It's About America's Bait Society Thing

Dear America,

local humor...

"Too many squirrels become a nuisance. 

They quickly grow dependent on handouts, 

lose their fear of humans 

and boldly approach them, 

their picnic areas and coolers 

looking for food."

thank you, San Diego Union-Tribune for that earth-shattering reality check.

ya think?

of course, when putting that same concept in the context of federal/state welfare programs, suddenly common sense gets overrun with political correctness run amok.

but must confess, after a drive thru the In N Out, in Carlsbad, many a time (best burgers on the planet, btw), feeding a squirrel a french fry, or two, just seems so natural...in the natural.  

but I digress, 

as we touched upon just yesterday, a growing of government dependency is just as much a problem of the government, itself, as it is for the needy recipients.  Our federal bureaucracy doesn't know how to ween itself off of an annual cost of living increase in every department...It doesn't recognize that once a dependency on government is fed even the tiniest morsel, for everything from bread and butter to medicine to cell phones to whatever, naturally, all God's creatures have been given a taste of the good life; an ease to the daily strife and grind of foraging for food -- that would otherwise be accomplished by means of our labors of love and hard work --  has suddenly come courtesy of the long arms and compassionate heart of a socially re-engineered government.  

Good will and free food for all.

Which quickly reminds me of this quote from George Saunders, courtesy of a side of a Chipotle Restaurant brown bag:  "Hope that, in future, all is well, everyone eats free, no one must work, all just sit around feeling love for one another."

pretty sure this won't be the last recycle of that little number, so my apologies if it's already getting a little stale.   oh well...

which in turn, begs another question, at what point will a dependency upon free food and various other things reach a satiated appetite?

it would seem the squirrels on the beach in Carlsbad have given us our answer.

The natural response in the natural is, naturally, never.  Matter of fact, it gets worse.  The little demons have been fed, indulged even, given the anecdote that cures every need and woe is me with a full serving of comfort and joy without lifting a finger.  A tasty, and possibly still warm, meal just lands in front of them like magic.    What's not to love?   More significant, who's leading privileged lives now?  

yes please.

there is a fascinating post at my favorite www address... The Patriot Post....from I think just yesterday.  Hold up.  Let me search that real quick to make it easier on you....teehee

do do do do, do do do, do, da do do, do do do

Oh, here it is.

key tidbits to chew on --

 "Racism didn’t make marriage unnecessary. 'Great Society' welfare did. In 2017, 77% of black children were born to mothers without a husband..."

"As Dr. Thomas Sowell, the economist and senior fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institute, has written for decades, 'A vastly expanded welfare state in the 1960s destroyed the black family, which had survived centuries of slavery and generations of racial oppression.' In his 2016 analysis, 'Favors’ to Blacks,' the black conservative wrote, 'In 1960, before this expansion of the welfare state, 22 percent of black children were raised with only one parent. By 1985, 67 percent of black children were raised with either one parent or no parent.' Again, it’s far higher today."

"Yes, racism contributed to the perverted role of government that ensnares individuals and destroys families with the lure of services that create a permanent underclass and generations of dependency. But it was Democrat racism like that of Lyndon B. Johnson, who said of his “Great Society” programs, 'I’ll have those n—ers voting Democratic for the next 200 years'. "

and concluding: 

"Until Americans restore the value of marriage and an intact family, don’t expect much progress on poverty, sexual abuse, 'gun violence' or a whole host of other societal ills — regardless of your race and gender."

Those numbers, above, reflecting the fallout following the natural progression and attraction to the welfare state are simply stunning.  Black families have totally flipped from a two-parent household, predominantly, to a one parent family addicted on government handouts in my lifetime.  How messed up on generational/parental role models can you be?  God love the courageous, conservative African-Americans, like  Dr. Thomas Sowell, to make the reality check so matter of fact.

Even our immigration system is laced with America's welfare state enticements; just more evidence of the bastardization of an entire culture; the organically grown corruption of America's foundation, once firmly rooted in a Declaration of INDEPENDENCE by our founding fathers, mocks everything this nation stands for, especially with regard to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.  America was never intended to be a nation based upon dependency, especially that of a reliance upon a government dole.   America, from her start, was built upon the ideas and true wealth centered upon self-reliance, virtuously beholden to good self-government.

Long ago, nobody barked at the requirement of any person, no matter country of origin, to have an American sponsor; it was expressly made clear,  once an immigrant stepped foot on American soil, an AMERICAN citizen had to demonstrably and financially take FULL responsibility for the immigrant's full assimilation --- to learn English, find employment, and act in ways respective of the rights and duties of becoming an American citizen in every way. Nothing was handed out to anyone courtesy of the American taxpayer.  Nothing.

A great society is not a bait society.  so there.

Ben Franklin, in Poor Richard's Almanac, gave us this morsel:  " Laziness travels so slowly that Poverty soon overtakes him."

What will happen if people suddenly stop feeding the squirrels? 
hmmmm
They will either re-learn their industrious, self-reliant nature -- or they will die.


And at the very end, Old Poor Richard says this:  "Let no pleasure tempt thee, no profit allure thee, no ambition corrupt thee, no example sway thee, no persuasion move thee, to do any thing which thou knowest to be evil; so shalt thou always live jollily; for good conscience is a continual Christmas.  Adieu."

The thing is, to live in good conscience, taking right action (be it in our industry, family, good government),  we naturally become better people...

and all in all, it becomes the proper way to raise a privileged nation.


Make it a Good Day, G

It's a Nation of Pussies Thing

Dear America,

"Let a man then know his worth, 

and keep things under his feet.  

Let him not peep or steal, 

or skulk up and down 

with the air of a charity-boy,

 a bastard, or an interloper, 

in the world 

which exists for him." 

Self-Reliance, 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

so this girl is fit to be tied (what else is new, right)

and considering my general inkling to string one day to the next as seamlessly as possible -- and in spite of possibly a day or two or even a week in-between -- with that in mind, we will spin the last thing...the Open Castration of Glenn Beck into a one-sided discussion of a certain, and painful, squeeze happening throughout the land.   

We are turning into a nation of pussies.

Too vulgar?

Possibly.

Did I offend?  perchance

Or is that just some Trump supporter screaming fuck yeah  heard as a fuck you?

Let me pause for just a moment so you can alert the media of my filthy mouth...

.....

.....

yeah, you're right, it probably won't even make the cut of concern, given the rude, lewd, crude, salacious nature of the general population.  The competition in that arena is huge, isn't it?

But what about this nation of pussies?

Let's begin with the brilliant idea -- masterminded by a cadre of left brained, doctorate toting, transformation activists --  to give every kid a trophy.

Wrong; way to chisel the art of competition down to a nugget of irrelevance, people.  If everyone gets a trophy, how does carving out one's personal ambition have a fighting chance? Where is the will to create an atmosphere of growing true courage... to dig deeper, train harder, overcome loss, and start over, if not for a real separation of winners and losers?

This is where 'taking one for the team' takes on a whole new meaning.

This philosophy of even-steven wreaks havoc on building a strong, able-bodied, independent mind and carries the strength to single-handedly destroy an entire generation. 

Oh, what?  Too strong?  Too general?

...then congrats, you're a pussy, too.

Let's move on dot org to when these kids go to college -- and truly, they are still kids, having been wrecked, ruined even, by the upper echelon of teachers, coaches, collaborators, and worst of all, their own parents,  in the full-on take down of self-reliance;  for the very experience of failure, hunger, offense and strife of any kind, is a motivator!  Can I get another fuck yeah!?

Let's see, now where was I ---

right...when these kids get to college now -- what happens?  THIS: read it!  From Megaphones to Muzzles.  Or THIS:  read it!  as Tolerance and Free Speech Collide... And THIS..for students afraid to debate feminism....ugh what a bunch of pussies.  literally.

The protected, coddling of a generation continues!  

...and somebody still expects us to fill the armed forces with this?  oh that's rich... what a farce in the fine use of force.

What has happened to us?

For a more discriminating observation reveals it isn't simply about getting out feelings hurt, now is it? Common sense tells us this thing is more about a clear and present danger to liberty.  It's a smack down, a squeezing of a certain belief system, an ideology that just so happens to run counter to the ever-evolving, rolling tide, of a nation.  And it is motivated, driven, to quiet the opposition by way of the Rules for Radicals, Saul Alinsky tactics of intimidation, and a full court press to oppress in order to fundamentally transform America from her roots.  [Early G thing was all over this...but you'll just have to take my word for it or go to vintage G to read all about it.]

Speaking of arming our forces...let's about face for a moment.

The United States of America is at a turning point.  The Blue Coats are not coming, they are here.  Can I get a 'oh no, we're fucking screwed' ?

THIS Commander-In-Chief ------  the thin-skinned, two-faced, ideological Leftist, who enjoys pina coladas with the Castros, un-diplomatic relations and negotiations with terrorists, diminishing and demolishing our armed forces,   and quite possibly, siding with an enemy if push comes to shove...  GO Here.   GO here  (THIS is a MUST READ, btw)    GO here ------ is a disaster!

But worse, when it comes to the international circle of weasels and wild cats and wolverines, oh my, Obama is demeaned and discredited as a world-class pussy, a child.

Hence, just one more reason
why Trump is WINNING

Americans don't like weak presidents.

And by the way, Mr. President 

-- eight is enough -- 

for now, anyway, 

and just maybe 

until the end of time. 

And lookie here,

we go from an Open Castration of Glenn Beck to the Pussy-in-Chief fighting harder for his own ideologically driven, fundamental transformation WITHIN than anywhere else in the world. 

And in utmost sincerity, we can blame it on Obama's childhood -- raised by wolves in sheep's clothing with a mission to take America to the woodshed, castrating the very things which have made us huuuuuuugh!

Things like our true liberty -- free speech -- ambition to excel in everything!  -- our self-reliance -- our independence, not this fucking dependence on everything government doesn't have to give! -- our foundation of faith -- our traditions -- our competitive edge -- our free enterprising spirit and economy (not this fucking fake one from crony capitalism) that grounds us and sustains us to go out and DO Things, MAKE Things, even if we sometimes lose a few things in the process....

It's just that... in this moment... little g finds herself so very grateful, overcome in the realization that I wasn't raised to be a pussy.  Thankfully, having grown to excel at many things, at the top of that list is making lemonade.  

I can make it pretty much out of anything, thank you, God...

And it's pretty fucking good, if I do say so myself. 

Cheers everybody.

Make it a Good Day, G

And thank you, mama and papa, for little g was blessed with two really fucking good parents xoxo...and fetching the soap as we speak. tee hee

It's a Nanny State Knocking at the Back Door Thing

Dear America,

"Particularly on issues like smoking, drinking, guzzling sodas that are too big for them, you know, eating sixteen Big Macs a day, whatever it may be, the reality is we all need a bit of nannying about that that's why so many people are on diets. That's a form of nanny state."  Piers Morgan, speaking with Christine Quinn, President of New York City Council, as well as, fellow New York Liberal.

yeah, nothing wrong with steering people in the right direction, right?

Let's just ban cream cheese, too -- no perfectly good use for that, unless, of course, it's totally fat free...and why bother then, what's the point.  Whipped cream -- especially out of those canisters using a propellant like nitrous-oxide -- fugettaboutit.  Absolutely not.  All fluff and no substance.  Which kinda reminds me of a certain someone...perhaps we could just ban 'that guy' while we're at it.

Candy, should be gone.

Ice Cream, gone.

Real sugar -- gone (White House, the Capital kitchens, Governor's mansions, all exempt)  let's just force everyone else to use a fake substitute?  What's wrong with that?

And then, while we're confiscating the sweeter side of life just because a few bad apples spoil it for the whole bunch -- what's to stop us from the government going for our dough, like Cyprus?

Can you just imagine it?  If tomorrow morning when you wake up, ten percent of your savings in the bank was gone?  Gone, baby, gone.


Yes, indeed, "whatever it may be, the reality is we all need a bit of nannying about that that's why so many people are on diets. That's a form of nanny state,"  spoken like someone fit to be king.

We all need a bit of nannying -- for we, in the general context, have lost all self-control, according to Mr. Piers 'Hold Still, This Won't Hurt a Bit' Morgan.

The question, then -- and the one most of us considered answered, like over 200 years ago --  is where does this nanny state start and stop?

The slippery, syrup-y slope has begun people. 

• Perhaps the nanny state begins to re-distribute funds as they see fit, using the sequester cuts to make political gains, hurting the most people to affect change as quickly as possible?  
• Perhaps the nanny state eventually decides to ban fossil fuel family vehicles altogether, given the reality that most of us are simply not moving fast enough on our own?  
• Perhaps the nanny state forces private companies to provide free contraception to all employees? 
• Perhaps the nanny state begins to interfere with the element of personal accountability and self-reliance to know and weigh the risks involved with playing for the NFL? 
• Perhaps the nanny state begins to take personal property, without cause, and all the while causing so much financial strain to fight the case, the property owner simply walks away? 
• Perhaps the nanny state begins to distribute full college scholarships to illegals, non-citizens? 
• Perhaps the nanny state begins to mandate services to buy -- for our own good, you know, for our health and the welfare of the entire country? 
• Perhaps the nanny state begins to designate which days we can buy gasoline, and how much we can have?
• Perhaps the nanny state begins to trivialize life itself -- providing legalized abortions, even after 12 weeks - - while forcing citizens who do not believe in abortion at any time, to subsidize it, going against one's personal and religious beliefs?
• Perhaps the nanny state begins to tell us what kind of gun we can own, or how many, and more important, begins to control the availability of ammunition to use it?
• Perhaps the nanny state begins to dictate how much salt, sugar, soda pop, chocolate -- and whatever else causes all self-control to go right out the door-- we can enjoy?

Newsflash:   Immigrants have flocked to America's shores because we are NOT the nanny state.  [GOP TAKE NOTE]

Up until now, America has steadfastly stood for sweet liberty and fullness of life and happiness, come what may -- in good and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.    In other words, the self-contained reward, living in America, came only following hard work, combined with self-reliance and individual aspirations and personal responsibility, to make something of ourselves, to provide for our family, and give back to our community from the goodness of our own heart.

But needless to say, we worked so hard for it --  the making of it's a wonderful life -- there was no time to get fat off of soda (which, by the way, used to be a treat, saved for special occasions, but I digress)... or donuts, or ice cream, or French fries, or potato chips, or "whatever it may be, the reality is we all need a bit of nannying about that that's why so many people are on diets..."  

The thing is, over time, Americans have grown lazy with the fundamentals, and have grown entitled in "whatever it may be, the reality is we all need a bit of nannying about that that's why so many people are ____________".   

Are we not entitled to eat what we want, drink what we want, smoke what we want, and all the while, exercise as little as we want?   Are we not entitled to get free birth control, free education, and a six digit salary fresh out of school...for who works up the ladder anymore, right?    Are we not entitled to dictate when religious liberty, and the free exercise thereof, is permitted and when and where it is not -- not to mention, when religion is simply offensive in and of itself?  Are we not entitled to usurp the principles that made America great, replacing independence with dependence, and collectively deteriorating the value of hard work by guaranteeing outcomes without equal effort and sacrifice?

Our reward, now limited.
Motivation for excellence, gone.
Great aspirations, gone.
Doing the right thing, even when no one is watching, gone.
Possibility for acquiring wealth and property, gone.
And America eventually withers away.

Perhaps a return to good old-fashioned anecdotes is in order?   A revival of things like, everything in moderation....having a modicum of self-control..... maybe living within our means and totally respective of our individual weaknesses and cravings and demons.... saving for a rainy day (under the mattress is looking better and better)...

In short -- in essence and in everyday life, we have grown more immorally entitled than morally responsible in every possible way; AND THAT goes for our government, too.  And I think we can all agree, it's beginning to show.


Naturally, the nanny state sees an opening to dictate every living detail of our life, down to our last Big Gulp and, coming to a nanny state near you, dime.



Make it a Good Day, G





 

It's Malarkey with No Reservations Thing

Dear America,

so on this day in the life we will be getting around to the marvelous malarkey; it's really good stuff.

no, scratch that, it isn't all that good or all that marvelous or all that at all.

It's politics.

Here's a good one from just this past weekend's turn of events -- Arlen Specter died.  Oooh G gaffe, right off the bat, too,  Bad girl. Bad girl.  So allow me to clarify, if you will:

He is being generally referred to as a "centrist."  Yes. That is a good one.  A registered democrat throughout his early life when one day he decided to get into politics; long story short, he passed himself off as a "republican" to gain the seat...then fast forward through the years -- making a history of casting rather suspicious votes, voicing contentious opinion against his party -- then finally turning around in a rough re-election bid only to change party affiliation just in time to lose the election altogether.

Specter's political career defines malarkey.   If you were to give it a color -- it would be gray.

Oh that is rich.
Yes!  Indeed! When you put it like that -- He IS a centrist!  Well I'll be, call me butter and slather me on toast.

Rest in peace, Arlen.

More malarkey now; and this one takes us wee, wee, wee, all the way home to the original source:  joker Joe Biden.  Given that tomorrow we get to be trick or treated to the second presidential debate,  unfinished business of the vice president's showing keeps ringing my bell.

While over the weekend I got lucky -- not lucky, lucky, but just lucky to find a sweet and tangy list of the top ten malarkey moments.

HERE YOU GO...eat this letterman-joe.

go ahead.  click away...read it....devour it....savor it...save some for later....

The "10 Lies and Counting" post is prefaced with the following quote:

“‘What I’ve been doing mostly, quite frankly, is studying up on Congressman Ryan’s positions on the issues, and Gov. Romney has embraced at least everything I can see. I don’t want to say anything in the debate that’s not completely accurate,’ Biden told reporters outside a Hy-Vee in Council Bluffs, Iowa.” (Arlette Saenz, “Vice President Joe Biden Says Accuracy Is Key At Next Week’s Debate,” ABC News’ Political Punch, 10/4/12)"

ooooooh boooo "I don't want to say anything in the debate that's not completely accurate," he says with malarkey moxie.

well done.
good one... Mr. Vice President of the City of Vice.

and now thinking back to the big white teeth, smiling like a Cheshire cat ready to pounce, sitting there just shaking his head....wavering back and forth in his chair....going "it's not true, not true" "ah no"  "ah no" "not true, not true"  ah "with all due respect, that's a bunch of malarkey." That last link just sends you to the HuffPost -- so no need to go there really...only if you want to...but talk about a bunch of malarkey...

At least good, ole Joe also said this:  "I always say what I mean."

Scary, isn't it?

From the reprehensible...GO...Mr. "They want to put y'all back in chains"

To a bevy of remarkable video clips...GO..."Mr. The middle class has been buried the last four years" all the way on through the 'top ten to "Stand up, Chuck..."  and simply stunning the entire audience after asking the Senator, a paraplegic, to stand up from his wheelchair.

"I always say what I mean."

Let's hope not.

My girl and me have a thing for Anthony Bourdain...there is just something about the way he moves, man...   While in this moment, all of a sudden, I'm seeing this sharp contrast between a guy who has made a career of living off "a bunch of malarkey" -- from one politician to another to his own -- to a guy who has made it his business to be so honest, so real, so all about being true to the food and the scene.

He is in the middle of the farewell season of his show, No Reservations.

But the thing is, there is never a day when I don't watch him roam a city far and wide that I don't come away with a new reality; perhaps it's something rather small and insignificant, but sometimes it becomes so big, taking on a life of it's own, I can't get it off my mind.  And it's the latter being just the case while watching Bourdain somewhere in France, sometime over the last couple of days...He was in the middle of a field of vines.

It was there where the vintner turned to Tony and said something about the hard, rocky soil the grapes call home...remarking how the conditions are so difficult, so rough, for the little vines to grow -- that the roots must actually struggle every day to find sustenance and water and nutrients -- that it makes the grape more concentrated in flavor.    


Of course, all I can think of is wow -- what a wonderful, wonderful world if those very conditions met the field of Congress each and every day.  But no.  They live in an unending field day, sunrise to sunset, making oodles of money, from investment and favor to salary and expense accounts.  See also  General Malarkey with no reservations here.

Just how hard do they really have it?  huh?  am I right? am I right? huh, am I right?  I'm right, right?

Where is the congressional strife and struggle?  It may be an oversimplification, but without it, real substance has no way of being produced. [and funny how that works for all of us...and yes, I drink my own label]

If I were in charge of the world I would cut the congressional vine right off -- slashing salaries, putting them on bare bones expense accounts, cutting off all kickbacks and wiggle room for personal investment and wealth building, and make them work forty hour weeks in Washington, just to start.  They have this job to SERVE us, the people -- and THIS is what we get?

We seem to be funding malarkey by the barrel...and while perhaps half the country finds our Vice President's debate debut with Paul Ryan something worthy of a ribbon if it were a 'gotcha' and 'bring it' fest...the rest of us are wondering how did we get here?   What an embarrassment he is. Honestly, liberals, is THAT what you like?   what you respect?   Is Joe putting your best foot forward?

Is Obama really a uniter?    We thought he would be -- he had all the right stuff to make it so, or so we thought (in general...old G thang not included).  But that is some kind of malarkey to save for another day, indeed.

Ahh Another favorite moment with Bourdain is flashing before my eyes...

somewhere in Emilia-Romania one day, Tony got a chance to hang his own prosciutto for future noshing [did that come out alright?  to Bourdain worshipers, you know what I'm sayin'...]  -- anywho, he was gonna have to wait, like years, for it to be ready.  But it's there, signed, sealed and dated, as if an everyday ham could be passed down from a long line of royalty.  In the process, the little Italian gentleman in charge began to describe the essence of refining the basic pork shoulder like you wouldn't believe...

first, you have ah, this window here, eh... the air comes in ah from d'north and ah then you have it waft over d'river here, ya see, and then it moves ever so gently through d'window and begins to caress-ah d'little piggie until a rich, sweet, noble mold grows, ca peesh?

He said it better.
But let's not dwell, shall we?

A thing of substance takes time, care, thought.  It needs to be earned -- strengthened and compounded in it's very nature through hard work, toil, struggle, thereby having it's convictions tested in every way, day in and day out.  There is no gray.  There is no middle.  There is no center.  There are only principles left or principles right.

In other words, malarkey has no place under the sun, Tuscan or otherwise.

Ah to have a George Washington grace us with his presence of leadership; to have an Adam Smith enlighten us with his natural law; to have a Jefferson, a Madison, a Paine, a Franklin root us firmly in self-reliance and bring us sustenance.  If there was ever a need so great... this is the time... this is the moment,  for a sweet and noble mold to envelop us and enrich us and bring us home, with no reservations.

happy monday, sweet people, happy monday.

Make it a Good Day, G

For No Malarkey and All Substance everyday:  GO TO THE PATRIOT POST.   
TODAY is no exception...it's a Memo to Mitt...please read...you and Mitt..

It's an Ah-mazing Grace Thing

Dear America,

so I wanna drift into a conversation about the sanctity of life.  it is, after all, how we left things last week.

why?
because it is so much more than the complicated, twisted turns of ideology and opinion pitting feminists/leftists against tradition.

When a child -- of fifteen years -- writes in her journal:

"I just f killed someone. I strangled them and slit their throat and stabbed them now they're dead. I don't know how to feel atm. It was ahmazing. As soon as you get over the 'ohmygawd I can't do this' feeling, it's pretty enjoyable. I'm kinda nervous and shaky though right now. Kay, I gotta go to church now ... lol"

When a trusted teacher -- teaching at an elementary school in L.A. -- was recently discovered to have been forcing students to do unthinkable acts (with most of it captured on film) ....Only to have a second teacher, from the same school,  be arrested for virtually doing the very same thing....


When a lauded coach, with a winning record and a following teetering on religious idolatry  -- does next to nothing in reporting (and punishing) a colleague for [serious allegations of] acts of sexual abuse, and basically protecting a pedophile.


sure... it is a stretch in dialogue -- from 'it's not about contraception' to pedophilia.

BUT just look at our children  -- and the world in which they live in!  Just look at how they are turning out!  Just look at the broadband effect of abuses -- large and small -- upon the impressionable, vulnerable, young mind in America.

what are we doing?  how are we protecting them?  what are we teaching them?



Is Life, it's self -- in general and in the specific -- sacred anymore?  Is "it" protected, nurtured, and lovingly guided to grow up into responsible, thoughtful, lawful, compassionate, people?

Forgive me.  But just how in the world is this becoming so hard to do?

Oh I know why.
it's a rhetorical question.

It went awry when we ceased teaching a moral code.

When the intellectual, leftist response to modern life managed to gain a stronghold upon the halls of government -- driving a certain social justice agenda up against every tradition in America, including our hallowed Judeo-Christian beliefs and practices -- we stopped being the Nation under God.  It - Life under God, our Creator -  was replaced -- in thought, word and deed -- by man.

And guess what?  Man (or little girl, as this particular discussion includes), when left to his own moral code, confronting his very own devil inside, without a sense of belonging to a Spirit that is larger than life itself, falters.   For man, and even little girls, have a few flaws.

Making another huge leap, The Daily Bell featured an interview (with Dr. Yaron Brook) over the weekend that intrigued me (and in a round about way, his thoughts fit well):

"I think the world is pretty straightforward. The world is dominated by really, really bad ideas, by a lot of ignorance, a bad moral code and really bad ideas about politics, which drive people to do things that are not in their (or our) long-term self interest. I think central banks are an example of poor economic understanding and of a moral code that requires that government control as much of our lives as possible. I think this is fundamentally an ideological battle, a battle of ideas, a philosophical battle.

The destructive ideas dominating our culture are out in the open. They emanate from the universities. Their advocates are out in the open, blaring at us from lecture halls, pulpits, political rallies, editorial pages, TV and radio. What's devastating our world is the impact of intellectuals – professors, writers, economists, think-tankers – who advocate for Keynesianism, subjectivism, socialism, existentialism, post modernism, all these ideologies that are anti-capitalist, anti-individual rights, anti-freedom...

...What's unique about Atlas Shrugged is not only that it gives us answers, but it gives us solutions. It presents the philosophical explanation for what is going on today in terms of cause and effect, but it also gives us the solutions to these problems and a philosophy that completely turns upside down the statist regimes and the statist ideologies of today and presents us, for the first time in history, with a consistent philosophy that is pro-individual rights, pro-individualism."

The interview delves into nearly every facet of life in the modern world from the perspective of the Executive Director of the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights; for more, go here.

Now, granted, the focus for the interview was on capitalism, along with the war on terror; but the at the bare minimum, how can any of us expect for America to do well, to capitalize in today's world market, when we can't even "capitalize" upon our most basic natural resource, our people?  It's a good question.  We just aren't making them like we used to, you know?

Rational, long-term self-interest, aligning with pro-individual rights UNDER God...protecting freedom, liberty, and justice, for children and adults alike, is the cornerstone of America's way back.

America needs a heavy dose of tough love.  and I think that is exactly what we are witnessing right now.

I think our Father, our Creator, loves us so much right now -- Free Will, manifesting as good vs. evil,  is being allowed to take it's course, to play out, even if evil appears to be winning.  As individuals, we face it; as a country, we live it, turning it into the every day.


But everything we are taught these days stems from living In the Moment, not for the "long-term;" what we live for is selfish interests -- not rational, long-term self-interest built upon proven, age-less principles and values; what we want for ourselves is to live from one 'ahmazing' moment to the next, without care and thoughtful consideration of others, let alone leading a life of virtue just for the thrill of it.

We are teaching our children everything from life is fully disposable one minute, to taking the life of another is worth the rest of your life in jail.  We are snatching the innocence and beauty of life right out from under them, before they are even given a chance to know the difference.

We began the day citing the devastating actions of just four people -- a girl, two teachers and a coach; between them, hundreds of children have been irreparably damaged for life, if not killed outright; and they, in turn, will touch the lives of many others as they attempt to live with it.  How tragic.  How mind boggling really.

The cause and effect of the lives of just four people, out of 300 million of us living in America, can, and may, exponentially speaking, be very well a sign of the death of us.  For these kinds of stories are everywhere and often, aren't they.

America is truly sick.

And that's just it.

Raising good people requires rational, long-term self-interest for the betterment and livelihood and prosperity of the whole (the way our founders intended). Gone are the days of self-reliance; welcome to the era of self-destruction.

Leaving us to deal with the greatest responsibility and duty to Individualism, to it's highest degree. 

At this point, it might even require ten commandments, or something.

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,

"The Almighty hath implanted in us these inextinguishable feelings of good and wise purposes.  They are the guardians of our hearts.  They distinguish us from the herd of common animals.  The social compact would dissolve, and justice be extirpated the earth, or have only a casual existence were we callous to the touches of affection.  The robber and the murderer, would often escape unpunished, did not the injuries which our tempers sustain, provoke us into justice.

O ye that love mankind!  Ye that dare oppose, not only the tyranny, but the tyrant, stand forth!  Every spot of the old world is overrun with oppression.  Freedom hath been hunted round the globe.  Asia, and Africa, have long expelled her.  Europe regards her like a stranger, and England hath given her warning to depart.  O! receive the fugitive, and prepare in time an asylum for mankind."

Thomas Paine, Common Sense

Only in America did it become actually possible for all men to prosper, freely and liberated under the rule of law, unencumbered by the ties to working under "the man", and give full creative license to become anything your heart desires.

It seems easily forgotten, doesn't it; America got here through struggle and strife, a great loss of life, coming from the position "did not the injuries which our tempers sustain, provoke us into justice."

But with what is going on now, in America of all places, all I can think of is how things here must be taking up quite the conversation up there in heaven. As we turn our laws inside out, at times even reaching the travesty of full extirpation altogether, America is losing it.  For all the common sense from which we stand today,  rebellion is leading the way once more. And for what, because some people do not want to do the right thing? 

If only We the People could sustain the memory of our original intent, remembering the original sins of a tyrannical past which anchored our humble roots.

From The 5000 Year Leap,

"As we have seen, The American Founding Fathers would have agreed with Aristotle rather than Plato.  Part of this was due to the fact that the Founders looked upon law differently than Plato.  Instead of treating law as merely a code of negative restraints and prohibitions, they considered law to be a system of positive rules by which they could be assured of enjoying rights and the protection of themselves, their families, and their property.  In other words, law was a positive good rather than a necessary evil [to preserve and enlarge freedom]."

There is no freedom in a society racked and sacked with lawlessness -- it prohibits all action, all commerce, all good and all peace of mind necessary to prosper.  (Arizona case in point)

In this moment I am tickled by a little bit of advice from Ann Landers; I have had it cut out and on my fridge ever since my girl was three (while she is thirteen going on thirty today). 

Dear Ann Landers:
I'm a sixteen year old girl who is a nervous wreck from getting yelled at.  All I hear from morning till night is: "stop smoking.  Get off the phone.  Hang up your clothes.  Do your homework.  Clean up your room."  How can I get them off my back?
-- sick of parents

Dear Sick:
Stop smoking.  Get off the phone. Hang up your clothes. Do your homework, and clean up your room.

Has anyone else but me noticed how the more we "evolve", the more restricted this land is our land has become; our laws and regulation are changing, upturning our very foundation right out from under us.  They are changing to meet the demands of a new age -- a new age alright -- the age of wanton disregard of our individual duty and obligation to be of good citizenry.  The irony really, for this new age of social justice is prohibiting our very ability to come together as Americans -- extinguishing one of the core principles of maintaining our freedom, a limited government!

Because some people have no clue, or care, in keeping to our individual duties as citizens, we have returned nearly full circle to the land of the restrained, restricted, regulated and oppressed; an outcome tilling a perverted twist on the separation of the wheat from the chaff, if you ask me.

The community organized factions keep breaking us apart, don't they. And then again, maybe not:

"Islam condemns terrorism unreservedly and totally," Naseem Mahdi said yesterday, adding it is "the duty and responsibility of all Muslims living in the US to be loyal to the flag and to be law-abiding citizens."

Amen to that, Naseem!

If you are here, in America, then someone a long time ago or yesterday, took the distinct action of becoming a citizen of America -- or at the very least we assume then you are visiting lawfully, and politely, respective of the individual duty to uphold our laws and expectations to the fullest extent under the law while here.

Is that really asking too much?

I believe Naseem is spot on. 

This is AMERICA for God's sakes; defined by the melting pot, characterized by immigrants from around the globe coming to America in search of a better life from our birth!  No other country offers as much for so little!  All America has every really asked is that you bring something of value to the bounty already here!  The open door immigration policy advocates all are welcome -- that anyone who comes, must come with the intent to become a fully integrated, responsible, compassionate American citizen, and honor her through and through.

All people being fully capable -- no matter what faith -- recognizing that each and every one of us is the embodiment of the very nature from which all things are made;  the Founders looked to our inherent birthright from a God we call by many names, in various forms of rites and rituals, supplying us with everything we ever truly need.  Even an unbeliever must find faith in something -- if only this faith is found solely in themselves.

The thing is, it is good that we find ourselves grappling with who we are, as Americans today.  This is a good thing, as Martha would say (not Washington, the other one).

But let us not also realize, that the more we splinter off into our separate issues, divided by make believe rhetoric and false assumptions, the more we will fail each other and this country as a whole.  The reality is, we're becoming so divided and partisan, we will eventually get to the point where each and every citizen will feel disenchanted and disenfranchised for something -- ultimately, all of us will be discriminated against for one reason or another, and around and around we will go with discontent.

This is surely not the intention of the original intent.

Look at the Tea Party groups -- immediately disgraced and riddled with derogatory name calling, equating them to tea baggers instead -- or as white Nazi extremists.  Both President Clinton and Nancy Pelosi have come out acclaiming the gravity and seriousness of the spoken word, basically causing us to take heed and be careful with what we say to each other.  And yet, the peaceful protest of a group unhappy with current government, taxation without representation -- a road we've clearly been down before -- gets attacked --viciously targeting personal character, ideology and position.

So hey, if we are in fact getting to a point where discrimination happens to everyone, doesn't this redistribution of discrimination make actual discrimination obsolete?  Wouldn't we all be back on equal footing?  Yes, warped I am, I am..but it was Bernie Goldberg who said a couple days ago, "I don't see anyone complaining about affirmative action, that's racial profiling'"...but we digress. 

In a weird way, we would be back to every man for himself; every pet peeve and issue would be hung out on the line for all the world to see -- no longer would our magnificence be what attracts people of every nation to our shore -- no longer would our enterprising spirit and ingenuity to create new things hold a special place -- what would gather the attention of our neighbors and make for tabloid fodder would be the airing of our dirty laundry -- instead of just bucking up and doing the right thing right from the start.

Ooooh and where have I heard that before?

Our Founders cultivated the American soil for prosperity and advancement by affirming a faith in every man for himself tied to our Creator, providing the necessary natural law to coexist in order to feed the American soul to not only grow, but thrive.

Every man for himself, indeed; all citizens living peacefully and dutifully under the same law -- to be, do and have to the precise level our hard earned efforts received (whether it is an hourly wage, Wall Street bonus, Software giant billions or Hollywood millions, and everything in between).

Naseem is so right, Ann Landers is so right, Aristotle, Paine and our Founders are so right!

We the People are all Americans.  And as such, as the evolution of our days spent in revolution fall fast behind us, what must be resurrected and restored is the original responsibility to be of good cheer and to make good citizens in order to save the future.  Self-reliance and self-government protects the common man, uplifting every limitation through sheer determination and conviction, proven the years over, to create avenues of unprecedented prosperity -- no matter how rich or how poor your daddy.

This is not a time for dissent. 
This is not a time for factions.
Unless of course you are on the side for ALL AMERICANS one and all, from the immigration policy set forth, way back when, encapsulated in HR1776 -- you know the one, the people's House Resolution in the year of our Lord Seventeen Seventy Six  -- connected, united and created by the grace of God, to reunite for the common cause promoting the liberal distribution of our founding principles.

And for today, the greatest of these seems to be found in our Declaration of Independence declaring our unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness -- our commitment to love our neighbors as ourselves, united in the spirit of the one, true, American voice, goes hand in hand.

Our true freedom is not free -- nor is it guaranteed at this rate; there is a price -- it not only takes work and our undying obligation to do our part, but a people's lasting independence depends on it.

Oh yes, and speaking of dependents,  let's raise them well:  may they stop smoking, get off the phone, hang up their clothes, do homework and clean up their room. With any luck, they will raise their children to do the same -- not for the sake of running a tyrannical household, like I can hear some of you say -- but for the sake of raising our children right, responsible, rooted adults.

Making the promise to themselves and future generations that they, too, remember the temper from which they came and grow up big and strong and fully capable of being like every other man unto himself --  in the community of others that is -- without destroying it for the rest of us; without creating one more reason to legislate another law; without adding one more restriction to what otherwise should be a free, loving, nurturing place we all like to call home.

And even for those of us who consider themselves "all grown up" already, may we recognize the blessings AND THE DUTY to live in America -- as AMERICANS -- not Hispanic-Americans, not African-Americans, not Muslim-Americans -- but as AMERICANS. 

Nobody really likes keeping our room clean and picking up after ourselves, but come Sunday dinner, we all have reason to rejoice as one big happy family -- anything less, is simply being un American.

Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America,

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom

 by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. 

What one person receives without working for,

another person must work for without receiving. 

The government cannot give to anybody anything

 that the government has not first taken from somebody else. 

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

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

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

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

that my dear friend,

 is about the end of any nation...

YOU CANNOT MULTIPLY WEALTH

 by DIVIDING IT!"  

 Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931

And this principle pretty much works with anything.

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

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

"You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. 

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. 

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

You cannot further brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. 

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. 

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

You cannot build character and courage

 by taking away man's initiative and independence. 

You cannot help men permanently by doing for them

what they could and should do for themselves." 

Abraham Lincoln

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

"And so, my fellow Americans,

ask not what your country can do for you;

ask what you can do for your country." 

John F. Kennedy

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

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

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

                                                                Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

Janet Napolitano, said yesterday

Current Director of Homeland Security

Former Governor of Arizona,

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

as times were so good,

right...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America,

"Intoxicated with unbroken success,

we have become too self-sufficient

to feel the necessity

of redeeming and preserving grace,

too proud to pray to the God that made us!" 

Abraham Lincoln

Excerpt from National Day of Fasting Proclamation, 1863

This says it all, doesn't it.  I realize I'm repeating myself; but I can't seem to get over this whole prayer brouhaha -- just can't seem to let it go.  While if Lincoln thought we, the people, were acting too high on the hog back then, I shudder to think about what he's thinking about us now.

The other thing that never ceases to amaze me -- is the command and nature of the chosen words back then, "Intoxicated with unbroken success!"  One cannot help but get an instant visual, an immediate sensation, touching the intrinsic value of his sentiment; we know exactly what he is talking about, sensing the burden of responsibility to act accordingly -- to repent, make right, to atone our humanity with the Spirit back of all living things.

We were a spiritual nation of people.

"Those rights, then, which God and nature have established, and are therefore call natural rights, such as are life and liberty, need not he aid of human laws to be more effectually invested in every man than they are; neither do they receive any additional strength when declared by the municipal laws to be inviolable.  On the contrary, no human legislature has power to abridge or destroy them, unless the owner shall himself commit some act that amounts to forfeiture."  William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, elevated to new heights in the new land by our founders...

God's justice, unalienable rights through the natural laws given to us by our Creator, was the pact we made when forming this more perfect union; "what – therefore – God has joined together – let no man put asunder" as they say, according to traditional vows of marriage.

We are united by faith, with God, as a nation.

The irony really, as the way things were laid out from the very start, there was separation of church and state only in the context of walls; otherwise, God opened our doors in the morning, led every meeting, guided every direction, every cause, every effort, and tucked us each into bed at night.  Never did we live a day without giving thanks and praise, first and last.

Our founders recognized how the Spirit of a Nation could be elevated in times of trial, and grounded in times of good, when the very foundation was made from the principles handed down to us from the last 5000 years.  Some might even say, now that secular laws and beliefs rule the day, that the founders could see this day coming -- for they gave us all the tools and the plan and the direction to continue through the ages for eternity -- or for as long as we continued to recognize the simple Truths laid out and entrusted to us, as long as we continued to be a people of faith.

There is something to be said for allowing God's plan to unfold -- letting go of the attachment to outcome, entrusting ourselves, even in times that make us crazy, to continue the path of right action, making way for right outcome, and trusting in Divine Providence (or maybe Divine Intervention is more like it), allowing the Living Spirit, who moves through us and with us along the way, to do it's thing.

Sunday's message from Joel Osteen, who I try to catch when I can, encompassed this very idea -- reassuring us disciples that God's plan is always at play -- always "three steps ahead of us" (I believe he said three, he could just as easily said infinite for all that really matters) -- but his point was, God runs along before us, closing windows, opening doors, turning on the lights, and otherwise, making way for us to make our way, assuring us at the very least, that there is a reason for everything.

Osteen spoke of a couple of stories to illustrate this --

1)  The plane going down in the Hudson.  Captain "Sully" had years of experience flying in the Armed Forces, followed by flying for years in the private industry along with something else you may not have known before -- but 37 years as a recreational glider pilot under his belt.  He mastered the art of flying without power!  Low and behold, who is at the helm when one of the rarest occurrences in aviation should happen -- the loss of all engines through annihilation by a flock of geese -- Sully. 

Even unbelievers said God must have had a thing to do with that miracle on the Hudson -- there was no other conceivable reason that could have justified such a feat of brilliance and masterful direction.  Sully may very well have been the only one who could have done it...could it have been his purpose all along?

2)  After the Haiti earthquake, Osteen's brother, a doctor, went down to offer his services.  As they were working, some kind of monitor stopped operating properly, with no replacement in sight.  They were unable to do anything without it.  Low and behold, a Haitian man, in the vicinity of all this scrambling around in hopes of finding the resources to get hold of another monitor, remembered a box he had stored away...  He returned with this box and gives it to Osteen's brother, and says maybe this can help -- this unopened box which sat in storage for two years.  What do they find, but the exact same model as the broken monitor.  There it was "unbroken", and ready, to just plug right in.

Later, when asked about it -- turns out this Haitian man had attended a trade show -- again, two years back -- and he won the darn thing in the raffle.  Skeptical of it's value to him, and having no idea what to do with it, he saved it anyway...just in case it would come in handy down the road...

Three steps to infinity and beyond, the path before us is made by faith.

My girl and I attended the Parkinson's 5K Walk and Fun Run this past weekend, an annual event held on old Navy property down in Point Loma.  It was a beautiful southern California morning, with just a touch of morning low clouds still to burn off before the race would be finished, making it stellar conditions from the start off. 

But the weather report isn't the point I want to make here -- the thing is, the air was more having to do with the environment itself;  the cause, the people gathering for such a cause, created an atmosphere of good will and open hearts and love. 

Have you noticed how attending events like these make you feel inside?

Anyone who has shared an experience of doing something for something greater than ourselves knows exactly what I'm talking about -- everybody is happy, pleasant and simply easy to be around. We unite under the cause with a higher purpose than our usual day to day calling -- we almost become intoxicated with the goodwill in which we are surrounded in.  It feeds us; it lifts us up; it stirs something in our soul.  We discover just how good it feels to do something for someone else, and just maybe make the Gods happy with us, too.  We unite with God, and the Spirit within everyone in attendance with a connectedness unmatched and unexplained -- no matter race, age or even human or canine (there were sooooooo many bow wows walking the 5K too...and they all got t-shirts too! -- really cute -- but let's get back on track).

Returning from the walk we had to make a pit stop at a local Staples to pick up a poster board for a school project.  We hopped out of the car still high on life when all of a sudden this little old lady nearly ran me over, on foot no less,  basically walking swiftly through me, cutting directly through my path from out of nowhere, with her husband at least three steps back in tow.  No pardon me, or excuse me.  Nothing.  No nicety whatsoever. 

I looked at my girl and rolled my eyes and without skipping a beat she says to me, "we're back in the real world mama."

Indigenous people of all nations connected to the Spirit world, a higher Benevolence, the all-knowing Omniscience which surrounds us, supports us, feeds our soul -- making our crooked paths straight.

Perhaps it is a "self-sufficiency" which has taken hold of us -- in combination with a sordid "self-deficiency" which plagues us -- but without question, the most forbidden defiance is the loss in our ability to self govern with principle, honor, compassion, truth, and a higher love.  This basic premise, this agreement we made before God and our country, this vow gladly embodied within each and every one of us as it's citizens, is the one that no man should put asunder.

Not until we return to the day of advocating the intrepid return to self-government, and self-government alone, along with our individual duty and responsibility to uphold three steps from now and for evermore, will America be blessed with Divine Providence once more; until we do, walking aimlessly in the desert will be more like it.

This is where things break down for us; we are so advanced, so technological evolved, no longer is there a need to make rocket ships to fly to the moon -- there is no need to look to that part of the night sky in search of God knows what -- for we've been there, done that already.

Advances through Divine Providence are easily dismissed and discounted in times of self-sufficiency; and no longer is it necessary to connect to this Spirit for invention and innovation and in prayer, for guidance and intervention for man knows what man needs to do and has all the power and might to get there on his own.  Matter of fact, we don't even have to make excuses for it or be nice to each other in the process -- for being nice is so Victorian you know (just another piece of liberal logic past down from a relative). 

Governments new found logic rests in the trust of man and man alone -- you know the drill, " trust me, I'm with the government and I'm here to help" mentality, for you know not what you do. Let me throw asunder the old ways and bring you up to speed with what's in store for you under man, under the new laws, under the new principles separating church and state in every which way to Sunday. 

Little does the little world of politics recognize the Light shining bright within the thousands standing side by side in every community, in every way, in 5K's and everyday, marching forward, as if Divine Providence is leading the way -- because It is.  Religious persecution is soooooooooooooo yesterday.

True self-sufficiency is found in honoring self-government, something a simple man does not understand without the grace of God and his self-reliance in tact -- in order to boldly connect to the greatest Source in the Universe, to leap tall buildings in a single bounce, or simply walk a 5K along side a seventy year old women running past you at warp speed, screeching "on your right" as she makes her way all the way to the finished line, all for a good cause.  priceless.

Make it a Good Day, G

Okay, this may be a stretch, but how about the latest Orbitz ad:
The Orbitz rep beams down out of the blue and hands a guy a check...all for not doing anything but using Orbitz services -- where they guarantee the lowest price, or if someone else books for a lower price, the difference gets paid to you...jump ahead to the guy in the pool, "what about me, don't I get a check?  I'm not doing anything."  The rep look at the guy and politely remarks (as if his lazy butt deserved a serious response at all), "no, first you have to book on Orbitz, then not do anything."

Just a funny way of looking at cause and effect -- and more importantly, tapping into the One True Source first, then all else shall be added unto you; all about the action before outcome, or "the action before the inaction" if you will -- while the Magnificence that walks before us never stops.