It's to the Real Crisis Concealed Thing

Dear America,

"Do not be anxious in anything, 

but in everything, by prayer and petition, 

with thanksgiving, 

present your requests to God.  

And the peace of God, 

which transcends all understanding, 

will guard your hearts 

and your minds in Christ Jesus."

the Apostle Paul, near the end of his address 
to the Philippians (Ch. 4:6-7)

can I get an amen?

“Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.”

― George Washington

Thank you, George. Love that.

Moving right along to being more to the point, probably my favorite verse in the whole Bible, comes in the advice immediately following.  So to the Apostle Paul speaking to the Philippians one more time:

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praise worthy-- think about such things,  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me -- put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you," (Philippians Ch. 4:8-9)

These are anxious days in America.  Newsflash: again.

While my Jesus Calling of daily devotions noted this just today: "Don't divide your life into things you can do by yourself and things that require My help.  Instead, rely on Me in every situation."

To which my reply is, yes, please. 

Summer is over.  

And given this stark reality -- my responsibilities to family, job, service organization, my own welfare, have collided into a whirlwind of activity from dawn until dusk.  But strangely enough, I'm finding that the more I slow down, the more I can accomplish; to be sure, this girl is venturing to capture the very essence of less is more in all things no matter where life takes me.   

And to that end, the sheer demand of being present with one thing at a time has allowed me to meet this intersection -- this continuously running four-way stop, juggling day to day things, pulling me this way, and that way -- without collision, and without so much as a ding (aside from the rather off-putting run-on sentence)  (cuz it's what I do!) (what ever)   

Moving right along...

It's not me; it's letting God do God's thing with me. What's the point in fighting it anymore; truth is, there is nothing that I do all by myself that I do very well.

Moving right along some more...

And this is just my observation (duh) -- but America, as a whole, seems to be in this place.   

No,  Not the position of letting God to God's thing...as we slip further and further away from that day in the life of America, losing our religion and all...; but the place called collision.  

And never you mind the logic, or the dictionary, but this place called collision happens to appear just after collusion.  I know.  weird, right?

Those links, plucked from my one of my favorite things -- The Patriot Post -- just gives a nice snapshot of the scene of the accident.  And to have it make sense, you need to read the second link before the first.  k?  And if you have already read the first before the second, it will be okay; no need to look back.  The further you get away from it in the rear view mirror, the better.  (Just say a little prayer and keep going, that's what I always do.)

Moving right along.  Be mindful of who you are listening to and the ulterior motives in the mix...

SYRIA.

What a mess.  

But I kinda like where this president is going with it.  

The thing is, people -- Trump said he was not in favor of this thing called Endless Wars.  And it's a pretty big deal in America.

Honestly, I'm confused by all the grief Trump is getting on this one.  The reality never changing on these Endless Wars, year in and year out, has been a horrific scene on the side of the road that nobody seems brave enough to walk away from, and I mean, nobody.  

America is not responsible for being the leader along the avenue of providing security forces for the entire world!  

It's like, how did we get here?  Why did I highlight that sentence as if rainbows and unicorns are dancing in my head? 

Moving right along,,,,

as a matter of fact, I think the president should do more of this.  

Pull out! Bring our troops home.  Let all the world provide their own security...if only for a nano-second in the great scheme of things.  

Better yet, start sending an invoice for services provided.  If you want American troops, with heavy artillery and a spirit of leave no man behind, we will comply and properly send all the world a bill.  How would that be?  

And yet, where would that invoice to the Syrian Kurds go?  Seriously?  Where would you send it?

Love this headline from The Washington ComPost:  "Trump downplays U.S. alliance with Syrian Kurds, saying ‘they didn’t help us in the Second World War’"

What amuses me, in this age of most Americans having war fatigue for quite some time now, is that we have finally come to a point of decision under Trump, to loosen the grip we have in the Middle East just an itty bitty bit, and suddenly people respond with oh my word, no, we can't do that...Seriously?

Now -- I have always believed that you go into war to win.  I have have always believed in peace through strength.  I have always believed in defending human rights, whether next door, or around the world.  I have always believed in keeping a strong military, national sovereignty, and secure American borders.  I have always believed that our national security, and the intrepid keeping of a well-regulated militia, is the MOST important, and quite possibly the MAIN, responsibility of our Federal Government...

And with that being said, I believe the world has taken advantage of America and her security resources.

The thing is,  it's Americans, everyday Americans, who have paid dearly for this good fortune all over the world -- in body, in limb, in mind, in soul, in assets and tax payer dollars!

I believe this aspect of policing the world's peace and security has got to come to a better understanding; it's just a consideration, don't hate.  

See more background at Nate Jackson's piece on Trump's Turkish Test.

In any event, between Trump's lack of eloquence, in general, and his natural ability to look like a bull in a china shop on any day, this whole Syrian scene is hard to ignore; the damage has been done and we can't seem to look away, let alone un-see it.    What else can we expect with the election of a mover and a shaker, and quintessential New Yorker, to the highest office in all the land?  This is Trump doing Trump things, as only Trump can do.  (Just hoping Trump prays on all things, too.)

Moving right along.  The whole world is a basket case.

Ah boy, the more I think about it, it's not so much the little things happening in my own little world that make me anxious, so much as the other things going on around me -- in the macro.  

And then again, this too, must be let go.

God is still in charge.

God has a plan.

God is not dead, no matter how many people around us act like it.

And this TRUTH gives me pause at every turn.  Awe, G, look both ways before you cross the street and then look up.

Look up. Indeed.  Look up.

And, look in; close your eyes and look inside and know that God is doing God's thing.  Rely on God in every situation, large and small, and all things will be well.  No matter what happens.

The drive-by media makes matters so much closer than they appear in the rear-view mirror; and not only that, the drive-by loves to accentuate the negative when it comes to any story, any decision, any thing and every thing this president does.  That is just a drive-by fact courtesy of yours truly.

Moving right along.  Collision, collusion, tomayto, tomahto.  It's all the same.  We survive by the Grace of God, large and small.  And to that end, it would be wise to be disciplined in the reliance of God in everything.

It is through this reliance that we are assured true peace, every day.

“The turning points of lives are not the great moments. 

The real crises are often concealed 

in occurrences so trivial in appearance 

that they pass unobserved.”

― George Washington

yes, a cryptic message at the end of this day just seemed like the right way to go.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a Farewell Address to Remember Thing

Dear America,

today we celebrate George Washington's birthday...it's really the twenty-second day of February...but America chose to annually commemorate the day on the third Monday in February, and so this is where we begin the day.  

And to that end, we go to Washington's Farewell Address.

The speech, was actually never spoken in front of a grand crowd.  It was published after a collaboration of thoughts and remarks and drafts, covering a span of a number of years -- the gist of it beginning from what was intended to be a retirement speech, after his first term as president, with much of it provided by James Madison.  This final, now famous, Farewell Address, was first printed in The Independent Chronicle of Philadelphia. 

Can you just imagine having cohorts of the caliber of Alexander Hamilton and John Jay and James Madison critiquing and revising every word, every phrase, every patriotic thought, into what became a final draft?  Makes me speechless just thinking about it.

just love this part...regarding the Constitution....

 But let there be no change by usurpation; for though this, in one instance, may be the instrument of good, it is the customary weapon by which free governments are destroyed. The precedent must always greatly overbalance in permanent evil any partial or transient benefit, which the use can at any time yield.

This not only depicts the natural integrity of character in George through and through, it also characterizes just how America got here.

It's called a collaboration of unconscionable highs and lows of bad governance, spanning a century.

In the next breath, he calls upon us to recognize....

Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them.

indeed.

It is not my intention to say very much today; I mean, c'mon, as if this girl could compete.

It is my intention to direct you to the Farewell Address to read in full, and take it all in on your own time.  Start and stop  HERE, courtesy of The Avalon Project, Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy at Yale.

Here's, however, how 'Geo. Washington' finishes, just because he is so so good and it sounds oh so sweet, humility dripping from a fountain of devotion to our beautiful country, America...

Though, in reviewing the incidents of my administration, I am unconscious of intentional error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I may have committed many errors. Whatever they may be, I fervently beseech the Almighty to avert or mitigate the evils to which they may tend. I shall also carry with me the hope that my country will never cease to view them with indulgence; and that, after forty five years of my life dedicated to its service with an upright zeal, the faults of incompetent abilities will be consigned to oblivion, as myself must soon be to the mansions of rest.

Relying on its kindness in this as in other things, and actuated by that fervent love towards it, which is so natural to a man who views in it the native soil of himself and his progenitors for several generations, I anticipate with pleasing expectation that retreat in which I promise myself to realize, without alloy, the sweet enjoyment of partaking, in the midst of my fellow-citizens, the benign influence of good laws under a free government, the ever-favorite object of my heart, and the happy reward, as I trust, of our mutual cares, labors, and dangers.

In it's entirety, the Address clearly documents a time and a level of acumen unimaginable and great.

Certainly, considering this day and this age, it distinguishes a level of free governing and civic duty and moral character in the abstract today...case in point, the cast of characters we get to decide on becoming the next president of the United States, but I digress.

Oh how Geo. must be rolling in his grave to watch this spectacle -- 

• to observe a free and limited Republic turn more and more into an Oligarchy of the State, fully dependent upon destroying every Independence from birth 
• to observe a governing class brazenly usurp Nature's Law, where the origins of where true liberty of a free people, under God and the Rule of Law, begin 
• all the while, at every turn of an administration, turn the very pursuit of Happiness into a bureaucratic minefield. 

Shame on us.

Sure, it may be a happy holiday, but in reality, it's just another  sad day in America.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a Bud to Blossom Thing

Dear America,

happy new year

here's the first thing --

"There came a time when 

the risk to remain 

tight in the bud 

was more painful

 than the risk

 it took to blossom."  

Anais Nin

As in each new year that comes upon us, 2016 bursts with possibilities.

Dynamic layers of risk and reward run circles around us -- if not, through us -- mixing natural progression, free will, personal choices, a good dose of hard work, and if so inclined, prayers...lots and lots of prayers.

But the thing is, we can't sit still.

We must activate the forces by our intentions, added to movement, and elevated by thrill of doing something good, worthy, right, and honest with our lives and our fortunes. 

Oh and to get to that point of blossom!

How magnificent.

...especially realizing what it took to arrive at such a place and perhaps breathe for the very first time.

To the outside world, the sudden overnight success never quite captures what all came before the wee little bud opened up for all the world to see.  

Which brings me to the second thing...

It feels as if so many Americans have forgotten what it took to get here and likewise, what it will take to keep this place in time, the shining city on the hill; we seem to walk around oblivious to the obligation at hand to keep our commitments and do our duty... to God and to Country...for not only ourselves but for the health and welfare of all Americans.

The first two hundred years have proven the strength and stability that only arises from a nation intent to raise our standards in each new year, allowing the elements of self-reliance and liberty and justice to pulse through the veins of every American to go out and DO great things.  Dependence upon the government, for anything but the Armed Forces, was just not our way.  Yes, the risk was (is) great.

Through my membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution, every monthly meeting brings a story of the early life before America.  The Saturday breakfast buffet this past weekend came with a side of George Washington leading the rebellion against the English forces. We learned of the special crafting of the linen tents in which they slept, if they could sleep at all.  The most amazing thing about these "pop-tents" was the fact that they could keep the men dry even in the heaviest of rains -- so long as nobody touched the side.  One brush, one poke against the side, and it was all over.  And these were small tents, hosting a handful of troops in each one.

Here's my third and final thing on the day:

It's as if my perceptions have grown into sensing an overwhelming sense of betrayal, thinking -- 'and so George, along with the thousands and thousands of men and women revolutionaries, gave freely of their lives and fortunes for this?!'

George Washington would be shocked to discover the trillions in debt this 2016.

George Washington would be disheartened to discover the secular culture falling away from the Divine in this 2016.

George Washington would be mystified to discover the growing government undermining the very precepts and principles of Nature's Law, cornerstones of the budding nation that blossomed into America, the shining Republic on the hill...this 2016.

George Washington would be mortified by the possibility of such a wacko in either a Bernie Sanders or a Hillary Clinton having half a chance of becoming the next president...in this 2016.  It's like 'are you freaking kidding me?' he might even say, hastily acclimating to the day's low standards of communication without skipping a beat.

Suffice it to say, 2016 is squarely meeting up with a Revolution of a new age.

"There came a time when 

the risk to remain 

tight in the bud 

was more painful

 than the risk

 it took to blossom." 

Back behind the struggle, the risk, the pain, good things are in the making.  We must believe in the triumph of good over evil.  

It's a creation thing -- from bud to blossom and back again.  This is good time to check our own self-rule, our own self-reliance, upon our own place in the sun that revels within this shining city on the hill.

All things are possible.

Things are this great.

Our Individual Duty is significant and prodigious and back in high demand.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's Just a Girl's Deconstruction of Chaos Thing

Dear America,

so welcome back.

welcome to a new day -- or is it?

Just link the last blog with this blog, and vow to never break the chain.

Via Fox News, just yesterday:

"I know it's tempting

inside of Egypt

to blame the United States

or the West

or some other outside actor

for what's gone wrong.

We've been blamed by

supporters of Morsi.

We've been blamed by

the other side

as if we are supporters of Morsi --

That kind of approach

will do nothing

to help Egyptians

 achieve the future

that they deserve." 

President Obama

 

 

Acknowledging the "incoherent" policy under this administration -- the mixed messages, the playing to both sides, the contrived presidential pause to pose a few measured remarks on the chaos in Egypt even in the midst of his seasonal, highly elitist, retreat (escaping the pressures of commanding over the  "ordinary people," of course)     --  even the president admits he's a textbook case.

 

 

Just notice how he makes it about us even while he says it's all about them, the Egyptians.

But the truth of the matter is, we are still sending billions of dollars in aid to Egypt  --  and for what?  To who? How is this money, provided by the American taxpayer, being used or, perhaps more appropriately, abused?

From a place called Defense One -- under the post written by Stephanie Gaskell, The Pentagon Has Lost Its Leverage With Egypt, Now What?:

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has been on the phone with his Egyptian counterpart, Gen. Abdul Fattah al-Sissi, almost every day since the July 3 military ouster of President Mohamed Morsi. And every day he has urged the Egyptian defense minister to find a peaceful resolution to the political turmoil. He’s called al-Sissi at least 15 times since the military booted Morsi from power, a Pentagon official told Defense One.

By all accounts, al-Sissi had agreed. Just last week, Hagel hung up the phone with Cairo and was reassured that the Egyptian military wanted a peaceful transition. "Minister Al-Sisi underscored his commitment to peaceful resolution of the ongoing protests, and thanked Secretary Hagel for U.S. support,” the Pentagon said, in a description of the Aug. 5 phone call.

This is a peaceful resolution, a peaceful transition, a peaceful Egypt?

And isn't all of this something --  considering the highly suspect, and extraordinary premature, liberal elitist response in wishing the president's vision for hope and change would be hastily masterminded, translated, and manufactured out of thin air, simply by virtue of awarding a Nobel Peace Prize before he even completed his first year of office.  Oh the hopes! -- "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" -- to come true!

We jinxed it.

From BBC News, US credibility 'in tatters' Over Egypt Crisis...

Since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in 2011, the US has struggled to strike a balance between support for the tenuous progress towards democracy and protection of its national security interests.

Is the goal really to strike a balance?  Seriously?
How about we try standing on principle with regards to international and national security interests?

How about we just try being consistent?  We meddled and intervened with Hosni Mubarak...we didn't leave it for the people of Egypt to decide way back when... we kinda set this scenario up, didn't we?  didn't we?

By the way, if you so choose to link into that BBC post -- a photo showing President Obama with an Ayatollah beard attached is embedded about half way down, with the caption "President Obama has faced criticism from both sides in the Egypt crisis."   I wonder if the NAACP, or the Justice Department, will investigate it as a hate crime (pick a side)?   [And while we're at it -- snaps to Michelle Malkin here and here.]

The BBC post ends with nothing but emphasis upon international policy meeting clarity :

"I think it's time for the United States to recognise that what we have here is the restoration of a military dictatorship in Cairo," said Tamara Wittes from the Brookings Institution, and a former State Department official working on Middle East democracy issues during the first Obama administration.

"That means that the United States needs to call these events what they are - under American law it needs to suspend assistance to the Egyptian government because this was a military coup and it is a military regime."

No gray area there:  "under American law it needs to suspend assistance to the Egyptian government because this was a military coup and it is a military regime."   Besides -- as  Mr. President "America cannot determine the future of Egypt" Obama and Mr. Press Secretary "this is up for the Egyptians to answer" Carney have outright said -- the Egyptians can handle things all on their own.

Maybe, just maybe, we need to leave it alone.

Indeed.
Which reminds me of this great nations first intentions when it comes to international relations, encapsulating the ideals of our founding fathers who magnificently recognized that this day would come.

From my favorite book in the whole wide world, The 5000 Year Leap, by W.Cleon Skousen -- quoting Washington:

Observe good faith and justice toward all nations.  Cultivate peace and harmony with all.  Religion and morality enjoin this conduct; and can it be that good policy does not equally enjoin it?  It will be worthy of a free, enlightened, and, at no distant period, a great nation to give to mankind the magnanimous and too novel example of a people always guided by an exalted justice and benevolence.

In the execution of such a plan nothing is more essential than the permanent, inveterate antipathies against particular nations and passionate attachments for others should be excluded, and that in place of them just and amicable feelings toward all should be cultivated.  The nation which indulges toward another an habitual hatred or an habitual fondness is in some degree a slave.  It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest.

At the close of the chapter, Avoid Entangling Alliances, Skousen poses this:

Looking back, one cannot help wondering how much happier, more peaceful, and more prosperous the world would be if the United States had been following a policy of "separatism" as the world's great peacemaker instead of "internationalism" as the world's great policeman.

Something to ponder, isn't it...

In any event, what the times require is to stand on principle -- even if we must go back 238 years to find it.

But then there's this --
and now returning to the "Incoherent" Obama policy post from Fox News (yes, back to where we began the day) --  which positions John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under W, for argument support:

Bolton said the wisest thing for the president to do would be to not say much at all. He claimed that the reality for the U.S. is that the best option is for the Egyptian military to stay in control, "ugly as it may be." The Muslim Brotherhood, he said, is an "armed militia" and not a political party.

Indeed.  "Ugly as it may be" -- there is that; with a bloody Nile to prove it.

But Oh "to not say much at all."
What are the chances?

Make it a Good Day, G

It's Making Connections Between Happiness & Moral Duty Thing

Dear America,

"Happiness

and Moral Duty

are inseparably connected."

George Washington

isn't it though.

When will we ever learn, right?

This word to the wise, via George, was included within an academic snapshot of the last year -- capturing one's favorite lines and attaching a personal photo completing the sentiment, juxtaposing a quick visual emphasis -- simply titled, "50 Lines to Live By."  It encapsulates a bevy of American classics in literature, and for all intents and purposes, the last 250 years in U.S. History.  It took my girl weeks to complete, if not the entire school year to make.

But having just returned from Kinkos/FedEx to print the thing -- fifty two bucks later, she is holding her own masterpiece, certainly worthy of every bit of an A-plus.  And, boy, is she happy about it.

Oh the joy and value of making the immediate connection between creating our own happiness by virtue of follow through -- sincerely taking all the appropriate steps before that which we generally refer to as The Goal is realized.    It takes time to see it, feel it, and fully enjoy; but like a peach ripening upon a tree, we create good from good, light from light, masterminding ones own happiness in due time.  And suddenly, motherhood doesn't seem all that hard; oh the joy in watching our babies flourish, no?

Note that George is not just saying 'happiness' and 'moral duty' are connected -- no -- they are INSEPARABLY connected.  How strong of a message is that?   It's kinda like "unalienable rights," right?   It's not just a right -- they are UNALIENABLE rights.

The thing is -- the lesson is just not the same when being told by parable or novel, Constitution or Declaration.  In order for the full dynamic to take hold and make an impression upon us, as individuals, the 'moral of the story' must originate organically and intrinsically rooted from within, and allowing for all the hard work... the toil, the effort, the inseparable connection between cause and effect... to come into it's own.

It's the pure joy that only comes after fifty tries, or by the doing something right the first time.  It's the good that surely comes after doing something good... really, really good.  Oh the satisfaction.

And it certainly can't come out of the halls of injustice, fraud, untruths, redirection, cover-up, controversial targeting, gun running, and generally making a mockery of the law.

It's sad to see this administration struggle with all the scandals; but the irony slaps us silly, doesn't it?  "A bad cause seldom fails to betray itself," isn't that right, James Madison... The founding father who just so happens to be the author of Federalist Paper 41 -- and entry number 38 in my girl's "50 Lines."  

When we do the work, it shows.

When we tell the truth, it shows.

When we do good, it shows.

When we make an effort, it shows.

When we lead by example and not by behind, it shows.

When we "hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness," it not only shows, it's the cornerstone of our American Life.  It's also entry number 44 in my girl's "50 Lines."

And to make a life that truly works, for one and for all, time and time again, it doesn't get any more complicated.

This is a day to take in the bounty at our fingertips and at our service.  The Pursuit of Happiness is never ceasing, always a moral duty to ourselves and something we should welcome with an unwavering sense of purpose.  Have no fear --  confirmation is upon us; as elementary as it may sound, the great duty and responsibility is rewarded ten-fold and fifty pages later. 

Oh how good it feels to witness the beauty of the Divine in motion.

Make it a Good Day, G

 

It's a Thanksgiving Toast to America Thing

Dear America,

"Bread and Water 

can so easily be 

Toast and Tea"

anonymous

although enlivened fully by this little morsel,
discovered just yesterday on the world wide web,
the G that falls to tears so easily is immediately overwhelmed with how far society has crumbled.

We are like 300 million crumbs trying to hold ourselves together.

Clearly, the things America has inherently relied upon to do the work of the binding and  the blending -- for the sole purpose of uniting and  assimilating into One -- has been lost somewhere in the mix.

One culture  ----  prospering and glorifying in the freedoms and liberties for all, in equal portion.... under the Constitution, under Natural Law, under a Limited Government, and under God....and framed with individual duties and responsibilities working alongside the rights, like magical mystery beaters working in tandem ----- has tragically fallen prey to a method and ingredient re-do, supportive of a multiculturalism that will neither rise to the occasion or it's historical significance, let alone a future protective of our founder's best intentions set forth. 

[and yes, without hesitation and sticking a thumb in it --  it's directly linked to the current  anti-sugar, anti-bake-sale, anti-bacon, anti-butter, anti-extra-large-coca-cola, anti-anything-good stuff dictated by the little Mrs -- Michelle O. and the likes of a Mr. B (bloomberg-doomberg) -- but this very well could be just a wee bit of leftover post-election bitterness showing.]

But to put this into a perspective we might all understand this morning - - just imagine the iconic Thanksgiving side dish, the Green Bean Casserole, without the Campbell's Creamy Mushroom Soup holding it all together?
oh, you get it now?

What we have here is a situation.

Some liken it to a family feud between the have's and the have-not's -- the upper crust vs. the overworked ooey-gooey middle and the poor pasted to the bottom of the proverbial pan.

Oh, but we can't talk about it.
Nope.
What happens around the dining room table, stays at the dining room table. 

Case in point, Romney, who was recently flavor-blasted from all sides for uttering just a few words of tough love, a scosh of reality meeting up with a good hard dose of the truth and served with a mound of grace and compassion....because he truly cares a deep fried rat's ass about the family -- about AMERICA!

So, what we have here is a situation.

We are all essential ingredients; but it would seem we have the same people showing up for dinner that haven't contributed a thing...ever.   (While this demographic keeps growing, and is widely recognized to be on a trajectory that exponentially exceeds the revenues coming through the door.)

[AND NO -- just to be clear -- we are NOT saying those feeling ENTITLED to receive in WELFARE are the same as those fully deserving to receive through the entitlement programs truly worked for and fully paid into....okay.  These two groups are polar opposites]

Oh my.

So, what we have here is a situation.

"Bread and Water 

can so easily be 

Toast and Tea"

Indeed.

And perhaps, now compounding upon my vulnerabilities (effervescent and ever present that they are)  and letting  my Pollyanna-pilgram imagination have her way with me  --  allow me to be so bold as to add,  it's this kind of sentiment that has carried us in America, for richer or poorer, all this time.

Think about it.

America created the opportunity for all walks of life to come to the table and make something -- be it a life, a purpose, a career, a wealth, a family --  and all in the pursuit of happiness.  But it was this kind of attitude -- making lip-smackin' lemonade out of our lemons and looking on the bright side of things -- that this nation has not only survived, but thrived!

Sadly, we are no longer breaking bread together or sharing the wine. 

We have taken perfectly cooked loaves and drowned them with false-truths -- masterminding division ripe with name calling, racial epithets that take us back centuries, promoting incivility between our brothers and sisters simply because we disagree on our politics and religion -- and thereby, in the end, producing the homegrown masses ignorant of our true principles and forever feeling separated more than ever before.

No.  It's possibly not more than 'ever before'.  We probably felt much the same way back in the days leading up to our Revolution; we probably felt much the same way back in the days leading up to the Civil War; we probably felt much the same way back in the days leading up to the RETURN of civil rights, rightly fought for and unconscionably taken away at the hands of bad government and poor policy and racial discrimination.

We may have a situation but we've been here before.

As a family, we get through it, together.

Words from Grandpa George [as in Washington]:

"Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us"

That was a day in the life of October 3, 1789.

Flash in the pan to today:

"Many Thanksgivings have offered opportunities to celebrate community during times of hardship. When the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony gave thanks for a bountiful harvest nearly four centuries ago, they enjoyed the fruits of their labor with the Wampanoag tribe -- a people who had shared vital knowledge of the land in the difficult months before. When President George Washington marked our democracy's first Thanksgiving, he prayed to our Creator for peace, union, and plenty through the trials that would surely come. And when our Nation was torn by bitterness and civil war, President Abraham Lincoln reminded us that we were, at heart, one Nation, sharing a bond as Americans that could bend but would not break. Those expressions of unity still echo today, whether in the contributions that generations of Native Americans have made to our country, the Union our forebears fought so hard to preserve, or the providence that draws our families together this season....

On Thanksgiving Day, individuals from all walks of life come together to celebrate this most American tradition, grateful for the blessings of family, community, and country. Let us spend this day by lifting up those we love, mindful of the grace bestowed upon us by God and by all who have made our lives richer with their presence.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 22, 2012, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage the people of the United States to join together -- whether in our homes, places of worship, community centers, or any place of fellowship for friends and neighbors -- and give thanks for all we have received in the past year, express appreciation to those whose lives enrich our own, and share our bounty with others...."

Let us give thanks and praise; let us reward the day with believing such sweet sentiments of God and Country from the soul of an American president is as true today as it will be tomorrow, both inside and out {for full text).

"On Thanksgiving Day, individuals from all walks of life come together to celebrate this most American tradition, grateful for the blessings of family, community, and country. Let us spend this day by lifting up those we love, mindful of the grace bestowed upon us by God and by all who have made our lives richer with their presence."

For...

"...Those expressions of unity still echo today, whether in the contributions that generations of Native Americans have made to our country, the Union our forebears fought so hard to preserve, or the providence that draws our families together this season...."

Um.  That would be Divine Providence, Mr. President. 

Bread and water can so easily be toast and tea, which can so easily sustain us, being the Bread of Life and  Creator of all things good in America, and all.

Happy Thanksgiving to One and to all.  Cheers.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a Rule of Conduct Thing

Dear America,

we are acting in a "supporting role" only; whatever you think is happening in Libya, make no mistake, "American forces are not facing the hostilities that would require the president to seek such congressional consent under the War Powers Resolution."  see the rest of the post from the Washington Post, here

that, and it is merely Kinetic Military Action.

You can change the name; you can redefine it; we all know what war looks like, sounds like, smells like,  by now.

This is what our Founders envisioned:

"Peace, Commerce, and Honest

Friendship with All Nations -- 

entangling alliances with NONE."

  Thomas Jefferson

and especially, keeping our neutrality in full force was the primary objective.

The only time to take up arms against another country, was in instances where they engaged in hostilities against US.   Under such terms, Libya's War most certainly does not apply.  And at the tune of spending millions of dollars every day, nearing the ONE Billion dollar mark, me thinks this supporting role is misguided, over budget, and against America's best interests.

And then we have, from George Washington, a reminder of the delicate balance of what I like to call, the Frenemy Treaty.  He gives us this (pillaged from The 5000 Year Leap, by W.Cleon Skousen):

"In the execution of such a plan nothing is more essential than that permanent, inveterate antipathies against particular nations and passionate attachments for others should be excluded, and that in place of them just and amicable feelings toward all should be cultivated.  The nation which indulges toward another an habitual hatred or an habitual fondness is in some degree a slave.  It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest."

and continuing this thought even further:

"So, likewise, a passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils.  Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists, and infusing into one the enmities of the other, betrays the former into a participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter without adequate inducement or justification.  It leads to concessions to the favorite nation of privileges denied to others, which is apt doubly to injure the nation making the concessions, by unnecessarily parting with what ought to be retained, and by exciting jealousy, ill will, and disposition to retaliate in the parties from whom equal privileges are withheld."

wow. talk to me, George.

how we have strayed, how we have strayed.

But you would think, of all people, the anti-war (especially the one that was not the good war), anti-imperialist president, like Barack Hussein Obama, would take these words and founders intentions to heart and then some,  and be able to communicate such throughout his administration in thought, word, and deed.

I mean, after all, he is the president in receipt of a Nobel Peace Prize, based upon perception alone; he had two weeks under his belt as president when nominated for such a feat.   Just where is the follow through on that?   And if in fact Obama's actions do not deliver on such a promise -- would not the rescinding of such a prize ensue?

How awkward is this?  Or is this just me, being G?

The entanglement in Iraq, or the dis-entanglement thereof, is still, completely, engaged -- the entanglement in Afghanistan (THE GOOD WAR, he said) is becoming totally frayed, with mission creep getting the best of us, while we sit very much confused deciding just when enough is enough  -- and in Libya, after nearly 90 days now, beginning with a so-called mandate to take down an evil dictator (but without the mandate to do whatever it takes to do so) creating an entanglement that keeps making an even bigger knot, with the mission unknown leading the way and with rebel leaders still very much undefined -- to Yemen, the new drone dropping zone, equaling perhaps the un-war in Pakistan, where relations have never been at their worst -- to Syria, only begging for equal protections and attention under the Law of Entanglement as defined by the Obama Doctrine (and clearly, confused, in that he is running on several doctrines at once).  Take a breath, gretch...

Washington unveiled this rule of thumb:

"The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign relations, is in extending our commercial relations to have with them as little political connection as possible.  So far as we have already formed engagements, let them be fulfilled with perfect faith.  Here let us stop."

Washington did his best to warn us of making the mistake of becoming associated with causes not our own in a very big way; making it clear -- whatever action we take in the direction of preserving another nation's best interests over our own, through "artificial ties" and allegiances, to meet the demand of a current age, would be just plain wrong.

"Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves, by artificial ties, in the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships and enmities...Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interests, humor, or caprice?"   

Yes, why?
It's a simple question.

Of course, maybe even George wasn't expecting things to get so complicated.

And then again, maybe this is exactly what he thought would happen.

The thing is, I really like the part defined by the extending of "as little a political connection as possible."

With a step back, politics has played too big a part in supporting roles all around the globe; and with that comes, a nation appearing nearly completely bi-polar half the time, running entirely dependent upon which way the bough breaks.  We have engaged and disengaged, become entangled and dis-entangled, on the fly and as the political winds blow.  We have spent good money on good wars, bad wars, and wars only defined as "military kinetic action."

We have spent good money after bad politics; dirty money on good intentions; and have allowed America's compassion to dictate the day, or take it away.  It is almost as if, the more you know about the way things were first intended, the more you grow in disgust in the way things have ever since been.

But isn't it the POLITICS of the engagement, no matter foreign or domestic, that gets in the way of true progress in everything!?

No longer can we figure out, on our own, what is really the RIGHT answer, without checking it with our political ideology first.  No longer can we decide, emphatically and on our own, that is wrong and here are all the reasons why, without making sure it does not cross with the partisan bias already firm in place.  No longer do we run on "right is right, even when nobody is doing it; while, wrong is wrong, even when everybody's doing it."

With any given amount of deeper study upon the words and intentions of our Founding Fathers (reminding me of Father's Day come Sunday), it takes about two seconds to figure out we have gone astray; and not only astray, but have grown ignorant, misguided, and shamefully unaware of exactly what makes this country tick and why.

Our alliances can be made oh so simple from this day forward, if only we "here let us stop;" for with certain, would not our politics then, be in there most pure form?  To find our way back to Universal, Natural Law, as according to our founders, gives us the best hope in correcting our course, without politics so much involved.

In short, our attention to the best interests of this fair land should remain the only preservation we must be vitally concerned.   Especially now.

I am trying to catch the last two weeks of Glenn Beck, in his final days of disengagement from his Fox audience...and something he said made me wince in shame, for the proficiency level of our children has become a startling example of just how far off base this nation has become.  Students at, or above, Proficiency Standards, in the 4th grade are at 20%; in 8th grade, at 17%; in 12th grade, at 12%.  (while this easily qualifies for throwing in my bad word of choice running for the week...unfukeenbelievable)

If these numbers don't shock a nation back into submission back to our Founder's best intentions -- in principles, values and goals, especially with regard to entanglements, both foreign and domestic --  then I don't know what will.

It is hard work being a responsible parent these days; and yet, call me crazy,  adding the element of politics into the fray, only makes things all the more convoluted, implicating ourselves with artificial ties which serve no purpose, complicating a relationship to God, Country, and Ourselves, in ways unnecessary and totally unwarranted.

Making a child's education just part of political controversy -- instead of building upon the benefits and best intentions of everything our founders set forth, giving way to all that a truly free market can bear, and thereby making way for a world of possibility and prosperity for all -- becomes so very apparent; both foreign and domestic, we can see exactly what veering from the path has done.   and it ain't pretty.

A closer look at this nation's birth, and the definition set forth by being a Republic, is genius.  EVERYTHING that our forefathers set forth was all about creating a more perfect union in every way -- I have no doubt in my mind.

America IS exceptional in every way -- and no country, on the whole entire earth, is like ours --  NONE.  We do not think we are exceptional just like the German's think, just like the Venezuelan's think, just like Iranian's think, and just like our president believes -- WE REALLY REALLY are.  All things considered, and playing the game of which one of these things doesn't belong?  We don't; we, the people, of The United States of America belong in the category of whole 'nother level of Divine Providence.  Don't believe me, then read this: 

Read The 5000 Year Leap and take a leap a faith in your country for once and for all.  Read it with your children; teach them what the progressives have swiped clean from our history books.  Engage in becoming re-engaged and fully entangled into the heart and soul of who we are as Americans -- not by party -- not by policy -- not by the throws of political power infiltrating our true spirit.

We are all Americans first and foremost; and if there is any part of you that does not comprehend, understand, or respect that part of you, then you need to leave, or, learn more about who you are, from a place of truth and reason, not politics.  And taking this one step further and applying a phrase we seem to understand, while also following the Obama Doctrine way, please accept this task on the ground as a moral imperative, as the budding arm of the apparent civilian military force that you are [confused? go back to G from just yesterday].

Here's to our founding fathers today and always; may we realize the waywardness of our entanglements large and small, here and over there, foreign and domestic, and recognize our power to change our world back to the way we were.  It is not too late.

This baby goes out to fathers everywhere -- be good, do good, and all else shall be added unto you; and to my own papa, I love you and thank my lucky stars for you everyday.

Make it a Good Day, G

hysterical, really... we are 'not engaged in any hostilities in Libya'...and 'ATM's steal jobs'... and 'shovel ready um ah not exactly shovel ready as we expected'...and 'if it were me, I would resign'...
...and what a week it has been for this president of many words.

happy friday.

Dear America,

Happy Thursday.
My favorite day of the year is here.

FOR AS MUCH as it is the indispensable Duty of all Men to adore the superintending Providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with Gratitude their Obligation to him for Benefits received, and to implore such farther Blessings as they stand in Need of: And it having pleased him in his abundant Mercy, not only to continue to us the innumerable Bounties of his common Providence; but also to smile upon us in the Prosecution of a just and necessary War, for the Defense and Establishment of our unalienable Rights and Liberties; particularly in that he hath been pleased, in so great a Measure, to prosper the Means used for the Support of our Troops, and to crown our Arms with most signal success:

It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive Powers of these UNITED STATES to set apart THURSDAY, the eighteenth Day of December next, for SOLEMN THANKSGIVING and PRAISE: That at one Time and with one Voice, the good People may express the grateful Feelings of their Hearts, and consecrate themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor; and that, together with their sincere Acknowledgments and Offerings, they may join the penitent Confession of their manifold Sins, whereby they had forfeited every Favor; and their humble and earnest Supplication that it may please GOD through the Merits of JESUS CHRIST, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of Remembrance; That it may please him graciously to afford his Blessing on the Governments of these States respectively, and prosper the public Council of the whole: To inspire our Commanders, both by Land and Sea, and all under them, with that Wisdom and Fortitude which may render them fit Instruments, under the Providence of Almighty GOD, to secure for these United States, the greatest of all human Blessings, INDEPENDENCE and PEACE: That it may please him, to prosper the Trade and Manufactures of the People, and the Labor of the Husbandman, that our Land may yield its Increase: To take Schools and Seminaries of Education, so necessary for cultivating the Principles of true Liberty, Virtue and Piety, under his nurturing Hand; and to prosper the Means of Religion, for the promotion and enlargement of that Kingdom, which consisteth "in Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost.

And it is further recommended, That servile Labor, and such Recreation, as, though at other Times innocent, may be unbecoming the Purpose of this Appointment, be omitted on so solemn an Occasion.

From the first G. Dubbya, as in George WASHINGTON, 1777; he proclaimed the first NATIONAL Day of Thanksgiving, celebrating the victory of the American Revolutionary War on this day.

How the times have changed in matters of our humility, and grace, respective of the blessings "under the Providence of Almighty GOD....so necessary for cultivating the Principles of true Liberty, Virtue and Piety, under his nurturing Hand..."  It was an utter joy to be of this nature, of this "promotion and enlargement of that Kingdom."  We, as a people, were living a life connected to the Holy Spirit in our livelihoods and family and government, from the inside out.  

It might help for us to pray for more of that today -- Lord knows, it wouldn't hurt, right.

Make it a yummy good day with family, friends and a grateful heart for all that we have, for we have so much;  let us give thanks and praise for who we are, for a faith that knows no bounds, for a history that teaches us everything we need to know... in order to build a future and sustain a nation... firm in our principles and values... for generations to come. 

My very best to America today, and always, G

A special Johnny Cash is playing  a click away on "Dear America" theater today...watch it.

Dear America,

One of the books checked out of the NY library currently staking claim to an apparent oversight of the first President of the United States, and hefty fine if in fact they were seeking such, is titled the "Law of Nations" by Emmerich de Vattel, 1758.

Take a gander through the pages of this remarkable collection of political thought and ideology, and be amazed at the brilliance of understanding human nature, natural law, and the rule of man all wrapped up into one juicy specimen for the encouragement and proliferation of all mankind via good government.

I stumbled upon a literary monument to de Vattel, giving literary license to read the complete set, easily allowing access to whatever topic seeks your fancy -- suffice it to say, it is well worth your time.

I wasn't sure what to view first, but something caught my eye about half way down the first page:

Under Book I Chapter 11 --
The Second Object of a Good Government;
To Procure the True Happiness of the Nation

Section 116:
The Nation may hence discover the intention of it's rulers --
"It is an incontestable truth, that the virtues of the citizens constitute the most happy dispositions that can be desired by a just and wise government...render the great and the common people virtuous, their views pure and upright, and you may rest assured that they solely aim at the great end of good government, the happiness and glory of the nation. 

BUT if they corrupt the morals of the people, spread a taste for luxuries, effeminaces, a rage of licentious pleasures, if they stimulate the higher orders to a ruinous pomp & extravagance -- beware, citizens! beware of those corruptors!  they only aim at purchasing slaves in order to exercise over them an arbitrary sway."

I read the opinion recently that the underlying belief amongst most Americans is a sense of being "unsure" about our government today.  But my sense is that we are quite the contrary --  we are more like quite sure.

We know at the very core of our being, at our most sincerest point of conviction, the bigger the government the harder we fall. We are quite sure that we cannot trust the government, as we are unsure of it's proclivities and intentions to drain the common people of all their wealth and worth.

But the thing is, how soothing to know that the thoughts of de Vattel and the acts of good government, espoused by a myriad of apostles of natural law and passed down through the ages, were at one time in the hands of good old George!

And the second thing of course, is how freaky true!

Lost is our sense of living a virtuous  life, and by good example we need to look no further than our own television, our window to the world and for all the world to see.

Without the George's of the world watching carefully over us, and doing right by their own personal pledge to serve and create good government, we can find solace in realizing that perhaps the value of this nation's second greatest generation is happening right now; that America's future rests firmly and completely in our hands, right here and right now.

And surely as many of us believe Divine Providence lights our way forward, some might say in as little as just a few steps ahead of us, rest assured the life and times of today's challenges in restoring good government to it's rightful place is already done in the eyes of God.  All we must do is take back the helm, resume course, and sail into calmer seas by virtue of the return to good character and a virtuous people.

It must be a conscious decision -- while surely a deliberate act such as this is not for the faint of heart; unfortunately, what it asks of us is an undeniable faith to forgo the "luxuries, effeminaces, a rage of licentious pleasures" for a time, in order to restore what really matters in our pursuit of happiness -- and that surely being the very foundation of our nation's freedom and liberty by living the principles set forth at our birth.

A good government that would naturally recognize the importance of keeping it's people at liberty to have and be and do what it wishes, relies actually on a government willing to step out of the way, to relinquish it's power, and extinguish it's own natural tendencies towards greed and corruption; in other words, the nation relies on this good government to set the example for it's people above all else, or else.

Most of us are quite sure that this government of ours is no longer good.

Most of us are quite sure of the discipline it will require of us, of the citizenry to correct it's course -- yet in this moment, unsure, if in fact, we have what it takes as a whole.

If this is any sign as to what lies ahead in wait, how about that family who is allowing their two children to be unschooled recently seen on ABC News -- just one example of degenerate parents creating degenerate children, advocating the next generation of dysfunction and entitlement on the horizon...

we no longer need to go to school, or even be home schooled -- but actually NO schooled!  The kids sit around and eat donuts (for their diet is a freedom of choice), watch TV (for what they put in is solely up to them) and otherwise attend to nothing unless they want to -- no chores, no field trips of higher learning, no books required or responsibilities of any kind.

We can only hope, that one day, these kids wake up and get an urge to go to the library -- perhaps check out a book entitled "Law of Nations" and actually sit down with the television off and read it -- the entire collection if possible (if they can sit still long enough) -- matter of fact, as long as they give us their word to read it of course, they could even pull a George and keep it!  Keep it in good faith, as the state's gift to you in order to combat future juvenile delinquency; just one way a bad government could keep on giving that may eventually do some good...

Or better yet, how about we take out every history book and social studies course, and immediately redirect the curriculum to one book -- the  "Law of Nations"; it may take twelve years of study, but by my projections (with the CBO yet to report), if we start out sometime around kindergarten, we just might have half a chance to teach something good and meaningful and timeless to our kids (the next leaders of our free world, if we survive that long).

Make it a Good Day, G

In the after- thought, equally interesting is the reporting about George's long overdue book...the focal point on the astronomical late fees captured much of the interest, as much of the media seemed to find the story, the human interest, simply in that. 

What if...
what if...
what if someone took a moment in their newscast and read aloud excerpts of the content of the crime?  what if?  Wouldn't content meet corruption and justly rule the day...pure and upright would the real story enlighten.