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.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Encourage Reading


                    Families, communities, and nations are strengthened when we as parents, leaders and teachers encourage the rising generation to read.  The ability to read is vital to survival as adults; the ability to read well leads to success; the love of reading brings many hours of enjoyment.  I encourage parents to make reading an important part of the lives of their family members and to develop life-long readers.

                    I believe that children and youth are influenced by many different people - parents, grandparents, friends, teachers, and other leaders.  I believe that we can influence others best by modeling the behavior we desire in others.  In this case, we can influence others to read by showing them that reading is important. 

Many families make weekly trips to the library to check out books.  Having new books in the house is an excellent opportunity to read aloud to the children.  New parents seem to automatically read to their new baby, but reading seems to fall by the wayside as the baby grows.   Babies, toddlers, preschoolers, elementary school children, teenagers, and even adult children enjoy hearing their mother read to them.  I remember a camping trip that my family took a few years ago.  We rented canoes and made our way through a system of lakes to our camping spot.   I pulled a book out of my pack and was pleased to hear my college-age daughter say, "Read to us, Mom."  We had a delightful time reading around the campfire that evening.

I like to have a book with me wherever I go.  Carrying a book is such an easy thing to do, but it is also very rewarding.  I am thrilled when I see my children and grandchildren bring books along on vacations.  Some of the children read in the car as the family travels.  All of them enjoy reading before bedtime.  One of my granddaughters takes so many books to bed with her that there is hardly room for her in the bed!  My older sister brought several of her grandchildren with her to our family reunion.  Some of the grandchildren were old enough to drive; my sister read to them as they traveled.  The book she read was Mrs. Mike.

                    Regan McMahon posted an article entitled "How to Raise a Reader" that listed many different things that parents can do to encourage reading in their homes.  Here are her suggestions for developing life-long reading:  1) Read aloud to children.  2) Savor the series.  Children can get hooked on reading by becoming very interested in a long story.  3) Grab onto a genre.  Help your children to find something that truly interests them.  4) Feed the favorite-author addiction.  5) Count on the Classics.  Classics are books that generation after generation enjoys.  I have found that children especially enjoy books that their parents read. 
6) Find books about the things your kid loves whatever it is - horses, cars, trains, wild animals, circuses, etc.  7) Funny is fine.  Children love to read books about other children and their escapades.  8) Comics are OK.  Graphic novels are one of the latest trends in reading.  Even comic books are okay because reading is reading!  9) Make reading a family value.  Make sure your children know that you value books and the ability to read.  Let them see you reading newspapers, books, magazines, etc.

                    Children, teenagers, and college students are back in school now or will soon be in school.  This is a great time of the year to establish new habits, and reading is an excellent habit to develop.  When we encourage the rising generation to read good books, we are strengthening not only our family but our community and nation.



Thursday, August 30, 2012

Protect Liberty


                    The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is the fact that all Americans share the great responsibility of defending and maintaining our liberty.  We are all responsible to keep watch against our enemies, both foreign and domestic.

                    "The first object of a free people is the preservation of their liberty….  The spirit of liberty is, indeed, a bold and fearless spirit; but it is also a sharp-sighted spirit; it is a cautious, sagacious, discriminating, far-seeing intelligence; it is jealous of encroachment, jealous of power, jealous of men.  It demands checks; it seeks for guards; it insists on securities; it intrenches itself behind strong defences, and fortifies itself with all possible care against the assaults of ambition and passion.  It does not trust the amiable weaknesses of human nature, and therefore it will not permit power to overstep its prescribed limits, though benevolence, good intent, and patriotic purpose come along with it."  (Daniel Webster, May 7, 1834; Works 4:122, as quoted by Ezra Taft Benson in An Enemy Hath Done This, p. 323)

                    Ezra Taft Benson, United States Secretary of Agriculture under President Eisenhower, and later President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spent much time and energy warning Americans about communism.  He spoke about it in many different types of meetings - Church, civic, college, etc.  In a speech given on February 11, 1966, at The Utah Forum for the American Idea, he listed ten ways that our Republic and Constitution are being destroyed all the while we are aiding the enemies of freedom.  His list is as follows:  "1) By diplomatic recognition and aid, and trade and negotiations with the communists.  2) By disarmament of our military defenses.  3) By destruction of our security laws and the promotion of atheism by decisions of the Supreme Court.   4) By loss of sovereignty and solvency through international commitments and membership in world organization.  5) By undermining of local law enforcement agencies and Congressional investigating committees.  6) By usurpations by the executive and judicial branches of our federal government.  7) By lawlessness in the name of civil rights.  8) By a staggering national debt with inflation and a corruption of the currency.  9) By a multiplicity of executive orders and federal programs which greatly weaken local and state governments.  10) By the sacrifice of American manhood by engaging in wars we apparently have no intention of winning."

                    As I read through Benson's list, I recognized that those encroachments are still being made!  He spoke about these dangers more than 46 years ago, and yet we are facing them again now.  Benson was not the only one warning Americans about the dangers of communism, but he was one of most well known.  There were people in Washington, D.C. who were openly criticizing Benson.  Liberal politicians did not want Benson's message to get out to the public.  They were embarrassed and afraid for their political careers if these facts were pointed out.  They tried to silence the patriotic voices that were crying out about the dangers. 

                    Liberal politicians were not the only ones concerned about the rising patriotism in American.  Moscow was also concerned.  Benson wrote, "It was in 1960 when the communist leaders first decided to do something drastic about the rising tide of patriotism in the United States.  The loss of Cuba to the Soviet Union had alerted Americans.   Citizens were holding study groups, seminars and freedom schools.  The more they studied the more they realized how fast communism was advancing on all fronts.  They also learned to their amazement that Washington politicians were doing practically nothing about it.  In fact in many cases they were doing things to promote communism.  So the protests began to pour into the national capitol from every state in the union.  All over America there was an awakening."

                    Benson explained that Soviet leaders were very concerned about these happenings and called a meeting of communists from eighty-one countries.  This convention of communists "issued an edict that the rising tide of patriotism and anti-communism must be smashed - especially in the United States" in December, 1960.  American patriots became the objects of vile "hate propaganda and smear tactics" - not by foreign communists but "in the name of influential Americans who espoused the socialist-communist line."

                    "By 1962 these American liberals had almost completely neutralized the resurgence of American patriotism.  They had frightened uninformed citizens away from study groups and patriotic rallies.  They had made it popular to call patriotism a `controversial' subject which should not be discussed in school assemblies or churches.

                    "From Washington, D.C., the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) issued an edict to radio and television stations that if they allowed the controversial subjects of `Americanism,' `anti-communism,' or `states' rights' to be discussed on their stations they would be required to give equal time, free of charge, to anyone wishing to present an opposite view" (An Enemy Hath Does This, pp. 40-42).

                    Ezra Taft Benson, J. Edgar Hoover, and other patriots shouted the warnings about communism taking root in the United States, and supporters of communism apparently went underground.  Today members of the TEA Party are crying out for a return to constitutional principles.  They are disliked by all progressives and liberals and many of the establishment Republicans.  Being a member of a TEA Party is being likened to an enemy of the nation!  How would they be treated if they were shouting warnings about communism?  About the same way! 

                    In April 2012, freshmen Representative Allen West(R-FL)  was asked, "What percentage of the American legislature do you think are card-carrying Marxists?"  He answered, "That's a fair question.  I believe there's about 78 to 81 members of the Democratic Party that are members of the Communist Party."  He went on to say, "It's called the Congressional Progressive Caucus" according to his spokesman.

                    West spokeswoman Angela Marvin gave the following written statement to NBC News:  "The Congressman was referring to the 76 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus."  The Communist Party has publicly referred to the Progressive Caucus as its allies.  The Progressive Caucus speaks for itself.  These individuals certainly aren't proponents of free markets or individual economic freedom."

                    West's office also referred to a statement on the Communist Party USA web site "where it says they made a mistake by turning `away from our allies in Congress, the Progressive Caucus, and John Conyers' during their fight for a single-payer system being included in Obama's health care law."

                    The Communist Party USA behaved much the same way as the communists of the 1960s:  They denied the relationship.  A leader at the Communist Party USA called West's statements "ridiculous" and "a cheap shot" and added, "We are supposed to live in a political democracy.  I didn't know that being a Communist in Congress was off-limits or out of bounds.  There aren't any now and if there were in the future does that mean that the voters don't have a say.  Can't choose a Communist to be in Congress?"

                    The spokesman blamed the Tea Party for bringing up the idea of socialism and blaming Obama for being socialist.  They claimed that the Tea Party put socialism on the agenda.

                    Representative West is a true patriot who has stood up for freedom, both in the military and in Congress.  I believe that he is being marginalized by supporters of Communism.  Besides, why would it be "okay" to have a communist in Congress?  Why would we put a fox in the hen house?  It is the same principle!  We must be alert and remove all socialists and communists from our governing bodies.  Even though few leaders are warning about communism at the current time, we can rest assured that communists have infiltrated every area of the American way of life.  Americans must awake and arise in defense of our liberty!
                   




Wednesday, August 29, 2012

TV Special on Mormons


                    I watched the recent television special about Mormons and have a few comments to make about it.  I must first say that I was very disappointed and disgusted that someone thought it was necessary and appropriate to show sacred temple garments on television!  I believe that the person or people who approved and planned this part of the program have no sense of sacredness or decency!  At least now the garments can no longer be considered "secret" - but they are still sacred.  I cannot help wondering if the same treatment would have occurred if we were a different religion, maybe a non-Christian religion. 

                    I was appalled at the notion apparently held by many people that the best place to learn about Mormons is from former Mormons.  As a friend pointed out, when she wants medical advice she goes to her doctor, not her librarian.  When people want to know about Mormons they should go directly to active, participating members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or to Church-sponsored websites such as lds.org or mormon.org. 

                    For any feminists out there, please do not hold your breath waiting for the Church to ordain females to the priesthood.  I believe I can safely say that it won't happen.  As a long-time and very active female member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I do not have any desire to hold the priesthood.  I believe that most sisters in the Church would agree with me, especially those who have held leadership positions and understand the doctrines, principles, and policies of the Church.  Priesthood is the power and authority of God and carries great responsibility, a responsibility that is much greater than I desire or can carry. 

As a wife, mother, and grandmother I already carry all the responsibility and power I desire; I am very much aware that there is no way that I could perform the duties I already have if I also had the responsibilities of the priesthood.  Women who work outside their homes would have even less time and energy for the added duties.  I have served in many leadership and teaching positions in the Church and have attended hundreds of meetings presided over by priesthood holders. 

I know that priesthood leaders spend many hours each week serving the members of their wards and stakes - ministering and administering.  Every time a family has a problem with a teenage son or daughter, every time there are marital problems, every time there are financial problems, etc. the problems are taken to priesthood leaders.  While my son served as president of his Elders Quorum, he had the responsibility of giving financial counseling to numerous couples and/or families in his ward. I am perfectly happy to teach my Sunday School class and then spend my time serving my family and friends!

                    Another group of people who should not hold their collective breath waiting for a change are those people who think that the doors of our temples should be thrown open to everyone.  Our meetinghouses are open to anyone who cares to enter them, but our temples are reserved for those who carry the proper credentials.  Our temples are not the only places where certain requirements must be met before entrance is granted; there are many institutions and organizations that require certain credentials for entrance.

When I attended the Alaska State GOP Convention, I was credentialed as an alternate, and I was not allowed to enter the main convention room.  My credentials allowed me entrance to the room where the alternates watched the convention on television.  When my status changed from alternate delegate to a delegate, I received the proper credentials and was allowed to take part in the convention.

                    When I worked at Hill AFB and other military installations, I was allowed to enter the bases because I had proper clearance.  Even gaining entrance to the base did not allow me to go wherever I desired; for example, there were places on those bases that I could enter only because I had proper security clearances.

                    Our temples are sacred places where entrance is restricted to those people who have the proper credentials.  There is no limit on how many people can obtain those credentials, but there are specific requirements to obtain them.  A few of those requirements are: being a baptized member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, being of proper age (age 12 for baptisms and confirmations and age 18 for other ordinances), living the Law of Tithing and the Law Chastity, being honest with our fellowmen, dealing appropriately with family members, and having a testimony of Jesus Christ.

                    I thought the program did an excellent job of portraying the welfare program of the Church.  It seemed to be open and honest without any of the "digs" that usually take place.   I also appreciated the responses of the families who were filmed in their homes and daily activities because they portrayed experiences that happen in many Mormon homes.
                    

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Trees in the Forest


                    There is an old adage that tells us that sometimes we are too busy looking at the trees to actually see the forest.  A very good example of this adage is this political season.   We are so busy stewing about the many, many issues that we forget the dire need to defend the Constitution from Obama and his supporters.

                    My husband and I watched the new documentary film entitled 2016 Obama's America last night.  It was scary but very direct.  I highly recommend that every voter watch this film before Election Day.  The film itself is not political.  It simply tells the known facts about Obama's life in a way that viewers can better understand why he acts as he does.  Every voter needs to know the real Obama and his ideas in order to know who and what they are voting for or against.  This film helped me to see past the trees in order to see the forest better.

                    Thomas Sowell, a well-known economist, author, and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Stanford, California, posted an article entitled "`Issues' or America?"  I found this article to be very interesting.  Sowell began his article with these words:

                    "There are some very serious issues at stake in this year's election - so many that some people may not be able to see the forest for the trees.  Individual issues are the trees, but the forest is the future of America as we have known it.
                    "The America that has flourished for more than two centuries is being quietly but steadily dismantled by the Obama administration, during the process of dealing with particular issues."

                    Sowell then proceeds to explain how some of the issues are blinding us to the fact that the Constitution and our nation are being changed right before our eyes.  His first example was Obama's executive order to suspend legal liability for young illegal aliens.  He explained that as we "debate" whether or not this is a good thing, we overlook "the much more fundamental undermining of the whole American system of Constitutional government.

                    "The separation of powers into legislative, executive and judicial branches of government is at the heart of the Constitution of the United States - and the Constitution is at the heart of freedom for Americans.
                    "No President of the United States is authorized to repeal parts of legislation passed by Congress.  He may veto the whole legislation, but then Congress can override his veto if they have enough votes.  Nevertheless, every President takes an oath to faithfully execute the laws that have been passed and sustained - not just the ones he happens to agree with.

                    "If laws passed by the elected representatives of the people can be simply over-ruled unilaterally by whoever is in the White House, then we are no longer a free people, choosing what laws we want to live under….
                    "When we confine our debates to the merits or demerits of particular executive orders, we are tacitly accepting arbitrary rule.  The Constitution of the United States cannot protect us unless we protect the Constitution.  But, if we allow ourselves to get bogged down in the details of particular policies imposed by executive orders, and vote solely on that basis, then we have failed to protect the Constitution - and ourselves…

                    "If Obama gets reelected, he knows that he needs no longer worry about what the voters think about anything he does.  Never having to face them again, he can take his arbitrary rule by decree as far as he wants.  He may be challenged in the courts but, if he gets just one more Supreme Court appointment, he can pick someone who will rubber stamp anything he does and give him a 5 to 4 majority."

                    The whole Chick-fil-A fiasco, including the shooting that took place in a Conservative organization by a deranged gay rights supporter, had us looking at trees (traditional marriage versus gay "marriage") instead of watching the forest (Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Speech).  I will admit that I was blinded at first, but now see more clearly!

                    The talk about Romney's taxes or his going to Church, Obamacare, and the economy are all issues.  Some of these issues are much more important than other issues, but we need to see past them in order to see the damages being done to our rule of law.

                    To help us understand the importance of defending the Constitution instead of fighting brush fires in the trees, The Heritage Foundation posted a report written by William A. Schambra and entitled "The Origins and Revival of Constitutional Conservatism:  1912 and 2012."  

                    Many people, both Republicans and Democrats, dislike the Tea Party.  I do not dislike them, but I am a little more leery of some of them after encountering Ron Paul supporters at the Alaska State Republican Convention.  One thing we cannot doubt about the Tea Party is their desire to return to Constitutional principles.  Schambra began his report with this observation, "To many observers of today's boisterously populist Tea Party movement, one of its most striking features is its apparent obsession with the U.S. Constitution.  `More than any political movement in recent memory,' law professor Jared Goldstein writes, `the Tea Party is centrally focused on the meaning of the Constitution.'  In apparent agreement, Dick Armey and Matt Kibbe maintain in Give Us Liberty:  A Tea Party Manifesto that `First and foremost, the Tea Party movement is concerned with recovering constitutional principles in government.'

                    "Observers are also puzzled by this populist effort to recover constitutional principles, for it seems to be fundamentally anti-populist or anti-democratic.  In the past, widespread popular movements rallying around constitutional principles seemed to possess only a democratic `drive' gear.  That is, according to a supportive school of thought, the `popular constitutionalists,' they drove the Constitution toward ever greater democratic inclusiveness and empowerment, as did the civil rights, women's, and gay rights movements.

                    "But the Tea Partiers seemingly want to add a `reverse' gear to popular constitutionalism, for they seek the restoration of a Constitution that would reimpose limits on the reach of federal public policy, no matter how popular it may prove to be with American democratic majorities.  Goldstein concludes that the `Tea Party movement advances a broad anti-democratic agenda that seeks to rein in democracy by preventing majorities from enacting a large array of regulatory measures that have long been understood to be available through ordinary politics.'  By seeking constitutional restoration, the movement `expresses strong disdain for democracy, arguing that the nation is facing catastrophe due to the excesses of democracy, in which strict limits on governmental powers have been abandoned.'

                    "A democratic movement devoted to reimposing anti-democratic constitutional limits on the popular will:  Is this simply another of the necessarily incoherent, self-contradictory impulses we have come to expect from a movement that is, in historian Jill Lepore's characterization, both deeply anti-historical and anti-intellectual?

                    "I think not.  Indeed, wrestling with the problem of democracy and its relationship to the American Constitution is, I would argue, a first step toward recovering our founding document from the progressive opprobrium beneath which it has labored for over a century.  As the Tea Party senses, progressivism acquired for itself an unfair advantage when it linked the notion of constitutional legitimacy to the cause of unlimited government powers in the name of democracy.  There is, of course, another view of the Constitution, closer to that of the Founders, which finds no contradiction in the notion of a constitutionally limited or constrained democracy.

                    "As it turns out, we celebrate this year the 100th anniversary of the American presidential election in which this very conflict of constitutional visions played a central role.  We may come to appreciate the coherence of a popular effort to restore limits on the popular will by revisiting the issues of the election of 1912 and, in particular, the contest for the Republican presidential nomination between William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt."

                    The remainder of this report details the efforts of Theodore Roosevelt to "reform" the Constitution and the work of other leaders who were willing to lose the Presidential Election of 1912 in order to save the Constitution from Teddy Roosevelt.  Roosevelt was "grounded in an effort to correct what he understood to be the democratic insufficiencies of the American Constitution."  He expressed his views in a speech given at the Ohio Constitutional Convention in Columbus on February 1, 1912, in a speech entitled "A Charter of Democracy."  He challenged President William Howard Taft for the Republican nomination and lost because of his views.  He continued to run for the office of President on the Progressive Party ticket.  There was a three-way contest between Roosevelt, Taft, and Democrat Woodrow Wilson, and Wilson won the election.  Wilson was not good for our nation, but the Constitution was spared for the time being. 

                    The 2012 Presidential Election is a battle between two ideologies, two opposing ideas of how our nation should be governed.  Democrats believe that we need a bigger and bigger government, one that knows what is best for us and takes care of us from cradle to grave; Republicans believe in limited government, one that is big enough to protect us from enemies (foreign and domestic) but small enough to be controlled by people who are capable of meeting their own basic needs.  Our very freedoms and liberties are at stake in this election.  It is important that each of us study the Constitution and educate ourselves about what is at stake.  We must stop clamoring about the trees and stand up for the Constitution!

Monday, August 27, 2012

Daniel Carroll


                    Daniel Carroll of Maryland was a politician and one of our Founding Fathers.  He has the distinction of being one of six people who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution as well as one of five men who signed both the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution.

                    Carroll was a prominent member of a prominent political and great colonial Catholic family.  The Carroll family had its origins in the ancient Irish kingdom of Eile, commonly anglicized Ely, as part of the ruling O'Carroll family.  An ancient ancestor was Domhnall O'Carroll, King of Eile (Ely).  Other prominent members of the family include his Daniel's younger brother Archbishop John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop in the United States and founder of Georgetown University, and his cousin Charles Carroll of Carrollton who also signed the Declaration of Independence.

                    Daniel Carroll was born on July 22, 1730, in Upper Marlboro, Prince Georges County, Maryland, the oldest son of Daniel Carroll and Eleanor Darnall Carroll of English descent.  His mother had inherited "a large estate of thousands of acres," and Daniel spent his early years at his family home there.  Several acres of this estate are now a museum known as Darnall's Chance, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Daniel was educated in Europe.  He studied under the Jesuits (1742-1748) at the College of St. Omer in Flanders (established for the education of English Catholics after the protestant Reformation).  Soon after he returned to America, he married Eleanor Carroll, apparently a first cousin of Charles Carroll of Carrollton.  Not much is known of Carroll for the next two decades besides the fact that he gradually joined the cause of the Patriots.

                    Carroll was a wealthy planter, slave owner, and large land owner who risked his socials and economic position by supporting the Patriot cause of American independence.  He was concerned that the Revolution might fail and bring economic ruin to his family as well as mob rule.  He was a friend and strong ally of George Washington; he believed in and "worked for a strong central government that could secure the achievements and fulfill the hopes of the Revolution."  In the Convention, Carroll fought for a government that would be responsible to the people directly.

                    Catholics were prohibited from holding public office at the time by colonial laws.  After the laws were nullified in 1776 by the Maryland constitution, Carroll was elected to the Maryland legislature and took his seat in the Senate (1777-1781).  He was then elected to the Continental Congress and served there from 1781 until 1784.  He signed the Articles of Confederation in 1781.  The motto of the extended Carroll family was "Strong in Faith and War," and Daniel was strongly involved in the Revolution.

                    Carroll was active in the Constitutional Convention and was a good friend of James Madison.  Like Madison, Carroll was convinced that a strong central government was needed to regulate commerce, both domestic and foreign.  He wanted the power of the government to be vested in the people.  He served on the Committee on Postponed Matters and spoke maybe 20 times in the debates of the Convention.  Carroll and Thomas Fitzsimons were the only Roman Catholics to sign the Constitution, but their signing was a "symbol of the advance of religious freedom in America during the Revolutionary period." 

After the Convention, Carroll continued to be involved in politics on both the state and national level.  Although he was not a delegate at the state convention, he actively campaigned for the ratification of the Constitution in Maryland.  He defended the Constitution in the Maryland Journal, often in opposition to the arguments of Samuel Chase, a well-known Anti-federalist.  After the Constitution was ratified, Carroll was elected to represent the sixth district of Maryland to the First Congress.  There he voted for the federal government to assume the war debts of the states.  He also served in the Maryland Senate.

                    Carroll was appointed as one of three commissioners with the assignment to survey the District of Columbia.  He also owned one of the four farms that became Washington, D.C.  The other three farms were owned by Notley Young, David Burns, and Samuel Davidson.  The capital itself was built on the land Carroll transferred to the government.  As the official commissioners of Congress, Carroll and David Stuart laid the cornerstone of the District of Columbia at Jones Point near Alexandria, Virginia, on April 15, 1791.  He was forced by failing health to retire in 1795, but he remained active in his region. 

                    In the last year of Carroll's life, he became a partner with George Washington in their Patowmack Company.  The intent of this company was to link the middle states with the West by means of a Potomac River canal.  Carroll passed away on July 5, 1796, at "Rock Creek" (Forest Glen), Montgomery County, Maryland, and was interred at St. John's Catholic Cemetery, Forest Glen, MarylandCarroll Street in Madison, Wisconsin, is named in Carroll's honor.


Sunday, August 26, 2012

Presidential Eligibility: Age


In order to be eligible to hold the office of President of the United States, a person must satisfy three eligibility requirements based on age, residency and citizenship.  The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday concerns age and comes from Article II, Section 1, Clause 5:  "… neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office [of President of the United States] who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years…."  The Framers of the Constitution wanted to be sure that anyone elected to the office of President of the United States had reached a maturity of at least thirty-five years of age.

The following words expressed by John Jay show the general feeling of those attending the Constitutional Convention:  "By excluding men under thirty-five … it confines the electors to men of whom the people have had time to form a judgment, and with respect to whom they will not be liable to be deceived by those brilliant appearances of genius and patriotism which, like transient meteors, sometimes mislead as well as dazzle" (as quoted by W. Cleon Skousen in The Making of America - The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution, p. 528).

"… The Framers established these qualifications [to be President] in order to increase the chances of electing a person of patriotism judgment, and civic virtue.
"… As Justice Joseph Story has noted, the `character and talent' of a man in the middle age of life is `fully developed,' and he has had the opportunity `for public service and for experience in the public councils."  (See James C. Ho in The Heritage guide to the Constitution, p. 189).

Barack Obama was older than thirty-five, but he still deceived the people with his "brilliant appearances of genius!"  The lame stream media continues to tell us how "brilliant" Obama is.  If he is so brilliant, why is our country in the shape it is today?

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Worth of Souls


                    Every human being has infinite worth because each of us is a spirit son or daughter of Heavenly Father.  Everyone has value and importance in the eyes of God.  Each of us has talents and abilities that can bless our own lives as well as the lives of others, but some people do not feel they are valuable and seek to find importance through following the fads and lifestyles of the world.  Each individual is different from every other member of the human race, but each is of great worth to Heavenly Father.

                    In a revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer, at Fayette, New York, in June 1829, the Lord Jesus Christ defined the worth of each human being:  "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God" (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10).

                    As children of God we have infinite worth.  We all are individual and look, sound, and act differently than anyone else, but we are all important in the sight of God.  Our Heavenly Father has given each of us a unique and individual combination of strengths and weaknesses.

                    In another revelation to Joseph Smith the Prophet, given in Kirtland, Ohio, on March 8, 1831, the Lord explained that He gives different gifts to His children in order that we can share them and bless each other's lives.
                    "Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given;
                    "For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a sign that they may consume it upon their lusts.
                    "And again, verily I say unto you, I would that ye should always remember, and always retain in your minds what those gifts are, that are given unto the church.
                    "For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.
                    "To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby" (Doctrine and Covenants 46:8-12).
                    The Lord then proceeded to list the gifts given to His children as well as the reasons for those gifts.  "To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.
                    "To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful.
                    "And again, to some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know the differences of administration, as it will be pleasing unto the same Lord, according as the Lord will, suiting his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men.
                    "And again, it is given by the Holy Ghost to some to know the diversities of operations, whether they be of God, that the manifestations of the Spirit may be given to every man to profit withal.
                    "And again, verily I say unto you, to some is given, by the Spirit of God, the word of wisdom.
                    "To another is given the word of knowledge, that all may be taught to be wise and to have knowledge.
                    "And again, to some it is given to have faith to be healed;
                    "And to others it is given to have faith to heal.
                    "And again, to some is given the working of miracles;
                    "And to others it is given to prophesy;
                    "And to others the discerning of spirits,
                    "And again, it is given to some to speak with tongues;
                    "And to another is given the interpretation of tongues.
                    "And all these gifts come from God, for the benefit of the children of God" (Doctrine and Covenants 46:13-26).

                    There are many gifts that are not mentioned in the scriptures such as the ability to be cheerful or the ability to be a good listener.  Some people have the gift to be great basketball players while others have great musical abilities.  Some people are excellent photographers while others paint beautiful pictures.  Some people are gifted with the ability to be great speakers while others have the ability to be well-organized.  Some people are totally honest while other people are very dependable.  The list of gifts can go on and on, but when taken as a whole, they bestow great blessings to all mankind.  
                 
                    In addition to receiving at least one gift, we are each given one or more weaknesses.  Moroni, the final prophet in the Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ, sought comfort from the Lord about his weaknesses and was told, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness.  I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them" (Ether 12:27).

                    The Lord gives us weaknesses to keep us humble and teachable in order that we can become stronger.  He desires that we come unto Him and seek help in overcoming our weaknesses and turning them into strengths.  An excellent example of weaknesses becoming strengths is found in the life of Demosthenes (384?-322 B.C.).  Demosthenes was a statesman who lived in Athens, Greece,  who is usually considered to be the greatest Greek orator.

                    Demosthenes came from a wealthy family, but his father died when he was just a boy.  He was raised by three guardians who stole most of his inheritance.  Demosthenes studied law and oratory and brought his guardians to court when he became an adult.  He did so well in his lawsuit that he decided to enter politics.  He wanted to become an orator, but he "had a harsh, unpleasant voice and an awkward manner" and "suffered from shortness of breath."  Legend tells us that he overcame his weakness in speaking by going to the beach, filling his mouth with pebbles, and shouting above the noise of the waves.  (See World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 129).

                    A story from more modern times was told by Victor W. Harris ("The Miracle of Jenni," New Era, Mar. 1996, 12-14).
                    "I remember the first time Jenni walked into my seminary class and said hi to me.  She had a very difficult time speaking, her words were slurred and hard to understand, and she limped and hobbled as she tried to make her legs carry her frail body toward her desk.  During Jenni's first week … in my class, she seemed content to be mostly ignored by her classmates, who appeared to be struggling to figure out how to interact with her.

                    "Jenni would try to speak, and very few students could understand her.  …  Most of them distanced themselves from her both physically and socially and, as a result, proceeded to politely ignore her.
                    "However, they weren't aware that inside Jenni's deformed body were a keen mind, a heart of gold, and an indomitable spirit crying out to be heard, to be understood, to be accepted, and to be loved.  She wouldn't be ignored, politely or otherwise.

                    One day Jenni asked her teacher if she could say something in class and asked for a friend to sit by her at lunch.  The class was silent for a long moment, and then a girl named Treasure volunteered.
                    "`I'll be your friend, Jenni.'  … This … gave Treasure's friend Wendy the confidence to raise her hand and tell Jenni that she would also be her friend and sit by her at lunch ever day….

                    "I noticed as the days turned into weeks that Treasure and Wendy began to translate Jenni's words when we couldn't understand her.
                    "As the students began to see what a beautiful, intelligent person Jenni was, they began to invite her to activities [and] help her with her difficulties….  Jenni's classmates helped her realize what a wonderful person she is.  [They] included her in their circle of friends and helped her feel like she belonged; [they] saw through her handicap to the special needs of her heart - a young woman wanting to be accepted and understood."

                    I can almost feel the suspense in that classroom after Jenni requested a friend.  The class ignored Jenni until she would not allow them to ignore her any longer.  When they got to know her, they discovered that Jenni had a beautiful spirit in spite of her physical problems.  The class members learned the importance of looking beyond physical differences to understand the true worth of each person in the sight of God.  Samuel the Prophet learned this same lesson when he was searching for the first king of Israel.

                    "But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him:  for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).

                    If we so desire, we can develop our talents and share our gifts and accomplish much good.   Elder Gordon B. Hinckley while a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated:  "The work of the world is not done by intellectual geniuses.  It is done by men [and women] of ordinary capacity who use their abilities in an extraordinary manner" (Ensign, Jan. 1973, 92).

                    What can we do to discover our gifts and talents in order to use them to the fullest extend possible in blessing mankind?  Many years ago I heard an acquaintance say that she wanted to sing in the ward choir but couldn't sing.  She asked the Lord to help her learn how to sing.  In fact, she asked the Lord to take the gift of singing from someone who did not appreciate it and to give it to her.  I do not know if this happened; I do know that she sang beautifully in the ward choir. 

                    There are numerous ways that we can discover our gifts and talents.  One of those ways is to simply try new skills.  One of my daughters taught herself to knit and crochet and makes beautiful items; she even writes a blog about her projects.  Her enjoyment of her new skills rekindled my desires to pull out my knitting needles and start knitting again.  We were both knitting at our recent family reunion, and another daughter became interested in learning to knit.  I happened to have some extra needles and yarn with me, and we proceeded to teach her the basic skills of knitting.  Before the reunion was over, we made a trip to a yarn store where she purchased her own needles and yarn to make a hat for a new baby.

                    Another way we can develop our talents is to accept assignments and responsibilities in the Church, the PTA, etc.  Through serving we learn many different skills and develop new friendships.  Still another way is to plead with the Lord in prayer for knowledge.  Answers to our prayers may come through studying the scriptures, receiving our patriarchal blessing, and/or listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, the counsel of parents, the Prophet and other leaders. 

                    The Lord revealed information to Moses that indicates where God's priorities are: "For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Pearl of Great Price, Moses 1:39).

                    The most important work for God to do is to help His children obtain immortality and eternal life.  This is His primary concern!  He gives us gifts and talents to prepare us to help Him accomplish His work.  If we use our abilities righteously, we can become instruments in the hands of the Lord and help others to return to His presence.  Simply knowing that we are helping God can increase our sense of worth.

                    We can help other people to understand better who they are and how they can contribute to this eternal project.  We can share our gifts with them; we can recognize their gifts and talents, and we can provide opportunities for them to share their gifts and talents with others.

                    Elder Marvin J. Ashton, who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, stated:  "As children of God we are somebody.  He will build us, mold us, and magnify us if we will but hold our heads up, our arms out, and walk with him.  What a great blessing to be created in his image and know of our true potential in and through him!" (in Ensign, July 1973, 24).

                    I testify that each person has great worth in the eyes of God and holds an important role in God's plan for His children.  I know that God loves each of His children and has a special plan for each of us to help us return to Him and have eternal joy.  I encourage each of my readers to recognize your own worth as a child of God as well as the great worth of others in the sight of God.                                                    

















Friday, August 24, 2012

Line of Demarcation


                    Families, communities, and nations are strengthened when we teach the rising generation about the line of demarcation, a line that we must never cross.  Children and teenagers must be taught that there are thoughts, words and actions which are appropriate and other which are always inappropriate.  In addition, parents, leaders, and teachers must distinguish - and then teach - which thoughts, words, and actions are merely "youthful mistakes which should be corrected and sins that require chastening and repentance."  (See Elder Dallin H. Oaks, "Sins and Mistakes, Ensign, Oct. 1996, p. 62.)

                    When Lehi and his family were traveling through the wilderness to reach their Promise Land, Lehi arose one morning to find "a round ball of curious workmanship" made of fine brass.  There were two spindles in the ball, and one spindle pointed the direction for the family to travel.  The family learned that the pointers in the ball "did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them."  The ball also contained words which gave the family "understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it."  (See Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ, 1 Nephi 16:10, 28-29.)

                    According to the Book of Mormon records, Lehi passed the ball down to his son Nephi; the ball was then passed down through the Nephite prophets.  Mormon recorded that King Benjamin passed the ball to his son Mosiah along with the Plates of Brass, the Plates of Nephi, and the sword of Laban.  Mormon indicated that the ball "was prepared by the hand of the Lord that thereby they might be led, every one according to the heed and diligence which they gave unto him."  (See Book of Mormon, Mosiah 1:15-16.)

                    When Alma passed the ball down to his son Helaman, he told him, "And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director - or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it.
                    "And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship.  And behold, it was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should travel in the wilderness.
                    "And it did work for them, according to their faith in God; therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles should point the way they should go, behold, it was done; therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day."  (See Book of Mormon, Alma 37:38-40.)

                    Doctrine and Covenants 17 contains a revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, at Fayette, New York, June 1829, just before they saw the engraved plates that contained the Book of Mormon record.  After Joseph and his scribe, Oliver Cowdery, learned that three special witnesses of the Book of Mormon would be designated (see Ether 5:2-4; see also 2 Nephi 11:3; 27:12), Oliver, David and Martin expressed their desires to be those witnesses.  Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord and received this revelation through the Urim and Thummim. 

                    The revelation began, "Behold, I say unto you, that you must rely upon my word, which if you do with full purpose of heart, you shall have a view of the plates, and also of the breastplate, the sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim, … and the miraculous directors which were given to Lehi while in the wilderness, on the borders of the Red Sea.
                    "And it is by your faith that you shall obtain a view of them, even by that faith which was had by the prophets of old.
                    "And after that you have obtained faith, and have seen them with your eyes, you shall testify of them, by the power of God."

                    In teaching my children and various classes about the Liahona, I often desired to an object to show them.  On a recent vacation in Salt Lake City, Utah, I happened to find a brass Liahona and purchased it.  Although I understand that the maker of this Liahona probably did not make it as a replica of the real thing, it is still a good teaching object.  It even contains good counsel that if followed will lead me in the ways of God.  Some of the sayings on it are: "Trust the Prophet" and "Let the Holy Spirit Guide."

                    Just as the family and posterity of Lehi had the Liahona to guide them, we have the words of the prophets and the scriptures as well as the guidance of the Holy Ghost to keep us moving in the right direction.

                    President Thomas S. Monson once said, "May I provide a simple formula by which you can measure the choices which confront you.  It's easy to remember:  `You can't be right by doing wrong; you can't be wrong by doing right'" ("Pathways to Perfection," Ensign, May 2002, p. 100).

                    The counsel of President Monson works exactly the same way as the Liahona worked.  We must exercise faith and be diligent in keeping the commandments of God in order to receive proper guidance in our lives.

                    Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Seventy stated, "As we study the scriptures, we learn that the promises made by the Lord to us are conditional upon our obedience and encourage righteous living.  Those promises must nourish our soul, bringing us hope by encouraging us not to give up even in the face of our daily challenges of living."  (See Ensign, May 2012, p. 40.)

                    Elder Soares then quoted President George Albert Smith, who was repeating counsel from his grandfather when he said, "There is a line of demarcation well defined between the Lord's territory and the devil's territory.  If you will stay on the Lord's side of the line you will be under his influence and will have no desire to do wrong; but if you cross to the devil's side of that line one inch you are in the tempter's power and if he is successful, you will not be able to think or even reason properly because you will have lost the Spirit of the Lord" (Teachings of Presidents of the Church:  George Albert Smith, [2011], 191).

                    The Savior focused on His mission and always put the will of the Father before His own.  He gave us the perfect example, and the prophets give us words of counsel.  We must remember President's Monson's words, "You can't be right by doing wrong; you can't be wrong by doing right."  We must not only stay on the Lord's side of the line of demarcation, but we must stay as deep as possible in the Lord's territory and as far away from the line as possible.  We can strengthen our homes, communities, and nations by teaching the rising generation to trust in the Lord, to listen to the prophets, and the difference between "youthful mistakes" and "sin." 

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Communism


                    The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is the threat of communism in our nation today.  The main difference between progressivism and communism is their ideas about changing society.  Both progressivism and communism seek to destroy capitalism and the United States of America, but progressives seek to "guide" society until it "evolves" into their preferred system while communists prefer to use violent revolutions.  The Occupy movement was a revolution while the supporters of the Obama Administration work toward an evolution. 

We know that unions were behind many of the people who took part in the Occupy movement; we should not be surprised that a union man made recent news talking about communism.  Mike Golash, a former but major District of Columbia union boss, used to run D.C.'s chapter 689 of the Amalgamated Transit Union; he was/is responsible for organizing workers on the D.C. metro.  He was caught on camera making some shocking comments.  The Daily Caller highlighted the following comments from Golash's speech during an Occupy DC "People's Assembly" on August 19, 2012.

"Progressive labor is a revolutionary communist organization….  Its objective is to make revolution in the United States, overthrow the capitalist system and build communism."  He said that he, along with his comrades, is "trying to learn something from the historical revolutions of the past:  the Russian revolution, the Chinese revolution, the revolutions in Cuba and Eastern Europe."
                    "The capitalists - they have their organizations:  the FBI, the CIA, the secret police, the military, the army, etc., etc.  They have organizations to maintain their power.  It's foolish to think that without a disciplined organization made up not of a few people but of millions and millions of people, [we] can bring down capitalism."

                    Bacon Rebellion posted an interesting article about Mike Golash.  "Go to the ATW website and you'll see that the union is interested in a lot more than simply improving the wages and working conditions of its members.  States Golosh on the president's page: 
"`Workers' real leverage against the bosses lies in their ability to shut down production and call their coworkers into the streets.  The threat of economic hardship to the bosses and social instability in society causes a real fear in the bosses' heart.  Direct action by workers is the motor that drives us forward to a better standard of living and a more just society, not election results.'

"If that doesn't give you pause about selling your SUV and riding the Metro to work, check out the August/September edition of the ATU newsletter.  One article writes about New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in the most inflammatory of terms:  `It is no coincidence that it is primarily poor black residents that live in the hardest hit areas; slavery and racist laws made sure that the most vulnerable areas of the city are poor black areas.'  (Sounds like CNN!)  The union also describes the employment of immigrant `guest workers' as `a new kind of slavery.'"

There are communists in our nation who are seeking to destroy capitalism and America as we know it.  The communists came into the United States during World War II and slowly infiltrated every part of our government and society.  They are seeking a violent overthrow of our government and way of life. 

Ezra Taft Benson, former United States Secretary of Agriculture and late President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often spoke about communism and the danger it brought to our nation.  He quoted an article written by the late FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and entitled "Turbulence on the Campus."

"According to the latest statistics there are 34,500,000 full-time students enrolled in more than 2,000 institutions of higher learning.  A high percentage of these young people are serious and concerned.  They know they live in a world of change, challenge, and conflict, where their very best will be required.  There is in today's campus turbulence a new style in conspiracy, a conspiracy that is extremely subtle and devious and hence difficult to understand.  It is a conspiracy reflected by questionable moods and attitudes.

"Often called the new leftist conspiracy, it has utter disrespect for law, contempt for institutions of free government, and disdain for spiritual and moral values.

"As parents and teachers, you should know more about this new-style perversion that is erupting in civil disobedience and encouraging young people to mock the law.  Every town and every teacher must recognize the absolute need of instructing and guiding our young people to respect the law and to realize that freedom does not mean license, that with citizen's rights go corresponding duties.  We want our young people to be good citizens, able to think for themselves, to have personal convictions, but we want them to be loyal to our constitutional principles and the democratic traditions that have molded this country." (See An Enemy Hath Done This [1969], pp. 300-301).

A few pages later in his book Benson quoted Hoover again:  "We must now face the harsh truth that the objectives of communism are being steadily advanced because many of us do not readily recognize the means used to advance them.  … No one who truly understands what it really is can be taken in by it.  Yet the individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists.  The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst (J. Edgar Hoover, The Elks Magazine, August 1956; P.P.N.S., p. 273)" (p. 308).

Do you believe that communists are in our nation and working towards a violent revolution?  I do.  I believe that they have been here for more than sixty years and that they have nearly completed their preparations.  Benson spoke often of the dangers of communism; he wrote:  "I warn you, unless we wake up soon and do something about the conspiracy, the communist-inspired civil rights riots of the past will pale into insignificance compared to the bloodshed and destruction that lie ahead in the near future" (p. 310).

If the words of Hoover and Benson do not convince you that our nation is headed for big trouble, how about this statement by J. Reuben Clark, Jr.: "I say unto you with all the soberness I can, that we stand in danger of losing our liberties, and that once lost, only blood will bring them back; and once lost, we of this Church will, in order to keep the Church going forward, have more sacrifices to make and more persecutions to endure than we have yet known, heavy as our sacrifices and grievous as our persecutions of the past have been" (in Conference Report, April 1944, pp. 115-116; P.P.N.S., p. 89) (p. 310).

President David O. McKay spoke in the April 1966 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and left no doubt about the need for members of the Church to stand up and defend freedom:  "In order that there may be no misunderstanding by bishops, stake presidents, and others regarding members of the Church participating in nonchurch meetings to study and become informed on the Constitution of the United States, Communism, etc., I wish to make the following statements that I have been sending out form my office for some time and that have come under question by some stake authorities, bishoprics, and others.

"Church members are at perfect liberty to act according to their own conscience in the matter of safeguarding our way of life.  They are, of course, encouraged to honor the highest standards of the gospel and to work to preserve their own freedoms.  They are free to participate in nonchurch meetings that are held to warn people of the threat of Communism or any other theory or principle that will deprive us of our free agency or individual liberties vouchsafed by the Constitution of the United States.

"The position of this Church on the subject of Communism has never changed.  We consider it the greatest satanical threat to peace, prosperity, and the spread of God's work among men that exists on the face of the earth.

"In this connection, we are continually being asked to give our opinion concerning various patriotic groups or individuals who are fighting Communism and speaking up for freedom.  Our immediate concern, however, is not with parties, groups, or persons, but with principles.  We therefore commend and encourage every person and every group who is sincerely seeking to study Constitutional principles and awaken a sleeping and apathetic people to the alarming conditions that are rapidly advancing about us.  We wish all of our citizens throughout the land were participating in some type of organized self-education in order that they could better appreciate what is happening and know what they can do about it.

"Supporting the FBI, the police, the congressional committees investigating Communism, and various organizations that are attempting to awaken the people through educational means is a policy we warmly endorse for all our people…. (The Improvement Era, June 1966, p. 477; Conference Report, April 1966, p. 109) (as quoted by Benson in An Enemy Hath Done This, pp. 318-319).

Communists have been working to take control of this nation for many years.  Between World War II and the late 1960s or 1980s, there was much talk about communism in our nation.  President Ronald Reagan fought openly against communism and uttered those famous words "Tear down this wall," meaning the Berlin Wall.  There has not been much talk about communism since the end of the Reagan Administration.  We have been distracted by the behavior of Bill Clinton, the fight against terrorists, and the destructions of Obama.  Communists are becoming more open in their tactics and will use progressives and radical Muslims to do their dirty work.

Ezra Taft Benson had the assignment to host Mr. Khrushchev (USSR) when he visited the United States for half a day.  Benson was opposed to the visit before it took place and felt it was a mistake afterwards.  While they talked face-to-face, Khrushchev indicated that Benson's grandchildren "would live under communism" and arrogantly declared something like this:  "You Americans are so gullible.  No, you won't accept communism outright, but we'll keep feeding you small doses of socialism until you'll finally wake up and find you already have communism.  We won't have to fight you.  We'll so weaken your economy until you'll fall like over-ripe fruit into our hands."

Americans have been warned over and over again about the possibility of losing our freedoms.  We have watched as President Barack Obama and his supporters have weakened our nation and our economy, and yet we know that approximately half of our nation continues to support Obama.  Will it take blood running in our streets to finally convince these people of the dangers facing us?  I hope not!  I will continue to cry:  "Awake!"  "Arise!"  "Stand forth in defense of our nation!"