Do we really need this?

   Over the last few weeks I have been reading various articles in the paper debating the placement of a proposed “multimodal” building. All of the articles and stories debate the pros or cons of having it this place or that. While everyone is busy debating where to put the building no one has seemed to mention its true cost. Sure, some have surmised that most of the estimated 15 million dollar price tag will be soaked up by the federal government and that a paltry 1.5 million will be left for the cities tax payers (not to be confused with its citizens), but even this dollar figure isn’t the true cost. There are those applauding the fact that the city might receive 13.5 million dollars from the federal government.  We must not seek to take money from the federal government for a pet project back home. If the city can’t afford to do it on its own then the project should be dead in the water. Just as if I wanted to buy a new car or build an addition to my house but didn’t have the money then I couldn’t do it. Incase people didn’t realize it our federal government does not have its financial house in order. It does not have the money to give away. After all it’s not even its money, It was borrowed from the Chinese.  The true cost to the city and our State will be the continued tax and borrow and spend policies that have helped us arrive at our nations current location; the corner of Broke and Bail Out.

Should I shave?

    So a couple weeks ago I was walking out of a quick stop when I noticed out of the corner of my eye someone walking a path to intercept me before I made it to my truck. So I sped up and he sped up. Then I slowed down and he slowed down. So finally I just stopped and asked if I could help with something. As it turns out I learned a few days later that this person was a kid that got hooked on drugs and never recovered from his addiction. He asked if I had any work he could do and when I told him no he asked for a couple bucks if I could spare it. I was walking out of the store holding a Coke and a bag of chips and figured I did have the money to spare since I was buying myself junk food. So I gave him the only cash I had and went on my way. The grand total was two dollars and thirty cents.
    About a week later I stopped back by the same quick stop to get me and Pete a drink for break time while we were splitting firewood. As I walked up to the front of the store I received a phone call. It turned out to be a wrong number. As a side note to all this it seems like I get more wrong numbers on my cell phone than anyone I know...pressing on...I hung up and looked across the street because a totally rad Dodge Challenger caught my eye. As I was staring off across the street a car pulled up in front of me and a well dressed man stepped out and walked over to me and said "Here you go, here is two dollars. I hope it helps." At first I looked at him like he was crazy. I hadn't asked for anything, I was just standing there. Then it dawned on me that he thought I was homeless and needed money. At which point I quickly made it known that I didn't need it but that I appreciated his offer and he went on his way and I on mine.
    I walked away from that experience with a number of conclusions. Firstly, there are still people willing to give their money to those in need. Second,even during hard economic times people can still be generous. And finally that I need to shave and not go to the store after work in my work cloths, I look like a homeless man...

Happy Bill of Rights day!

So today is the day the bill of rights was adopted, I bet you didn't know that did you? For what its worth the Bill of Rights is a truly amazing document. However, it along with our constitution is no longer adhered too. It is merely given a small mention here or there and only when it is to the benefit of our now totally out of control government. So in honor of those venerable old documents I whipped up this paper for you to read. If you like it then please feel free to print it off and give it to friends. If you don't like it then I think your some of the reason this country is all jacked up. It's nothing personal really...

Dear Friends,

"If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may be even a worse fate. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves." - Winston Churchill
Suppose that a member of your family has lost his way. He is heading down a self destructive path with no foreseeable end. Would you say something? Would you try to find a way to help him avoid self-destruction? Of course you would! Why then would you not try to stave off the eventual self-destruction of your own country?

You say, “What do you mean by that? I love my country; I vote; I’m a Bible-believing Christian; I pray for this country!” These things are good and important; but they are not enough. Consider the following arguments and decide whether you agree.

Democracy vs. Republic

What system of government did our founding fathers of our constitution establish? A Democracy, right? No! This is a common misunderstanding today. A Democracy is nothing but mob rule—51% telling 49% what to do. “What is wrong with that?” you might ask. A democracy will eventually tear itself asunder. In a democracy decisions are not based on moral laws and principles, but on the ever-changing opinions of the day. Without the constant of a moral and principled set of laws, government will spiral into despotism. Over the last several decades, the moral and principled foundation in this country has come under ever-increasing attack. Slowly, but surely, this country has changed from being a constitutional republic into a democracy. This is the very thing our founders tried to guard against when they created our Constitution. The founders debated intensely about what form of government is best. They decided on the republic because it granted the most freedoms while maintaining law and order.

"Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths". -James Madison

Because of the sinful nature of man, it is necessary that Christians and men of high moral caliber set the moral tone and direction of this country. It is primarily a spiritual fight. Good overcoming evil, moral men setting the example, leading the way and enacting laws. However, it can become a physical one if we do not put forth adequate effort. As we stated earlier men are sinful. It is up to us to carry the banner forward, to be the constant force here on earth to push this government in the right direction. Freedom of religion from government mandate? YES! Absence of God and morality in government? NO! That was not what our country was founded upon. We were founded and grounded in Godly principles. Because of our founding and our constitution we have been given the most hospitable place on earth to exercise our religion free from fear of persecution. Not only do Christians have a right to freely worship as we wish, but nonbelievers have an equal opportunity to not worship if they so chose and to live their lives as they wish, so long as they do not violate the law. This country was not set up as a theocracy, but because we are guaranteed so many freedoms we as Christians have the opportunity to do the most good in the world and to share our faith.

We are in a constant spiritual battle against the devil. His attacks against us as individuals are easy to recognize. What might not be so easily seen, however are his efforts to ruin our country. It would be a grave mistake to think that the devil doesn’t want to destroy or cripple our nation. He has a degree of free reign granted to him by God and he will use every inch of his leash to undermine God’s creation and to deceive as many people as he can. One of his methods is to use evil men to do his work. If we are not constantly vigilant and active in trying to thwart his plan, our country will be lost. Lost with it will be our freedom of religion. It will be replaced with the fear and persecution. We can no longer sit back and ride things out. We must now, more than ever, be a constant force for good in our country and in our government. We need a widespread call to action.

“It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brushfires in people’s minds.” -Samuel Adams

Freedom and Responsibility

For some reason there is an attitude in our country that it is improper to openly discuss politics except at election time. We must change that. We need to constantly discuss politics and we need to consistently hold our elected officials’ feet to the fire. One reason why we are in our current deplorable state is that the citizenry is not engaged with relation to government. Without constant pressure applied to our elected officials they will often act irresponsibly, if not unlawfully. We see much evidence of that today. A republic gives its citizens the most freedoms possible; but with freedom comes responsibility. If we do not act responsibly to maintain our freedoms, the life blood that was shed in order to gain them will be squandered.

It is difficult to grasp just how much freedom we have lost. If Thomas Jefferson or Patrick Henry were here today, they would be astonished at what they saw. The degree of liberty we have sacrificed at the altar of governmental obedience is astounding! Consider our money.

Our hard earned money is taken from us at the point of the IRS’s “gun”, regardless of the immorality of the agency or agencies it is going to fund. The number of governmental agencies and their agents that eat out our substance is growing unchecked, and is the reason for the ever- increasing amount of taxes we are forced to bear. Not only that, but most of these government agencies have appointed, not elected, officials making rules and regulations that we are required to obey. It is a terrible travesty. Examples include the EPA, the Department of Energy, the Department of Education, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of the Interior. It could be called taxation without representation because these appointed officials set spending policies we are forced to obey and fund with our taxes.

One of the founding ideals of our forefathers was the recognition of personal responsibility. We as individuals will all answer to the Almighty one day. It is not for the government to be the final arbiter in delegating responsibility. We must ask ourselves whether we are willing to forsake the freedoms gained through our American Revolution, and embrace central government planning that we think will take care of all our needs. When such all- encompassing power is granted to a central government, which disregards the concept of states rights, do you think it will run efficiently or morally? Also, is it logical that central government hundreds of miles away can perform local tasks efficiently? Many of those roles must be reserved to the states and the states alone. When a central government is given more and more power, a dangerous precedent is set. A pattern of behavior develops which becomes difficult to reverse. That is where we are in our country today.

Liberty or Tyranny

Do you think it is right that your taxes fund immoral acts such as abortion? Is it right that nine hundred million dollars of our hard earned money was recently approved to go overseas to help the “impoverished populous” of the Gaza Strip? Is it right that we give Egypt eight billion dollars a year, yet they vote against the United States eighty percent of the time in the U.N.? Is it right that we even participate in the United Nations when it means sacrificing our national sovereignty in some instances? Is it right that federal court judges consistently rule against and strike down the legal and constitutionally sound laws of sovereign states? Is it right that our government makes a mockery of our immigration laws and that the Speaker of the House (third in line to the presidency) just stated that it is un-American to enforce our immigration laws because it will split up families? Is it right that Congress recently passed and that former President Bush signed a bill into law that outlaws the sale of the incandescent light bulb by the year 2014? Do their enumerated powers in the Constitution allow them to do this? I believe the answer is resoundingly no! Not only are these examples patently un-constitutional—they completely contradict the ideals of natural law and are an offense to the senses. Unfortunately these are but a very few of the many examples of how our government has over stepped its bounds.

Our founders revolted against taxes and a central power that had nothing but contempt for the common citizen. They threw off their oppressive government in favor of one that was much more limited and that recognized man’s natural rights. It seems to me (in a time of senators dying of old age in office) that these elected officials too often only appear interested in our input, but when they return to Washington they go about their business of un-doing our natural God-given rights and centralizing more power into the hands of the Washington elite.

Thousands of people joined together all across this country on April 15th to peacefully present our petitions of redress of grievances. Has our government humbly accepted them? Have they taken notice and backed down from their assault on our liberty? No! Instead, our Department of Homeland Security called “right wingers” potential terrorists! Those of us who believe in God, rule of law, limited government, natural rights and constitutional obedience are terrorists? Heaven forbid it! That statement could not be farther from the truth. They even had the nerve to say that our brave military men and women should be watched and suspected. In effect, all who don’t agree with their agenda are suspect. Do you see what is happening? We now have a government that claims that objection to their will could be considered terrorist activity. Was that a statement of reconciliation offered up to assure us that they love and respect us? Or was that a means of striking fear and trembling into the masses so that they will not stand up for their beliefs? How long will it be before they no longer just threaten retribution? They already use the fear of IRS audits as a means of snuffing out political dissent. Patrick Henry said, “I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past.” Judging by the past, can we honestly expect any other outcome of their actions other than a stepping up of their hostilities? Let us not be deceived. At best, I believe many are misguided into thinking all this will pass. At worst I believe there are many who are willfully blind to the events that have been unfolding around them for their entire lives because the truth is too hard to bear. The thought of our government being capable of doing something terribly wrong and destructive on purpose to many isn’t even a possibility. However, King Solomon said that there wasn’t anything new under the sun.

The Price of Inaction and a Call to Action

So now what? What is the next step? In which direction shall we go? These are truly the times that try men’s souls. We have before us today a seemingly insurmountable foe. We have a set of problems that will have to be reckoned with. If we do nothing to stem the tide of governmental growth, millions born and yet unborn will suffer. They will have even more of the fruits of their labor confiscated for the “public good”. More of our liberty will be trampled upon for whatever the cause of the day may be. Eventually, if we don’t act, there may come a time when we have to fight with more than words and deeds. It is better to perish than to become a slave.

As Christians, we should put God before all matters in our lives. We cannot, however, ignore our civic duty to preserve and maintain our form of government. Without an ordered society and without the rule of law, we would no longer have the freedoms to carry out the mandates our Lord wants us to do. Our form of government gives us the greatest ability to do the most good. We must not allow our rights to be further degraded.

We should pray fervently that disaster is avoided. Our goal is to resolve these wrongs peaceably while we can still change things through the legislative process. Much is said today about “hope and change”; but the real hope and change will not come from political parties, but from within our churches. Many organizations already exist to mobilize individuals within our churches to action. Do you participate in any of these groups? Do you take the time to communicate with your elected officials, to give them your thoughts and to let them know you are watching how they vote? (Do you even know who your elected officials are?) This is a small price to pay to try and save your country!

We need to be active outside our churches as well. We are the ones who should organize events and rallies. Men need leadership, and we should provide it. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, all this has been done before. Our founders did the hard work for us over two hundred years ago. We just need to embrace it and learn the lessons of our past. We were born with the blessings of freedoms which many men gave their life blood to secure. We owe it to them and our posterity to do everything in our being to regain and to pass on these freedoms.

Even if a majority of the population wanted to radically change the face of this country and make it into something that it was never intended to be, it is still our responsibility to stand for what is right, and to be willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that our liberty and way of life is preserved.
We should have days of fasting and prayer during which we pray that our leaders once again find wisdom and turn from the path they are on. The dates could be determined by individual families and churches, Perhaps we can designate certain days, such as Bill of Rights Day (December 15th) so that we may all reflect on our situation and to jointly call our elected officials to account, and to beseech Almighty God to lay it on the hearts of man to respect His laws, and the laws of our land.

I fear this call to action will fall on many deaf ears. Why? Because we still have a degree of freedom that most of the world only dreams of. We must not, however, compare ourselves and our freedoms to those of the rest of the world. We must consider the freedoms that we have and compare them to the ones we have lost.

One final thought. It came in the midst of great turmoil and unrest. It came at a time when, prior to its declaration, men’s rights had not been so eloquently put into words. It is from our Declaration of Independence.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”


Independence Forever,
A son of Liberty

I want one too

Today I saved my beta fish from my kitten. Does that mean I get a nobel peace prize too? I have always aspired to receive it one day...well no not really I made that last part up.

planes, trains, automobiles and...school tours?

On October 1st we began our fall school tours. We had 260 kids parents and teachers the first day. As with anything there was some apprehension in the days leading up to the first. We are doing the tours a lil different this year so we were worried about the flow of things and if the teachers that had been here in the past would like it as much. Thankfully the response to the changes so far have been nothing but positive. Not to be outdone by himself and his previous success with the tours my dad spent many-a-hour going over the changes to ensure a seamless flow of kids and fun (no one has ever accused dad of being and under achiever). What we did different this year was to give the walking tour the ax and instead do a presentation about corn and how the early pioneers and settlers used it. We do this down at the amphitheater we built this summer. We talk about the evolution of how people made corn meal; from the earliest pestle and mortar all the way to the advent of a grist mill. And as it happens we just happen to have a grist mill now so that works perfectly. To be perfectly honest I wasn't so sure that this would work so well or be a success. I was personally very fond of the walking tour because the kids got to learn more about early life before planes, trains and automobiles. I also wasn't sure if the kids and teachers that had been here before would like it. But once again I demonstrated why dad signs the front of the check and I sign the back! One thing is for certain and that is that he has a vision that is spot on with what people like. I still have much to learn from him. Here are some pictures of how the tour went....

rights, responsibilities and free healthcare

Well here we are in 2009, the Democrats have control over every facet of our government and they are making quick use of their new found power. Wasting no time they have taken control of various sectors of our economy with the guise of just fixing it. Automobiles, banking, where does it stop? If the far left gets their way then it stops when you have no freedom left.

Now that they have tested the waters and by making boogie men out of the automobile and baking industries in order to foster popular support for their un-constitutional take overs. Not that the constitution even matters to those on the far left. It is merely "a charter of negative liberties" anyways, right? So what is the next big thing for Leviathan to devour? Did someone call for Doctor Obama?
The health care industry has long been a prize that the Left has wanted to get their hands on, in order to "fix it" of course. Never mind the stubborn facts of the matter. We do have the best health care and the best standard of living around. Our patient care is phenomenal compared to those in Great Brittan or Canada, why else would the ones that can afford it come here for their treatment?

Socialized health care is a disaster for many reasons. One of the reasons are that the costs associated with it are staggering. We as a country are not in a position to spend the amount of money that would be required to provide a quality health care service to every citizen in this country. Unless, of course, it is not your intention to provide world class medical care to every citizen. "But you cant say that, of course that's the intention!" Is it? Really? Those that are in the elite political class don't do anything that would harm their political clout. If they see the opportunity to provide "free" health care and then in return the masses would repay them with re-election, they will do it. They also know deep down that it is impossible to pay for that kind of spending. What will happen is that there will have to be rationing. Rationing will be based on some kind of scale that the government will cook up. If you don't believe that fact then you are living in a fantasy world. Without adequate funding there is no other option than to deny certain people certain care.

For all the complaints you here today about the ER and how crowded it is and having to wait in lines if we let this socialized medicine pass we will beg to be able to go back to our current system. But it will be too late. Like Ronald Regan once said "Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!" How true that is. There will be even longer lines, longer waits, and less care to go around. If patients no longer have to pay for their own health care then where is the insentive to live responsibly? If a person smokes themselves into lung cancer is it my duty to provide for their treatment? If someone behaves promiscuously is it my duty to pay for their STD treatment? If someone drinks their liver into in-operation...I could go on and on. Those that say "It is a fundamental right that they have health care." would be the first to say that you couldn't deny care based on reckless decisions. However, with rights comes responsibilities. If it is their right to behave in a manner that is injurious to themselves, then it is also their responsibility to deal with the consequences.This is something that the left in this country tries to deny at every turn. I believe in personal liberty and the right of an individual to behave in a manner that they feel so long as it does not violate the law, but I also know it is their responsibility to live with the outcome of their particular behavior.

There will be tears shed by parents who can't get care for their children because the cancer treatment is not cost effective and it is not efficient to spend that much money on one person. There will be tears shed by children who cant get care for their aging parents because that new alzheimers treatment costs too much. My yet unborn children will rue the day I let this happen. I have made up my mind. I will not stand idly by and watch our once great republic be driven into the ground by simpletons. We must oppose this with every once of our being. Some may think it no big deal, and that I'm dramatizing the whole situation, but I know it would be a huge disaster. A disaster that will cost lives. We must stand opposed to this. We are on the moral side and the right side of history.

Do your research, read up on the subject. Don't just take my word for it. Educate yourself and others, that's the only way we can stop this madness. I will leave you with a quote from Thomas Jefferson, "Educate and inform the whole mass of the people...They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."

Semper Vigilo, Paratus et Fidelis