropriate stimulus in the “new economy”?  But I digress.

What does all of this have to do with outsourcing?  If you have any understanding of business in a free economy, you understand that profit is only achieved as a business is able to be competitive and bring a product to market of equal or better quality, at a price equal to or less than your competitor.  You also understand that it is not the desire of any businessman to see his business slow in such a way that he must lay people off.  That is called contraction and is opposite of the goal of business seeking profit.  Growth is always the desired path in providing positive returns.  So why would anyone outsource?  Logically it should not be cheaper to do business at a distance; transportation alone should mitigate labor disparity.  But the sad fact is that it does not.   The same forces that have shifted our focus in education, also strive to “protect our health, save our planet, feed the world, save the spotted owl and every other insane and idiotic, special interest cause.  Don’t get me wrong, everyone wants to clean water, safe food, a preservation of and good stewardship of our earth, but we are a country of legal and regulatory road blocks that not only hamper our ability to do business competitively, it costs us as consumers at every corner.  Where ever you look now there are regulations meant to raise tax revenues, protect us from ourselves, and provide for mitigation of past injustices.  We are still the manufacturing force of the world, but every day it becomes more difficult, this year alone over 100,000 regulations touching on every aspect of our free enterprise system has been enacted.  Few are repealed, the new are just layered on and the bureaucracy of red tape continues to slow our progress.  Whether it is product production method regulation, labor safety requirements, employee benefits, use taxes, product liability funds, regulatory compliance issues, accountancy regulations, you name it, it has to be incorporated in to the cost of bringing product to market. We have become the highest taxed, most regulated economy on earth. 

If you are a business leader faced with the requirement of providing return on the risk investment of your shareholders (who ever they are: for public companies the shareholders may include people who have pensions, 401k accounts, money market accounts, and any savings account that provides interest, in short almost everyone whether a direct shareholder or as beneficiary as a result of having an account with an institution who holds your money and makes investments to provide you interest) you are, by duty, bound to find a way to return profit to your shareholders.  If you do not, you are not worth your salary.

The issue with outsourcing is not whether it is evil or not, it is, why is it necessary? What causes business to act in a manner that seems counter intuitive?  This would not be a difficult question to answer if even in our secondary education we taught basic principles of capitalism as we did 3 decades ago.  It would not be such a mystery to the average laborer, even to today’s college graduate if we taught a minimally acceptable level of fiscally responsible economic principle theory that is the basis of what has been the greatest wealth and prosperity generator for over two centuries.  It is not difficult to understand that regulation, restrictive use laws, taxation, and collective union bargaining without regard for the competitive climate of our global economy, when out of balance with the rest of the world, has pushed our business leaders to search beyond our borders for efficiency in bringing products to market.   

It is now so bad that even those who claim to despise the thought (as in our president) cannot avoid it.  Two thirds of all of our stimulus funds (your and my tax dollars) went to the benefit of foreign entities, whether by design or by nature of the beast, I will leave you to decide.  But the fact of the matter is, business expansion (which is job creation in this nation) under the capitalistic economy we enjoy is dependent on the regulatory and taxation environment that it is burdened with.  It is out of control!  You have no idea how much of the price you pay of every product is inflated by the overburden of our government.

Yes outsourcing occurs, but like so many of the drugs we have been dumbed into taking, discussing outsourcing is only like treating a symptom.  If you want to fix the disease you have to the source.  You have to attack the problem within.  It is time to stop masking symptoms (or making them the main focus of dialog in the presidential campaign), let’s get into the real issues.  Do we want to be the people we were meant to be as Americans?  Do we want freedom or dependence?  You can’t have it both ways.   Do we want a prosperous economy, a land of opportunity, or a subsistence economy of dependant citizens?  Do we want to be controllers of our own destiny or are we destining to fail and be servitude to the authority of the moment? 

Our founders intended for us to be the authority, the government was only meant to protect our freedom, why have we given up so much with hope for so little in return?