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 the Re-Establishment of a New Day in America Thing

Dear America,

so... it's suddenly back to the re-establishment of everyday life.

just yesterday morning, yahoo's home page had an array of top stories, beginning with the ratings of the nation's top toothpastes ...how to save on one's heating bill this winter... how to spot the healthiest vegetables....and another, even blaming the Black Friday sales slump on Thursday's "Door Buster" deals (what a riot, huh).

In other news -- after some heavy-lifting, finger-tapping, eye-rolling, and finally some soul searching...Bing  --  Cairo is on fire, Israel and Hamas have temporarily called a truce of sorts, Bangladesh deals with unspeakable tragedy,  and as we all know, the EU is still not ready to meet austerity face to face....
Needless to say, the re-establishment of everyday life can be so subjective, no?

As a tsunami of emotion smacks me right upside the head imagining all the warm and toasty homes simply destroyed by Super-Storm Sandy.  For so many Americans this year, Thanksgiving became something totally unrecognizable in the bird's eye view.

It's the Day After that gets us every time.

All of a sudden the perspective changes, doesn't it.  The more reality bites and chews and gnaws at us, the more we have to dig deeper to find our saving grace, muster the strength and courage to rise above it, and  find the will to climb to higher ground -- if only in spirit.  For sometimes -- given the way this wacky world works -- it comes down to the things unseen as the only things we have left.

If anyone is keeping track, little old g thing is about to pull a Gracie Hart (or is it Gracie Lou Freebush?) from Miss Congeniality and make wish number four: " I really do want world peace."

Just knowing how difficult a personal sense of peace is to come by these days -- asking for such a remarkable thing must be like asking from the world for a miracle.

But come to think of it, is peace... for all of mankind....really all that attainable?  Especially considering that we live in a world that nearly every living thing competes against something, some time, if not all the time?   The day usurps the power of the night;  the youngest child in the family struggles to find a place all his own; the smallest fish in the biggest sea fights to stay alive.  We are surrounded, enmeshed, into a world of conflict, competition, surviving on our God-given talents, attributes, stamina, and intellect every single bloody day.


We can't even shop in peace.

Even when in love, we find ourselves madly, deeply a wee bit insane for another person and open ourselves up to never being at peace again -- but in a good way -- and loving every minute of it.  Love shakes us to the core; love hits us like that scene in The Godfather...when Michael Corleone sees Appolonia for the first time -- thunderbolt of lightning, very, very frightening -- boom.  Sure, peace is made, it's there underneath it all; it's made over and over and over again.

Even Greenpeace doesn't use tactics of peace and harmony to make it's voice heard -- they use tactics that disrupt, intimidate, guilt, and vilify business; and in another light, generally community organize to be the community antagonizer.   Does it really help -- or hinder -- in the open dialog in search of community resolution?  Do they think for one moment about the coal-miner's sons and daughters who are fed, clothed, and tucked into bed at the end of every day?  Oh yes, it takes a village, indeed, but not my village.

Even the Sea Shepard group comes knowingly as the good-shepard-obstructionists that they are.

Having said all that -- still -- in a typical day, for the average whale, coming into the start of yet another week in the deep blue sea...what in the world do they eat and how do they get it?

Enough said. and yet, it isn't.

Whales eat nearly everything that eats, sleeps, breathes under the sea - - from smelt to polar bears.  Oh no, say it isn't so...not the polar bears, too.  Give peace a chance?  Really?  Out in the wild?   Tell me, just how do you, Baby Beluga, sleep at night?

[technically, that may very well be a trick question...but attempting to keep your attention upon a whale's conscience here...do you think he cares about the walrus he ate for lunch or the school of tuna he swept up for his mid-afternoon snack?   Does he pray in gratitude for the life force he's about to eat before making his truly barbaric move?]

Even autumn leaves must cling for their lives for as long as they can....until such time they can no longer put up the fight.... as they scramble in the wind and fall to the ground all tattered and torn;  or do we not consider this to be the same thing?   It's alive, isn't it?   It's mother nature appearing as one still small voice gasping it's final breath of life, crumbling in horror of it's seasonal fate.

The GOP is struggling to find it's place in the sun.  Fractured and splintered after an unimaginable blow, some of the establishment are speaking out in a round robin of 'I toldja so'; while others are just looking to take cover with wishy-washy excuses, while still others seem hell-bent on exaggerating the loss, making themselves over with sweeping declarations in order to totally rebuild the party platform on something new and improved and thoroughly apologetic of it's principles. Big mistake.

Earth to the faint of heart inside and outside the beltway -- all in all, re-establishing the establishment is not exactly what we the people have in mind.

This day just so happens to be on the heels of a good day appearing on The Daily Bell, featuring an interview with Steve Forbes.  

"The way you get a bigger tent is by getting your pro-growth, pro-positive future message out. Whether it's reforming the tax code, positively reforming entitlements, instituting a sound money policy including a re-link to gold, stopping the binge spending, you must put forth those principals and policies in a way that demonstrates these are the best ways to enable people to get work, improve their skills and, as Lincoln put it, 'improve their lot in life.' The tent will expand because people want to move forward in a positive way."

Which of course is funny; for it's exactly what I thought the Romney camp was doing -- or rather, did do.   I thought all he did was talk about the big beautiful American tent and the ways he thought, generally speaking, the tent could improve, expand even, starting with five big ideas that he repeated over and over again.

And he did so like a guy who made a career (or three) masterminding the remaking of companies from top to bottom..... the remaking of the Olympics from a mountaintop in Utah..... the remaking of the state of Massachusetts from welcoming women to top organizational positions to modeling a state run health care system from the bottom up.  Romney -- the perpetual entrepreneur and ideas guy -- is a master at delegation; all we had to do was buy the ticket and enter the tent.

Considering G is fully absorbed into the idea re-establishment of everyday life here on this Monday morning in America, dare I say, there was (and still is) something blocking the Romney door of the tent, to the big top, for all the marbles and the big brass ring and hindering the very possibility of the tent to reach it's full expansion, it's greatest potential.  It's called the new 51%.

For some of us -- respective of how times change and seasons turn -- the establishment of everyday life has grown reliant upon a sense of entitlement overriding the sense of self-reliance.    Defining what exactly should be rightfully deemed the order of the day under 'the establishment' is suddenly up for grabs.  The tent that stood for Unlimited Possibility under a Limited Government has been virtually tossed into oblivion.

Read this:  Who Needs God When You Have the State.

The American Establishment is in pieces -- untied and unfurling in the winds of time.

Much like the multi-cultural experimentation going on, leaving the American culture in a made for the 21st century dust bowl -- we have suddenly come upon a day when the duties and responsibilities to America are struggling to survive, being outnumbered by the forces of nature totally, wholly, abusing the rights and privileges.  The roots have no chance.

As sure as the sun will come up tomorrow, this girl feels quite certain her g-mojo-with-a-go-go will return one day.  But until then, peace is not mine; not only that, it may just be the last thing on my mind.  Who can be settled at a time like this?  Who can sleep?   Who can tuck their babies in at the end of the day and think to themselves, my, what a wonderful, wonderful world?    It's just such a sad, sad day for America -- and don't even get me started on the rest of this planet.

[Speaking of which, where is Hillary?   Why isn't her butt back in Egypt giving Morsi a what-in-sam-hill-is going on?   She was so quick to put the fix on Israel...and overnight, Egypt has been swept back into a dictatorship -- yeah, "called it", but whatever -- but America has got nothing to say about it?  Are you kidding me?]

Never you mind.  Back to the story of US.... and toothpaste, and picking the healthiest vegetables and big screen televisions selling like hot cakes....

You know what they say when you're at 35,000 feet and falling like a bullet train -- put your own mask on first...  
Well, it's time.
Welcome back from the holiday weekend; only hope you stored a few of those chestnuts for later; you're gonna need 'em.

[and how about that protest at LAX?  Union members protesting other union members after leaving the union for better jobs and benefits ...too funny.  Of course, not that funny if you had to catch a plane Wednesday]

The thing is, reforming America is hardly synonymous with the re-establishment of everyday life, considering the way things are now, that is.  It's quite the contrary.

It just might take being a nuisance, being an obstructionist, and clinging for life with other like-minded people in peaceful protest for some time to come...under the rule of law, of course, let's not get carried away.

The time for being thankful for all that is good has passed for another year; and just as there is a time for everything under heaven, we enter into a new season... joy to the world!

So without further adieu, in the spirit of taking the first step to the re-establishment of everyday life, it's time for little g to go brush her teeth, get out of her jammies, and go to work.

Make it a Good Day, G

as if we need one more reason to cry this morning...read this story...and then go hug your family...I am suddenly overwhelmed with more emotion I know what to do with for one day.

It's a Let God Out of the Closet Thing

Dear America,

So the founders built it, so that we may come into a world of freedom and liberty for all, in equal opportunity.

Given we are still discussing nation building, thanks to our dear president bringing up it's importance -- how can we not begin without looking at the very start of it all -- our birth, our early education and environment, how we nurture and teach our children to be of good character, of strong body, of kind spirit, and smart -- really, really smart.

As this sort of thing doesn't just happen by accident, you know.

It takes a village, sure.  But how often are we really in, say, "the village?"  And, how much of that early life is spent simply at home?  And just how stable is that home of ours?  These are all really good questions, if I don't say so myself.

This may be leaning a bit off the subject, but here in San Diego, we have had an unusual rash of entire families, parents and children, killed in a homicide/suicide scenario.  Three families, in fact, over about the last three weeks, are gone.  We talked about the stresses of life just yesterday -- and mostly in jest; but the reality is, in times like these, pressures of raising "good" kids doesn't even get on the top ten list of things to do today, for parents are being drowned, suffocated, buried, in a level of stress that puts just getting food on the table taking over nearly every waking thought.

And in these cases close to home, it all became too much.  A parent not only took their own life, but the life of their children along with; and according to Geraldo, at least 1000 kids a year are killed at the hand of their own parent...roughly three a day.

SO our strength to persevere must come from somewhere, right?  And to come right out with it, that is usually our faith.  See here, a current Gallop poll outlining some of the numbers.

70% of us still believe in Something outside of ourselves; and 41% consider themselves VERY religious, and 29% call themselves moderately religious...while, just 30% put themselves squarely in the NON-religious category.   If we were to break out the group of NON-religious: 29% lean towards GOP, 16% lean independent, and a whopping 54% lean Democrat.

So this poll makes me wonder -- how is it possible then, showing a country which leans seventy percent of the time towards believing in SOMETHING greater than ourselves, a God -- how is it that we have grown so anti-God in our everyday life -- say, in the village?  What, so as soon as we pop our head out our front door, we are supposed to leave our religion at home now?

Sorry.  That dog ain't gonna hunt.
This is not what our founders intended.

Our founders, lived from a place of believing -- a place that fully acknowledged Divine Providence had It's hand in the very making, and the building, and the reinforcing, and the maintenance,  in celebration of all good things to come.


Our founders protected us -- we the people -- FROM government telling us what to believe, and controlling us through the pulpit. It was hardly the situation of the other way around; this land, this nation, was built so that we could wear our religion every day, in school, in the grocery store.. at Home Depot, at Cisco..in the town square, in the village...and not be vilified for it.

And even though real Christianity had great influence upon our founders direction, in that Divine Providence kind of way,  the truth is, America's religion grew from a place so much bigger than that -- for we are living the dream of people like Cicero, that dates back two thousand years! A chief component of Cicero's politic was based upon  "rules of 'right conduct' with the law of the Supreme Creator of the universe...the only intelligent approach to government, justice, and human relations is in terms of the laws which the Supreme Creator has already established." [from The 5000 Year Leap]

Cicero explains this Natural Law in greater detail by saying:

"True law is right reason in agreement with nature; it is of universal application, unchanging and everlasting; it summons to duty by its commands, and averts from wrongdoing by its prohibitions...It is a sin to try to alter this law, nor is it allowable to repeal any part of it [G's favorite part] and it is impossible to abolish it entirely.  We cannot be freed from its obligations by senate or people, and we need not look outside ourselves for an expounder or interpreter of it.  And there will not be different laws in Rome and at Athens, or different laws  now and in the future, but one eternal and unchangeable law will be valid for all nations, and all times, and there will be one master and ruler, that is God, over us all, for he is the author of this law, its promulgator, and its enforcing judge.  Whoever is disobedient is fleeing from himself and denying his human nature, and by reason of the very fact he will suffer the worst punishment."  [Quoted in Ebenstein, Great Political Thinkers, p.133, duly noted in The 5000 Year Leap, p. 40]

Having said that -- and might I suggest sitting with Cicero for as long as you possibly can here -- just imagine now,  how great Thou art.  We are made in America from this cloth; our heritage is rich, masterful, resting on the greatest thinkers of all time!   But here we all come along this one fine day in Two Thousand and Eleven in the Year of our Lord with every intention to uproot every bit of it.  Oh the bloody arrogance and stupidity just blows me away.

Do you think for one minute that the Academia-in-Chief, and the Liberal Organizers for America everywhere, really care about Divine Providence anymore? 

Newsflash:  IT still lives here. God Is and there is nothing you can say or do to change It.

Just because you wish to extinguish all life, liberty, tradition based on life Under God, doesn't mean the rest of us -- the 70% -- stand to agree.  talking to you, King George Soros.

Do you want to live in a world without a living breathing loving soul?  yeah, me neither.

Back to the building of a nation:  start with each and every baby we bring into this world.  And it continues through pre-school, early education, high school, college -- up until they move out and find a village of their own to call home.

So according to the Gallop poll, we do raise our children in a home that lives under God in some fashion -- seventy percent say  that we do, anyway.  That is the good news.

Bad news:  the village doesn't reinforce It's magnificence.  Matter of fact, the village is growing quite tired of even mentioning It's name out loud. The village has decided for us, that it is more appropriate to go by way of pop culture, offering a world of fleeting gods and goddesses, an agenda of many names, of organizations reigning supreme to capture our hearts, steal our money, and exploit our every resource for the "common good."  Sounds a lot like the Church of England, doesn't it? Who needs God, when we have the church of mother earth to tend to, right?

And if that were not enough -- as we have slowly taken away prayer in schools, replacing character building with community organizing, and after years of indoctrinating our children with far left curriculum going against our free market, avenging capitalism, discouraging critical thinking in every way, NOW, we are up against a whole 'nother paradigm -- the onslaught of a brand new agenda focused purely on redefining love, marriage, sexuality, and family.

Perhaps if we included lifestyle differences without demolishing and discrediting traditional relationships and marriage, our children might have half a chance.  But that is certainly not the case, is it?  is it?

Truth is, we have taken God, and our relationship with the Creator totally out of school -- one might even say, that It has been expelled for life. Hit the road, jack, and doncha come back, no more no more. The village has decided that we no longer want you, God; that we no longer need you, God;  that we got this thing called life totally handled.  The village people say, that our children no longer need to give God a second thought.

How can that be when our entire existence as a nation was built upon a belief in Something greater than ourselves -- that Divine Providence led our founders every step of the way -- how can that be?

What is the village so afraid of?

I have a pretty good idea, but that is for you to decide.

But more important, with 70% of the nation leaning to believing in Something, how can it be that our curriculum, that which is responsible for raising our children, allows for this kind of injustice?

How can it be, that all of a sudden, it is totally permissible to teach gay and lesbian relationships, transgender modification, even honoring transvestites and cross dressing 2.0, while curriculum based on building good character, good conscience, critical thinking beyond ourselves -- of what it means on being human, our connection to Something greater than ourselves, and what does God tell us -- is outlawed?

If we believe in treating all people with respect, if we believe in tolerance, if we believe in civil liberties both right and left, then for our children's sake -- then the village must open it's doors to the full curriculum; meaning, the village cannot play God for the rest of us -- and if they insist upon teaching our kids 'that stuff', then our kids deserve a balance of THIS stuff... the stuff that God made...along with it. 

The reality is, our children are in the cross-hairs of a political agenda.

The reality is, nearly 1000 children are killed at the hand of their own mother or father; but the real stunner, the one that the front page never talks about, is that hundreds of thousands are dying a slow death in a liberal education.

we made better kids when McGuffey's Readers were used in school...here's a sample:

About the Stars

1.  What child is there, 

that has never looked up with wonder at the stars!

2. I once knew a little boy, who, after looking 

at them for a long time, went to his mother and said, 

"Mother, these bright things in the sky, 

you call stars, but I think that is not the right name for them."

3."Well, my child," said his mother, "what do you think they are?"

4.  "Why, I think they are God's candles," said the boy.  

This idea is at once natural and beautiful.  

They indeed seem like lamps set 

in the glorious Hall of the Creator, 

to show forth its grandeur, 

and call upon the universe to worship 

Him who sitteth upon the throne, for ever and ever.

5.  Whatever the stars seem to be, 

we have reason to suppose that they are worlds, 

or suns, much larger than the moon, or even this earth.

6.How wonderful then are these shining orbs, 

and how great must He be, 

who in wisdom and goodness has made them all!

and it continues...

...leading the reader through the rest of the story, right to the end, when it welcomes into the room a full discussion of what are stars -- asking what idea is 'natural and beautiful', etc. etc. Just harmless questions making a child truly think for himself!  The child who happens to be of a "non-religious" family, can simply say they do not believe stars are connected to a God at all.  I guess, maybe that would be, in this day and age, about 30% of the class.  But who's counting, right?

The thing is, we stopped nation building, when we ceased teaching our children a deeper connection to all of life and our inherent duty, to ourselves and each other, to maintain 'right conduct' -- with or without God.  

"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." [Wells, Life of Samuel Adams, 1:22-23, from The 5000 Year Leap]

We must allow ourselves, and especially our children, to walk with God -- out in the open. What is the harm?

As a parent, as a citizen, as a believer, I know this to be true.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a Disconnect Thing

Dear America,

reading the news this morning, glancing over some of my favorite freedom and liberty vibes, it came to me -- a certain disconnect is making it's way through the air.

Now, my senses have long felt this sway when captured by the headlines on the daily market watch;  it never fails, the quick remark of why the market is up, or why the market is down, seems to fly by someone's seat of the pants.  Just last week the market may be down for austerity woes of Greece -- while this week, it's up for the fourth straight day for the very same reason -- only different; yesterday was Monday and just before the Sun entered Cancer, while today is Tuesday, marked by a Vesta of 20 degrees of Aquarius.  go ahead, look it up.

And all this when our headlines vacillate from Doctors in Chicago, at the AMA convention, saying they have no problem with the latest health insurance requirement, as if the trillion dollar entitlement is as good as paid for and no worries exist on the co-payment horizon; while congress sits on their hands and closes their eyes in discussions on the Debt Ceiling -- never mind the venomous barbs back and forth, practically speaking in tongues, over Medicare; and all while, the hottest news stories revolve around a guy who wouldn't pull his pants up when choosing to fly the friendly skies recently, a mother that "allegedly" killed her own daughter and partied for a month before telling anyone, and riots in Vancouver -- with a college fling spotlighted for two days over just a kiss in the middle of the road -- and all over a pathetic loss in a hockey game (yeah, not my country, but still...)  These are the things that consume our free time.

News keeps going on around us even when the world is on fire -- even when the sky is falling -- even when we are about to lose it all.  Which is strange, given we are steeped in the age of reality TV, our first inclination is not to say a word.  Perhaps if we deny the prevailing winds long enough they will go away.

But seriously, if we took our emotional cues from the headlines, I have no doubt, every one of us would be flying high in the funny farm.

There is nothing grounding us.

We have lost our ability to think clearly and use good reason in order to navigate the road ahead, so that we might be able to fairly evaluate our current situation and move forward with confidence; our own denial and disconnect from reality is sending us into just another dimension of coping, while, at the same time, putting us on the trajectory of deep regret, total loss, and a downright miserable future.

And this, all because we -- as a whole -- are way too busy flitting and fluttering on meaningless things.

Our disconnect is beginning to show.

Yesterday was all about our pledge -- to God, to country, and each other -- as written according to our Declaration of Independence..."And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."  And I thought to myself 'this defines assimilation...this is one nation under God...this is the missing link between division and citizens united.'

We hasten to rush to criticize the lack of assimilation from those who come here searching for a new life, the shelter of a land which honors freedom and liberty for all, a land which welcomes equal opportunity in the pursuit of happiness -- and yet, it has been that very thing that has created a great divide within our own, those born and raised with every opportunity in the world.  How can we expect other people to come, assimilate, become one nation under God, when we, ourselves, no longer live by example?

So what, do as I say but not as I do is the new American way?

So in between the headlines -- with the Wal-Mart class action lawsuit, with Wisconsin Court of Appeals, with the NLRB suing Boeing, with the DOJ suing Arizona, with everyday citizens suing Obamacare's Individual Mandate....oh right, with Casey Anthony sitting there looking dumbfounded for the tenth day in a row -- my latest realization points in one direction:   attorneys.  all of them.  left, right and center. for good. for evil. we are a no longer the honor society but a vile, loathsome, litigious society placing all responsibility and attorney's fees on somebody else.  Just look at me carrying on like so...

Don't look at me...it is not my fault, it's his fault.

I have rights (and my rights are more important than yours).

If it doesn't work the old fashioned way, sue.  File a motion.  Cease and Desist.  Place a Moratorium.  Take it to court.  Blame somebody else.  Claim no fault of my own.

Anyone see where I am going with this?  Or are the lights on and nobody is home?  Did we get disconnected somehow... ah oh, think I am losing you...can you hear me now?

As a country, we proceeded to work quite well as long as we remembered two things: yes, we are fully loaded with plenty of GOD given, endowed, rights [that is the good news]  but the bad news is, they come action packed with DUTIES (both public and private).    ....awkward.

SO, somehow, over the years of having too much fun, we have forgotten  that step one comes only when we have faithfully followed through with step two (which that would mean, step two really comes before step one, if we were to take just a moment to work things out in our head....right, but who has got time for that when the Casey Anthony trial is on).

ASSIMILATION.   All of us are required to not only recognize, but demonstrate, that our rights and duties are equally aligned.

We have totally lost touch with the stark reality of life as a responsible, upright, citizen in the United States of America -- as, and here's the real kicker, as our most important "rights" and "duties" are not even enumerated within our founding documents!  wow.  way to go, guys... way to assume a righteous belief in the human spirit, oh great founding fathers of mine.  talk about blame...look at what they done der did  (and the awkward courtesy laugh fits in nicely here).

Which means what?   We have to learn them; these ideas need to be taught; the desired outcome does not happen purely by accident.

Natural rights -- you know, the kind that we were endowed with, not by man, but by that awesome Creator of ours -- the one's declared as "with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"  go something like this:

• The right to self-government
• The right to bear arms for self-defense
• The right to own, develop, and dispose of property
• The right to make personal choices
• The right of free conscience
• The right to choose a profession
• The right to petition
• The right to assemble
• The right to free speech
• The right to enjoy the fruits of one's labors
• The right to explore the natural resources of the earth...

and there are, of course, plenty more...this portion came right out of The 5000 Year Leap.  Get it, if you have not done so already.  Our shift in society to: 'what about me' and 'what about my rights' while clearly dissing our natural duties that come with --  has destroyed us.

And on that note then, let's flash gordon over to the DUTIES supply side:

• The duty to honor the supremacy of the Creator and his laws...Nature's Law, Divine Law, Universal Law...
• The duty not to take the life of another except in self-defense
• The duty not to steal or destroy the property of another
• The duty to be honest in all transactions with others
• The duty of children to honor and obey their parents and elders
• The duty of parents and elders to protect, teach, feed, clothe, and provide shelter for children
• The duty to support law and order and keep the peace
• The duty not to contrive through a covetous heart to despoil another
• The duty to be temperate
• The duty to become economically self-sufficient
• The duty to maintain the integrity of the family structure
• The duty to support personal and public standards of common decency
• The duty to follow rules of moral rectitude...

 again, there is plenty more where I got that...just read The Leap.

We are witnessing a huge disconnect in and around our world;  this world, the one we are living in right now --totally sucks; and it is MY fault, your fault, and every body's fault.  But I know, if I stop and change my evil ways, while you stop long enough to change yours, sometime down the road we may be finding good old America sitting right side up again.

We've got this American way thing all backwards and upside down; and the real thing is (besides Coca-Cola), is that our so called rights should be the least of our concern.

The way I figure it is, all we really have to do is go back to doing our duty again --  to God and to country  -- and for EACH OTHER, especially our children.  I believe, before you know it, nearly every single one of our societal woes would be gone.  poof.  taken care of.  swiped clean. while perhaps the very last thing we would be needing is an attorney.

IF only...if only we kept right on assimilating with the process of self-reliance -- keeping up with our end of the bargain and honoring the way of sound self-government living in community with one another. If only.

And can you just imagine it...just what would the headlines be saying about us then?

Makes me giddy just thinking about it.

Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America,

There is a strange phenomenon happening over this last week, just about to the day since I blogged about the iconic newspaper arriving on the doorsteps of America, I started getting one -- for free. I haven't ordered it. My neighbor downstairs is still getting theirs so it's not a case of false identity. I'm just getting one.



Given the expense, the inability to normally have the time to sit down and read it, and the wasting of trees for the sin of newsprint (yes, ecology is a good thing), I haven't felt the need to have a subscription. But now that I'm out of work and leisurely going about my mornings, it is rather decadent to sit and peruse it's pages. I mean, I still get a lot of news off the Internet and TV, but these last few days have reminded me of a love lost.



Reading a letter to the Editor, or the editorial page itself; catching local brouhaha over city budgets, water shortages and lawsuits is rather fun. I've spent so much attention on the national scope, I'm beginning to recognize that my loyalties have been a little more macro-minded than usual.



Before embarking on my daily journey of commentary in reverence to my Dear America, I know there was a great part of me so stuck in my little world, my only concern was how things would affect me and my girl. I only looked at my issues, my challenges, my joys, my family.



Oh I always knew the actions of our government were important; and have always enjoyed the political banter between parties and held almost a masochistic love for election controversy and the American democratic process. I especially enjoyed the era of hanging chads and the state of Florida getting far more attention than it deserved. But its all in good. clean fun right.



But this return of the local paper to my door is an eye opener.

I know I'm a lucky girl. I live in Southern California; can you say sunny days and surf 3 miles away, oh my goodness. Certainly, we have our share of traffic and issues, as in any metropolitan area, but we recognize and revel in the trade off. Those of us sharing SoCal live and work and play in a part of the world people come to vacation every day.

Occasionally, when walking on the beach with my girl I try to have her understand how lucky she is to be growing up here. There are people who never get a chance to have their toes hit the sand ever in their life! Its the simple blessings that I want to build up in the mind of my little monkey; I want her to find appreciation for not just the privilege to have a cell phone, but also the beauty that surrounds her and a birthright by location that many would envy.

As her mother I also have a responsibility to raise her to be independent, kind to others, respect her elders and teachers (even the liberal yahoos), love her neighbor as herself, pick up trash found on the beach and everywhere, pray with God, be responsible for homework and ultimately grow a career, be involved with her community and especially have her understand she is part of a much larger world...while it is her duty to find her place in it and share it peacefully with others. That is my job as her mother. (Of course food, clothing and roof over her head comes with the territory.)

Yes our own little world may be all that's important to us in any moment of the day, but our local communities need our undivided attention sometimes, as well as our federal government. It takes effort to be a good citizen, to find a way to carve out a life amidst the competition and choices we have available to us. It is hard work and requires each one of us due diligence and a firm foundation planted in sound beliefs and moral standards in order to succeed.

Our life, large or small, doesn't work without it.

You may think I'm wrong. But if you disagree, tell me then, how would it look in a society where there lived no moral codes to be found, no promotion of Self-Reliance under the framework of the Constitution or Bill of Rights to uphold, in a life that reveres only selfishness of oneself over and above any God? How would it look?

It comes down to this, our ability to individually and successfully self govern is the true issue at hand, not health care or bail outs or stimulus. It is returning to self-reliance and being responsible citizens who understand the high stakes of the loss in our country of our duty to self govern. Most Americans see that now.

Obamacare awakened a sleeping giant. The giant was lost in the woods for awhile, captured by the rays of light shining through the trees, perhaps lost dipping its toes in the tide getting mesmerized by the dancing diamonds on the water, or maybe just lost and part of the millions who walk the hustle and bustle of daily strife just consumed by the thought of whats for dinner tonight.

Yes, sometimes it takes a catastrophe or overriding fear to awaken people. For just as Rahm Emmanuel has duly noted that a foreboding situation creates the perfect opportunity for government to act (or take advantage of) its power, so too come the actions of real citizens realizing the American Dream is worth every effort to keep, uphold and prosper -- even if its against the tide.

Make it a Good Day, G


PS With my newspaper I also get the comics! Today's Hagar the Horrible is yelling, "what's for dinner, Helga?" When she responds with "you're not getting any dinner after what you did".. While Hagar sits in his chair thinking in the big balloon above his head "I thought it was a husband's inalienable right to get dinner!"

PS2 Think about what is a right vs what is a privilege vs what is simply the right thing to do.

PS3 I know I said I was going to start women's health issues today, but I just wasn't feeling it...maybe tomorrow.