Identity Crisis

January 31, 2021

How do you define yourself? If some people had their way, we would be defined and judged by our choices in the voting booth. Five minutes on Election Day would determine how society sees you. If your choice for office were considered a racist, misogynistic, xenophobic crook, you are considered to share their values. Otherwise, how could you vote for them?

This is exactly how the left sees anyone who voted for Trump and other Republican supporters. “Orange Man Bad” equals his supporters being bad too. If you voted for the guy, you must share his values. The fact that an increasing number of voices on the left are calling for some form of retribution (“reprogramming”, Truth and Reconciliation commissions, etc.) Is especially disturbing. We are hearing calls for unity but apparently, that unity can only be achieved by forcing the losers to conform to the winners ideals and agenda. That is the unity of Tyranny.

What we are seeing now is an increasing push by the Left to stifle opposition. Even though they won (or stole, depending on your point of view) the election, the Left still insists on persecuting the former President. The coming impeachment trial is meant to send a clear message: outsiders are not welcome in DC and will be dealt with. The Democrats own the White House, have a majority in the House and own the tiebreaker in the Senate, yet they are intent on wasting time and tax dollars to destroy the political future of one man. Why? I believe there is only one real explanation: Donald Trump scared the hell out of the Washington establishment and deep state. He shocked everyone by even winning the nomination and then defeated Hillary Clinton, the Democrats chosen leader. Now, that Trump is out of office, they want to send a message to anyone who thinks they can duplicate his accomplishment: don’t try it.

My reasons for saying this are the fact that the Democrats aren’t satisfied with removing Trump as a political threat. They are also trying to cancel any Representative or Senator who supported his challenge to the Electoral College results. Democrats are on record calling those who supported the challenge traitors and insurrectionists, and seek to expel them as such. The evidence is all around us. Nancy Pelosi stating that the “enemy is within the House”, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accusing Ted Cruz of attempted murder and demanding his resignation or expulsion from the Senate, Katie Couric asking “how can we deprogram over 75 million Trump voters”, and even the Cosmetics company Sephora severing ties with a popular Instagram and U-Tube influencer because someone complained about them being a Trump supporter. Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sited are banning and censoring anyone who spreads what they call “misinformation”, which really amounts to disputing the narrative of the left. Tech giants such as Apple, Google and Amazon, to name a few, are actively working to suppress and deplatform opposition to the Leftist agenda.

If the Democrats are so convinced that they are on the side of right, why are they behaving like dictators who fear a loss of their power and control? As we speak, President Biden has signed so many Executive Orders he must have writers cramp, attempting to overturn all President Trump accomplished. These orders bypass Congress and circumvent our Constitutional right to have a say in our Government. The end result will be the enactment of an agenda that controls almost every aspect of your life. Bureaucrats in Washington will have more of a say about your Healthcare, job, housing, even what you eat and what you can say, than you do. Is this what you really want? Do you want some bureaucrat in Washington to set your identity for you? I don’t, but that’s where we are headed.

God Bless America and keep your powder dry.

Choosing Tyranny

May 3, 2020

On May 1st, the shelter in place order expired for Texas, as well as a few other states, and businesses began to re-open. Reaction has been mixed with some people thinking it doesn’t go far enough, and other believing it’s too soon. Only time will tell which is correct.

Meanwhile, in other states, notably Michigan, protests have begun to get their governors to reopen businesses as soon as possible. People are getting impatient and money is running out. Some are questioning why we had to take such drastic action in the first place. I cited some of the more outrageous restrictions in my last blog post, so I won’t rehash them here. I want to address what I believe the reason is for the protests.

Last week, President Trump announced the Federal Governments guidelines for the States to begin restarting their economies. Some states, like Texas, began the process almost immediately, while others responded by tightening restrictions. The states with the tightest restrictions have seen the most protests. There has been much commentary about the motives and actions of the protesters, from support to criticism for being selfish and putting others at risk. I believe the core reason behind these protests is quite simple:

Choice

Those who support the protestors believe that the respective state governments are unnecessarily and possibly illegally restricting freedom of choice. Critics believe it is necessary to sacrifice some freedom of choice for the “greater good”.

Freedom of choice is the very heart of our Republic; from the elections we hold to choose our government to our daily choices we make in how we live our lives. It has been my experience that the further left a government goes, the more choice is restricted. A recent example of Government overreach on freedom of choice was the Affordable Care Act. The act was intended to address the issue of people who were without medical insurance coverage and to make it more affordable. It not only failed at this, but it was, in reality, unconstitutional. This was because, for the first time in American history, the Federal Government dictated to the general public that it had to purchase health insurance or be penalized. Many people who did not have health insurance when the act was passed did not have it because they chose not to. The Act removed an individual’s freedom to choose not to purchase health insurance until they needed it.

The first ten Amendments to our Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. These amendments spell out certain specific rights that are protected from government intrusion. Rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble and redress grievances, freedom to be armed to defend one’s person, family and property and so on. This is not the Government granting these rights but protecting them from Government restriction. The protesters believe that the State Governments are infringing upon these rights with unnecessary and extreme restrictions in response to a virus that has a lower fatality rate than the flu. They maintain that they have the right to get on with their lives and that freedom entails some risk. If we have an oppressive government that attempts to remove risk by restricting choices, we are no longer free.

Those who criticize the protesters seem to hold the idea that people are not capable of making “correct” choices. They believe that a “nanny state” must make the choices for them because they do not trust that the people are intelligent enough to choose to be careful, they must be forced to comply. Their actions put others at risk so they must be stopped. A government that tries to eliminate all risk becomes oppressive, they pass laws that restrict movement, speech and actions, all while claiming they are acting for the “good of the many”. Consent of the governed goes out the window and replaced by consent of the Government.

Our most fundamental right is freedom of choice. Sometimes, people will make poor choices and must deal with the consequences of those choices, but the risk of those consequences does not entitle the government to restrict those choices.

What has been the most surprising thing about the events of the last three months has been the ease and speed with which government has restricted choice, and that many people have allowed the government to do it without any pushback. In fact, many people support these restrictions (again, for the “greater good”) and willing assist local authorities in identifying and punishing those who fail to comply. This is not the America I grew up in, and we must reverse course soon, or we will be telling our grandchildren what America was like when we were free.
God Bless you all.

Freedom Endangered by a Virus

April 19, 2020

This is a strange time we are living in. People find themselves stuck in their homes, not working and dependent on unemployment or some other Government funding to make ends meet. Those that are still working face travel restrictions and social distancing requirements that were unheard of as little a 4 months ago. Some people are able to work from home but there are some jobs that have been deemed unessential.

Why?

A virus.

Covid-19, or Coronavirus, started spreading from Wuhan, China and spread very rapidly worldwide. Cases around the world recently passed 1 million and deaths are numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
Some people believe this virus is no more deadly than the flu, and the infection numbers are similar, but there is one difference: there is no vaccine or treatment for this virus at this time.

This has led to isolation measures that are causing an economic disaster here in the United States that makes the 2008 recession look like a bad day. 22 million people are out of work and millions more are receiving stimulus checks from the Government. This is a situation that cannot continue.

Some of the items that have been in the news are these:

In Philadelphia, a passenger was physically removed by police from a bus for violating local policy and refusing to wear a mask. When offered a mask to wear, he refused and became combative with the police. The policy has since been rescinded.

In New York City, a hot line has been set up by the DeBlasio administration to report people who are violating social distancing rules. The mayor has encouraged reporting because his office believes that this will save lives.

There is a recall petition to remove the Governor of Michigan because she has, seemingly arbitrarily, decided what items are essential for the stores that are open to sell and what isn’t. Items such as seed and garden supplies are deemed not essential to maintain life. At one point, it was thought that child car seats were not essential, but this has since been walked back.

The Michigan governor also banned travel in her state to the point that people can’t visit friends and family unless they are providing essential medical care. Travel to vacation homes was also banned.

In Dallas County, Texas, the County Council had to reign in Judge Clay Jenkins because he was unilaterally implementing social distancing guidelines without getting approval from the Council first. He commented at a press conference that he would “tell you what you need to know”

These are just a few examples of measures that have restricted the movement of citizens across the nation. Governors have called certain businesses non-essential and ordered them closed or restricting what they can sell and the number of people in the store. Gatherings of more than 10 people are discouraged, or in some areas, banned under executive order.

What do the most draconian measures have in common?

Democrats.

The areas of the country where people are subject to the most restrictions are in areas run by Democrats. Even the Democrats in Congress are resisting Trump Administration efforts to get the economy moving again, claiming that it is too soon, Trump doesn’t believe in science, and that more lives will be lost. The want the standard to return to normal to be the development of a vaccine, which could take up to 18 months.

There is one state that is getting ready to open up and the plan they have could be a guideline for other states to follow.

Texas

Texas is the 2nd largest state in area behind Alaska, and 2nd most populous behind California. Currently, Texas ranks 10th in current Coronavirus cases.

Governor Abbott has laid out a specific plan where certain actions will be taken after certain conditions are met. Social Distancing will be maintained and there will still be restrictions for some time. This article outlines Governor Abbott’s plan

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8231321/Texas-state-reopen-WEEK.html?ito=facebook_share_fbia-top&fbclid=IwAR2EuPLL_Obi9X-LRbthZRorGr-HkQ8_0bgJILF3mIqiXb2mOZ_94QEM3nU

Why are the Democrats opposing the Trump Administration at every turn?

Power.

The Left still has not gotten over the fact that Trump won in 2016. They have tried to use every crisis, every manufactured scandal to get him removed. We have not even returned to normal and the Left is already formed a committee to investigate how the administration is handling this crisis.

The other thing we see happening is that the Government is shelling out TRILLIONS of dollars in payments to small businesses, essential services, and individuals. Democrats tried to hold up the Phase 3 stimulus package by attempting to use it to advance their agenda. It was beaten down by Republicans

Democrats are also trying to get even more money to prop up the economy. One of the items they are lobbying for is to pay every American $2000 a month for 6 months. That’s $12000 per person.

Where is the money coming from?

The Federal Government can only raise money in 3 ways: Borrowing (by issuing bonds), Taxes, or printing money. There are drawbacks to each of these. Borrowing increases the debt and the deficit. It also increases the amount of interest payments on the debt. Taxes, if they get too high, slow the economy because it decreases the discretionary income of the taxpayer, as well as reduces profits from businesses and raises consumer prices to cover the taxes (Sean Hannity once said that Corporations don’t pay taxes, they are passed on to the consumer). Printing money devalues the currency and increases inflation.

Protests have also started. The protesters are being strongly criticized by the media as selfish and not caring if people die. They are being misrepresented in order to harm Trump’s reelection chances. People are protesting restrictions that they believe are unnecessarily restrictive and want to see their states economies restart so they can return to work and support their families.

People are willing to maintain social distancing and wear masks, and they realize some businesses can’t open yet, but they don’t want to be dependent on the Government for their survival. They are willing to take some risk. If we wait until the risk is eliminated, our economy will never recover.

Some politicians are being exposed as little more than dictators who are willing to use the current crisis to advance an unconstitutional agenda. We must be prepared to stop this assault on our liberty and tell the politicians in Washington that we can take care of ourselves and don’t need bureaucrats making decisions for us on how we live.

God Bless you and stay safe.

Time to Save the Republic

October 21, 2019
On July 4, 1776, a group of people who were considered radicals and terrorist at the time, met in Philadelphia and published a Declaration of Independence from the British Empire. Seven years later, many of these same men met again in Philadelphia and drafted a Constitution for that young nation. This document outlined how the Federal Government should work and was published with ten Amendments which guaranteed that certain specific rights were to be protected from Government intrusion. For the next 236 years, that document has withstood the test of time.
Today, our founding document and our country are in grave peril. Not from an invading army or a natural disaster, but from people who work within that very government outlined in our Constitution. The leaders of the Democrat Party, Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the House), Chuck Schumer (Senate Minority Leader) and Adam Schiff (Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee) are engaged in a coup to remove President Donald Trump from office. This action has divided the nation to the point where many now believe we are witnessing a Cold Civil War.

Speaker Pelosi unilaterally declared that the House has begun an Impeachment Inquiry. While the Constitution is not specific on the rules of Impeachment, there is precedent on how to run it. Presidential Impeachment has been sought 3 times in our history. The most recent involved Richard Nixon (Watergate) and William Clinton. Nixon resigned before the Articles of Impeachment were written but President Clinton was subjected to the entire process.
When the House of representatives, Led by Speaker Newt Gingrich, began the hearings, they were conducted in public, with both Republicans and Democrats on the committees, and representatives of President Clinton attending. Both parties questioned and subpoenaed witnesses, and the President’s legal council had input and knew what was being said. In the end, even though the Articles of Impeachment passed the House, the Senate voted to not convict and remove President Clinton.
Today, even though what is happening is called an Impeachment hearing, it is not being conducted like the three previous hearings. These hearings are conducted behind closed doors in a secure room that is designed for disseminating classified material, even though there is nothing classified about these hearings. Committee Republicans are in attendance, but they cannot subpoena witnesses and transcripts of the proceedings are not available to the public. Information is selectively leaked, and reporters are not admitted. The entire Impeachment narrative is being controlled by Chairman Schiff to make it appear that they have enough evidence to impeach President Trump and to convince the Senate to remove him. The President has no representation and the public only knows what Chairman Schiff chooses to release.
The way these proceedings are being conducted defies the precedent set by previous impeachment hearings and denies President Trump due process. It is, in effect, a political lynching conducted by people who cannot accept that Donald J. Trump is President of the United States and that Americans support him.
I think the Democrats are trying to send American Voters a message: we are entitled to run this country and will not tolerate you electing anyone but us. They believe that we, the American People, don’t know what is best for us and that we need them to point us in the right direction. The impeachment hearings are their way of telling us that they will not stop harassing President Trump until we put them back in power, as they believe they are entitled run this country and its people’s lives.
I once had a Liberal friend ask me how I could vote against my own best interests. My reply is that I don’t need Government to decide what is in my best interest, it is my right to decide that for myself. These impeachment hearings are dangerous in that they are one sided and designed for only one outcome, the removal of President Trump and to convince the American voter to never again elect someone other than a deep state Democrat. It is dangerous because it they succeed, it is only a matter of time before these same Democrats use similar methods to harass, intimidate and ruin anyone who opposes their agenda.
President Trump is not perfect (No one is), but he is not the treasonous, racist criminal that the Democrats and the Liberal press would have us believe. We need to preserve our country and our freedom by stopping what these Democrats are trying to do; prevent them from overturning the results of the 2016 election and going against the will of the American Electorate.
Keep your powder dry.

The Debate Rages On.

August 5, 2019
It has happened again. Two individuals who can only be described as mentally or emotionally disturbed picked up a gun and ended the lives of 31 of their fellow human beings and injured dozens more.

I find myself angry.

The news has been dominated by politicians playing the blame game. We find ourselves subjected to ideology and outrage that only serves to divide us further. Leftist media and politicians blame the President and his tweets. They claim that he has created an environment of hate and racism that caused these shootings. It’s as if they have forgotten that there were many mass shootings before President Trump even thought of entering politics.

The New York Times published an article blatantly stating that the violence is caused by guns. It creates a simple but spurious argument, that getting rid of guns solves the problem. This argument shows a lack of understanding of what is happening to our society.

Then we have statements from many Democrat Presidential candidates. Several have claimed these shootings were caused by a climate of racism and hate that allows bigotry and white supremacism to flourish. They want President Trump held accountable. All this does is further inflame hate and division. It requires us to act based on the emotions of anger and fear, which will lead to unworkable or ineffective solutions.

Kamala Harris stated that we must act. She claims that if Congress does not act when she is president, she will. This is a dictatorial statement that claims only the power of Government can solve the problem, much like this statement from another Democrat Candidate:

“We don’t need guns to protect us from Government, we need Government to protect us from guns.”

This statement flies right into the face of the intent f the 2nd Amendment.
The problem with the solutions being currently proposed are that they either violate individual rights under our Constitution, or they would only serve to increase government power at the expense of our freedom. There is currently a Resolution in the Senate that was passed by the House, HR 8, an analysis of which can be found here:

Textual analysis of HR8, bill to “To require a background check for every firearm sale”

This bill would require all sales or transfers of guns to be accomplished only through a licensed gun dealer. There are many provisions in this bill covering the sale and transfer of guns, and some of which might be helpful. However, there are provisions that would only serve to make law abiding gun owners Felons. For example:

Last year, a friend of mine was moving out of his house. He owns several rifles and handguns which he stores in a secure gun safe. He could not take this safe to his new house right away and it is currently stored in my home. I have no access to his firearms, and they are safely locked in the safe where they pose no threat to anyone. The problem is, if this Resolution were to become law before he moves the safe to his new home, we would be required to go to a licensed gun dealer and fill out paperwork for each individual handgun and rifle stored in this safe, pay a processing fee for each weapon, and my friend would have to undergo a background check for weapons he already owns, simply because they were being transferred back to his possession.

Another politician has suggested not only banning certain “assault weapons” bur also banning sale of their ammunition, to make those already sold useless, avoiding an outright gun confiscation in violation of the 4th Amendment.

I believe the solution could be found in the wording of the 2nd Amendment itself.

“A well trained Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

Gun control advocates have seized upon the first part of this Amendment to support 2 arguments. The first being that only the Military and Law Enforcement should be armed, and second, that the 2nd Amendment refers to the Slave militias that were formed to suppress slave rebellions in the Southern slave States. This argument is also given as a reason to repeal this amendment.

The problem with these arguments is that the Amendment is broken down in to separate elements, each one standing alone. In my opinion, this statement should be interpreted as a whole, its component elements supporting each other.

The “well trained Militia” referred to is not necessarily a standing army, but is, in fact, ordinary citizens trained in the safe and responsible use of arms. In Colonial America, guns were a necessity for survival. Today, modern technology has made it easy to survive without guns, however, this leads to the second part- the security of a free state. During the Revolutionary period, citizen soldiers were organized into groups known a Minutemen. These Minutemen could be armed and ready to fight in a moments notice. This was believed necessary as the British Government began to take action to suppress the colonist’s rebellion.

The phrase, “right of the people” refers to all citizens of the United States. Anytime the Constitution refers to “the people”, this is what it means. Shall not be infringed forbids the Federal Government from imposing any restrictions on that right without due process. One of the first things the British did in attempting to quell the incipient rebellion was to try and confiscate guns.

The Framers of the Constitution believed that an armed populace was necessary to not only defend from outside enemies, but to also keep the Government from becoming tyrannical.

Today, circumstances are different, however, the intent is the same, the 2nd Amendment protects the right of a free people to protect itself from all enemies. There are two major differences today, one is that there are more than 300 Million citizens in the United States and weapons technology has progressed considerably since then. If anything, this makes proper safety training even more important than it was in the 1700’s.

While the Constitution does not allow for gun bans or confiscation, this interpretation of the 2nd Amendment does allow for reasonable controls on gun ownership and use. Safety training could be required for gun ownership much like Drivers Education for a car. Provisions can be made to evaluate fitness for gun ownership using procedures similar for evaluating driver safety. Gun ownership cannot be denied, or guns confiscated without due process, but legal procedures can be put in place to protect the rights of gun owners.

These suggestions are merely a beginning. It will take time and co-operation of many groups to solve this problem. None of this will happen until we put aside our differences and stop the divisive rhetoric.

God Bless you all, God Bless the people of El Paso and Dayton, and God Bless the USA.

The Sound of God

August 7, 2018

One of the things I do in my free time is to volunteer to work the sound board at the local Baptist Church. Not only do I enjoy it, it also gets me to church at least once a month, which makes our pastor happy, I’m sure! The ministry team is a marvelous group, and their messages are very inspiring and informative.

Last time I went, the message came from Matthew Ch.5 V38-48. These verses are from the Sermon on the Mount and here Jesus tells us to love our enemies and forgive those who persecute us and do us wrong or harm. That we should not just love those who love us, or only associate with those who we agree with, but to treat everyone equally, and show them love and treat them with respect and dignity in Jesus name.

I took this message and thought about what I see on the news and social media today and I find myself deeply troubled. The level of hatred and vitriol that I see shows that we have forgotten this simple principle. We put up barriers to protect ourselves from ideas we can’t accept, and people we can’t agree with. People are judged, not on their character, but on who they vote for and support politically. They are called vile and hateful things by those who hold opposing views and told they must change their thinking or be silenced.

There is a perfect example of how far astray from God’s will we have gone. Not long ago, Congresswoman Maxine Watters was addressing a gathering of constituents when she made the claim that “God put me here to stop Trump” Then, she advocated using harassment and intimidation tactics against Administration officials and his supporters. She wants Trumps opponents to make life miserable for his supporters until they come around to her way of thinking.

This flies directly in the face of what Jesus taught us in Matthew, Ch. 5! Harassment and intimidation are nor what Jesus taught us, he taught us love, and acceptance. Even while Jesus was dying on the Cross, He asked God to forgive those who had crucified Him, even saving one of the thieves who was dying with Him. It is the height of arrogance to presume to speak for God.

This brings me to my next point. God and Jesus are not political! Both sides have cherry picked verses from the Bible to support political positions. This is wrong on many levels. Both parties have stood for things that God has already told us are Sins.

When Jesus encountered the rich man, who asked what he must do for eternal life, Jesus said to sell all he owned and give it to the poor, then, follow Him. The rich man couldn’t. Jesus did not condemn the possession of wealth, he condemned placing love of wealth above the Love of God. When Jesus spoke of giving to those less fortunate, He commanded us to give to the poor directly, not to have Government act in our stead. Some Liberals believe that Jesus would be a socialist because he commanded us to share our abundance. He did not make Government the method by which we should carry this out. There are many things in this world today that Jesus would condemn, all which stem from sins laid out in His Word centuries ago.

I firmly believe that if Jesus were here today, he would be found ministering to those who might otherwise be condemned by man for their sins. He would be preaching to, and saving, people from gangs, prostitution and other vices. He would save an LGBTQ person even before one who claims to follow him, because His love is greater than any love we can imagine.

We should all follow His example of love, tolerance, understanding and forgiveness. We should not sit in judgment of the sinner, that is for God alone. And to all those who practice hate, whether it be due to race, sexual orientation, faith, ethnicity, or even political affiliation, look inside your heart and ask yourself: is this what Jesus commanded of us? Jesus did not command hate, He commanded love.

God Bless you all.

Yes, I’m Back, I’m Ranting and It’s Time For Your Beat Down!

June 24, 2018
Yes, I’m back, and it’s time for a good rant!
I think most people I know would agree that what has been happening on our border with Mexico is shameful. What is more outrageous is how seemingly calm, rational people are reacting to it. Social Media is out of control and full of hate and intolerance coming from both sides. The blame game has gone into extra innings and Trump Derangement Syndrome is spreading like a plague.
Who is to blame for all this?
Bill Clinton? George W. Bush? Barak Obama? Donald Trump? Congress?
Some would say all the above, since they either passed/signed, enforced or ignored the laws and executive orders that created the immigration quagmire we now find ourselves in. The truth is drastically different.
So, who is responsible?
We are.
We, the American Voter.
We sent these people to Washington, D.C., thinking they would represent our interests. They lied, and we fell for it. And, WE KEEP SENDING THEM BACK! WHY??!!
We allowed ourselves to lulled by grandiose promises of “Hope and Change”, Make America Great Again”, “Forward Together” and “Drain The Swamp”. These are slogans that belong on a bumper sticker, not policy statements.
Trust in Congress is so low it can barely be measured, trust in the Mainstream Media is hardly any better, and yet we turn to these groups to come up with solutions to these problems. We expect power hungry, greedy politicians and business tycoons to act with compassion and to care for the “little guy” and get all bent out of shape when they don’t. Then, we turn to these very same untrustworthy people to fix what we are upset about!
Our Republic, as well as our freedom, has been in a slow decline since the Wilson Administration in the early 1900’s. That’s when the Constitution was amended to allow the direct election of Senators by the people, in opposition to what the Framers of the Constitution intended. The Senate was originally formed to provide equal representation to the State Legislatures in Congress, so that one State could not set the course of Government. This is why Senators were to be chosen by the State Legislatures, to represent their interests. The House of Representatives were to directly represent the people, and the President was to provide leadership to both bodies. This was to provide checks and balances, to prevent one branch from holding sway over the entire Government, forcing parties to compromise in order to successfully govern.
What we see happening today is one side doing it’s best to not only defeat their opposition, but to eradicate it. Our elected representatives have become a ruling elite. They do not represent the will of the people, but rather their ideology, agenda and party. We have allowed ourselves to be subjugated to this idea and it is time for a change. It is past time to let these elitists know who is really in charge of this country. This is something President Trump has claimed he wants to do but is being fought by the elitist in Washington and the sheeple who follow them. It is time for he American people to stop taking direction from Washington and, instead, give them some direction. Stop sending these power-hungry elitists to congress and the White House and bring us back to our Representative Republic.
Before any of this can happen, we must unite ourselves as a people. Stop letting politicians and Media types separate and define us, or we will fall into the Socialist/Totalitarian trap. Stop the hate and intolerance from BOTH SIDES and treat others with compassion and respect. The Bill of Rights applies to all within our borders equally. There should be no protected classes of people whose rights supersede the rights of others. Everyone should be respected, regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, nationality or country of origin. We should make people who want to enter this country welcome, while securing our borders against those who would do us harm. Our immigration system needs to be reformed to encourage those would come here to do so legally, and to make them welcome. We need to vet those who want to come here, and secure, not open or close our border.
For those who are already here, the path to citizenship needs to free of obstacles that prevent the processing from being completed in a timely matter. For those here illegally, we must give them the opportunity to put things right. If the only law they broke was crossing our border at someplace other than a legal checkpoint, give them a chance to be a citizen legally (but not ahead of legal immigrants), pay a fine (since the first time crossing our border illegally is a misdemeanor) and let them live their lives as productive citizens.
As for us, we need to stop sending these untrustworthy fools to Washington. The moment they stop representing us, we campaign against them. Get them thrown out of office in favor of someone who will put his constituents first. Washington will not police itself, there is no motivation for them to do so. We must motivate them, or we deserve the government we get.
God Bless you, our Military and 1st Responders, And the United States of America.

 

The Death of Truth

June 3, 2018
It’s been too long since I added to my blog. It’s tough to decide what to write about because so much has happened since last November when I made my last post.
I wrote this on my Facebook feed this morning:
When news is filtered through the lens of a left or right leaning political/social/economic agenda, you don’t get news, you get propaganda. Truth becomes a casualty. Do your research and form your own conclusion.
The reason why I wrote this is because one of the things I have noticed is how much mis-information, distortion and outright lies have been showing up in supposedly legitimate news outlets and on peoples’ social media. I have written about this before and not only is it still a problem, it’s getting worse. We are being bombarded every day by what amount to little more than propaganda by people with an agenda that is not in anyone’s best interest but their own.
When we see media and politicians interpreting our Constitutional rights in a manner to fit their own agenda, the principles our Republic was founded on die. The most blatant of these is how people tend to view the 1^st Amendment. I reads thus:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
I am primarily referring to the part addressing freedom of speech and of the press.
Recently, President Trump was having a roundtable discussion out in California with law enforcement and civic leaders about Illegal Immigration. He was asked about MS-13 gang activity and what could be done about it. The President described the MS-13 gang as animals in his response. The anti-Trump Media spun the story as Trump calling ALL Immigrants animals, which, of course, sparked the intended outrage among those on the Left. The story was filtered through the ideology of the media and truth became a casualty to people whose hatred of the President is beyond the pale.
The press has the freedom to do this, but the problem is not the distortion of the truth, it is the outright suppression of an opposing view. The press has completely ignored the context of Trumps comments and continues to push the false narrative, shutting down anyone who points this out. Apparently, freedom of speech is only for those who agree with a specific agenda.
If my freedom of speech ends where someone else disagrees with what I say to point of being offended, it’s not freedom of speech.
I find myself becoming irritated at some on the Left whose arguments consist of baseless talking points which they push in an attempt to intimidate or shame me into agreeing with them. That is not a cogent, logical or reasoned discussion, it’s browbeating. Believe as we do, or be forced into silence is not freedom of speech and is a dangerous road to go down.
Get the facts and form your own opinion, don’t parrot the groupthink.
May God Bless you, our President, Military, First responders and our country.

Where is Your Faith Placed?

December 31, 2017

Happy New Year everyone! 2017 has been quite an eventful year. It has also been a year that has highlighted how far off course we have gone as a nation. We have people who still cannot accept the results of an election that occurred over a year ago.  There are those who are wishing, and working towards, the removal of a duly elected president in the hopes it will further the Leftist agenda.

How did we end up here? Americans have historically pulled together when needed yet we find ourselves more divided than ever. Since this blog is called “What I Think” here’s what I think. I can sum this up in one word:

Faith

What do you put your faith in? Back in 2016, many people put their faith in a left biased media that constantly told them that Hillary Clinton would be the next President, and that there was no way Donald Trump could win. Then, on Election Night, as it became apparent the unthinkable (to them) was happening, and Trump was going to win, people reacted with anger, sadness and disbelief. How could he have possibly won? They had put their faith in a media that had blinders on to what Americans really wanted and to the way our election system worked. When their faith failed them, they reacted in the only way they knew, there had to be cheating because anyone other than Hillary winning was just not possible.

When I see what’s going on in our country today, I wonder how reasonable people can put their faith in a government that can’t be trusted. Why do we think Government can solve social, ethical and moral problems when they can balance a budget, and keep a slush fund to pay off victims of harassment by members of Congress? Congress has become a Ruling Elite who think we sent them to Washington to guide us, not represent us.

We need to have more faith in each other, and in God. Each of us has abilities and knowledge that can be of benefit to others, all we need to do is use them. I don’t need some overpaid bureaucrat to tell me how to live my life, what car to drive, who I should marry, what to teach my children or how to Worship God. I put my faith in God, the skills He has given me, and the circle of friends and family that He has surrounded me with.

I don’t need some one size fits all rule to tell me that I shouldn’t discriminate against someone because of skin color, ethnicity, gender or religious belief. My moral compass is grounded in my faith in God and the teachings of our Savior, Jesus, not some leaned talking head who spouts about the feel-good thing of the moment without considering what has sustained us in the past, or what guides us to the future.

Eventually, someone will look back on this era and evaluate what we were. Will this theoretical person say good things about us, or will they shake their head in wonder as to how we survived? We have the power to control that outcome, and we need to take control of our own destiny and not place our faith in a Government or Politicians who can’t deliver. We need to stop listening to those with an ideological agenda, who seek to divide us into classes that are pitted against each other and work together to overcome our differences and move forward to a future where we solve problems together. This is what Jesus was trying to convey when he told us to love our neighbor as we would ourselves. Dr. Martin Luther King said the same thing when he spoke of a culture where people were judged by the content of their character.

It’s past time for us to re-direct our faith and trust in God’s plan for us. The Church I attend here where I live gave away bracelets that said, “God’s plan over our plan”. I know there are those who will read this that find it difficult, if not impossible to believe in a higher power, however, the sentiment is the same. Don’t place your trust and faith in someone, or some organization, that cannot deliver.

May God Bless each of you for the coming year and have faith and hope for the future.

Thanksgiving Day

November 23, 2017

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Today is the day we traditionally set aside to give thanks to our many blessings. We take a time out from our busy schedules and hectic lives to spend some time with family and friends and relax for a couple of days. My wife and daughter have been in the kitchen since dawn preparing our meal.

Sometimes, Thanksgiving Day is also a time when people have somewhat spirited discussions about politics and world events. I have seen advice from both sides on how to handle such discussions.

GQ Magazine published an article claiming it was the civic duty of Liberals to ruin the Thanksgiving of their Conservative, Trump supporting friends. Seriously? Why? Because they have a different opinion then they do? Last time I checked, the 1^st Amendment didn’t protect people from being offended.

Conservatives do the same thing though. One talk show host puts out advice on how to win an argument with your Liberal family member by giving facts, not talking points.

Here’s my advice: DON’T DO EITHER!!!

Let this be a time of Thanksgiving, and family togetherness. Don’t spoil it by creating division among the family. If you want to argue, argue over the football game, or when to put up the Christmas Tree, or who cleans up. Leave politics out of your day.

I am thankful for my family, that I have a comfortable home, a job I enjoy, and people who love me.

I want to take this time to thank God for my many blessings and to pray that he blesses you and all who are dear to me.

Say a prayer and give thanks for all those who can’t be with their families today. For the First Responders who are on duty, ready to take time from their Thanksgiving to help and protect strangers

For our deployed Military, who serve in places that don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, and are risking everything to keep us free to celebrate today.

For those who don’t have the blessings that we do, that someone will reach out a helping hand and make their lives better.

Pray for our country, our President, our Military, our First Responders and for peace around the world today.

God Bless you and the United States of America.