Anyone who knows me, knows that I am anti-union, that I see no reason for the union to exist. Where they needed at one point in history, most likely, are they needed now, in 2012, nope, not at all. They are a socialistic organization that only has itself in mind, they care nothing for their membership or the company their members work for nor the community they living and serve. Unions, by there very definition are anti-capitalism, the driving force behind our nations economy. Left up to the unions, we would have no manufacturing in this nation; they would have killed all possibility of production anything at a price the average American can afford.
Think about it, the American manufacturing industry has dwindled in size, we have lost complete industries, why, because unions priced us out of the market. And the argument that we should tax imports more, to create a more level playing field, we that is just plan stupid, its called protectionism. We have tried that before, and it don’t work, the free and open market and trade agreements are the best way to prop up America, the more we can purchase from other countries, the more we help their economy, they more we help their economy, the more they want to purchase our products, and in doing so, helping our economy. But this is a little off topic, what I want to talk about is how Unions are killing America, how unions are a cancer upon America, a cancer that is growing and killing of good industries, killing off education and opportunity. Do not believe me, watch this:
Unions at their best…
Yep, you hear right, “Sometimes life is not fair”, but wait, I thought teachers unions were all about the student, the learning… OH, wait that is just the nice line they feed us, the truth is much to ugly to tell, so they hide it. What is the truth, the truth is teacher unions are looking out for themselves, protecting bad teachers, rewarding mediocre and punishing students and parents with poor performing schools. Fighting any action that would give parents a choice an option to improve their child’s chances at succeeding in life, all in the name of Utopia.
The brotherhood (and sisterhood, I don’t want to piss anyone off by being sexist) of the unions has created a workforce that no longer believes in merit pay, of right to work, rather they have drank the kool-aid of socialism. A job is no longer a privilege, but a right. No longer do we need to prove our ability’s, just buy or time, wait long enough and you are in like flynn. No longer do you have to work hard and prove your worth, rather it has become a God-given right for a pay increase. I do not know about anyone else, but I look at pay increases as a way for my boss and the company to thank me and reward me for doing a good job, above the expected. I am always very humbled when I get a bonus or pay increase, but then again, I’m not in a union, so I know I have to work hard to keep my job, and I have to do what is expected and more to merit a bonus or raise. But if I was in a union, it would be expected, regardless of my personal input. I find that rather disturbing. I know, from my own personal life, that when a co-worker received a pay increase and bonus, larger than mine, yet I knew, as did everyone else, that they did not deserve it, based in work outcomes, I felt like the pay increases and bonuses had no real value. The value of the extra $55.00 per month is not the money, but the satisfaction knowing you were recognized and rewarded for your efforts. Yet, if everyone got that same $55 pay increase, regardless of their value to the company, than that $55 becomes meaningless. This same person who received the bonus and raise was also the first to complain about not receiving a bonus or raise during the hard times, go figure. He was a perfect candidate for a union job.
I have traveled the world teaching union and non-union people, I have negotiated with the State of Michigan to open a Charter School, and had to deal with the local Teachers Union, and I can tell you from experience, there is a major difference in attitude and perception. Unions see things is what can I get and how does it benefit me were as non-unions see things as what is the best over all, how does it benefit all parties involved. Now I know that not every union person feels this way and not every non-union person feels this way, but on average, this has been my experience.
When I have to teach union students, I always have to remind myself that the traditional classroom rules are tossed out the door. The idea of respect, gone, they show up when they want, leave when they feel like it and do as they please, all with no regard to me or the job I must do. True story, I was teaching a 2-day class to a group of union members. One student sat at her computer the first half of the first day doing nothing but checking her Facebook. How do I know, because she was not shy about sharing facts and tid-bits about her grandchildren to the whole class during my lectures. Yep, right in the middle of a lecture she would blurt out a funny little fact. No concern for me, or the other students. Most of whom were more than happy for the interruption. At lunch time she came up to me and said she would not be returning after lunch, I asked hey why, her response, “Because I don’t want to”, when I informed her that I would have to mark her as not completing the course and she would not be able to get her user ID, she responded with “Ya I will, they have to give it to me” and walked out. Did she get her ID, I do not know, but my guess is yep, she was union. Ah, what a joy…
I take my job and my performance seriously, and when something like that happens, I find it hard to not take it personally. Teaching is what I do, I love it and I always try to give my very best, yet when you are faced with the union mentality, well it all sort of goes out the window, I find myself teaching not my best, but just enough to get through the day. And I hate that feeling, I feel like I have failed. But I find that it is just easer that way, I find that I am not fighting the union mentality as much, they don’t care, so why should I. What a horrible way to go through life. I take no pride in it, but there is no other way to deal with it, I am stuck teaching them, regardless of whether they want it or not, so I might as well make it as painless for them and myself. The odd thing is, my evaluations are better when I put no effort into it, when I expect nothing from them. They reward me for mediocrity. Amazing!
Yep, Unions, the down fall of America and innovation. They need to be busted up and never return. Plain and simple!
What is fair? What would you consider fair? That is the big question, and it seems Obama is going to use that as his campaign theme. No longer is Hope and Change the charge, but now Fairness. But really, what is fair?
Free from bias, dishonesty or injustice, that is the most common use of the word fair, yet many people distort this word to mean equal. Fair and equal are not the same thing
e·qual
/ˈikwəl/ [ee-kwuhl] adjective, noun, verb, e·qualed, e·qual·ing or ( especially British ) e·qualled, e·qual·ling.
adjective
1. as great as; the same as (often followed by to or with ): The velocity of sound is not equal to that of light.
2. like or alike in quantity, degree, value, etc.; of the same rank, ability, merit, etc.: two students of equal brilliance.
3. evenly proportioned or balanced: an equal contest.
4. uniform in operation or effect: equal laws.
5. adequate or sufficient in quantity or degree: The supply is equal to the demand.
Equal, as great as, the same as… Hmmm, that does not sound at all like free from bias, dishonesty or injustice, but maybe its just me… So let see, the argument goes something like this, the Constitution guarantees fairness.. so lets look at that…
The Preamble:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Nope it’s not here.. general welfare doesn’t state equal or fair, just general… So maybe it was the 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,[75] 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.
Ok, so this time the word equal is here… “…That all men are created equal…” but you have to read on, “that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…”
Yes, we are all created equal, by God, we all are Gods creation, and love by him. We all have the right to pursuit happiness, but the pursuit of happiness does not mean that we will ever achieve it. That is up to us, as individuals. This does not change the fact that we are all created equal. This truth remains.
The current use of the word Fair as Equal is misleading and unjust. It is divisive and corruptive, it is poison to the mind of millions of people who are taught that fairness means equality and that equality redistribution and punishment of the successful.
Romney is Obama’s lattes example of this, Romney is now the poster child of an Unfair America, an America
where he makes millions and you and I do not. The Obama mantra is this, take what he has, give it to those who do not… But how is this fair? How is this American? Do you not think that is the Founding Fathers had wanted to create a governmental system that redistributed wealth, they would have written it into the governing documents? They did not do this for the very simple reason that they believed in the individual, they believed in fairness, they believed in the words they wrote “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,[75] 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….” They believed in freedom, freedom from the government, freedom to succeed or to fail. freedom to live life and to define your own happiness.
The Obama attack on wealth is as anti-American as J. Edgar Hovers attack on Hollywood stars for their political interest (source). Freedom does not mean equal, but it does mean fairness, we, as Americans, al have the same rights, we all can achieve greatness or we all call remain mediocre, the choice is ours, and ours alone. History is full of people, disadvantaged people, who have stepped up and achieved their dreams and goals. History is also full of people who have lost their wealth and become one of the marginalized. This, my friends, is freedom at its best, no government picking losers and winners, but rather, everyday Americans working hard to achieve there dreams, some making it and others not, that is Fair, that is equal, equal rights to try and equal rights to fail. That sounds fair to me…
This election, the election of 2012, is an election were we, the people, once again have to chose how we define America, do we define America as the founding Fathers defined her, as a nation of Free People, Free to follow their dreams, Free to achieve their Dreams or do we define America as a nation that punishes success, that takes from some to give to others. The rewards hard work with taxation and redistribution. The Founding Fathers fought a war, and shed their blood for the privilege to define their own destiny, to make it on their own, or to fail on their own. Yet, today we see a new definition emerging, one that wants to redefine America as a nation of people who want the government to define who makes it and who does not. They wish to recreate America into a Nation that no longer believes in humanity, but rather believes in Government. We have to fight for the preservation and restoration of America, to get back to the basics of what made this Nation the greatest Nation ever to adorn this Earth. A Nation that is blessed by God, as the Founding Fathers believed her to be. This November I, without a doubt, the most important election in the history of our great nation. This election will decide the fait of generations to come, as Ronald Reagan said
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.
~Ronald Reagan
This election we will decide if Reagan was right, will we be telling out grandchildren and great-grandchildren what America use to be, how freedom use to be…. God will, no, instead we will be telling them how we saved freedom, preserved it for them and how they must always be diligent and alert in the cause of freedom.
The past week offered up some shock and dismay, with the mess in Oslo. The more I hear about it on the news the more one has to consider what evil is going on in this world. I know many do not believe in a active devil, one that plays a part in our daily lives, but one must consider the possibility after such a horrendous act. The pure and simple evil of it all.
The latest report states that he, the terrorist, or one could say, the devils hit man, set off the explosion for the soul purpose of keeping peace officer and other such first responders occupied so he could go tot the island to shoot and murder the innocent young victims. That’s it, that was the plan, big explosion on the main land, travel to island and shoot… And sadly it worked all to well.
The argument for active participation of the devil in our world today spoke loud and clear in Oslo, as it did on 9/11 here in the states, the British heard him speaking with the subway bombing as have countless others through the all to human army of the evil one. He exist and is more than active in our world. It is said that the devils best tool of evil is to make us think he does not exist. How true, what better way is there to work under the radar than to have the ones you are attacking believe that you do not exist. We, through our complacency, make his work that much easer.
Terrorist are proof positive of his work here on earth, but that is not the only sign of his existence, we can see it everyday, if we just stop to look:
Abortion
Euthanasia
Sex abuse
Divorce
Murder
Disrespect
Laziness
Lies
Stealing
The list is as endless, anyway we can show God that we do not care, do not believe, are ways the he, the evil one, can interact in our lives and move us further away from He that created us, from He that loves us, from our Heavenly Father, God.
The devil exist and he is active in our world today, as he was in the past and will be in the future.
Play for the victims in Oslo, pray for the salvation of the soul of the terrorist and pray for all of humanity…
A lot of press has been used on the Bush Tax Cuts, they were set to expire today. The liberals rang out with the same old “Cut’s for the rich” mantra, yet if you took the time to read the facts you would see that this is just not true. The Bush Tax Cuts did shift the burden of taxes, but not to the poor like many liberals would claim, but to the rich.
In 2002 the latest year of available data, the top 5 percent of taxpayers paid more than one-half (53.8 percent) of all individual income taxes, but reported roughly one-third (30.6 percent) of income.
The share of taxes paid by the bottom 50 percent of taxpayers will fall from 4.1 percent to 3.6 percent.Source: U.S. Treasury, Office of Tax Analysis (read article here)
I get so frustrated when I try to have conversations with the liberals about the tax cuts. There are two main points that upset me the most. The first is just the simple fact that the argument that the tax cuts hurt the poor and make the rich richer… The facts just don’t prove it, as the two bullet points above show. It is just an out-and-out lie. Yet the media and liberals keep saying it. And many just keep believing it. The first argument is fact, the second argument is not.
The second argument is based on ideology. The liberal ideology goes something like this:
It is wrong for people to make more money then others, it is unfair that there hard work should be rewarded off the back of their workers.
There are several variations of that ideology, but the basics are all the same, it is unfair…. What is unfair? Is it unfair if one baseball team earns more on ticket sales than an other? Is it unfair if one CEO makes less than another? Is it unfair if one child gets an “A” on their report card and others only get “C”s? Fairness has nothing to do with equality. A baseball game is fair when all the rules are the same, a grade a student receives is fair when each student is afforded the same opportunity to receive an “A”. (Fairness)
the other part of the argument is based on the idea of “To Much”:
They just earn too much, the profits that company made is grotesque.
Who determines what is too much and what is not? What is the standard that is used? Does the scale change based on were you live, the size of your family or the type of work you do? Or is it just a value the liberals toss out when every they want to rally the troops?
At my place of work we have one benefit that was not removed from us that most other companies have, free coffee. Yep, I can drink all the free coffee, tea or hot coco I want and they provide free filtered water. Too some this may seem a bit silly to even bring it up, but trust me I have a point. At my place of employment we also receive bonuses every quarter and they just placed a ping-pong table in an old unused classroom. So yes, my company tries to make the work environment fun and relaxing. Now I do drink the coffee and get the bonus, but I do not use the ping-pong table. Such is life, I don’t play ping-pong. Now if it was an air hockey table I would be in their playing, but it’s not so I don’t.
So what does all this have to do with fairness and the bush tax cuts… I’ll tell you, I work with a young man who sees the free coffee as unfair, he don’t drink it, and there for he gains no benefit from it. In-fact he sees it as a loss to his bonus. Yet he does play ping-pong and see nothing wrong with that. Now some may think he has a point, the coffee has to be replenished yet the ping-pong table is a one time fee. Yep, he tried that one on me, and he is correct, it is a one time fee for the table, but the room it takes up, the old classroom, does cost the company each and every month in rent. I am willing to be the rooms rent is more than the coffee per month.
You see, fairness to him, was only what he thought effected him negatively, when I brought up the fact that the room rent was more than the coffee, well lets just say he decided he was only “joking” about the coffee. If that is true, that was the longest joke I have ever heard, because we have worked together for over 8 years and for most of the 8 years he was complaining about the “fairness” of free coffee. Now I don’t hear that so much. Hmmm, interesting isn’t it…
The two arguments that the liberals use to scare people about the Bush Tax Cuts are nothing but lies and a screwed up definition of fairness… All will benefit from the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts, yes the poor as well as the rich. The liberals need to stick to the truth, they need to base there fights on facts, not on their own skewed view of the world. Fairness and equality are not the same thing, It is fair to offer all the same chances to achieve wealth in this great nation of ours, but the results will not, and should not, be equal. Some will work harder than others to achieve wealth, and yes some will just have dumb luck and stumble in to it. Me, I say “God bless them all” and “Good Luck”. And yet others will work just has hard and achieve nothing and some will lose it all. To them I say “God Bless” and “Keep working at it”. Is that fair? Nope it’s not, but such is life, was that equality at work, Yep it sure was, each and every one of us has the opportunity to achieve greatness, yes some of us may have to work harder than others to achieve it, be we all have the same opportunity to pursue happiness, that does not mean we will all arrive at it.
So may this New Year bring you all the opportunity to achieve greatness, and may you, be it through hard work or just dumb luck, find it.
The excitement for November 2nd is building, the new possibilities for our Nation, for our States, Towns and Cities. November of 2010 can be known as the day we, the citizens of America, chose to take back our Government. The day we decided that personal responsibility is more important than Government hand-outs. The day that we decided that a hand-up is what we needed all-along.
The Democratic party claimed to be the party of the people, the party with a heart, the party that truly cares for the poor and underdogs of the American fabric. Yet all there polices and actions are contrary to there rhetoric. The parry of compassion has done more damage to our Great Nation than any other national organization I know. They are quietly de-constructing the nation, one law, one court appointment, one election at a time. It’s a slow death, one that we hardly notice. It all seems so harmless, what’s wrong with a little hand-out, what’s so bad about a judge legislating from the bench, what harm is there in protecting one under advantage group over another.
Lots is wrong with it, it is a divisive tactic designed to create a class war, to create a sub-set of America, creating division with in the National fabric. And its the perfect plan for the socialistic Democratic Party that is currently in power. Divide and conquer, that’s the battle cry of the Obama administration and the democratic party. They cry for fairness, but only if it means taking form one to give to the other, the chosen ones.
America is fair, each and every person has the same opportunity to archive what they dream and work hard for, that is fair. Unfair is giving more to one who has not earned it, unfair is lowering the standards for one and not the other. Fairness is not equality of outcome, but rather equality of opportunity, and all have the same opportunity.
Sure, not all can attend Harvard, and not all should. Yes some make more money than the other, but that’s ok also. What in life is played on a level playing field, in school some got all A’s others struggle to get C’s and others have no interest in school at all and receive E’s. Is that fair? Yes, you get the grade you deserved.
But some will say, what about the poor student who studies and works hard and only gets a C. That’s tough, but that’s life. Not everyone is A material, some are just C’s. I read a story, said to be true, of a collage professor who was teaching an economics class, the students were arguing that a socialistic “fair” society was what America needed, that we had to many poor and under achieving citizens. That the rich were just to rich and the poor just to poor. The rich should give up there riches and the poor should be given the money with no effort on there part. So this bright professor decided to put into action the socialist ideals in his class. He said that everyone would receive the same over all grade, based on the class average. The students were pleased, and figured they have won the argument, and this sill, capitalistic teacher would learn his lesson. The fist test, the class average was a B. The A students were not happy, but the C,D and E students were pleased. The A students felt they deserved an A for all the hard work and effort they put in to the test. But as a socialistic class, the average was a B, so all got the same regardless of effort. The next test the average was a C. The C and D students from the last test decided that they did not have to work as hard as before, because the A and B students will carry them, so the average dropped. This infuriated not only the A students as before but also the B students, who now say there hard work going punished. As you may have expected the class average continued to drop as more and more students become lethargic and discontent. By the end of the term the whole class had proceeded to fail. Not one student passed the class, the professor stated he felt for the students, but he kept the grade as they were, and felt a valuable lesson was learned.
Hard work must be rewarded and laziness must not go on unpunished. Now please understand that I know that not all C and D students are lazy, for some it just comes harder than for others. And I know that not all A and B students have to study all night, I understand that for some it just seems to come easy. But once again that is life. Should we, as a society, demand that out athletes play “fair”, fair as in the way the democratic liberal socialistic party defines it, that all are equal or should we just accept that some teams are better than others? What fun would a ball game be if we knew that the end result would always be a tie, and all teams are in the world series, and all teams win, resulting in all players receiving a world series ring? Not much fun at all, I would rather go to the ball park anticipating a win, a good game or even an upset. At least I know that the players had to give there all, and if not, well the cards will fall were they may.
The American people have been sold an idea that fairness means equality of out-come, and that has never been, nor will it ever be fair. It is, at best, rigged, and at its worst, theft. We have robbed our society of ethics and pride and replaced it with entitlement and sloth. We have created a nation that is dependent upon the government to provide for there basic needs. But now we are even demanding that they provide for our wants along with our needs.
Obama and his comrades will bend over backwards to provide this for the American people, not because he cares for the people, but rather because the more you depend upon him, the more power he is able to take. Entailments are not free, the cost the American people freedom and freewill, they make us dependent upon the federal government for our basic needs and wants. And no were in history has this ever worked, and nor will it ever work. Look at the classroom example from above, the hardworking students were punished for there hard work and the under achievers were rewarded. The end result, all became under achievers. The last two weeks of class, the A and B students didn’t even bother to show up, they saw no point in it. The great experiment worked perfectly, when you provide for everyone “fairly” no one wins.
Fairness is not equality of outcome, but equality of opportunity. Fairness means that sometimes tome will lose and others will win. Our efforts must be rewarded and our failures must not be, the idea that all players receive a trophy at they end of the little league session is nothing but an indoctrination into the group think mentality that the socialist need to achieve there over all goal of total control over the population. America is on her way, just stop and look around, individual thought is being replaced by political correctness. We are not free to think and speak as we please, for fear of hurting someones feelings. We must be inclusive in all we do or we are considered to be phobic of some sort. Silliness has hit the American psyche and we have allowed it. We are becoming less and less American and more and more European. And that would be fine, if we were European, but we are not, we are Americans!
This November 2nd your voice must be heard, we must retake what is ours, and it all starts on November 2, 2010 and will continue until November 2012, when we vote out the socialist and vote in an American, who believes hard work must be rewarded not punished.
Mr. Newberry uses facts, passion and humor to deliver a message that all Americans need to hear. The Obama administration has declared WAR on the American way of life. They are actively undermining the innovators and job creators to help push along there socialistic agenda like no other administration in history, and Mr, Newberry lays it out in simple, fun to read English (you know the language we all should be speaking in America).
This book looks at the American dream, breaks it down and delivers a solid one two punch to the liberal social democrats who believe that the Europeans way of governing a nation should become the American way. By looking at American history, the founding fathers and other political leaders, Mr. Newberry gives a compelling voice to the conservative movement. And his faith in America and God comes through clear as a bell. You will have no doubt that he is a true American and a patriot to boot.
The War on Success should be on everyone’s reading list, a book that every teacher, union worker and politician should have to read. It is a book I will recommend to all my friends and of course to all of you. If you read one book this year on politics, I would recommend this one, Mr. Newberry makes it a fun read with plenty of chuckles and tons of hard-hitting facts and a touch of disdain for the current direction of American policies.
And for the faithful, he has included a whole chapter on God and Socialism, using the Bible to defend capitalism, making this the perfect gift for the liberal priest, rabbi or minister you listen to each week. Using quotes from the bible and saints he defends the American way and makes the argument for prosperity and profits.
I will soon finish reading Mr. Newberry’s book, The War on Success, and I know I will be a better American because of it.
Moralist will argue that we don’t always have a choice, they love to use the example of a man caught stealing bread. The moralist will say that if the man was stealing to feed his family than the act of stealing was justified. But the moralist would be wrong. Society does not allow for, nor could it survive with a sliding scale of morality. Stealing is steeling, wrong is wrong. The objections are noted and the circumstances duly noted, but stealing is stealing.
The Bible does not allow for a sliding scale, Jesus did not state that all must follow me, unless this or that happens. No Jesus said all must follow me, let the dead care for the dead. Jesus did not say follow only the commandments that meet your current social/political needs, he said I have not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. He told the rich young man to follow the commandments, and give up all he had to follow him. The young man was not willing to do so, and Jesus did not say, well that’s ok, follow me anyway, he, Jesus, told him to be gone.
Morality must be and should always be constant. It is only with consistence that humanity will stand a chance to survive. The greatness of a person lies in there moral fiber and the strength of that fiber lies in the constancy of its weaving.
The basic argument for a moralist is relativity, everything is relative to the person and circumstances. That each and every person and each and every moment has unlimited moral options, some grater that others, but all are still moral options.
Hog Wash!
Right is Right, Wrong is Wrong….
The Catholic Church teaches this, the actions of abortion are always wrong, regardless of reasons. Now the culpability of the individual may slide on a scale between total cooperation with the even act with full knowledge of its morality too involuntary cooperation in the evil act with no knowledge of its morality. One may be culpable or not, but the act it self is intrinsically evil.
Some will argue that abortion and steeling bread are not the same. But the logic is. The person my be less culpable if they were stealing under extreme mental stress than if they were stealing under normal circumstances. But the act of stealing has not changed.
We use this logic daily in our lives. We look at the situation and make judgment calls. Between choice “A” and “B”, A is the less evil of the two. Example:
My family is with out food, I have no job nor money;
A: Steal bread to feed my family
B: Let my family go hungry
To the hungry man who wishes to care for his family the stealing of the bread is the lesser of the two evils. Yet this does not change the act of stealing in to a morally correct choice. It just served as the catalyst for the act of stealing.
In the modern world, one that is driven by a need to always be on the side of political correctness, we have taken the moral truths and designated them the moral guidelines or the moral sliding scale. Allowing the individual the responsibility of determining there own moral standards.
Yet we seem to be at a cross roads with this concept, with moral truths and the sliding scale of morality in a constant struggle for public acceptance. The moralist is pushing for a stringent adherence to personal morality, unless it interferes with the moral reality, than the moral truth, as they see it, should take precedence over the moral truth of the other.
We see this in our everyday life. The current controversy over the Ground Zero Mosque. The moralist think it should be built at Ground Zero, or at lest allowed to be built. But the same group that wishes to allow this under freedom of religion is the same group who wishes to prosecute the Christians who were passing out information at the Arab festival in Dearborn Michigan a few weeks back. You see the morality of the Mosque fit in to the truth of the moralist at the time were as the morality of the Christians did not.
Now some may say: well your the same, you think it is ok for the Christians to pass out information at a festival but not ok for a Mosque to be built, your in favor of only Christian moral truths. Not so… I Agree that they that the right to build the Mosque, I only question the location and the motive of the location. To me it is like adding salt in to the wounds of the nation. My moral truth remains the same, each group has the right to do what they are doing, and each group is protected by law to do so.
Morality is not an ever changing target, it is a constant. It is not a personal thing, it is a human thing. Stealing is Stealing, regardless of the reasons.
With the political session to start in full swing soon, I thought I would take the time to mention a few things. As any reader of this blog knows, I am a concretive both in my faith and politics, I state my opinions, sometimes not very well received by others, but I still state them and stand up for them. I have written in the past about standing tall and proud for your beliefs and crying them from the roof tops so all can hear. I believe I do that, via this blog and in my daily life. Not many who know me do not know were I stand on any given issue, be it my faith or politics.
This election year is a tad bit different for me, this year I not only state my view points, I am also running for a political office, I will be on the August 3rd primary for the very first time in my 44 years of life, and I am excited! The office I am running for is Republican District Delegate, a nonpaid political office, but still an office that will give me a voice. Win or not I know I have tried to make a difference, I took the next step. So wish me luck and pray for me, that if elected I will serve the my district, county and state with strong conviction and God on my side, or should I say with me on God’s side.
Strong conviction, strong state
The ability to actually run for a political office amazes me, the simple fact that this year, on August 3rd when I enter the polling both I will see my name on it, that I, a proud American, can vote for myself is just amazing. And that I can win, well that is something all on its own!
A strong conviction is the driving force behind my run for office, a conviction that America is headed in the wrong direction, that she is headed down a road that Americans do not want, a road the Europe is currently on, a road that lead to the EU bail out of a whole nation. A road called Socialism, a road of Government run corporations and a welfare state that becomes the norm, not the exception. Can I, as a Percent Delegate really do anything about all that, would I posses the power to make a difference. The simple answer, NO! But nothing is ever that simple.
The Complex in the simplistic
As a delegate I would sit in on local conventions for the Republican party, help define the direction and needs of my constituents, I would offer advice and be the go to person for the politicians running for state or national office, offering my communities point of view in to the mix. I could be invited to the national convention to help define the planks of the platform. It gives me a voice, it gives the community a voice and allows the average citizen to enter in to the process.
It is this simple fact that made me decide to enter in to the race, to test the waters of the political ocean, to see how hard the waves truly hit and break. Each voice added to the mix will change the direction just as each stroke of the rowmen add to the direction and speed of the boat. Every person has a roll in this nation, and I am searching for mine.
Faith and Politics
The ability to take my faith in to the political waters is exciting for me, I love the chance, any chance, to share my faith, and more importantly, the ability to apply my faith to the important issues of today. The founding Fathers did this, just read any of their documents and you will see morality and God permeate them. Yet in modern times we have seemed to have lost that, we have drifted away from the framers basic intent, and have driven a wedge between faith and policy.
I am currently reading “Common Sense” by Thomas Pain, one of our Founding Fathers, the book offers many lessons for today’s politicians even though it was written over 230 years ago. Mr. Pain offers his readers, pre-revolutionary war America, an argument for the a separate and distinctive United States of America, one free from England and free from religious tyranny. A lesson that once again needs to be taught.
Today we are privilege to live in a country that has just elected its first African American President, but we are also cursed, not because he is African American, but because he is socialistic in his point of views. The Obama view point is not new, it has, in the past, been offered up as the “great fix” the “cure all” for all that is wrong with the great nation. The “New Deal” and other social programs form the past was the start of this new silent revolution, a revolution that is designed to take away our rights slowly, with minimal direct effect on us, the average citizen. The idea is lull us privet citizens into a dreamy state of dependency on the government, the “Big Brother” who will provide for all our needs. And sadly we have allowed this to happen, we have, in many cased, opened our arms and warmly welcomed the striping away of our individual freedoms, all in the name of social fairness.
But there is a new Silent Revolution brewing. One that is not of the government or establishment, but one that is of the people and for the people, one that wished to return the government to its rightful place, as protector of personal liberties and national securities. One that our founding fathers would recognize as the maturing of the great nation they established over 230 years ago, one that they were willing to lay there life down for. This new Silent Revolutions is the wave that carried me in to the race, the one that lit the fire of passion and conviction with in me.
With Mothers Day upon us, it is time to reflect on our mother, both earthly and those that are no longer with us. The other day I posted a blog about having parents, or better yet, the blog was tong in cheek about needing to prove I had parents on my birth certificate. But it did cause me a moment to stop and reflect upon them. Both my parents have passed on, my dad has been gone some thirteen years and my mom has been gone four years or so.
As a child of parents, as we all are, the loss of a parent is difficult at best. But the loss of the surviving parent is even harder. It is at this point that I think you realize that your life is not indefinite that you too will one day pass on. I was heart broken when I lost my dad, I felt a section on my life drift away. But I still had my mom there to feel that connection to life, that connection to my being. It was in-fact them that brought me into being, working in cooperation with God. So with the loss of them both, so in a way, I saw the death of my creators. I saw an end of a time of walking on earth with my loving parents, who out of love created me, loved me, even when I deserved no love. I saw my earthly parents parish from this life, and God willing enter in to the next.
It is kind of ironic that I had to search for and find my birth certificate that listed my mom and dad’s names. That I had to prove that they existed. Life has a way of calling our attention to facts at odd moments. God does work in mysterious ways. At this point in time my relationships with my siblings are strained at best. The one I am closest to, my sister, we have not truly talked to each other is over two months, my other sister and I have not talked since my mothers passing and my brothers, well its a strange relationship at the best of times.
It is sad that we all do not get along, that past issues prevent us from maintaining a relationship today. Some of it is me, I know, and some of it them. It is shared equally between us. Each of us have a little bit of our mother in us. Mom was able to hold a grudge up until the end. She only had one sibling, a sister, they had not talked to each other in over 20 years. And in truth it started over a silly painting that was hung in my mom and dads bedroom. Salt was added to the wound when my dad passed away and my moms sister could not find it in her heart to send a card with even a hint at tenderness. All five of us children seemed to receive this “gift” from our mother.
We all seem to be able to hold onto a grudge for years, and as we all know, the longer we hold the grudge the deeper the roots get. My dad use to always say that mom could remember dates, times and exact conversations so she could bring them all back up in a fight. She held on to them all, just incase. Was this true, well sort of, she did have a good memory, and she did use her ability to recall facts. And at times it did seem that she kept them just incase she needed them to win an argument. But who knows…
But back to the blog…
So I found it kind of interesting that at a time in my life, in fact for the first time in my life, my relationship with my brothers and sisters are as such, that I currently am not enjoying a positive and happy one with any of them. It saddens me that this is the case. I enjoy family, but I do not enjoy the stress and strain that sometimes comes with it. And in a way the politics of families is even more confusing and dangerous that the politics of the country. The politics of the country are all played out for an end, they have reasons for what they do, they have an end in mind. But family politics, well that’s a whole different monster, often times the politics are played out with no end in mind. The end game never seems to happen and the parties involved just dig in deeper. This seems to be the case with me and my other siblings. Once again, I know that some of it is my doing, I am not claiming to be an innocent by-stander. No, i know full-well what I have done and have not done. I know where I have tried and where I have failed or not tried at all.
But the past week has caused me to pause and think, to ponder the facts and to reflect upon the nature of family. The fact that I am preparing to travel to India for two weeks has caused me to think. Normally I would be in contact with my one sister, asking for her help in watching over my house or just talking about how excited I am about the trip, I love to travel. But this time around, no such conversation took place. I have someone to watch my house, truth be told I always have someone to watch it, I as a neighbor to check up on it, and I have a nephew who lives her, so he will make sure the dog is feed and plants have water. So in truth she is not needed to watch my house. I just felt better knowing that my sister was overseeing it all. Normally my sister would also keep me up-to-date concerning her life, but this past week she was in the DC area, and I had no idea, I was never told. Not that she has to tell me, but normally she would have, normally she would have even asked if I wanted to come along.
So the gift of grudge holds strong in my family, its a gift that just seems to keep on giving. recently I went to confession for the first time in years. It was an experience that I will enjoy again, and on a more regular bases, I felt the warmth love of God filling my soul and spilling over into my heart. I felt the healing grace of God and knew I had to start to make changes in my life. So I started, I have invited all my siblings to the graduation party for my nephew. Even the ones that I truly do not want to see. Don’t know if this is a good idea or not, because some may not come because the others will be there, so it may end up that none of them come.
I also am trying to learn that I too must change, that I too need to let go and to grow. But it is a hard lesson for me. The ironic part is that in the process of letting go and in growing that may truly mean that the my relationships with my family my never be the same, that I may never have a relationship with them again. But if its because I have grown and I have truly let go of all the grudges, well than that’s ok, that’s just life. But on the flip side of the coin, this process of growing and letting go may bring us all closer together, who knows. All I know is that I need to let go and I need to grow. So more confessions for me and more soul searching in the very near future. As for my brothers and sisters, well all I can do is offer up my prayers and keep an open door. As of now the door is open, but only a little, I still have it blocked.
My mom gave us many wonderful gifts, she was a kind person with a big heart. She was understanding and loving. The whole h
olding a grudge thing, well I think that was a gift from her mother… But that truly is a whole different blog. As for this blog, well I just want to say:
I miss my mother most at times like this, at times when I need her hugs and understanding, and her words of truth. I miss her most when I prepare to leave on trips, she was always so happy and excited for me. They were times when I knew I made her proud of me. I miss her most when my heart is heavy with sadness or confusion and I miss her most when I an filled with joy and wonder. My mom was my best friend, and someone I knew I could count on to always tell me the truth, no matter the hurt that may come with it. I respected her and loved her for that gift. This mothers day I will offer up a special prayer, a prayer to my mother that she may still look over me and still tell me all that I need to hear. I will offer up a prayer filled with deep pain in the loss of her and filled with a deep love that can not be filled by anything upon this earth. I will ask God to bless her soul and to bring her home to him. I will pray that my moms love is never ending and that I may continue to feel her working in my life. I will pray that my love for her will only grow and never diminish. This mothers day I give to my mom the only gift I can, I will give the gift of love and devotion. A gift of my self and my actions. A gift of my thoughts and my being.
Colossians 4:5-6“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
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Yesterday at after our Easter dinner the discussion of the different Parishes that we attend came up and the different practices at each.
The Parish I now attend kneels after the reception of Communion until the priest is finished cleaning the vessels and is seated himself. The Parish my friend attends Stands during Communion and is seated once the Holy Communion is placed in the Tabernacle.
The the debate went on about what was correct. Below is the passage from the GIRM.
Agnus Dei. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) states that the people stand from the end of the Offertory until the end of Mass, except that they kneel down during the Consecration. In the U.S. the approved adaptation is to kneel for the entire Eucharistic Prayer and after the Agnus Dei.
43 … In the dioceses of the United States of America, they should kneel beginning after the singing or recitation of the Sanctus until after the Amen of the Eucharistic Prayer, except when prevented on occasion by reasons of health, lack of space, the large number of people present, or some other good reason.. Those who do not kneel ought to make a profound bow when the priest genuflects after the consecration. The faithful kneel after the Agnus Dei unless the Diocesan Bishop determines otherwise.
After Communion. In 1974 Rome gave an official interpretation of the rubrics on the period after Communion, which makes the posture an option. It states,
After communion they may either kneel, stand, or sit. Accordingly the GIRM no. 21 gives this rule: "The people sit. . .if this seems useful during the period of silence after communion." Thus it is a matter of option, not obligation. The GIRM no. 121, should, therefore, be interpreted to match no. 21: Notitiae 10 (1974) 407.
The new GIRM states,
43… They should sit during the readings before the gospel and during the responsorial psalm, for the homily and the preparation of the gifts, and, if this seems helpful, they may sit or kneel during the period of religious silence after communion.
However, some of the faithful complain that hey are being required to stand at their place after getting back from Communion. A response which Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska, received from Rome appears to clarify that point.
Query: Is it the case that the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, by no. 43 of the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani,[the new 2000 GIRM] intends to prohibit the faithful from kneeling after the Agnus Dei and following reception of Communion?
Response: Negative. [Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Prot. 2372/00/L, 7 November 2000]
This debate is all to common in today’s Catholic world. We have Parishes deciding for themselves what is and is not expectable, creating disconnects between parishes that are only miles apart. If the argument of “Unity in prayer” can be used to defend all standing after reception of communion (as was used by my friend), than that very same argument can be used for all knelling after reception.
To me it comes down to respect. We have just received the greatest gift anyone can receive, the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Blessed Lord, Jesus the Christ! To show reverence by kneeling is a simple task and to me a very privet moment between me and my Savior.
I was told about a radio or TV minister that made the comment that if Catholics truly believed that Jesus was TRULY present in the sacrament of Communion we would crawl on our stomachs to get there. AMEN! It is God we are receiving, the one true God made man in the flesh of Jesus. Is it to much to ask that we show a tad bit of reverence, just a little respect? I think not.
Now I am not stating that people or parishes that stand after the reception of Communion are not showing respect. I am sure many are. But our actions are outward displays of our thought. So I ask you, are we standing because we just received the TRUE Jesus in Communion or are we stating to show unity with others? To me, and to what I have been told, we stand as a sign of unity with others. Hmmm, what about the unity we just made with Jesus in the sacrament of Holy Communion? What about the fact that we have Jesus in us like no other time, what about the fact that we have been united to our savior in a way that non-Catholics can even dream of being! We have just taken the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Blessed Lord in to ourselves. We have just united our being with His glorious being in a way that we could not were in not for this sacrament that Jesus established.
To me, to stand shows a sign of disrespect, and I felt that way at every Parish I ever attended that stood after the reception of our Blessed Lord. I followed the community and stood, because I also think it is disrespectful to act contrary to the community, but in my heart I was kneeling.
Standing after the reception of communion, like so many other acts of reverence were removed in the name of Vatican II. People, most with good intentions, used this document to remove all signs of reverence from the Holy Mass and prayer and turned it into one large group hug. Like the bible passage states,
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV)
There is a time for group hugs and a time of reverence. It seems that reverence, for some, is code word for pre Vatican II and must be eliminated. It is almost a sickness that consumes the Church like a cancer. A cancer that will spread and destroy any semblance of the Holy Roman Catholic Church if we do no
t start to get it under control.
All is not bleak nor lost, for Jesus told us:
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Matthew 16:18 NIV)
2 Corinthians 5:14-15“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”
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A lot of press has been used on the Bush 
