It's a Day We Will Become All One Thing or All the Other ...Thing

Dear America,

So, here we are, seven score and a decade later, we, the people, commune on a moment:

The Gettysburg Address

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate—we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom— and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

If you can trust an Associated Press story about an Associated Press journalist -- a young Joseph Ignatius Gilbert -- assigned to make a record on the day, then feel free to jump into this wonderful backstory, here, as featured on The Washington Post.

But let's go back a wee bit further, shall we?

Here's a sign of things to come -- from 1858 -- when Abraham Lincoln was running for State Senator, against Douglas, having just received the Illinois Republican Party nomination...

A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become lawful in all the States, old as well as new — North as well as South.

It would seem America is divided once more; it's only a matter of time before we decide our fate, of our own choosing, of becoming "all one thing or all the other."

Which brings me to a quote widely misattributed to be a Lincoln-ism, but isn't, and fully worthy of a repeat and creator correction; so without futher adieu, let's go to wise words of The Ten Cannots from Reverend William John Henry Boetcker (1873-1962):

You cannot bring about prosperity

by discouraging thrift.

You cannot strengthen the weak

by weakening the strong.

You cannot help little men

by tearing down big men.

You cannot help the wage earner

by pulling down the wage payer.

You cannot further the brotherhood of man

by encouraging class hatred.

You cannot help the poor

by destroying the rich.

You cannot establish sound security

on borrowed money.

You cannot keep out of trouble

by spending more than you earn.

You cannot build character and courage

by taking away man's initiative and independence.

You cannot help men permanently

by doing for them

what they should do for themselves.



But perhaps Boetcker was inspired by these words from the man of the hour, Abraham Lincoln:

"Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built."  Abraham Lincoln, March 21, 1864, in remarks made to the New York Democratic Republican Association  [thank you Dictionary.com]

In any event, in the search to gather all things G today, I happened to come upon a journalistic masterpiece from PBS NEWSHOUR, intent on clearing up quotes and misquotes, while compiling a library of reference material revolving around the age-old divide between the haves and the have-nots and chronicled for quite some time on PBS, and thus titled, The Inequality Dilemma, by Paul Solman. [click it if you want]

The ideas are nothing new.

Who really cares who said what, right?

But for good measure, here's another good one, from Dr. Adrian Rogers, swiped from a page on goodreads.com:

“You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.”

With a nation half full and half empty, the fiasco known as Obamacare has told us what we have not learned.  So the real question remains, what have we learned in the last seven score and a decade, added to the four score and seven years ago, and what are we prepared to do about it?


From Saint Paul to the Thessalonians,  "The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat." [love love love BibleHub]

In the beginning, America understood this basic principle; it's translation never denied, nor  had to be explained.   It's a new day.    Real FREEDOM for all requires the all to be responsible.

You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they should be doing for themselves...You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred...You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong....You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence...You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money...You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.....You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn...You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer....You cannot help little men by tearing down the big men...You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift....You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it....Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built...

A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.


It's just another day when America will decide to become all one thing or all the other.

Make it a Good Day, G 

Dear America,

Happy Wednesday.

and can we just say 'wow' -- you leftists seem a bit out of sorts, generally speaking.

What I find amusing, given time and time again, the great Obama-san has said he doesn't care about the polls (championing his own goals often times in spite of what the polls say) -- how could he have spent so much time yesterday reciting just what the polls say. funny.

"there are polls right now that say its a bad idea right now to give the wealthy tax cuts...I need to do what's right for the American people...this isn't an abstract debate...  this is real money for real people...I know the polls, and they are on our side on this...this is not a position where I have failed to convince the American people..."

insinuating polls never lie, and that he, oh honorable one, is fully aligned with the wisdom back behind the numbers.

This was his effort in day two of being in charge since day one, in making his feeble attempt to "convince" the American people to stand by him -- or was it?  Maybe, it was more to corner and convince his own party to follow him.  Trust me  Trust me  TRRRRRRRussssssssssssst me.  smirking into the teleprompter.

Some might have called his day two in front of the press, making an extra effort to capitalize on his natural, super fly ability to persuade, a wee bit sthuperfhhpluous... "you try saying it after you had twelve stitches"...superfluous.

Yes, you got me, that was a different day, and a different audience -- but we hadn't mentioned this little blooper yet; and actually, I thought Obama-san was just so cute about the whole thing, I didn't want to ignore it -- it was a fleeting moment that reminded me of his old ways...charming, flashing that gorgeous smile, laughing at himself (if only a tiny bit) and making people fall all over themselves spellbound and adoringly. good stuff, but let's get back on point.

So there he was, at the podium again -- and if we thought he was frustrated on Monday, not sure what you would call yesterday.   THAT was soooooooo, like, uncomfortable..

More unnerving, was the notion that he never had the backing of his people before making his every intention known, that being to cave to the GOP just in time for the holidays; how awkward is that?  Or was it?

I didn't hear but two minutes of GB yesterday before having to leave, but what I did make note of was a certain curiosity -- what is it about this scenario that we don't know, don't see, and are not privy to, according to the underworld of the alleged compromise?  And why oh why,  did we have to arrest Julian Assange now, just when we need a guy like this the most?

I say "alleged compromise", as the actual legislation has yet to come to fruition; while as a matter of record, and by the chilling response the president has received, to date, that prospect has a long way to go -- if the reactions on the hill are any true sign.

His party, apparently, didn't see this coming (even after intimate meetings of the upper democratic echelon with the president, and in spite of a congressional 'holiday' party going on at the very time Obama-san made the announcement).  hmmmm .....strange.....

Something sounds fishy...bring me the fruitcake as something is not quite right.

Now we could argue, this "compromise," which is yet to be signed, sealed and delivered to the American people, is yet another play toy from the universe in the making; while the tarot cards can say something different to everyone.

Obama-san is using it for his own liking, with eyes on the prize for 2012.

The GOP is using it for their own liking, with eyes on just getting to the first of the year, when all else shall be added unto thee.

While the democrats, stuck in lameduck, are using it as the itty bitty leverage they've got left -- in order to quite possibly pass legislation that doesn't have a snowballs chance in otherwise getting along, like DADT, or the Dream Act...but the truth is, when push comes to shove, they don't care if they have to fight for their right to party and speak freely; they dig this class warfare stuff, and will run with that all the way to the moon, around the milky way, and back (even if that program's been canceled).

But make no mistake, the president wins all the way around, the stars are shining upon his lucky little sweet a**.

The polls -- you know, the ones he never pays any mind to -- tell him to go ahead, blast the republicans for forcing him to cave on something he never wanted, and something he promised he would change if he were elected over and over and over again in the campaign.

He is ready for that fight later, in two years, when he can use this "compromise" to feed the frenzy of his re-election; in two years, by heeding the wishes of the right, he will reap huge rewards; if the economy snaps out of it, it will be to his favor; if the economy continues to lag, he can use it against the GOP; on the inside Obama-san is smiling all the way to the bank, that would be the First Republic of China, of course.

He sees his future, he is reading the tea leaves, and realizes one very important thing -- he doesn't really need the lameduck congress to have his back.  As usual, he will do what he wants, what he thinks "is best for the American people" and come out smelling like a rose, or better yet, more like jasmine.  But will this really be for the betterment of America, and Americans?  Is his heart in the right place?  Is this really about promoting the general welfare with respect to the finer principles of America's foundation, or is this just more a mistake in the making bearing false witness to the stars that bind?

But like everything else, a universal give and take is at play; and sometimes just doing the right thing in the moment is enough to carry you into a future all shiny and bright -- good karma can be made and distributed equally and fairly under the rule of law every time; though nothing is in stone, and even the stars could be all wrong, the very intention back behind an action can affect the outcome in extraordinary ways (having said that, only God truly knows).

What it takes, day in and day out, is the honest to goodness effort to truly do the right thing for the right reasons; with that, everybody wins, without fail.  It is the golden rule and silky  red thread that maintains all civility, that honors and rewards hard work and a job well done, and elevates society to levels of lasting peace, prosperity, and justice for all.

What the polls should say to everyone, is that the status quo of uncontrollable spending, wanton taxation, and an overzealous regulatory government is NOT what the people really, really want; nor is it something we can even afford!

And it took the wayward leftist leanings of this presidency to get us here.  IF this president thinks for one minute that the polls are saying to stick it to the rich, as the ignorant ingrates that we are, just to satisfy the prevailing winds of a growing entitlement populace or the left-wing elitists who only want to control the world, then I would say, this president needs to look again.

Those who know anything, recognize this:  those who make the corporate world -- those who do, create, invest, build, shoulder, elevate, the private industry in this country -- make US.  yes, let's give a jolly shout out to GM and expressly to Jeep, for stealing their slogan, in part...

IF we the people can be honest for just a moment, the ways of the world and all that comes with it, carries a great responsibility; and it all comes from individuals -- and really good ones, at that; our jobs, our livelihoods, come from those who can; they come from the bounty of wealth and good fortune of generations of hard work, not taking anything for granted, being inherently grateful for it all -- that is if fortunate enough to be coming from the right place.

This "compromise" over taxation comes from dueling views -- and it is simply a fight that, ideologically, we will never transcend; the fair distribution of other people's money, the justification of giving the fruits of ones labor to another without warrant, is not an American argument easily supported, by precedence.  This argument, this "compromise", actually defines what the making of this beautiful country was all about.


From Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931:

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy our of freedom.  What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.  The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government has not first taken from somebody else.  When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of the nation...you cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

From Abraham Lincoln:

"You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.  You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.  You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.  You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred.  You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.  You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.  You cannot build character and courage by taking every man's initiative and independence.  You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves."

You know what the polls are telling me?

Strike up the old bamboo, less talking, more doing is in order (weird, I believe that is Home Depot in my ear).

Make it a Good Day, G

Kool and the Gang, playing two days in a row on Dear America, click it, and get your back up off the wall, get down on it...whatcha gonna do...you gonna get down...LOVE LOVE LOVE these guys...

Dear America,

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom

 by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. 

What one person receives without working for,

another person must work for without receiving. 

The government cannot give to anybody anything

 that the government has not first taken from somebody else. 

When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work

 because the other half is going to take care of them,

 and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work

because somebody else is going to get what they work for,

that my dear friend,

 is about the end of any nation...

YOU CANNOT MULTIPLY WEALTH

 by DIVIDING IT!"  

 Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931

And this principle pretty much works with anything.

Take for example, we cannot increase our unity by dividing it.

We keep going round and round on this one; while if we continue to fail, all of us will fall down dizzy and go boom.

"You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. 

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. 

You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. 

You cannot further brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. 

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. 

You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn. 

You cannot build character and courage

 by taking away man's initiative and independence. 

You cannot help men permanently by doing for them

what they could and should do for themselves." 

Abraham Lincoln

Once a sound principal -- whether for economics or the brotherhood of man -- is always a sound principal; the only variant is our ability to stay clear and true to it's value, and remain responsible in our ability to understand it, respect it, and most definitely, uphold it, teach it, and of course then, multiply it.

"And so, my fellow Americans,

ask not what your country can do for you;

ask what you can do for your country." 

John F. Kennedy

It doesn't get much easier to understand than this.

"Ask nothing of men, and in the endless mutation, thou only firm column must presently appear the upholder of all that surrounds thee.  He who knows that power is inborn, that he is weak because he has looked for good out of him and elsewhere, and so perceiving, throws himself unhesitatingly on his thought, instantly rights himself, stands in the erect position, commands his limbs, works miracles; just as a man who stands on his feet is stronger than a man who stands on his head...

So use all that is called Fortune.  Most men gamble with her, and gain all, and lose all, as her wheel rolls.  But do thou leave as unlawful these winnings, and deal with Cause and Effect, the chancellors of God.  In the Will work and acquire, and thou hast chained the wheel of Chance, and shalt sit hereafter out of fear from her rotations.  A political victory, a rise of rents, the recovery of your sick, or the return of your absent friend, or some other favorable event, raises your spirits, and you think good days are preparing you.  Do not believe it.  Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.  Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles."  

                                                                Ralph Waldo Emerson

In the good ole days, we taught our children, and welcomed our immigrants to our shores, on the very principle of multiplying our wealth; our country's foundation grew stronger; while even though our prosperity ebbed and flowed, we remained steadfast to the principles in which we were made and it worked, triumphantly. Our own self-reliance was the key from which all American doors entered or closed.

Our abundance never truly faltered, as our true wealth was never really in question, for it rests intangible within the hearts and minds of all of us; sure, we could catch glimpses of it as it materialized on Wall Street, or made manifest in a bevy of things we choose to surround our self with -- but that's really not it, is it? 

Our true wealth has always been found deep within the finer, more ethereal dimension of ourselves, keeping a constant and dynamic companion with us at all times, and recognized as none other that the absolute and indelible individual spirit.  This spirit is pure Americana working at it's best; it is a life force in of itself, in God's image (or not), with all the character and will back behind it to prove it.   It has been this spirit, unwavering and multiplying, in good times and bad, that has made America -- and has made America pretty great.

It saddens me, this unrecognizable spirit of discontent permeating throughout our lives and within the sanctity of our homes and the security of our children, as if something so profound is really lost for good.

It saddens me, in this toxic partisan environment, that the principles we have long welcomed and understood, as a whole are somehow under attack; while the idea of melting into one, firm and unified body of Americans seems so far gone and out of reach.

Creating division on purpose?  Not recognizing what is best for the whole over the demands of a few, ignorant to the principles from which we were made, and jeopardizing any chance of peaceful coexistence in our future?

President Obama boldly drew the line in the sand from which he now stands.  He has called out to his people, "young people, african-americans, latinos, and women" recently, as if the respect for the whole of America is none existent, respect for the foundation unwarranted.  That not only sends us back a hundred years, ceasing to move us forward by reaching for commonalities first, searching for the values that bind second, it is purely un-American.

It saddens me, this government shape-shifting the very foundation from which we stand. I refuse to let the values of America's melting pot molt into vulgar protests, and rampant disrespect of the very thing we all strive to uphold and honor -- ONE NATION UNDER GOD (no, I'm not ashamed,org)-- unified in our differences, compassionately listening to one another and supporting open dialogue, standing together firmly to protect everyone who can proudly call themselves American.



It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; the duality of everything under the sun haunts us and favors us within every moment of the day.

"it [the border] is as secure as it's ever been"

Janet Napolitano, said yesterday

Current Director of Homeland Security

Former Governor of Arizona,

the same governor who asked for national guard troops in 2006,

as times were so good,

right...

Hispanics -- along with everybody else -- have come to this country legally for centuries.

Like everybody else, they have come for the opportunity to make something of themselves and to provide for their family under the rule of law -- a law that protects all citizens, equally and fairly, allowing for each individual to prosper, in direct proportion as to what you do for this country.  We reap what we sow; the principle works every time -- and don't even get me started on the loaves and the fishes...there is more than enough for everybody...but I digress...or is it progress...hmmmm

Some people choose to come here illegally.
The Fed says it is against the law.
Now Arizona, says it is against the law -- conforming to the direct language of the Federal Statute, fair and square, and under the law.

You would think all Americans, and especially those who fought tooth and nail to get here -- applying for citizenship, waiting their turn, taking the test, and holding their right hand over their heart reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to which it stands, would be a bit upset, too. 

For if in fact, there are those not only here illegally, but also unfortunately for them, in the midst of breaking any one of our fine laws -- as only that would predicate ample information for which to stop and ask for I.D. in the first place -- creating an opportunity to arrest them -- what part of that seems unreasonable?

And with all that being understood, since when is that a crime?

The true high crimes and punishment happening here, is the unmistakable lack of reverence to this country's founding principles. 

We've stopped teaching it. 
We've stopped doing it.
We've stopped keeping to our individual responsibility to make it, day in and day out;
for if we did, all that would surround us would be peace -- making it possible for the only thing that really matters to be equally distributed amongst us all.

Make it a Good Day, G