It's Truth, Trains and Ordinary Time Thing

Dear America,


old gthing is beginning to power down for a well earned vacation; it's been a hectic week, one totally empowered by a furious charge of rational self-interest to the max.  The hope is that the crazy days leading up to the leave will be totally worth it -- for the incentive to get it done is greater than leaving things undone for upon my return.

Speaking of which, it is the rational self-interest drive that systematically fuels our capitalist society -- no, scratch that, make that a virtuous capitalist society.

Moreover, it the the rational self-interest of learned men and those who make it their mission to break down the principles and teachings of economics and society, growth and stagnation, and just exactly how the intangible qualities of life become oh so tangible, easily enough for all the rest of us to understand, becomes essentially priceless -- priced right out of the market even.    The wealth of knowledge that ordinary people can acquire and share and express and make abundant and bear fruit becomes utterly limitless.  AND if we remain good people -- enriched in spirit, in soul, in compassion, in love -- the greater good becomes that much greater.

The chatter of the last couple of days has included the celebration of life and works of such -- a remarkable American really -- Milton Friedman.   He would have turned one hundred years old on July 31st... if we were just so lucky to have him on this earth still.

I first want to link to a great article for you to read on the man -- by Donald J. Boudreaux, for a little 'centennial celebration.'   go on now.... g can wait....


super good huh.  love that whole pencil thing.

and for a few words from the man himself, let me switch gears to a wee bit of GTV:



so true! 

"imaginative packaging and deceptive labeling"  -- how simple.

That is how all big bad government grows.

I can only imagine how Milton must be thinking of the unconscionable packaging of the "Affordable Care Act."

The thing is -- and what most people seem to no longer recognize -- is that the beauty of capitalism works for us without us even thinking about it; while the things we seem to think need fixed  -- by more regulation, taxation and control --  ultimately tie us down.

Right now, just a few days out from a very long train ride, I am beginning to get excited. For I can go on vacation without a care in the world because  ---

• I have someone taking care of my baby Boo; 
• I have someone making sure the electricity still keeps my fridge cold, saving that pound of bacon for when I come home; 
• I can do my banking from anywhere, giving me pocket change for trinkets and cocktails anywhere, anytime; 
• I can entrust my travels to the pilot, the conductor, and all who came into the making of that fine plane and train; 
• I can organize my work schedule for time off from my day's labor, reaping the instant benefits of not owing my own business and being able to walk away at any time;
• I can choose to go anywhere I want, anyway I want;
• I can choose to fine dine or find the nearest food truck;
• I can sleep on someone's couch or lay up in a swanky hotel;
• I can leave for a humanitarian project or just slip away purely for my own self-interest;
• I can take a giant leap from a life ORDINARY to extraordinary in a day;
• and I could go on and on...you get my drifter dribble

Anywho, as you are my witness, on this day, I make a pact with my rational self-interest self.

When I come home, I pledge to listen to more Milton and less Real Housewives.  I will soak up more Ayn Rand and less Jack Daniels.  I will become a student of all things Adam Smith and less anything to the contrary.

Sure, call me narrow-minded, I don't mind.  I know what I like.

I like the truth.

I like plain and simple talk explaining the truth.

So, if you'll excuse me, I need to gather my reading material for a grand total of 48 hours of uninterrupted peace and quiet.to and fro.  yippie skippy to me

Make it a Good Day, G

and now talk about all things celebratory...next blog is a very big day for gthing....but don't hold your breath, for I come and go as I please.

It's Not the Free Market's Fault Thing

Dear America,

capitalism and the free market and a free people can be so misunderstood...

...while we so happened to have traveled so far away from our country's founding intentions -- crafted by the pure genius of our founding fathers and learned men -- the ordinary citizen has not a chance in recognizing our failure to uphold our duty and responsibility to it...

surely, we have lost our way....
...we have forgotten the reason why
...we have ignored the facts, making up new rules as we go along --  finding ourselves choosing to rationalize bad behavior at every turn, and siding with the irrational, emotional pull of human nature versus sound decision making, we seem to have reached a dead end.

But when allowed to operate correctly, freedom itself, can be best expressed within a free market economy; there is nothing else like it in the world!

According to The Naked Communist,  "It allows everyone to win, either by making a profit or by improving his position as the result of an honest transaction."

Of course, take out "honest" and we all fall down.


IF a company grows a reputation of being dishonest -- if a seller uses tricks and gimmicks to sell an inferior product -- word gets out.  Rather quickly, actually. But let's not get hung up on this aspect...

True free enterprise is based on the value of something and how each party in a transaction wins something in the exchange.   As my little red paperback by W. Cleon Skousen goes on to explain in plain language:

"Take a man who wants to buy a used car.  He has a certain amount of money or credit.  When he offers this money to the dealer it means that he would rather have the car than that amount of money -- the 'value' of the car is greater to him than the 'value' of the money.  If the dealer agrees it means that the dealer would rather have the money than the car.  In fact, he won't sell the car unless the price he gets is of greater value to him than the value of the car...both men have made a profit."

The thing is -- very few of us really respects the dynamic of supply and demand and the true value bestowed upon things that fuels this free market on a daily, moment by moment, transaction after transaction, basis.   Nobody has a gun to somebody's head (aka a penalty, or a tax) to force them to buy a new used car (at least, not yet...health care, yes, a used car, no).

But in a free country, it is the individual who decides what is of value and what is not.

AND  -- at the moment we choose something -- we are expressing our freedom to choose or walk away, to spend or to save, to risk or to play it safe, to buy or not to buy, to sell or not to sell --  basing our decision entirely upon what it is worth to us after weighing it against all pros and cons.

What we fail to teach our children (and ourselves) is the power of that specific, dynamic, revolutionary choice we make.  We fail to teach the great responsibility back behind it, even if it is merely a pack of gum.

As another example from Skousen:

"If a man has ten dollars and chooses to spend it on a night of celebration he has thereby lost the freedom to spend that same ten dollars on some new clothes.  One the choice is made, a person is not free to avoid the consequences of that choice.  That is why we say there is no such thing as unrestricted freedom, or freedom in general.  Freedom is always restricted to some specific choice and freedom is always restricted to choosing one direction at a time."

oh and he continues with this kicker:

"It is for this reason that a free economy requires a continuous education of its people so that they will exercise their "freedom to choose" in such a way that it will sustain sound moral principles and build a dynamic economy with a strong social structure to preserve it.  In making such choices, the people must sense what is best for both the individual and the community [so as to not become a burden on it].  They must be well informed.  They must know enough about each problem so they can anticipate what the result will be when they have made their choice." 

Romney has made phenomenal choices for himself and his family (while his boys seem to be following right behind).

Are the results of Romney's choices simply because he was a ruthless businessman, a capitalist pig?

I think not.

He made good choices based upon, first and foremost, being an honorable  man.  And this man, as part of the private equity firm, Bain Capital, invested into the future value of other companies, basically risking their capital on hand to a future value, virtually unknown.  Each party wanted something of value and were willing to exchange something of value, and so on and so on.

And by the way, there wasn't some kind of magic ball, some kind of built-in GPS system giving directions, you know what I mean... 

There were no guarantees that Staples, for an example, would actually make it.

And certainly, I have no idea of the particulars of the deal.  But somewhere in the mix, both parties came away with something of greater value.   There was an exchange of values (and hard work); and fortunately, in the end, it all  worked out for all parties involved.

Staples only continues to thrive because the public, in general, likes what it sells at the price points they provide.  People work at Staples because they see the value of what they get paid in salary and benefits in exchange for the amount of time and energy they spend there.   Manufacturers continue to cater to Staples, for they, too, appreciate the return on the "value exchange" overall.  And, in turn, the lucky company who sells the packaged health insurance, the corner gas station who fuels the delivery trucks, the neighborhood deli which feeds all the passersby all win (just to name a few).

Throughout every leg of the process, at the very core, a specific choice is made.

And THIS FREEDOM is what it's all about.  This freedom, at one time, was revolutionary; and it was so dynamic, it led in this country's decision making. And we, as a whole, glorified it for all the right reasons.

But oopsie daisy, today... not so much.

We have stopped teaching it.  We have ceased leading with it.  And more often than not, have encouraged vilifying it.

The thing is, as a people, we have made horrendous choices over the last hundred years in government.

As a people, we have enslaved ourselves -- every single one of us!

Now, I know, deep in my heart, that I have made relatively bad choices with my individual freedom to choose (carrying a bevy of consequences in tow).  But it's not anyone else's fault but my own.

While, as a people -- given we have seemingly fallen fast asleep behind the wheel of our fine used car, tagged America -- we are currently dealing with the results of our freedom to choose collectively.  We have made some seriously bone head choices.

I don't even wanna know what some of our founders must be thinking.

The road ahead will not be pretty, nor pink; for we are seeing red everywhere we turn.  Our innocence has been lost upon things frivolous and short sighted.

Our toil has been wasted upon a corrupted exchange of values and control.

The things we should value, we trash; while the things we throw away, are disposed of mindlessly of the consequences it creates.

And strangely enough, the good news is:  we have done this to ourselves.  
[yay...   fist pump for freedom everyone]

For the even better news:  WE CAN FIX IT THE SAME WAY WE BROKE IT.  WE CAN TURN IT ALL AROUND.

All we have to do is make better choices again -- come one and all, individually and collectively.

It's a clunker alright.  But we have the ability to recognize the beauty within -- to re-introduce ourselves to ourselves and the very things that make us special -- the attributes intrinsically built into the free market, capitalist, republic that we are.

We can teach our children -- and our 'brothers and sisters', too --  to be wise in their freedom of choice.

We can teach our representatives that they serve the people.

We can teach our so-called unlimited government that it answers to us.

We can all learn to drive this thing all over again if we have to, whatever it takes.

The freedom to try, to buy, to sell, to fail is our engine.  And without these things working in unison with the ignition being lit by the freedom of choice provided by every single one of us -- responsibly, deliberately, conscientiously, and honorably -- for the benefit of our own life and each other's -- we might as well drive off the proverbial cliff right now.

It works with ideologies, too.

It's called making one good choice after another, until one day, we get back to where we started.  (oh the irony of going backwards in order to move forward with integrity, preserving all the things that make this country pretty wonderful) 


Make it a Good Day, G

It's Not an Easy Breezy Covergirl Kind of Day Thing

Dear America,

I was channel surfing Saturday morning just to have some noise in the background as I cleaned when I heard this:  "wealth comes from freedom, not force."

Amen, Jonathan Hoenig.  He is the Managing Member of private investment partnership, and runs CAPITALISTPIG ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC, easily found @capitalistpig.com.

The thing is, on this happy Monday morning --  this notion of freedom vs. force, is at the bottom of the Affordable Care Act slop.  And it is slop.

Nobody disagrees with the early signs of benefits from the Affordable Care Act -- you know, things like keeping kids on your plan until they reach the age of 26, outlawing the issue of pre-existing conditions, just to name a couple of our favorites.

And yet, NONE of these things (and a whole bevy of others) required our Congress to pass a 3,000 page behemoth health care law, enacting the greatest tax increase in twenty years, paving the way to another massive government controlled entitlement only accomplished through the turbulent waves of pure, full force.

None.  These things -- the very things we like -- are regulatory changes and do not require a new entitlement.

Now, the issues that necessitated a congressional leg up can be found beyond the boundaries of this unconscionable law -- things like, allowing the individual to purchase health insurance across state lines, opening up real health insurance competition; allowing the individual to keep their insurance when leaving a company, and enacting real TORT reform throughout the industry.

These things are the real pre-existing conditions that have yet to see the light of day with a resolution.

As we have learned over the last few days, Chief Justice John Roberts turned to the P.P. principle to back his answer.  Politics and Perception.   Two things that surely don't belong within the realm of the Supreme Court and suffice it to say, set in motion a lifting of the leg on the American people.  [oh g, do you have to be so crass?   um, yeah, I do]

Here's some backup for you.  From CBS of all places....read this.

Roberts' opinion was swayed by the left wing by a soft, unyielding force.  Roberts was less committed to protecting the people's freedom and more committed to crafting a decision protecting the perceptions of the high court.   Now talk about  unconstitutional.  He took an oath for pete's sake.

Now just before the weekend I heard something simply astounding.  Now, I don't always listen to this guy, but when I do, I am never disappointed -- it's all about the rush we get, the tingle up our leg:  Rush Limbaugh outlined just how unlawful this decision by the Supreme Court really is...beginning with the idea, they never should have heard the case in the first place!

I will go as quickly through as I can -- first, upon opening day of the oral arguments, the court asked the government 'is this a tax?'; they said no.  The court appointed their own attorney to investigate further, to prove if whether or not it is in fact a tax, and they said 'no.'  we are free to proceed....

So why all the fuss?

Because of something called the anti-injunction act -- the court cannot take up the argument until AFTER such time the tax has been implemented [in this case, not until AFTER 2014].  The SCOTUS should have stopped right there if in fact we were all discussing "a tax." 

So fast forward through the proverbial supreme court pipeline -- and now we actually get a decision solely based upon it being a tax?  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Now, not only that -- but apparently, you can't have a penalty (now morphed into a tax) be higher than the actual cost of doing something (purchasing the health insurance).

According to the Affordable Care Act, which is now the law, the 'mandate = penalty = tax' INCREASES over time, nudging people -- forcing people -- to acquire health insurance through a tax punishment.

From the National Review, a rose-colored breakdown of the decision by the Attorney General of Virginia, Kenneth Cuccinelli included this:

"Another thing to note is that Chief Justice Roberts’s opinion on the taxing power is limited. He noted that it could not be considered punitive because the amount citizens are required to pay for not having insurance is far less than they would have to pay to obtain insurance. He strongly suggests that, if Congress were to require citizens to pay an amount greater than the costs of insurance, that would constitute a penalty, and thus would be unconstitutional. "

Please read more, go here.

well well, Mr. Cuccinelli, lookie here...the grounds -- which are not of sand -- for your next lawsuit with the Supreme Court.  I would get right on that...the punitive damages against the American people are set in motion.

I found a decent rough sketch of some of the new taxation, go here.

A highlight:    "In 2014, the penalty will be no more than $285 per family or 1% of income, whichever is greater. In 2015, the cap rises to $975 or 2% of income. And by 2016, the penalty would be up to $2,085 per family or 2.5% of income, whichever is greater."  (you will be happy to note, it rises with inflation thereafter).  And it's not just about the individual, or the family -- the states have their own set of mandates -- and just where does that money come from?  yes.  back to you and me.

For another take, go to The Daily Ticker here.

News Break: The waves of freedom are currently sloppy and choppy.

Freedom is not free in any way, shape or form -- and on a day like this, nor is it easy breezy cover girl.

But HISTORY proves that FORCE is way less fun and far more costly.  way.
whoa dude.
cowabunga to me.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's Two Roads Diverge Up Ahead Thing

Dear America,

oh wow.

that speech!  that remarkable speech!

oh my -- I'm so inspired I am changing sides.

not.

can you say, same old same old, same same blah blah blah?

oh but he had me at:

"At stake is not simply a choice between two candidates or two political parties, but between two paths for our country.  And while there are many things to discuss in this campaign, nothing is more important than an honest debate about where these two paths would lead us."

oh yeah baby. damn straight.

and then quickly he makes a stunning admission:

"Long before the economic crisis of 2008, the basic bargain at the heart of this country had begun to erode."

"The basic bargain... at the heart of this country...had begun to erode?"

seriously?

"THE BASIC BARGAIN?"

you are basically going to lead, Mr. President, with revealing to the American people how you really feel about the very free market foundation this country was made -- about how capitalism basically ruins everything?

Bearing in mind that up until the minute before this speech begun, the stop in Ohio was to be credited for re-framing his economic policies moving forward into his second term. It was fully intended to reposition his strengths and diminish his weaknesses to the American people.  And yet, this speech amounted to nothing more than another revolution on the class warfare merry-go-round.

Nothing new was said here.

While contradictions great and small abound. 

For a full read -- go here.

But if short on time or patience, let me elaborate on a couple --

"In other words, this was not your normal recession.  Throughout history, it has typically taken countries up to 10 years to recover from financial crises of this magnitude.  Today, the economies of many European countries still aren’t growing.  And their unemployment rate averages around 11 percent. 

But here in the United States, Americans showed their grit and showed their determination.  We acted fast.  Our economy started growing again six months after I took office and it has continued to grow for the last three years."  (Applause.)

So, in other words, typically it takes up to ten years for countries to recover after such financial catastrophe...but thanks to ME, I did it in six months.

oh is this what democracy looks like --  is this what recovery feels like?

just moments later -- came this little number:

"So the debate in this election is not about whether we need to grow faster, or whether we need to create more jobs, or whether we need to pay down our debt.  Of course the economy isn’t where it needs to be.  Of course we have a lot more work to do.  Everybody knows that.  The debate in this election is about how we grow faster, and how we create more jobs, and how we pay down our debt.  (Applause.)  That’s the question facing the American voter.  And in this election, you have two very different visions to choose from."

 so it's in the how?

so if it's in the how....

so far that looking like a Trillion Dollar Stimulus -- which clearly didn't work -- with the shovel-ready jobs being not so shovel-ready (and even the president making a joke out of it to boot); with the cash for clunkers and auto bailouts and Chevy Volt's totaling more fizzle than shizzle; with government loans totaling a half a billion to Solyndra highlighting the green energy/government fusion with catastrophic results; with Obamacare posing as such formidable threat to small business and corporations alike, that 70% of the American people no longer want it, in whole or in part; and still, after all of that, choosing to double down on his same old agenda -- education, "transformative" teachers, taxing the rich, building bridges to nowhere and high speed rail?

And for all intents and purposes, fundamentally transforming America from a free market built upon the strength of the individual to a market place fully controlled and operated from the "top down" -- BIG GOVERNMENT -- with the bigger the better.

Yes, Mr. President.  You nailed it.  "At stake", two widely different paths.

Moving forward in the speech a wee bit, we get this:

"Now, I want to be very fair here.  I want to be clear.  They haven’t specified exactly where the knife would fall.  But here’s some of what would happen if that cut that they’ve proposed was spread evenly across the budget:  10 million college students would lose an average of $1,000 each in financial aid; 200,000 children would lose the chance to get an early education in the Head Start program.  There would be 1,600 fewer medical research grants for things like Alzheimer’s and cancer and AIDS; 4,000 fewer scientific research grants, eliminating support for 48,000 researchers, students and teachers."

oh okay -- be clear with the fact "they haven't specified exactly" but feel free to elaborate on so-called specifications pulled out of thin air -- and then, Mr. President,  say it all over again --

"Now, again, they have not specified which of these cuts they choose from.  But if they want to make smaller cuts to areas like science or medical research, then they’d have to cut things like financial aid or education even further.  But either way, the cuts to this part of the budget would be deeper than anything we’ve ever seen in modern times."

This is classic Obama.  This is what he does for all his speeches.  This is Alinsky rules for radicals 2.0.

and it just gets better...

after continuing a swift pace of demagoguery and ridicule,  he makes a dramatic stop, and speaks directly to the audience screaming 'no' in unison:

"You should take them at their word, and they will take America down this path.  And Mr. Romney is qualified to deliver on that plan.  (Laughter and applause.)  No, he is.  (Applause.)  I’m giving you an honest presentation of what he’s proposing."

nice touch, indeed.  

but did you catch that?

"Mr. Romney is qualified to deliver on that plan."

can I get an amen?

oh but never mind, for his plan is simple:

"I don’t believe that giving someone like Mr. Romney another huge tax cut is worth ending the guarantee of basic security we’ve always provided the elderly, and the sick, and those who are actively looking for work."  (Applause.) 

over and over again, the return to some form of class warfare and government dependency becomes the platform for an incumbency...something totally incongruent to the "basic bargain" made between government and the individual...the very agreement made between two parties, of all parties, that just so happens to have founded and preserved this country for over two hundred years unconditionally.

As the big economic vision speech comes slowly to an end, he adds:

 "From now until then [November], both sides will spend tons of money on TV ads.  The other side will spend over a billion dollars on ads that tell you the economy is bad, that it’s all my fault -- (applause) -- that I can’t fix it because I think government is always the answer, or because I didn’t make a lot of money in the private sector and don't understand it, or because I’m in over my head, or because I think everything and everybody is doing just fine.  (Laughter.)  That’s what the scary voice in the ads will say.  (Laughter.)  That’s what Mr. Romney will say.  That’s what the Republicans in Congress will say..."

"...Governor Romney and the Republicans who run Congress believe that if you simply take away regulations and cut taxes by trillions of dollars, the market will solve all of our problems on its own.  If you agree with that, you should vote for them.  And I promise you they will take us in that direction. 

I believe we need a plan for better education and training -- (applause) -- and for energy independence, and for new research and innovation; for rebuilding our infrastructure; for a tax code that creates jobs in America and pays down our debt in a way that’s balanced.  I have that plan.  They don’t.  (Applause.)  

And if you agree with me -- if you believe this economy grows best when everybody gets a fair shot, and everybody does their fair share, and everybody plays by the same set of rules  -- then I ask you to stand with me for a second term as President".  (Applause.)

the thing is -- watching him speak is one thing; he is animated and strong and full of passion; he makes the perfect pauses, and emphasizes his strengths in full roar, capitalizing on the energy from the audience every time.

And yet when reading the transcript -- without all the hoopla -- we basically witness the sweeping circles he makes in and around saying virtually the same thing, over and over again, but in multiple dimensions. Talk about transparent, the shell of a presidency, the basic man becomes naked.  We see too much.

After blasting America for not being good enough in so many ways --  needing to make our teachers better and paid more, needing more kids to go into science and technology, needing more manufacturers and small business to get more and do more, needing less rich and more middle class all the way around, needing more bridges and railway, needing more regulations and less freedom -- after most of speech telling us what we are without, he has the audacity to finish with this:

"We remain the wealthiest nation on Earth.  We have the best workers and entrepreneurs, the best scientists and researchers, the best colleges and universities.  We are a young country with the greatest diversity of talent and ingenuity drawn from every corner of the globe.  So, yes, reforming our schools, rebuilding our infrastructure will take time.  Yes, paying down our debt will require some tough choices and shared sacrifice.  But it can be done.  And we’ll be stronger for it.  (Applause.)  

And what’s lacking is not the capacity to meet our challenges.  What is lacking is our politics.  And that’s something entirely within your power to solve.  So this November, you can remind the world how a strong economy is built -- not from the top down, but from a growing, thriving middle class.  (Applause.) 

This November, you can remind the world how it is that we’ve traveled this far as a country -- not by telling everybody to fend for themselves, but by coming together as one American family, all of us pitching in, all of us pulling our own weight.  (Applause.)  

This November, you can provide a mandate for the change we need right now.  You can move this nation forward.  And you can remind the world once again why the United States of America is still the greatest nation on Earth.  (Applause.)  

Thank you.  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

The problem is, Mr. President, you can't run the second time around like you did on the first.

"What is lacking is our politics?"

What does that even mean?

You ARE the incumbent, dear sir.  It is YOUR economic policies that ARE showing.  And it is simply those policies that have not done enough according to the real world in the How, in the now.  It is now proven; it is you who does not have the right stuff to be qualified as president, even after a presidency (of course, you never really did).

You can try to wrap it all up in sweet sentiment, emphasizing all the things that make America great all you want.  The American people have watched you, listened to you, have entrusted you with our care for long enough.  We've heard it all before.  And like Romney said, "talk is cheap."

It is as simple as that.

And the very reason Romney -- a perfectly "qualified" businessman, with a proven track record -- has a better chance of turning this country around, the next time around.

but you're exactly right, Mr. President.
Clearly, two roads diverge.

and round and round it goes, where it stops nobody knows ...
until November.

Make it a Good Day, G

but really great speech
...let's hear it all again some time again real soon.


oh and to count the number of "I's" and "My's" -- towards the end, it becomes obscene.
But really, if you think about it, it affirms that we are under HIS plan as we speak.
AND HIS plan has not worked. 
Since day one, it has been ...My Plan, I will, I am, I intend, I promise, I, I, I, my, my, my.  Every speech, every time -- and so much so, a host of conservative press and bloggers poke fun at it each and every time.  Go ahead; go back through the speech from yesterday and make note of it.

It's the Freedom to Make It or Break It Kind of Thing

Dear America,

the condition of being free from restraints

liberty of the person from slavery, oppression, or incarceration

political independence

possession of civil rights; immunity from the arbitrary exercise of authority

exemption from unpleasant or onerous conditions

the capacity to exercise choice: free will

-- all found in the American Heritage Dictionary --

and THIS is just the beginning; this is just the start of the discussion of freedom and liberty for all.

You know what freedom looks like?

You know what freedom feels like?

You know what freedom sounds like?

Freedom, in and of itself, is a full spectrum of ideals and experiences unique to each and every one of us. We just know when we're feeling it, loving it and living the dream in it and when we are not.

As the Occupy Wall Street protestors live on to ring in another day of chanting, 'this is what democracy looks like' -- I would like to think that most of us watching the spectacle are just thinking to ourselves, ah, like, no.

The protestors seem quite keen on explaining and protecting their personal freedoms (even if the convoluted message as to the why gets totally lost in the crowd) -- but just how is it possible that these freedom-lovin', bull-horn tootin', loquacious libertarians can't seem to grasp the incredible and incalculable essential missing link?

WE CANNOT TAKE THE FREEDOM FROM ONE PERSON SIMPLY TO GIVE IT TO ANOTHER. America was not designed that way; while the free market doesn't work that way; and this goes without saying, it is not a commodity to trade, give, sell, lose, or barter in any way.  You just wouldn't know it by looking at us right now, now would you?

The protestors seem quite keen on believing that their personal freedom should be shored up, building their rationale upon what seems right and fair in their favor -- but the freedom marker stops right there.  Wall Street, however -- and anyone connected to those dirty, greedy bastards -- should have their freedom cut off at the knees.  &*$% 'em.   Lock 'em all up... or how about this one...something to the effect of  'let's just eat them' [oh and you doubt me?  go here].

and I bet you all wouldn't hurt a flee...probably escort spiders on a magic magazine carpet to safely shoo them out the door...dripping of sweetness and light protecting the dolphins, the whales, that special lizard found only in the northwest quadrant of Texas...  but look out when it comes to certain fellow human beings, real people with a heart beat, a mom, and perhaps a family of their own.  sure, ya love your guns and ammo then, now doncha?



ya know, this just might run counter to what you all assume to be the truth of conservatives everywhere and often -- and directing my thoughts to the roaring props for peace with the rising socialist sun -- but I want you to have your freedom just as much as my own.


I want that for you.
I want you to be happy, healthy, inspired in your daily life to earn a living and grow your own -- whether that is a family, a company, a hedge fund, or a garden of weed(s).  I want that for you. DO you want that for me -- and for all the rest of us you share this land?

Peaceful protests are apart of the fabric of our lives, our history, giving us a snapshot to look back on and say, this is what democracy looks like (then); there is that.

But just think about what you are saying. Think about the hypocrisy underwriting the very platform for which you chant.  Currently, your so-called organic movement is being funded and supplied and made possible with the very money/organization of which you want to annihilate and beat into the ground.   yeah, just move on dot org, nothing to see here...

We could start with the biggest ingrate in the world, George Soros -- given that his brilliant liberal ass made billions off of playing with other people's money and investments, destroying currency, and building up a left-wing empire off of the beauty of the free market, using Wall Street all the way.  We could start there.

But I am having too good of a morning to go there, to dwell on the new King George, any further than that.

Are these kids really that dumb?  Are they really that ignorant of the hand that's played them (the youth) over and over and over again?  Are they really that incapable of connecting all the dots?

As my link above outlines a certain level of absurdity -- given the context of 'we are, after all, dealing with America here'  -- Alex Newman's first sentence says it all:

"Labor unions, communists, “community organizers,” socialists, and anti-capitalist agitators have all joined together to “Occupy Wall Street” and protest against “greed,” corporations, and bankers."

since when has the majority of every day Americans been okay with this "fundamental transformation" -- akin to socialists, communists, anti-capitalists in any way?  just how could even one democrat in office think these kids have their head on straight, endorsing them to carry on [thanks bloomberg], as if deserving to be enshrined in perpetuity as the voice of reason? [God bless 'em, right, Nance...]

Thinking this "redistribution" thing all the way through, is that really where we want to go?

Let me ask you -- picturing a brand new socialist regime ....even more hard core than the one we've got now, if you can imagine that -- would we have more or less personal freedom?

it's a simple question.

If we let "the protestors" have there way and let "Wall Street" -- "Bankers, in general, and many in particular" -- and all evil corporations large and small --  extinguish into thin air -- what kind of real world would we have, besides the spontaneous combustion of total chaos?

Nancy Pelosi has already pulled in over a half a million dollars from Wall Street since the last election; while it has been reported, that Obama has made more money from Wall Street than any other politician over the last twenty years!  Hold up ...let me find some back up for you...here you go.  Here's even more.

ahh sunshine on my shoulders DOES make me happy.

"SOCIALISM

is a philosophy of failure, 

the creed of ignorance, 

and the gospel of envy, 

it's inherent virtue 

is the equal sharing of misery."  

Winston Churchill

and worse,

it feels like slavery,

while to the naked eye,

it looks like 

Occupy Wall Street 

but on steroids,

and smells like

the freedom

to live,

but in ruin

just G

"...Eisenhower built the Interstate Highway System.  Previous generations built the Hoover Dam.  Our researchers developed the Internet.  These people didn’t make it on their own who are now in Silicon Valley.  The reason they’re successful is not only because of their extraordinary work, but it’s because they’re building on the collective effort of America.

Nobody makes it on their own.  That’s what this country is about.  We have always been a land of opportunity and self-reliance and rugged individualism, but we’ve also looked after each other.  We’ve also said we’re in it together..."

Barack Obama,

remarks at a DNC event,

designed to reel in the money...

where it comes from, who really cares, right?

"Nobody makes it on their own. That's what this country is about."  nobody.
so on that note -- tomorrow -- we just might have to start there.


Make it a Good Day, G

It's Just Another House Divided Thing

Dear America,

so awhile back, I was viciously attacked -- by someone within my own family circle, by the way -- for having and holding deep seated, fundamentally, diametrically, different beliefs than theirs.  Just for having the different point of view was reason alone for being the target of unhinged, and totally unsolicited, remarks.


I responded in the best way I know how -- and spoke up.  I didn't fall into the despair; I didn't shudder in the smacks of criticism across the proverbial face.

But make no mistake, in the privacy of my own home, I did cry.

I cried and cried and cried.

And then I spoke up.

I wrote back; directly and privately, I responded with my whole heart, thoughtfully and determined to stand up for myself and my beliefs.

I wrote back.

But, lo and behold, communicating didn't make it stop, while my feelings were ignored, ridiculed, or dismissed altogether; and only then did I take it to the next level, resorting to feeding my bare naked thoughts to the  blogosphere...albeit metaphorically, but wide open to the public none the less.

And only once; but let me tell you, once was enough.

Let's just say, making it public opened the flood gates (but let me also say, that this isn't about that.  I'm over it already.)

Overall, our public arena has grown even more public -- if you can imagine that!  Everything is out in the open; conversation and commentary that is made hundreds of miles away are visible within mere minutes upon facebook, Twitter, even mass media like Yahoo! and cable news outlets, while the mainstream media keeps up with the tags, links, syndication, and rss feeds automatically, each lining up like little soldiers to get the news out and about as fast they possibly can.  (what a job to keep up with it all, no?)

From the large scene to the itty bitty lives of people like you and me, we live these days totally exposed in every way.  And from a wider angle -- if we have one bad date, perhaps one uncomfortable rift with a girl friend, or make one mistake, it is on.   Online and made note -- and in turn, made everlasting, along with an immediate trail of responses and anonymous commentary to boot.

Basically -- strangely -- nearly everything we do is subject for exposure -- whether we agree with it, are aware of it, want it, or ask for it.

BUT the thing is, if we do it -- if we act, say, think out loud about anything!  -- it becomes fair game.  But more than that, if you invite response in any way, you are culpable.  Whether you thought about it well in advance or not; whether you thought about how it would be received, or not; whether you are open to opposition in any way, or not.

Whether in the micro or the macro, our words are powerful.

Our words are like a boomerang and carry the capacity to bounce right back to us; our words can care, or can hurt; our words can love, or can hate. They hold the power to unite or divide, destroy or create, at any given moment.

Is it enough to recognize that a house divided against itself cannot stand -- or do we actually need to know where these words come?

Abraham Lincoln quoted Jesus -- against the advice of his own good council, by the way -- when addressing the Republican delegates for U.S. Senate (yes, indicating we were also still living in the age when the state legislature decided who would be seated as state representation in the U.S. Senate). But consider this, it was 1858 -- and even then, dropping the 'yea, Jesus' as moral authority to get a message across was highly frowned upon.  For a quick background check and transcript of the "House Divided" speech, go here.

But needless to say, this moment marked only the beginning of a long, hard fight (for both the country and Lincoln); it was merely the precursor before leading us down a weary history of a war of words and ultimately, to a real, live, civil war.  But it was the right thing to do, wasn't it.  Nobody questions the wisdom of a Lincoln standing firm to his beliefs, his faith, and eventually, his call to arms within the full context of good reason.  Nobody.

How do we know what is right and wrong anymore?  What drives our personal authority, within ourselves and in communion with each other, to do the right thing anymore?

The faction of secular progressives would have us all believe that all we need to do is trust our feelings.

Ah, wouldn't that be nice.

And yet, some of us feel more for dolphins, then for the unborn child; some of us feel more for the planet, then fueling the free market with fair and balanced energy and regulation; some of us feel more for radical agendas, then fundamental principles and values this country was made.  We could go all the live long day about how much we feel and find a counter feeling just the same.

But what makes us truly moral, or not?  What is the code, the example, the method of recognizing what is morally the right thing to do -- just where does this kind of conviction come?  Hollywood?  Government?  School?

I have stumbled in the last week; found myself running into obstacles of faith and questioning nearly  everything possible -- as things normally moving forward are now sliding backward --  things usually right side up are now upside down.  Christians, more than any other group in America, are being attacked -- sometimes right out in the open, and at other times, hidden deep into legislation:

Let's quickly link to a few standouts:

The San Juan Capistrano Home Bible Study Police.

Vanderbuilt against Christian Liberty

Catholic Bishops confronting Obamacare

and then I found this, something that just might explain everything.

"Secularism is good for government. But it is terrible for society (though still preferable to bad religion) and for the individual.

One key reason is what secularism does to moral standards. If moral standards are not rooted in God, they do not objectively exist. Good and evil are no more real than "yummy" and "yucky." They are simply a matter of personal preference.

...The heart has replaced God and the Bible as a moral guide.

And now, as Brooks points out, we see the results. A vast number of American young people do not even ask whether an action is right or wrong. The question would strike them as foreign. Why? Because the question suggests that there is a right and wrong outside of themselves. And just as there is no God higher than them, there is no morality higher than them, either."

"Why Young Americans Can't Think Morally", syndicated columnist Dennis Prager, as featured on The Patriot Post.

Don't you love that:  "Good and evil are no more real than 'yummy' and 'yucky'."

The thing is, both in my personal experience and according to the greater community I share, the more The Left insists on burying our freedom of religion, and the free exercise thereof, the more it inspires me to speak up.

Just how in the world can this ONE NATION under GOD, protector of the "free exercise thereof," be here now -- knee deep in religious persecution?

Just how can this land -- creator of Lincoln and Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness for all -- become so consumed in the every day by the growing number of religious descent,  growing more and more visceral, if not totally vitriolic in nature, creating the very conditions for making the house divided?

When it comes to truly living by our faith -- by Divine Providence, if  you will -- what troubles me is that it seems no longer good enough to simply coexist and thereby agree to disagree with each other, and live and let live.  We have somehow ushered in a new era that allows for our differences of religion to be used against us; we have allowed to let in the unimaginable, writing into the unspoken behavioral rules permission to disgrace, ridicule, discredit and destroy anything that still lives and breathes a symbol of faith (but mostly, our Judeo-Christian history).

The house divided is here again.

But put into words we might all understand, it seems to be a pretty 'yucky' time in history.

"It does me no injury 

for my neighbors to say 

there are twenty Gods or no God; 

it neither picks my pocket 

nor breaks my leg."  

Thomas Jefferson

Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America,

Happy New Year, happy Tuesday, and happy inaugural 'Here We Go' season.

It's so exciting; everyone is posturing and politicking already, with the new kids on the block hardly moved in yet.  The Heritage Foundation has a great piece running this morning on Harry Reid, all about him trying to control the controlling aspect of the Senate, chomping at the bit to get rid of the filibuster.

Typical.  If we can't stuff reckless legislation down the people's throat through the proper channels, we will simply circumvent the slow-moving, methodical process of having a real debate altogether.

then there is this, coming fresh off of Air Force One, in the middle of his return trip to Washington and business as usual...brilliantly orchestrated, in a twisted note to self kinda way, throwing in his usual bait and switch rhetoric to entice the captured audience of his people on board -- "and so my expectation, my hope is that John Boehner and Mitch McConnell will realize that there will be plenty of time to campaign for 2012 in 2012, and that our job this year is to make sure that we build on the recovery."  oh yeah here we go

"You know, I think that there's going to be politics. That's what happens in Washington -- that they (Republicans) are going to play to their base for a certain period of time...But I'm pretty confident that they're going to recognize that our job is to govern and make sure that we are delivering jobs for the American people and that we're creating a competitive economy for the 21st century, not just for this generation but for the next one." you go, Obama, get on with your bad self...

and now, let's give it up for Reuter's, for without your organization and the ability to bring "Obama urges Republicans to help him..." to the people, in a speedy, professional fashion blah blah blah, I just gotta ask myself, just where would we be?

well done, all the way around.

You got the word out; you let everyone know, Obama has our back, and may this be a warning to those pesky republicans... as if we, the people, have lived under a rock over the last two years...

sure, sure, Obama has always taken the position of bringing the two sides together, that's the ticket; he's never polarizing -- always bridging -- and absolutely, tirelessly, frowning upon the horrific yet oh too frequent occurrence of the politics as usual inside the beltway -- never speaking simply to one's base, as that would just be wrong, and always acting on behalf of ALL Americans... yeah yeah (recalling the umpteen times we heard Obama "calling on 'young people, African Americans, Latinos and women')  Of course, duly noted should be his sudden decent into an unnatural Latino accent, as if streamlining out of the barrio itself, whenever his says the word "Latinos." really, Mr. President?

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/26/obama-jumps-race-appeal-latinos-african-americans-women-youth/#ixzz0yHKKtEFq

If you are white, and/or a republican, we have learned from the left, with our fine President leading the way, that we should basically just go away, as if being handed our walking papers after being sharply shamed and blamed for all of societal ills.  enough said.  let's moveon.org to the next item on the agenda...

Oh, but how do you say... this is the time to set the politics of it all aside, he says.  This is the time, to push off the campaigning for 2012, until 2012.  right. okay.  that's a good one.  there's no fiber in this...

are you for real?

The thing is, all this manipulation is exactly what is wrong with this country; we need to stop trying to control everything and everyone, and simply grow good, hard working people -- 

and then!  actually REWARD those people, 

with oh, things like, oh I don't know, maybe perhaps...things like, keeping more of their own money, allowing the people to regulate their own health care needs...

-- opening up a true free market economy to bend and sway according to the laws of supply and demand, respective of the natural ebb and flow that it really is and was made to be 

-- protecting family farms and the small businesses across the land, to be passed on to future generations so that, seriously, when Obama says "not just for this generation but the next one" he really means it, understands it, and respects it,  in keeping with how the real world truly works 

--  maybe even going so far, as to give all responsibility to the parents in raising their child to eat right and go to school, so that they have half a chance of growing up to be sound, mindful, courteous, responsible citizens leading the next round of citizens into this world...

oh my, look at me, rambling on here...

oh my goodness, we could go on and on about all the ways the free market principles work for all Americans, if truly given a chance to play freely; but what has a choke-hold on us now, keeping us from really experiencing this kind of freedom, this effervescence waiting in the wings, this kind of boom, are simply the regulations and controlling elite manipulating everything we touch

-- and now, since this process has been allowed to go on, unchecked and unhinged, for a century, we now have the added strangulation of unfunded liabilities and entitlement programs, of which we could never afford to begin with, having been only pushed off for a rainy day, only to have that day be here, as of yesterday, or was it the day before... 

If, Mr. President, you really cared about jobs and "the recovery," you never would have signed off on the Health Care Law, just for starters. Pulleezy sleazy, now you care about the economics of it all?

The unintended consequences of a system fundamentally transformed  into "taking care of everyone" has backfired onto each and every one of us, "not just for this generation, but the next one.." Here we go, and there we went, just like that.  We're like those black birds falling from the sky..how 'bout that, huh?

But more power to you, Mr. President, keep on keepin' on; the people will have their day, again -- and make no mistake, may this be a warning to those old guard republicans as well.  No means no! And we expect you to follow through with the people's mandate set forth 11/02/10 beginning at the morning bell tomorrow 01/05/11.  God's speed.

Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America,

Just where is Richard Gere when you need him -- and for that matter, all the rest of the highfalutin Hollywood elite living in there own la la land -- airing political agendas like the latest fashion ad nauseum -- ultimately to where it is coming out the pinhead hole between their butt cheeks. But hey, it's a free country, they can say what they wanna say, right.

Certainly this week is no different, with Whoopie carrying on as if Roman Polanski was some kind of a god (well, "its not like it was rape, rape..."  Defending the miserable man for his arrest on charges from 30 years ago when he offered drugs and sexually assaulted a thirteen year old girl.) 

What is that!  Not "rape, rape."
There are no words to describe the idiocy in that one.

Polanski directs movies, for Pete's sake. It's a profession exemplifying a selfish laud and magnificence unto thyself in glitter, lights, cosmetic surgery and makeup -- hardly a  higher calling or something; Hollywood has a gift of entertainment, yes, but capitalizing upon the warping of minds through the magic of celluloid, drugs, sexuality, violence, revenge and any other societal decay is hardly a gift to mankind worthy of a Nobel peace prize -- especially if it brings us to the point where we can defend the most outrageous displays of such behavior -- as if breaking the law or a young human spirit can be excused because, you know, he's a director.

But where is Richard, I ask, in this moment where "Free Tibet" is no longer in style?

For today, the Obama Administration is pushing off a meeting with the Dalai Lama; marking the first time a President has turned down a sit down with the Tibetan leader, since keeping count from 1991.  All of the last ten visits had a drive-by with the sitting President, all except now, one.

Ah, how do you say, why, in the native Buddhist' tongue, or would that currently be in some foreign Indian dialect from Dharmsala, the current local of the "Tibetan government-in-exile?"

That answer would be made in China; and it would seem they dictate over us now too.

Even though it was just back in 2007, when W gave the Congressional Gold Medal, and highest civilian award, to the Dalai Lama, the usual ebb and flow respecting the rights of people above economics has seemed to have taken a turn; scratch that, the tide has all but receded entirely, with no sign of a return any time soon (would that be Global Warming or Cooling?).

In the Washington Post today, Robert Barnett, a Tibetan expert from Columbia said this, "The Chinese must be falling over themselves with astonishment at what Western diplomats will give them without being asked. I don't know what the poker analogy would be. 'Please, see all my cards and take my money too?"

It's part of the red&yellow conspiracy theory going on, commemorating American landmarks like the Empire State Building in celebration of the 60th anniversary of communist China; its all a part of incorporating America into the Global Community, and yet bringing to light a more profound concern -- the redistribution of assets according to the needs of the entire world, not just the mere 50 states -- playing Monopoly with dictators, that's always good for a few kicks and giggles.
You have to wonder why the rest of the entire "free world" is so afraid to let their people actually live free;  and have to wonder why the idea is so foreboding, so threatening, so invasive for a government to allow; much of the world still grapples with the 'live free, die hard' philosophy as if it were some kind of plague.

What would it be like in a country who devalues it's citizens via a controlling regime and doctrine, absent of a free will to follow a God -- any God-- or not?  What would it be like in a country where our very opinion must be checked at the door, our freedom to speak hindered by a totalitarian rule and simply not even be able to change our mind without being hung?   What would it be like in a country where our government would tell us what jobs we could have, what religion we could follow, what our teachers could teach our children, what insurance we could by, what bank could hold our money, what car we could drive, or what light we could turn on and when?

What would that be like living in a country so drastically different than America?

We have to begin to take a hard look at areas that transcend the questions of race or culture, creed or religion, gender or age; as all of that will not matter anymore if our freedoms are taken away; and, in order to do that, we have to go back to the very beginning and look at our birth certificates, both written down and emboldened within the bloodlines of a nation.

Who we are as a people, getting to know our roots, will help us discover what made America so great in the first place, and it will surely assist us as we enter a new phase of development -- one that seems to be testing every characteristic of our soul, mounting a deeper question as to who we want to be when we grow up and what will we stand for when stepping out unto the world.  For the truth is honey child, America is just getting started.

Sure, we have had some rough spots; but we were young! You know how it is when you're young, stupid mistakes comes with the territory of innocence and immaturity. We, being the youngest nation on the planet, have a lot to prove -- while outside authorities, would think of nothing better than taking us down.

We don't have centuries of picking out the "chosen one"; we have a republic that holds elections beginning about the mid-eighteenth century, in relation to the rest of the world, we're a babe in the woods.

We don't have centuries of Dalai Lama's-- which by definition means something to the effect of "Oceans of Wisdom"; we elect representatives on our behalf, and pick the highest post of President of the United States from a sea of candidates, with all good intentions of finding the best person for the job.

We don't have majority rule, a king's rule, or a dictator's  rule  -- like the People's Republic of China --having a regime having it's way with us; we have found our way safely and securely under the Law; carrying bona fide documentation from birth -- sealing our inherent birth right -- that we the people are "endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights..."

We are young, yes. 
We've made mistakes, yes.
And heaven help us, we may make some more.

We are young.

We may not have all the wisdom of a Dalai Lama, or the Pope, or a Parent; we may not understand all that there is to know in this moment. 

We are young.

And I'm thinking by the looks of things, about sixteen.

Did you know the Dalai Lama is chosen from a very young age and sequestered for years, being taught the teachings of the Buddha and the spiritual leaders who came before him.  They shelter him from the real world feeding him the virtues of a higher consciousness and wisdom beyond his years, way before his time.

All this guy is, is about peace; and the freedom to return to a day to live in peace for his people in Tibet. 
The People's Republic of China is all about control -- be it economics, religion, civil liberties, or life.

If you are still with me and wondering where is G going with this...what the hell is she talking about...what on earth is the point... humor me for just a minute, if you will.

We may be young, but may very well be becoming of age; a tell tale sign is the testing of what we know.  We are testing the lessons and the text; we are testing the foundation from which we came, testing the lessons are parents instilled, and reaching outside of ourselves to test our very existence and direction, to the max.

We may well be all of sixteen, having just got our license, thinking we know everything.

Some of us are saying "up yours" with all the "do as I say not as I do", and flipping the bird to "its for your own good."

Some of us are just taking it all in; we are contemplating the teachings, meditating on the peace that passes all understanding,  somehow finding a way to simply be. Ommm

Some of us, though, are saying, "wait a minute you guys, I don't think that's a good idea"; questioning the prevailing attitude of a country raising a bunch of anarchists.

Our country is being tested; tormented with liberal Hollywood, media, schools, society, living constitutions, and no religions too.

A few good men created our nation only a couple of hundred years ago; and the way things are going, it's gonna take each and every one of us to preserve it.

Thus we embark on a new chapter of discussion, "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" as heard through the pages of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution of the United States.

We've only just begun.

Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America has a long video -- 14 minutes-- attached.  If you didn't click on it yet, Hollywood does a surprisingly commendable job reciting the Declaration of Independence, it is quite worthy of budgeting the extra time.  Make some popcorn and get back to it if you must.

Dear America,

"The sacred gives everything we do a powerful and expressive
resonance.
Without that holy reverberation, we suffer a sad, deprived,
one-dimensional
life."

Thomas Moore, The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life

As you know, I'm returning from celebrating my parent's fiftieth, having been smack dab in the center of Yellowstone Park, gazing at what should be considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world-- OLD FAITHFUL -- given its ability to faithfully entertain the minds of man every 90 minutes since its birth with such effervescence and magnetic charm.

The rustic joy in finding a true separation from the world begins as you start to make the drive into the park; the meandering road begins at the foot of the Tetons, travels by streams and falls, moose and elk, and for us, ending deep in the forest and at the heart of the park. You share the drive with locals and visitors with the same thirst for escape, everyone is happy, relaxed and feeling free.

There is something about that shared experience of pure and simple connectedness with people who you will never see again, have no clue about how they voted in the last election or what they think about health care. In that moment the only real concern is in the beauty that surrounds us and nothing more. The land and it's natural antics spewing scalding hot water 80 feet up in the air is where its at and everyone just sits in amazement with a sentimental smile.

We were out there in the boonies as they say and spent a couple nights in the original section of the Old Faithful Inn, looking at log cabin walls, a sink and a bed, in what could very well be the most authentic experience I have felt in a long time -- even the shower and toilet was down the hall and shared. There was no phone in the room to call for club sandwiches or more towels; while cell service from the lobby was negotiable, once out the threshold you were cut off.

The real world was all gone.

It was beautiful, I tell you, just beautiful. There was nothing to do but take it all in with the family. And speaking of, my girl who at 13 going on 30 was rather reticent on attending in the first place, decided if you can't beat 'em join 'em. She took 488 pictures over the course of three and a half days enjoying every minute of it as I deduce from her grin and lack of opposition on just about everything.

But don't get the wrong idea, wasn't all trail mix and hiking boots. The majestic old-fashioned dinner hall welcomed us into her arms to celebrate the reason for the season, sipping on champagne and eating cake. We also lunched over what mom considered the best cold beer she ever had...an all American Samuel Adams Amber with ice crystals floating on top to be exact. Of course, maybe having a few of her babies around the table along with the man she loves had something to do with it, I don't know.

I felt like I was gone a long, long time. I hardly noticed that the world kept on ticking around me; I lost touch with Fox News, didn't receive my daily email from the Patriot Post, and even a newspaper was outside of my grasp. Yet, the automatic pilot of the rest of the world never fails.

I think I'm getting to what I want to say here, slowly but surely I will make my way to a point today. I guess my mind is having trouble getting off the curves to overlook the scenery, challenged by the return to my neck of the woods and the call to focus my attention once again on the road ahead for America.

So the world keeps on ticking, doesn't it, and not at all like a good thing in Old Faithful, but more like a time bomb. And as many of us are now aware, this didn't just happen to us overnight; its happened over time, with interest. Almost as if we've all been on vacation and have lost our way in our own little worlds, trusting that those in power will watch over us and protect us.

Wrong again.

We may think our government is to blame for all of our woes right now -- and then again, some may think the government hasn't done enough (save that for another day) -- but where it all begins is with each and every one of us.

The dysfunction of our government is but a symptom of the dysfunction we find in ourselves, our families, and ultimately experienced all together in society. Grown from generations showing a clear lack of reverence to anything but ourselves, exhibiting a loss of soul and understanding of what is sacred, leading us down a path of un-attachment to the principles which made America truly great.

"Thus we will ascertain how far their avowed faiths were crystallized into
organic laws, and to what extent they were enthroned in the life of
communities. We have a right to expect that men so aggressively religious
as to encounter persecution, and so rigidly conscientious as to become exiles
rather than submit to ecclesiastical tyranny, would embody their convictions
in the government they constructed, and stamp their characters upon the
legislation they enacted."

Charles B. Galloway, Christianity and the American Commonwealth

The good news is we are back from vacation. The bad news is the yard needs to be watered, a couple loads of wash awaits, an empty fridge is beckoning attention, while the alarm must be set for in the morning to slap a dose of reality into the mix. We must awaken to the responsibility of taking care of each other and our lives, minus the ever so annoying big brother in the back seat.

The more I know about the life and times and circumstances we created as a people, the less I want any intrusion from our government. And knowing I'm not alone in this sentiment, I am momentarily relieved and reminiscent of the mountain air. But the real trick is educating those people who want our God forsaken Big Government to micro-manage our lives through taxation and control, in which the ultimate price and sacrifice is our freedom.

Coming home from moose country, those are the people who need to remember our roots, our struggles, the rugged land and the Divine Providence in the creation of a new world. It was all accomplished in the name of a loving God and christian heart, to allow for all people of all faiths to walk together in a civility and grace.

I haven't touched that much on Obama seeking guidance from religious leaders, a luxury only a liberal President could ever enjoy in this secular, misguided, separation of church and state only when its a conservative, double standard sort of world, but this may be a good time to interject.

Referencing Charles Galloway again,

"The reformation wrought the emancipation and exaltation of the
State. It abolished the false distinction between the sacred and the
secular, and invested magistrates with responsibilities and functions as sacred
as those of priest or apostle. An early reformer insisted that 'the
distinction between ecclesiastical and profane laws can find no place among
Christians.' They were not to have two consciences, one for the State
and another for the Church, but were to be alike loyal to a divine
integrity in discharging both the high functions of citizens and
churchmen."

So too, if in a time that challenges are spirit, all of us have a right to turn to a Higher Power to find solace, strength, and determination to keep up in the battle of wills and liberties. We are back from vacation, rested and recharged. It is a time to stand up to a modern day tyranny, and having been down this road before, I trust we know how to find our way through it.

While if it's good for the goose, good for the gander; and I'm speaking of Divine intervention. God is watching over us, no need for the"little g" to takeover anything, especially not God's place. Our reverence to a government which no longer serves us-- over a God who in spite of it loves us and forgives us-- is doing us harm. As we have seen, even Obama knows and respects that at some level or why else would he seek God for direction during these trying times.

Our life is one and the same in everything we do. We are a free people who revel in a life under God, at least 90% of us that is; the other 10% then have found their God as themselves, or within their things, or not at all, out of their own freedom to believe, or not, given to them by the grace of God by way of our Constitution and great foresight shown by our Founding Fathers.

Perhaps as we awaken in our own beds again, we find the Light shining upon us to bring us peace. We may search the world over, but time and time again, we know our true north, and where our heart lies as a people, and I say thank you God.

These days bring us the blessings of awakening; we are home, coming out of the fog and into the light to rebuild our America. Yes we can.

Make it a Good Day, G

PS My apologies, coming off the mountain I'm a little long winded. Forgive me.

Dear America,

One thing's for sure, from infancy America has been a safe house for the world. Our families arrived on her shore seeking refuge, freedom, peace, and maybe even a little prosperity. What sparked from fear, oppression and flight from tyranny grew into what we soon became characterized as the melting pot of the world; giving birth to a whole new life of opportunity and prosperity for all.

We came in all shapes and sizes and colors and beliefs. Certainly, if you look around today, we witness the richness of diversity converging from all points of the globe, along with the wants and needs of each and every one of us just as prevalent.

We are not a simple, homogenized, cookie cutter bunch by design; making the proposed Health Care Bill that much more difficult to feed and nourish the masses. Especially when in relation to very personal issues -- life and death issues --issues that lead to a multitude of ways of resolution and actions, both emotionally and physically.

One of the biggest concerns in the health debate has been the freedom we seemingly take for granted today to make these decisions personally and privately.

But what happens when addressing the issues that could almost be considered elective? The details are not being discussed, which is one reason we are running so scared. I said I was going to get to Obamacare and women's issues a few days ago, and this just might be the day.

I got to thinking about really private matters of "choice" that women bare; what would happen under the government option if faced with infertility? It took seven years to make my baby girl. What would have been my options under the government plan?

It is an highly emotional time; between hormone levels and weighted decision making, we begin with the baby steps necessary to come to grips with what could well be considered the first, real medical dilemma in our life. And if it wasn't enough to share our private romance with doctors and tests and treatment, let alone keep the natural miracle and spontanieity of baby making as a couple, we may now be faced with bringing in the government?

What happens to surrogacy or Invitro Fertiization capability, or even just basic testing and diagnostics to determine what may or may not be wrong with the government by our side? What happens when they factor in the huge costs to the infertile couple and the value they may or may not place on fertilty assistance? Will the conception of a child be made just as available as the adverse, as in abortion?

Speaking of...and naturally, why should my taxpayer dollar be used towards something I can't morally or whole heartedly support? This argument has gone round and round, and again is nothing new. And usually somewhere in the mix the liberal will point out the clear disdain for having their taxes used for war...an easy target it is after all.

Only they forget (or never knew) that the design and function of our military--especially being highlighted, the Navy-- is written in the CONSTITUTION! With sound reason our founding fathers elaborated stipulations within the Constitution as our honorable duty to uphold a National Military, for better or worse. They understood the value of an Armed Force even then; recognizing that there is a cost to defend freedom, and our liberty and civility requires it nonetheless.

Our country was designed in the hands of a revolutionary and visionary few. The Constitution and Bill of Rights articulated only what was absolute and necessary with respect to protecting the freedoms of the American people. Without question, up until now, we have not flinched or faltered. While over time, America's humanitarian and military efforts to defend the rights of other people unable to protect themselves when faced with tyrannical and evil forces has been unsurpassed. Rightfully so, we do not have a choice when it comes to the military.

Point is: abortion is not in the Constitution, nor is it written within one's Bill of Rights -- just as infertility.

SO returning to my question, will infertility be covered in the government option? It is elective so to speak. But more importantly, do they even address things like this in the 1000 page bill?

I know what my insurance covered and what it did not; but really, this is just one more thing I do not have the energy or the time to worry about! Hello...little hormonal here...and now we have Uncle Sam in bed with me too?

I heard recently that Health Insurance is for the healthy, if you are actually sick then its gonna cost you... There is a cost people, through insurance premiums and overall treatment, because, for reasons like, oh I don't know, like it actually costs money to take care of people! Uhm.

Do I think government can use its muscle to correct the issues of fraud, waste and insurance costs? You bet. Does it take a total takeover, like GM and Wall Street, to do it? Absolutely not.

As we started here today, we are a diverse people. My issues are my issues. Period. My issues are not your issues and your issues are not my issues and I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours will not work.

And most of all, Big Gov should be no where near me and my health issues, especially when hormonally challenged... I am woman, hear me roar.

Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America,

I haven't thought about it. I haven't read about it. And God knows what will happen today, here on Monday, August 17, 2009, 8:20 am California time.


Oh woe is me, the Health Care debacle is untying our unity I tell you; butchering the freedom of speech while reducing the actions of our free democratic Republic into something unrecognizable. But don't be afraid, we've been here before.


WE the people, have overcome great conflict and desperate times many times over. I think what has changed is the ability to see everything play out in front of us almost instantly. It takes personal diligence and fortitude to find the courage to keep from turning on the TV, opening the yahoo page or glancing at a newspaper, fighting to turn our consciousness purposely away, otherwise we are inundated with a perfect storm of media churning out rhetoric and spin and instant messaging.



We are so used to it we forget that there was a time when Gore and his Internet was just not invented yet. Glory be to those days...gone by eras of the Revolutionary War where news traveled by town crier forcing the creation of sensationalized pamphlets recording every social and economic condition weighing in the hearts of man. Out of which we need to look no further than the infamous Thomas Paine's Common Sense.

The newspaper can really be credited for escalating and dramatizing the uprising that took place against England. Newspapers, heaven forbid, were actually being suppressed in an effort to keep people from speaking up and causing such a raucous. No way...

Here's a tidbit:

"Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without
newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a
moment to prefer the latter."
Thomas Jefferson, 1787

And then there is:

Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech or of the
press..Article One, Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution, 1789

Even so, in the early days the newspaper had its share of issues. There were some very turbulent years to record throughout the American Revolution, testing our faith, the human spirit, and the will of the people all along the way. When our Declaration of Independence was published in Congress, some newspapers took weeks to cover the story. Times were slow.

The irony is that the paper then was far more cutting edge with regards to the printing liberties taken by the editor in chief. Papers were downright used and referred to as propaganda all the time. And by today's standard, were far more vocal when it came to slanderous accounts, remarking on the body politic, using a no holds barred approach to win the loyalties of its readers, shifting a community of thought brilliantly and shaping American opinion. It became an industry that actually reveled in the representation of all views, right or left, republican or democrat and loved the ability to take this one mode of communication to the people, written by the people, for the sole purpose of being instrumental in the growing of a new America.

It wasn't until the mid 1800's that the body known today as the Associated Press turned out in order to speed up the process and take advantage of compiling news sources from all around the country, and even the world; with a product of the Industrial Age, the Telegraphic column, taking it's rightful foothold in the history of the American Press in 1844.

We've come along way, and then again what is it good for?

Considering its already old news if we're not getting automatic updates on CNN, we are seeing Government intervene in our lives through bail outs and take overs and health care and taxes at such a pace, the amount of information coming to us and linked to other stories, is frightening.

The faithful newspaper that would arrive like a new day is seeing troubling signs of not keeping up with the times; local papers having extreme difficulty staying afloat, easily going belly up against the news that just pops up on our screens for free. We are no longer sipping a cup of coffee and catching up with the world quietly over the Times or the Post, we are speed balling and intravenously digesting the news and expecting answers to come and problems resolved almost as hastily.

Stop. Breathe Dear America. We don't have to do anything we don't want to do; and our Government cannot suppress nor hinder our ability to speak freely and often, through whatever means available. Our first newspapers and federalist papers accomplished this task against all odds of not enough paper, patiently waiting through the lag in between stories, finding our brave editors voicing the efforts of the reformation movement against England without fear. We were funneling the new American agenda into every home in the face of "give me liberty or give me death" (Patrick Henry) via newsprint no less! Capturing the hearts of each and every citizen in splendid unison for one thing, freedom.

We need to be very careful these days with our right for free speech and the ability to link with other like minds. Don't be surprised if this simple liberty is challenged in the days to come, if for no other reason but to suppress those who do not agree with the current shaping of America. No Way...

Way.

Make it a good day, G