It's Recognizing the Whole Truth Thing

Dear America,

"Laws are made for men 

of ordinary understanding and should,

 therefore, be construed 

by the ordinary rules of common sense.  

Their meaning is not to be sought 

for in metaphysical subtleties 

which may make anything mean 

everything or nothing at pleasure."  

Thomas Jefferson (1823)

"yesterday's blog" (an excellent read, by the way, even though it dates all the way back to 6/14/16)...Responding to the Orlando Islamic Extremist attack, and it was a sad day to report.  Within the day, mind you, little g added the horrific, real-life data available and subsequently opined in a brief written expressly for Imprimis, a publication of Hillsdale College, by Heather Mac Donald.  It encapsulates a breakdown in society that has to concern every American.

Now this girl has had her head distracted for the better part of her days since about the first week of May -- it just so happened to be about the time my girl came home from school, and it marked the beginning of what I'd like to call a "season of preparation,"  The next big thing on the list was getting her ready for Argentina and an entire six months abroad! in every sense of the word. 

Needless to say, this G Thing has been left asunder, just bobbing out in the ether without a tether, a heartfelt grounding, rooted in the dissemination of the daily happenings in America from a certain point of view.

And when this occurs, randomly and almost haphazardly over the years (seven to be exact), I sometimes feel the tinge of guilt. And with that guilt, it gets easier and easier to want to shut it all down, completely buried in the utter disappointment of myself.  The Diary on the Day has missed so much... 

Show me your ways, LORD,

teach me your paths.

Guide me in your truth 

and teach me, 

for you are God my Savior,

 and my hope is 

in you all day long.

 Psalm 25:4-5

And then slowly, natural instinct tells me to pick myself up and be more patient; it tells me to start at the source and listen to the still small voice inside me, calling upon me to release the sensations that cause me to stumble in my own inadequacies and persevere...one step at a time, one day at a time.

Just breathe, G, just breathe.

In light of what transpired last night -- in Dallas -- an evening that began in peaceful protest and ended in the murder of five police officers, how does America pick herself up?  How do we do it....again and again?

In short:  The one and true answer is going back to the Source of all things. for America is bobbing upon a rocky sea of humanity, totally and completely un-tethered.

Looking upon the swath of the population who chooses to break the law (given my belief we can all decipher right from wrong)  -- whether being from the elite class (i.e. Hillary) to the very very bottom of society -- it seems quite evident, lawlessness is indiscriminate; racism is indiscriminate; corruption of the law itself is indiscriminate.

And we are living in a day when it is tragically not only indiscriminate, but wanton and rampant.

The Lord's Prayer tells us how to respond --

"forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."

Twelve words.  Twelve powerful words that carry the capacity to guide us, under God.  One day at a time.  One peaceful step, or protest, at a time.

If you read "yesterday's blog" it would tell you black lives are in danger, most certainly.  IN matters of personal accountability and independence, black lives are -- for the better part of the whole -- torn asunder.   Stunning statistics illuminate deeper issues within the African-American community, and this girl is pretty close to saying it is between God and the African-American community to fix it.  Fathers and mothers are both required to raise good, secure, children of strong character; an education is required to become responsible adults; a steadfast faith is most helpful to guide each soul through the day to day, upon the straight and narrow path, of following the law.   These are just facts of life... totally indiscriminate of the color of one's skin.

If families were all made of this, society would be rich, self-actualized, meeting up with more and more success each day.

From my June blog, worthy of repeating --------

Every year, approximately 6,000 blacks are murdered. This is a number greater than white and Hispanic homicide victims combined, even though blacks are only 13 percent of the national population. Blacks are killed at six times the rate of whites and Hispanics combined. In Los Angeles, blacks between the ages of 20 and 24 die at a rate 20 to 30 times the national mean. Who is killing them? Not the police, and not white civilians, but other blacks. The astronomical black death-by-homicide rate is a function of the black crime rate. Black males between the ages of 14 and 17 commit homicide at ten times the rate of white and Hispanic male teens combined. Blacks of all ages commit homicide at eight times the rate of whites and Hispanics combined, and at eleven times the rate of whites alone.

The police could end all lethal uses of force tomorrow and it would have at most a trivial effect on the black death-by-homicide rate. The nation’s police killed 987 civilians in 2015, according to a database compiled by The Washington Post. Whites were 50 percent—or 493—of those victims, and blacks were 26 percent—or 258. Most of those victims of police shootings, white and black, were armed or otherwise threatening the officer with potentially lethal force...

Moreover, 40 percent of all cop killers have been black over the last decade. And a larger proportion of white and Hispanic homicide deaths are a result of police killings than black homicide deaths—but don’t expect to hear that from the media or from the political enablers of the Black Lives Matter movement. Twelve percent of all white and Hispanic homicide victims are killed by police officers, compared to four percent of all black homicide victims. If we’re going to have a “Lives Matter” anti-police movement, it would be more appropriately named “White and Hispanic Lives Matter.”

go ahead and make fun of me, if you are so inclined to lash out in cowardly, anonymous attacks -- but the question remains,  how will we, in America, RISE to the occasion thrust upon us in this day?

When will we talk about the whole truth and not the lie?

 In the same vein as there is a time for everything, for every season under heaven, this is the time for America to return to a season of planting, of re-rooting ourselves in the very ideas, self-evident and true,  that prove worthy for all of mankind.    Prudence, indeed, is asked of us once again.

Lost over time, over generations, is a certain understanding of our duty to country, and more importantly, to each other, as citizens.   The season of preparation to live in a country of law and order, and not chaos, is what's at hand.  And it can be as easy as packing our own bags, simply starting with the basics, if that's all we have.  And with that being said, hatred has no place; discrimination has no place; violence has no place.

An aspiration of John Adams may just lead us to our close today --

"to see rising in America 

an empire of liberty, 

and the prospect of two 

or three hundred millions of freemen, 

without one noble or one king among them."

and there you go.

we are there -- at the number of 300 hundred million of us...and we are bobbing up and down frantically...

....lost is the separation of powers in government, now fully corrupted and broken

...lost is the connection of life Under God, and the Divine Providence once honored

...lost is the individual mandate of duty to country, and to ourselves, to rise to the occasion in the every day to protect life, all life -- and to secure liberty, all liberty --  all in the Pursuit of Happiness, although not guaranteed.

And now to my favorite muse, Elle Woods, of Legally Blonde, who famously told us -- "Endorphin's make you happy.  Happy people just don't shoot their husbands [or people in general]."

Where does such happiness come?

It's a peacefulness that passes all understanding; it's living a good life -- even if that means working really hard to earn a little living, carving out a life, raising a family; it's making ends meet  -- even if that means eating peanut butter and jelly four out of five dinners; it's doing our homework, showing up for the job, walking to the bus stop, saving our money, making sure our children are asleep and in bed by 8 maybe 8;30 with a book on a school night, it's saying our prayers, it's storing our guns in safe places, it's respecting the police, it's loving our neighbors as ourselves, it's honoring our father and our mother, it's not coveting our neighbor's husband/wife/or things, it's recognizing right from wrong, it's not selling drugs, it's not participating in gangs, it's not shooting up our communities, it's not breaking the law, it's telling the truth, it's living in peace, peacefully, in brotherly love.  Oh, and I could go on.

Living such a life of peacefulness breeds a life of peacefulness...

This sort of peacefulness sanctifies our days, carrying the natural power to settle us down and shelter us, even when confronted with great transgressions -- whether of our own making or another's.

The thing is -- not sure a time of protest is what will save us right now.

It seems to be more of a time to prepare, unite, and RISE in One Direction, demonstrably infallible and everlasting.

[And this is kinda funny, given my inclination to watch the signs -- it is no accident that just today, Heather MacDonald was on the radio with Rush...Of course, he was only a month behind the old g thing...just sayin'....tee hee]

The light of a new day in America is as close as my integrity linking arms with your integrity and so on and so on -- for it's our moral duty to country, for our future; and it begins with telling the truth, and living by the truth, so help me God, case closed.

May God bless our law enforcement in Dallas, and everywhere, today and all the days of our lives...

Make it a Good Day, G

It's Me Making Magic with my Maker Thing

Dear America,

Happiness 

is an activity 

of the soul 

that expresses complete virtue. 

Aristotle, 

Nichomachean Ethics

...and it expresses this complete virtue,

through our own actions day in and day out...ultimately cultivated over a lifetime.

And to that end, this end result -- this happiness -- can only be fully recognized when we are done, finished, having come to the end of our now complete life.  Taking this long look back, we can then ask ourselves, what did this virtuous life thing bring?  Was it worth every do-good-er thing and thought -- completely tethered to a higher purpose and purity of moral responsibility, of course -- for the greater good of one and all?  How did we benefit? How did society benefit?

“As far as its name goes, most people virtually agree [about what the good is], since both the many and the cultivated call it happiness, and suppose that living well and doing well are the same as being happy. But they disagree about what happiness is, and the many do not give the same answer as the wise.” NE 1095a17-21

Granted -- this thing called happiness comes and goes in life.  It fluctuates -- within the day, even an hour, over many moons and years.  One minute we may be jumping for joy, and the next in tears.  As any reasonably intelligent human being may divine and conclude, our days are inconsistent, at best. 

  

It often feels fleeting, this happiness; and yet, sometimes, this happiness engulfs us, as if it takes over every cell of our being and overfloweth in delight.  And what we find -- really, discover in ourselves --  is that this true happiness is much more than a feeling.  It's more like a deep satisfaction, a gift from our Maker, a sensation affirming our unique reason for being is in our grasp, or at the very least, awfully close.

But the thing is -- this making of happiness -- depends solely upon ourselves.  Here's a lovely page to read for more on that...

and while all this is being said just to begin a day,  all there is to add is, oh wow... giddy up, girl...

I love how people are chatting about the Hillsdale Commencement ceremony for the 164th graduating class, featuring the great, the wonderful, the rather quiet soul that sits upon the bench of the highest seat of justice in the land, the Supreme Court --  the Honorable Clarence Thomas.

Being on the Imprimis [in the first place] mailing list, a monthly Hillsdale publication -- a weekend alert to watch the whole affair, complete with a live stream, did not go unheeded.  What a joyful thing, I thought.  

But lo and behold,  what began as a splendid idea, turned into a whirlwind of emotion, totally unsuspected.  

Now, perhaps the tears were just from exhaustion.  Perhaps the release was all the live long week, rocked with all the usual suspects of petty ups and downs and running ragged finally coming into their own, and feeling rather entitled, celebrating a chance to come to a flourishing finish...who really knows what it was, or where it came, or where it went when it was all done with me, right?  What goes up must come down.

I just couldn't stop crying.

It was as if I was trying to feel every word; taking everything to heart and becoming completely overcome, this neat little care package via the magic of apple and enjoining all things Americana, collegiate, our origins, and the great hope of our future was brought to my door -- the entire world, really -- bearing the gift of new life.  As in, what is truly old is obviously the new new.  Can I get a witness?

Larry P. Arnn, the twelfth president of Hillsdale College, opened the ceremony defining the "age old activity" of learning and its benefits (and paraphrasing as best I can,  I will try to be quick about it....tee hee):

1.  the activity itself, to learn, is joyful; the stuff humanity is made for, and of, to become more like our Maker
2. freedom -- for the learned soul cannot be enslaved
3. for the improvement of character...brave, moderate, and just
4. to enrich the connection with God, this being especially true at Hillsdale and an attribute required of gaining a complete education.  A connection with God is highly supported, encouraged, and even favored, while believing the right for everyone to worship as you please.

Now much of the message from Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas may be easily described as going by way of The Golden Rule, in both natural law and life.  Highlighting things his grandfather taught him [being almost entirely raised by his grandparents], Thomas said things like this, 'if we didn't work, we didn't eat; what we don't plant, we don't grow'...'lead by example'...'love thy neighbor as thyself'...'right is right'....these are the ideas a young Thomas was fed as a boy.  And just look at how he turned out...

He also reminded us of the words of President Kennedy, "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."  indeed

Thomas continued making his remarks and his beliefs UNapologetically made known, including telling a short tale of the modern age, and making up an instance based on a What If....And basically proposed, what if spring breakers returned fully exhausted from their reveling demanding the redistribution of grades with the students who stayed, studied, and got their fair share of an A, well deserved?  What kind of an injustice that would be, right?

Indeed, and all to make a point -- "if we continue to consume the benefits of a free society without making deposits...we will run out of other people's sacrifices..." 

 "Today, of course, there is much more focus on our rights as citizens and what we are owed...

It is not often that one hears of our obligation or our duties as citizens, unless of course there's talk of our duty to submit to yet another new policy being suggested or proposed...

At the risk of understating what is necessary to preserve liberty and our form of government, I think more and more that it depends on good citizens, discharging their daily duties and their daily obligations..

In addressing your own obligations and responsibilities in the right way, you actually help to ensure our liberties and our form of government."

this is how America was designed to work, literally.

We gave of ourselves, freely, in the support of liberty for all, by 'addressing our own obligations and responsibilities in the right way' dutifully -- we did not ask anything from town and country, but ultimately benefited town and country through living and working a virtuous and good life all the way around.  We were raised not to take from America, but give; and in turn, as luck and values and virtues work, we learned to benefit in the living of a complete and happy life, more or less.

It was duty and delight coming in contact with one another and making magic, imprimis.

Oh my word, I just found a new website!  It's called The Art of Manliness!  This link actually takes you to a wonderful post on Latin Words and Phrases Every Man Should Know.  It's just fabulous!  And ironically, it is written by a Brett and Kate McKay, so you can just stop the hate mongering, k.

The motto of Hillsdale, Virtus tentamine gaudet -- strength rejoices in the challenge -- is what brought me to the pages of manliness, for in my feeble attempt of taking notes during the commencement ceremony, my tee's were not crossed and my i's were not dotted, and that led me all over the place for just a wee bit, and mostly just for kicks. but surely, I digress.

Strength may indeed rejoice in the challenge, for this sort of rapture only comes with perspective.  What value is there if all things are just handed out like participant trophies for everybody?  Satisfaction comes, happiness comes, and perhaps can only come,  after we have met the challenges of working hard at something, for something.  Perhaps a Bachelor of Science or Philosophy ir something... 

“Each function is completed well 

when its completion expresses

 the proper virtue. 

Therefore the human good

 turns out to be the soul’s activity

 that expresses virtue.” 

Aristotle, NE 1098a15-17

“[V]irtue of character 

is concerned with pleasures and pains. 

For it is pleasure that causes 

us to do base actions, 

and pain that causes

 us to abstain from fine ones.

 Hence we need to have had 

the appropriate upbringing—

right from early youth, as Plato says—

to make us find enjoyment 

or pain in the right things; 

for this is the correct education.” 

Aristotle, NE 11049-13

PUT GOOD IN, GET GOOD OUT!

“[N]either virtues nor vices are feelings.” 

Aristotle, NE 1105b29

No matter how we feel today, tomorrow, yesterday -- we must recognize the big picture and  all that is truly divine in the making of a day.  The Law works in equal portion for everyone, if we dare ask, align and agree to the terms, working with IT! -- the Universe says yes when we move our own two feet.

A simple day, the making of a life -- happy or sad -- it is ours to make or throw away, whether steeped in ignorance or knowledge.  It just is.   Enough with how we feel; let's get back to what we do!

And one thing's for sure, things are generally dulcius ex asperius...sweeter after difficulties.

and then of course, there's this:

flectere si nequeo superos, acheronta movebo

...if I cannot move heaven, I will raise hell.  hehehe   

[This phrase being perfectly embodied by Winston Churchill, right?]  

But as the Age of Manliness duly notes, it happens to be a phrase from Virgil's Aeneid...and just one more silly Latin thing this girl learned in a day...bon appetit (yeah, that is French....so?)

Gloria in excelsis Deo

and to think...you get all of this delight pro bono.  badump ba.

and now that you have arrived at the end of a day,  here's looking at you, kids.

This day is finished -- and as it ever was, where it stops nobody knows... it turned into a day in total, complete praise -- as in, magna cum laude to the max -- of Hillsdale College, Clarence Thomas, Aristotle...and me making magic with my Maker. amen.  It's just what we do in America, one day at a time...As Clarence Thomas declared, we began as a "flawed nation" but it IS our "last great hope."

semper fidelis,

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a Speak, Pray, Fight Thing

Dear America,

this might seem random... but since when has that ever stopped me :)

let's begin with an excerpt from William Wilberforce, Real Christianity -- a revised and updated version by Bob Beltz:

"As he wrote in his diary on October 28, 1787, God had set before him two great objects:  the suppression of the slave trade and the work of moral reform.  And so, even as Wilberforce wages what would be a 20-year fight to abolish Britain's slave trade, he began scores of philanthropic initiatives."

Wilberforce, being influenced back in the day to take up the charge by an old friend, John Newton.   And Newton, oddly enough, being a former slave trader -- and author of one of the most beautiful songs in the hymnal, if not the whole world, "Amazing Grace."

"Seeking always to be salt and light within his culture, Wilberforce worked with many people who did not share his Christian worldview..."  Beltz begins with a compilation of accolades, as he sets the tone for the masterpiece we are about to read.

For Wilberforce believed,  "it is the true duty of every man to promote the happiness of his fellow creatures to the utmost of his power."   And he went on to do just that, authentically, never afraid to stand up for what is truly right and good and decent for all.

This thing called Obamacare --
a travesty of America's health care industry, our free market, justice, equality, freedom, and especially the pursuit of happiness, was designed by a think tank, years in the making, with thousands of pages of regulations and controls and mandates and fines, to fundamentally enslave us all.

It's as if we are each bearing witness to the most stunning acts of American history right before our eyes; the final straw on the camel's back has been laid to rest, to disrupt, destroy and bankrupt America's authentic landscape from sea to shining sea, through a massive federal entitlement, elevating the redistribution of wealth to a level unseen and unimaginable.

And it's the Tea Party Patriots who are attacked and labeled the fanatics -- and in every possible vile and slanderous way?

I will, this day, wholeheartedly agree with Wilberforce: "it is the true duty of every man to promote the happiness of his fellow creatures to the utmost of his power." 

Speak, pray, fight, without ceasing.

Stand up for what is truly right and good and decent and true.

Who are the obstructionists?
Let me define what we are really experiencing right now -- it's called a hostile takeover of one-sixth of our economy* against the people's will.   Other people might call it a coup -- masterminded by the highly radicalized, fanatical, progressive, community organizers in office.

When just a few hours ago we get something like this, out of Reuters:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama stressed to congressional leaders on Wednesday that he will not negotiate with Republicans over a government shutdown or raising the U.S. debt limit, the White House said.

After more than an hour of talks at the White House that did not lead to a breakthrough, the White House issued a statement saying that Obama remains hopeful that "common sense will prevail" in the budget standoff.

"The president made clear to the leaders that he is not going to negotiate over the need for Congress to act to reopen the government or to raise the debt limit to pay the bills Congress has already incurred," the White House said.

So at the risk of repeating myself these days,

Obama can unilaterally waive certain parts of Obamacare, without so much as a flinch from the press, without such exemptions/exceptions legally supported by a vote in congress, and without any legal, constitutional authority to do anything of the kind...and yet he claims, buried in hypocrisy and mocking his own illegitimate motions, "it is settled."

Obama can unilaterally decide what parts of our U.S. Immigration law to heed or abolish or ignore...

But the House of Representatives can't negotiate on behalf of the American people with him, the Senate, on any part of it -- even to simply delay it or to mandate all federal employees, including congress and the president, to use it?  

Back to more current events, as in back at the Rose Garden, Tuesday...It's almost as if he believes he rules America akin to being a king.  [That link leads you to an official transcript on the day]

The Affordable Care Act is a law that passed the House; it passed the Senate.  The Supreme Court ruled it constitutional.  It was a central issue in last year’s election.  It is settled, and it is here to stay.  And because of its funding sources, it’s not impacted by a government shutdown...

 So I’ll speak more on this in the coming days, but let me repeat:  I will not negotiate over Congress’s responsibility to pay bills it’s already racked up.  I’m not going to allow anybody to drag the good name of the United States of America through the mud just to refight a settled election or extract ideological demands.  Nobody gets to hurt our economy and millions of hardworking families over a law you don’t like.

It was made law through acts of treason against the freedoms and liberties of the American people, while being severely, forcibly, passed through the halls of congress on lies, manipulation, and political process steeped in one-upmanship and corruption.

[Remember, Obamacare was never sold to the American people as a tax -- otherwise it never would have passed congress and the president would have had to take back this: "I can make a firm pledge. Under my plan no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes." circa 2008]

It is settled, my oh my...the audacity.

Just love that part about, "and because of its funding sources, it's not impacted by a government shutdown."  Oh that is rich -- in an obscene, vulgar kind of way.  Oh but the Army/Navy game is?  A game already fully paid for, and cancelled for political gain merely to punish us and lambaste the GOP?

Oh you mean the funding sources such as stealing 716 Billion from Medicare -- or were you thinking more of the highly destructive tax resource, projected to come from the sale of medical devices? Or is the reality more like telling the American people a total funding lie -- considering the latest projection coming from the CBO to be three times its original cost?

Going backwards before we move forward:  Someday we should revisit that thing called the current immigration law through the myopic presidential lens who believes "nobody gets to hurt our economy and millions of hardworking families over a law you don't like" -- you know,  considering it's coming from the same president confident in orchestrating exemptions on the fly, by Executive Order, and hence unilaterally dragging  "the good name of the United States of America through the mud just to refight a settled election or extract ideological demands" fully determined to elevate an immigration policy of  lawlessness.

And in the 'I'll show you what power I have at my fingertips to make it hurt until the GOP caves into my demands...' department -- THIS.


At what point is a law settled?

Don't we have an immigration policy, supported by immigration law, just like every other country in the world?   Wouldn't our illegal immigration woes be solved simply by following the settled, bonafide, immigration laws already on the books?  It is settled, right? 

Why do we keep revisiting this law as if the law, itself, does not exist? 

How can a president arbitrarily decide what law he will follow, and what law he will not -- and then turn around and tell actual lawmakers they have no jurisdiction to revisit the law at all?   I think the president should revisit PoliSci 101.  And this guy specializes in Constitutional Law?  He refuses to enforce parts of a law!

We fought a revolutionary war to settle taxation without representation; we fought a civil war to settle -- abolish -- slavery.   Cue the fight against Obamacare --  overfloweth with taxation, enslavement, redistribution of wealth, mandates to purchase health care or pay a tax, and facing a trajectory that kills our free market, forces a very unpopular failure and eventual loss of the availability of private insurance and individual PRIVACY, strains doctors and staff, rations care (death panels), with plans intending to end with a single payer, socialized medicine entitlement for all... even if it kills us.  Let's settle this once for all.

"It is the true duty of every man

 to promote the happiness

of his fellow creatures

 to the utmost of his power." 

History proves, it still requires the duty of every man to promote the happiness of his fellow creatures, by way of holding to a certain moral standard, holding to a certain level of genuine, authentic, decency and goodness and lawfulness.   It's a duty and responsibility we each hold and owe to each other.

Obamacare jeopardizes the general happiness for us all -- and with every ounce of power and might, we must fight as if our lives depend on it.

Three days before Wilberforce died, British Parliament passed a law abolishing slavery throughout the entire empire...

It was the year 1787 where I began the day taking a cue from a page in his diary; it was the same year as our Constitution Convention in America.

Here's a hook with a quick look into a place called edsitement!  [please note: due to the government shutdown, this site may not be fully up to date...blah, blah, blah]

On the last day of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin observed that he had often wondered whether the design on the president's chair depicted a rising or a setting sun. "Now at length," he remarked, "I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun"...

...In this unit, students will examine the roles that key American founders played in creating the Constitution, and the challenges they faced in the process. They will learn why many Americans in the 1780s believed that reforms to the Articles of Confederation were necessary, and the steps taken to authorize the 1787 Convention in Philadelphia. They will become familiar with the main issues that divided delegates at the Convention, particularly the questions of representation in Congress and the office of the presidency. Finally, they will see how a spirit of compromise, in the end, was necessary for the Convention to fulfill its task of improving the American political system.

We have a chance to prove the sun also rising.


One thing more before we bid adieu --
Under the heading WHITE HOUSE REJECTED A REQUEST...

Even though the WWII Memorial is wide open to the public by design, a place to stroll come any time of day or night ---  even though it is constructed on federal property, it was funded almost entirely by private gifts -- even though it has no doors -- even though the partial government slim down, including national parks, officially closed national parks.... the government SPENT money to multiply the number of guards and add barry-cades and miles of yellow crime scene tape and threatened to arrest anyone who might cross...including bus loads of Honor Flight Veterans from WWII! ...... And dragged into the mud...   

We can't keep it open (even though it's always open) but we can afford to use whatever means necessary to keep people out...seriously?   As if any of that makes any sense.   And we are to have confidence in this government taking over one-sixth of the economy, as well as have control over our own personal health care?

Upon morning light, they invaded again , this time singing a round of "Amazing Grace."

What a beautiful song.

Consider it fuel for - what might just be - a long, long fight ahead; the call of duty is truly great.

Make it a Good Day, G

See also Mark Levin's new book,  revisiting another Constitutional Convention and more...

footnote *:  President Obama, is single handedly responsible for destroying the stock market on a scare tactic and threat, in a boot to the neck kind of way....Drumming up fear, worry, through irresponsible, reckless rhetoric this morning....you know, given the market was pretty calm, considering.  It wasn't until Obama opened his mouth and put the fear of god in people, that the market tanked...Wall Street needs to be genuinely concerned....

It's About Keeping Good Going Thing

Dear America,

it's all about the two new buzz words...gun and control.

as if...

Wonder how that's going over with the bad guys?

What about jackass control?  How about congressional corruption control -- or perhaps, ordering a little self-control on pushing the Executive Order button, currently running out of control?  No, no, here's a good one -- how about fiscal suicide control, massive intervention and prevention of America going belly up before the next presidential election?    Or what about simply showing just a modicum of restraint, self-control and allegiance to keeping some kind of moral backbone for today and tomorrow -- or operating under the Rule of Law as intended by our founders under what's called the Constitution?   Could we possibly see some movement on any of that before the end of the day?

oh my.

We have proven -- in America -- that plenty of us own guns for protection, hunting, and target practice...having shown complete self-control, not to mention, full knowledge and responsibility to carry and respect guns.   America owns lots of guns.   States have laws regarding gun ownership that are designed to prevent  people who cannot be trusted with gun ownership from getting one, let alone amass a small scale armory in the basement.  And yet somehow we seem surprised that tragedy can still happen;  accidents and even the unimaginable murder of innocents is still possible.

There just seems to be a great disconnect going on between the perceived increase in gun violence based simply upon the prevalence of gun ownership, specifically "assault weapons," and the increase in gun violence as a result of massive levels of dysfunction within our society.

Certainly, at the risk of sounding like a broken record -- it's not about the gun, no matter what kind of gun we choose.

Even if I owned a gun, as a loving human being who respects life itself in every way, never would I ever open fire upon a school, a theater, a crowded restaurant, a stadium, a park, a bus, train, subway...you get my drift.  If I owned a gun -- and currently considering it -- it would be for protection...and I would gladly take whatever number of classes required to feel secure in it's operation and be legally entitled to use one.  

How do I know this?  Because I am pretty sure I am sane! And, I prefer to do things by the book and hold myself fully and solely accountable for the handling and ownership of such a great responsibility  -- as I believe most of us do.   Otherwise, wouldn't we be witnessing some kind of wild, wild west, east, north and south?   But this just isn't the case, is it;  because the majority of us actually do the right thing when it comes to guns.

So what should this tell us?

It should tell us that it isn't the gun's fault; it isn't about whether it is a .38 caliber or nine gauge, assault weapon or handgun, or the size of the magazine -- whatever the heck that means.   These things are neither broken or need controlling (in the way this administration believes, that is) for they are inanimate objects.

It's the broken hearts and minds that need the fix.   And, as with most everything under the sun, the fix starts at home.  Where is the motivation to look there?  Where is the pitch, perhaps, to focus our energies into the place and circumstances and environment where we might actually see the good and tangible and inspiring results of our actions?  Maybe we need a mission statement or a motto...

For me, my motto is a lot like that of the company, New York Life, which aligns a simple thought with it's ambitions to "Keep Good Going."    As soon as I heard that, I was like, hey, that's like me, G! venturing to spread the good everyday.  Of course, the more the merrier; there is plenty of good to make to go around, right...    But who knew this idea of keeping the good going would envelope my entire world?   But now, hindsight being what it is -- this pithy advertising genius describes my parental aims in three words.  I just never had a slogan for it until now.

What a beautiful, beautiful world it would be if our number one goal as parents, as humans, was to simply "keep good going".   For rich or for poorer, it doesn't matter; we can all be and do and make good.  It's non-discriminating.   It's powerful.  It's brilliant.   It's instant!

Where am I going with this...
the thing is, if we have issues within our own families, then it is up to us to fix them.   If there is mental illness, substance abuse, a member of a gang, a person making a living off of criminal activity, etc. living within our domain, then we need to tend to them.   We need to face the sins and troubles of our own  -- calling attention and resolution to the cries for help within the intimacy and boundary of family -- and mend the broken hearts and minds.   If overwhelmed and need assistance, get help; reach out to your local churches and charitable organizations.  Just take aim to keep good going and do something.

The truth is, Washington has little affect upon the day to day realities other than get in the way of progress; while the message they send, all but ignores personal accountability and duty.   This twists apart America's most basic tenet, carefully crafting responsibility and duty with every right and privilege.

The nation's security and future was founded -- and compounded -- with the arrival of every generation, whether native born or immigrant, to uphold the continuation of a culture built upon good character and virtue. 

And  very quickly we realize, we ALL rely upon the sane, taking care of the insane, incompetent, as well as, our young and vulnerable, on every level.

How about this news coming out of The Heritage Foundation?  It's simply titled, "When the Government Fails Completely"...  

Hmmm.  Head Start, as it turns out, isn't actually getting the job done. 

Wonder what's happening in the home?  Don't hate; it's a fair question.

Make it a Good Day, G

 

It's Just What Happens When We Let Ourselves Go Thing

Dear America,

you know what I'm thinking this morning...I'm thinking much of what we are witnessing today, experiencing today, enduring today, stems from having let ourselves go in America.

Initially this thought came from an unexpected candid remark of a remarkable and conservative and beautiful woman, my mom.   But that's what happens, right?  Something takes root inside us, we marinate on it for a little while, and just when we begin to think we have totally let it go, escaping  all recollection, it rebounds off the back of our mind like a boomerang.  bing.

It takes great effort, and good energy, to keep something alive, to stay in relationship, to uphold the integrity and strength of any given thing.

It's not like we can buy a home and expect it to maintain itself.

It's not like we can buy a plant and expect it to water itself.

It's not like we can bear a child and expect the darned thing to raise it's self [as a mom, I feel privileged to say things like that in an endearing way, of course.]

It's not like we can be in a marriage and expect it to nourish itself.

And we could go on and on....but will keep it to just one more:

It's not like we can live in America and expect it to honor itself, all on it's own, without every single one of us doing our duty to protect and defend and most importantly, understand, what this great land is all about.

The ideals set forth by our founders required all generations that follow to actually follow!  And they knew -- because they also recognized the weaknesses of being human -- that it would be a constant challenge; "If men were angels, no government would be necessary.  If angels were to govern men, neither external controls on government would be necessary."  (James Madison, the Federalist Papers)

The founders counted upon the nation to maintain the integrity of  the Republic by recreating an informed, educated, virtuous, and morally upright citizenry.   As Madison said:

"Is there no virtue among us? If there is not, we are in a wretched situation.  No theoretical checks, no form of government, can render us secure.  To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea.  If there be sufficient virtue and intelligence in the community, it will be exercised in the selection of these men; so that we do not depend upon their virtue, or put confidence in our rulers, but in the people who are to choose them."

Compounding this notion with a thought from Thomas Jefferson :  "Virtue is not hereditary."

Meaning, we have to work at it -- collectively and individually, we must learn and develop and maintain and dare I say, even nourish! our own virtuous life in the every day.   For if we were to let ourselves go, then "no form of government can render us secure."

In The 5000 Year Leap, the author, W. Cleon Skousen, spends a great deal of time on our nation's foundation; I'm inclined to say 'America's foundation' is the red thread throughout the entire book.  Everything seems to bounce back to the firm, structurally sound, reliance on good self-government in order to create a good, foundation-ally and functionally enlightened Republic to last the generations.

Not only do we in America no longer teach the ways and means of a virtuous life - - we neither model it, speak it, or defend it....in the collective, that is....generally speaking, of course.

We can't even talk about living by our virtues (and that especially goes for all the time our children spend in the public school  domain) -- unless of course, we wish to be quickly labeled a fanatic, an extremist, a religious zealot.

Indeed, "a wretched situation" may be upon us.

The aim of our founders was an emphasis on creating an enlightened electorate in every stretch of the imagination, in order to keep this republic whole.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.

...a crusade against ignorance; establish and improve the law for education the common people.  Let our people know that the people alone can protect us against these evils [of misgovernment]."

...all in for more Jefferson, all the time.

It takes work --  it takes effort -- it takes energy, to maintain a free people in a republic; we cannot expect it to grow and nourish itself.

The wretched thing is, we seem to be more disenchanted these days to do the work; or, we expect other people to do the work for us.  And now, it appears, to even utter so much as one word about it, we might as well have committed an act of violence against all humanity.

Take for example Bobby Jindal, yesterday....

Oh wait... first, it all started with this -- Mitt Romney, to supporters on a recent conference call:

“In each case they were very generous in what they gave to those groups,” Mr. Romney said.

 “With regards to the young people, for instance, a forgiveness of college loan interest, was a big gift,” he said. “Free contraceptives were very big with young college-aged women. And then, finally, Obamacare also made a difference for them, because as you know, anybody now 26 years of age and younger was now going to be part of their parents’ plan, and that was a big gift to young people. They turned out in large numbers, a larger share in this election even than in 2008.”

Romney said Obama followed what he called the “old playbook” of seeking votes from specific interest groups, “especially the African-American community, the Hispanic community and young people,” the New York Times said. “In each case they were very generous in what they gave to those groups,” Romney said.

continue reading here.

Mitt was only calling attention to a reality created by, and for,  the political life-force of progressives (we can't even call them liberals anymore).

But just how did Jindal -- aka one of his own -- respond?

"I think that's absolutely wrong," Jindal said. "We have got to stop dividing the American voters. We need to go after 100 percent of the votes, not 53 percent. We need to go after every single vote. ... So I absolutely reject that notion, that description. I think it's absolutely wrong. I don't think that represents where we are as a party, where we're going as a party. That has got to be one of the most fundamental takeaways from this election."

continue reading here.

With all due respect, dear Bobby, the GOP is NOT the party doing the wooing and the dividing; that civic infidelity honor goes to the progressives.  And it isn't anything new, by the way; they have been working this demographic bombardment for a century.  How about we talk about that, Jindal?

For the Left, for the typical progressive, this kind of divide and conquer is so fundamental to their trickery and tactics, apparently, for some of us, it goes unnoticed, as if totally acceptable -- as if the Left holds a special clearance, some kind of politically-warped exception to the rule,  to systematically, unilaterally  (and oh so clandestine) be allowed to go there.

The problem is NOT in the governor going there.  The problem is that we, the Right, behave as if we are afraid to go there.

Earth to the new reality, and to the so-called new demographics we must compete against, and to the republican establishment that wishes it were bigger, brighter, bolder just like the democrats -- find some balls, juevos rancheros, cajones, before speaking up in public.  [yeah, and I don't even care if I spelled any of that wrong]

It is US - -conservatives in general, the masses in particular, and the liberals in droves -- who seem to have let ourselves go.

We have let ourselves go -- virtually without a fight for what I can see -- to those just waiting to pounce and take advantage of the unimaginable evolution of a certain wretched situation amongst us!

One of my favorites from Samuel Adams:

"The Utopian schemes of leveling [re-distribution of the wealth] and a community of goods [central ownership of the means of production and distribution], are as visionary and impractical as those which vest all property in the Crown.  [These ideas] are arbitrary, despotic, and, in our government, unconstitutional."

Perhaps Mitt stopped just shy of calling our new, cool governance "unconstitutional" -- but why not?

It is true, Bobby.

It is as true today, as it was in yesterday, in yesteryear.

[These ideas -- our Nation's Ideals]  Just because we have stopped teaching it, leading with it, modeling it in every way, doesn't make it any more unreal or untrue in the real world.

we've let our Truth go, America...

that is just the sad, sad truth.

But make no mistake:  Our Truth about Good Governance is not the problem; it is not the evil one. Our truth about maintaining Good Governance is by the Grace of God what has protected us, united us, and enriched us in every possible way....until quite possibly now... clearly stuck, aimlessly, it would seem,  in a wretched situation.

Contrary to popular belief -- or is it just a wave of modern day mainstream propaganda -- our ideals truly do work for every one, equally under the law, in true free form.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the foundation -- unless of course, you consider how humanity has perverted, corrupted, abridged, defiled, and defied our most precious principles, virtues, and Constitution, bringing it's very integrity into question and, ultimately, ripe for utter ruin.

other than that, let's keep on keepin' on, right?

Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America,

happy 1-11-11 day


so, in the beginning, our founders gathered together to make a republic, not a democracy, and follow the path of Nature's Law invoked and prescribed by the leading thinkers of the day, past and present, to create a more perfect union based entirely upon the Rule of Law, not man.

Why was "man" out of the equation, we wonder?  Because "man" was, and is, and forever more, imperfect; man is sometimes-- dare I say, many times -- wrong.


Or worse, sometimes man is evil.


Then again, sometimes man is just plum stupid... greedy, inconsiderate, self-serving, and rude...or man can be just plain bad...while we're at it, man is, quite often I might add, simply thoughtless,  soul-less and heartless... and if we go down that road, let's just narrow it down to Dante's Seven Deadly Sins, or is it God's -- either way, we all know what they are, right ...

And if man doesn't ever fall in the "really bad" category,  he is certainly deceptive, manipulative, and egotistical whenever it serves him best, and especially when it is a matter of gaining and controlling the general public opinion, persuasion, or sway.

From The 5000 Year Leap:

According to W. Cleon Skousen, as an individual, John Adams was not very popular -- but what the people saw in Adams, was a man they could trust, without any further thought, doubt, or concern.  It was Adams who wrote this little tidbit, some time following his presidency:

"I do not curse the day when I engaged in public affairs...I cannot repent any thing I ever did conscientiously and from a sense of duty.  I never engaged in public affairs for my own interest, pleasure, envy, jealousy, avarice, or ambition, or even the desire of fame.  IF any of these had been my motive, my conduct would have been very different.  In every considerable transaction of my public life, I have invariably acted according to my best judgment, and I can look up to God for the sincerity of my intentions."

And it was Adams, who often reminded his fellow statesmen, this:

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.  It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

And coming from another man and founder, Samuel Adams, he wrote:

"The sum of all is, if we would most truly  enjoy the gift of Heaven, let us become a virtuous people; then shall we both deserve and enjoy it.  While, on the other hand, if we are universally vicious and debauched in our manners, though the form of our Constitution carries the face of the most exalted freedom, we shall in reality be the most abject slaves..."

"But neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt.  He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries the most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man."

And here's one more, from James Madison:

"If man were angels, no government would be necessary.  If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary."

Creating a nation that would encourage and develop civic virtue, in hopes of continually bestowing upon the public a flood of  upstanding political leaders, began with the moral and civic duty to create a good people from the start; sound principles, values, and virtues was not political lip-service, it was true blue American public service, from the heart, from the right place, beginning with man's first intention.

Our problems of the day, 

streaming live and in a chorus of continuous, voracious debate, 

centering upon the political discourse of the moment, 

throwing barbs and jabs at individuals 

(people like Palin, Bachman, Limbaugh, Beck...) -- 

even entire groups of people (republicans, tea party, conservatives..) -- 

through outright character assassination and  rabid vitriol  -- 

taking turns taking pot shots --

pow, pow, pow pow pow

and simply showering the mainstream media with untruths 

and linking something so unthinkable 

to the entire right side of the political spectrum 

is reprehensible,

disgusting

and 

wrong.

That is man, acting at his worst, all the way around.

And now, to have politicians, wondering how they will continue to serve the public safely, heighten the debate on gun control, or even have the audacity, at a time when we are broke, to give a second thought to increasing the budget for congressional security -- and to top it off, act as if the rhetoric has always been one-sided, as if the Pelosi's, Reid's, Weiner's or Grayson's are angels...even Obama himself has been hopped up on using rhetoric for political gains.  Are you kidding me?

And I guess MSNBC only spins a weave of proverbs and grace.

Please don't misconstrue -- it is essential, for everyone's well being, to feel free to live and work and interact in a safe, secure environment.  No question.  Congress is no exception to the rule, no doubt about it.

The thing is, if you really think about it, what happened last Saturday could happen again tomorrow; there is nothing keeping something like that from happening every day of the week actually from here on out, from here to kingdom come.

The only thing that truly keeps that from happening, is living in a country that not only encourages our people to be of kind heart, to take care of one another, to honor our mother and father, and treat our neighbors as ourselves, but one that TEACHES it, RESPECTS it, and above all, EMBODIES it through and through;  the founders gave us principles and values to follow for a reason, for they recognized the first truth about man and built an entire nation from it, respective of the very imperfect nature of the beast that we are.

Guns don't kill people; people kill people.

A civil, compassionate, honorable society is made in America only by creating, and teaching, to be of good nature, to be good people; the duty begins at first breath, and ends at our last, for each and every one of us who share this nation, let alone the entire world.

Given that "the shooter" was a registered Independent, I am most certain, his horrific actions, do not speak of the nature of the entire body of independents.

But wonder how one person can make a difference no more -- for isn't  it painfully obvious, and tragically true, in this moment; how an unconscionable act, by one person no less, can not only wreak havoc and destroy the lives of 20 innocent people, but also trigger an endless supply of careless, knee-jerk responses that in turn discredit friends, neighbors, countrymen and women of  good heart -- all of us who lean just right of center who can feel it, one by one.  throw a little more salt on our wounds why don't you.

All Americans --  feel real emotional pain -- and hold a heavy, heavy heart -- with what happened last Saturday; what happened does not usually happen, for by and large, we try to be of sound mind and body and act accordingly.

Tragically, the only person we can point to, is to the one crazy person who did it, Jared; who, for all intents and purposes, hindsight being what it is, showed all the signs he needed a little help; at twenty-two, Jared he is a man, who knowingly set out, in public, with a semi-automatic weapon to do harm -- and as we know now, he intended to do harm upon the life of Gabrielle Giffords and anyone else who got in his way -- and believed, he, himself, would not live to deal with the aftermath.  He said his good-byes.

Look, one bad apple should not spoil it for the whole bunch, that's all I'm saying right now; this kind of regulation and continuous taking away of the freedoms and civil liberties of a good people is not the answer; for then, Sam Adams would be absolutely right on target in a people becoming 'abject slaves.'

Talk about a moving target, we seem to be missing the point; good people in, good people out.  wax on, wax off.  it is a tedious drill, but over time, it truly works.

Before I close, a few noteworthy individuals seem to stand out, reacting with eloquence and grace and compassion is Governor Jan Brewer; if you were able to catch her State of the State address you know what I am talking about -- of course, it wasn't a S of S address at all...understandably, that will be saved for another day.  Her remarks were beautiful, thoughtful, unwavering in her commitment to hold the candle of fearless leader, even after being thrust into a state of utter devastation and loss.

Upon Gov. Brewer's lead, the entire legislative body gave a standing ovation to Daniel Hernandez, an intern of only one week for Giffords local congressional offices, who selflessly acted without thinking, and quickly came to her aid in the seconds after being struck by gunfire; he held her up, applied pressure to her wound, and spoke to her,  calmly encouraging her to hold on while awaiting paramedics; as Gov. Brewer pointed out, he probably saved her life, without thinking of his own...perhaps another Adams in our midst.

America, in actions and in our words, let us do no harm -- today and always.


Make it a Good Day, G