Bilderberg Conference

Do you know what the Bilderberg Conference is? The name was familiar to me, but I couldn’t describe or explain it. When articles about this annual conference started to appear during the past week, I began to research it. I discovered that very people really know what it is and its purpose. The 2011 meeting took place over the past weekend of June 9-12 at the Suvretta House in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

According to Wikipedia.org, “The Bilderberg Group, Bilderberg Conference, or Bilderberg Club is an annual, unofficial, invitation-only conference of approximately 140 guests, most of whom are people of influence in the fields of politics, banking, business, the military, and news media. The names of attendees are made available to the press, but the conferences are closed to the public and the media, and no press releases are issued.”

The name Bilderberg was used because the original meeting was held at the Hotel de Bilderberg, located near Arnhem in the Netherlands, on May 29-31, 1954. The first conference took place under the initiation of Polish politician Jozef Retinger and other people who were “concerned about the growth of anti-Americanism in Western Europe.” They wanted to hold an “international conference” where European leaders could meet leaders from the United States to promote “Atlanticism – better understanding between the cultures of the United States and Western Europe to foster cooperation on political, economic, and defense issues….”

The original plan was to invite two attendees from each nation, one to represent the liberal point of view and one to represent the conservative. There were fifty attendees at the first conference from eleven Western European countries and eleven Americans.

That meeting was so successful that plans were made to hold annual conferences. A permanent steering committee was established as well as a permanent secretary. The steering committee is made up of two representatives from about eighteen countries.

According to a press release in 2008 from the “American Friends of Bilderberg,” the only activity of Bilderberg is “its annual conference. At the meetings, no resolutions are proposed, no votes taken, and no policy statements issued.”

The meetings are considered to be “private” rather than “secret.” The hotels where the conferences are held are “inaccessible for any other guest for the full period of the conference” and are “hermetically sealed” and guarded by “private security staffs,” “local police,” and “secret services.” No journalists are allowed, and even government representatives are banished from the area if not invited. It appears that the area around the designated hotel becomes a “no-fly zone.”

According to zerohedge.com, the attendees for the 2011 conference include representatives from Belgium (3), China (2), Denmark (3), Germany (5), Finland (4), France (6), Great Britain (9), Greece (4), Ireland (3), Italy (5), Canada (6), Netherlands (6), Norway (4), Austria (4), Portugal (3), Sweden (4), Switzerland (10), Spain (5), Turkey (4), USA (29), and international organizations (9).

Attendees at the conference included royalty, government officials, bank executives, professors, and corporate executives. Representatives from the USA include: Keith B. Alexander (Commander, USCYBERCOM; Director, National Security Agency), Roger C. Altman (Chairman, Evercore Partners Inc.), Jeff Bezos (Founder and CEO, Amazon.com), Timothy C. Collins (CEO, Ripplewood Holdings, LLC), Martin S. Feldstein (George F. Baker Professor of Economics, Harvard University), Reid Hoffman (Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, LinkedIn), Chris R. Hughes (Co-Founder, Facebook), Kenneth M. Jacobs (Chairman and CEO, Lazard), James A. Johnson (Vice Chairman, Perseus, LLC), Vernon F. Jordan, Jr. (Senior Managing Director, Lazared Freres and Company, LLC), John M. Keane (Senior Partner, SCP Partners; General, U.S. Army, Retired), Henry A. Kissinger (Chairman, Kissinger Associated, Inc), Klaus Kleinfeld (Chairman and CEO, Alcoa), Henry R. Kravis, Roberts and Company), Marie Josee (Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, Inc), Cheng Li (Senior Fellow and Director of Research, John L. Thornton China Center, Brookings Institution), Craig J. Mundle (Chief Research and Strategy Officer, Microsoft Corporation), Peter R. Orszag (Vice Chairman, Citigroup Global Markets, Inc), Richard N. Perle (Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research), David Rockefellere (Former Chairman, Chase Manhattan Bank), Charlie Rose Executive Editor and Anchor, Charlie Rose), Robert E. Rubin (Co-Chairman, Council on Foreign Relations; Former Secretary of the Treasury), Eric Schmidt (Executive Chairman, Google, Inc), James B. Steinberg (Deputy Secretary of State), Peter A. Thiel (Clarium Capital Management, LLC), Christine A. Varney (Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust), James W. Vaupel (Founding Director, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research), Kevin Warsh (Former Governor, Federal Reserve Board), and James D. Wolfensohn (Chairman, Wolfensohn and Company, LLC). Some attendees request their names to be left off the roster. Rumor has it that Bill Gates and Hilary Clinton were also in attendance.

Some people think the Bilderberg Club is an innocent brainstorming session while others consider the Bilderberg Group to be a secret society that rules the world. Still others consider the Club to be a Zionist movement while still others think it has a Nazi basis. Neither left-leaning people nor right-leaning people appear to understand it.

An investigative reporter named Daniel Estulin, a self-appointed Bilderberg expert, has written two best-selling books on the subject – The True Story of the Bilderberg Group and The Secrets of the Bilderberg Club. I have not read either book. According to informationclearinghouse.info, Estulin described the group as “a virtual spider web of interlocking financial, political, and industrial interests” with the goal of centralizing “global economic power to benefit corporations.”

The scriptures tell us that Satan inspires men to join together in groups to perform their works of darkness and has done so since the days of Cain. (See Moses 5:51.)

The prophet Helaman warned that secret bands worked to gain power, and they would use any means to achieve power and financial gain including robbery and murder. (See Helaman 2:8.) Throughout the entire Book of Mormon, there are warnings about secret combinations and examples of how such secret groups destroyed governments and entire nations.

The prophet Moroni taught that “the Lord worketh not in secret combinations” and that they are “among all people.” He also taught: “And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed….
“Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; …
“For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations and countries….” (See Ether 8:19-25.)

I do not know if the Bilderberg Group is merely an “innocent brainstorming session” or if one world order is its purpose - which would put in under the category of “secret combination.” I do know that if it is evil, we must “root it out” of existence before it can destroy the world. This would be extremely difficult after more than fifty years. I also know that the conference has been well documented as being “secret” and well-guarded. I belief that it is important to our liberty that all patriots stay alert to this group and pray for the power of discernment to see it for whatever it is.

Flag Day

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Why do we pledge allegiance to a flag? Our flag is a piece of cloth that stands for America's values, her traditions, her history, her heritage, her majesty, her nobility, her compassion, and her humility. The flag of the United States of America is known by several names, among which are Old Glory, the Star Spangled Banner and the Stars and Stripes. The Stars and Stripes is the most popular name for the red, white and blue flag.

The colors of our flag stand for our land, our people, our government and our ideals. The flag of our nation stirs patriots to joy, to courage, and to sacrifice. Our flag - as well as the flags of all nations - should be treated with respect at all times. People who burn flags in opposition show by their action that they are rude and without proper manners or knowledge. There are much better ways to show opposition than to burn a nation's flag.

In 1949 President Harry S. Truman officially recognized June 14 as Flag Day by signing the National Flag Day Bill. Flag Day is celebrated in memory of June 14, 1777, the day that the flag know as the Stars and Stripes was formally adopted by the Continental Congress as the official flag of the United States. Flag Day was first officially observed in 1877 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the selection of the flag. Flag Day is not a legal holiday except in Pennsylvania.

Flag Day is an important day in the United States, and the people of the nation display the flag on their homes, businesses, and public buildings. Flag Day is an excellent day to ask God's blessings upon our nation. The following prayers were offered by modern-day prophets.

"Joseph Smith wrote, "Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the nations of the earth; have mercy upon the rulers of our land; may those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever" (Doctrine and Covenants 109:54).

Gordon B. Hinckley said, "May God bless this nation of which you and I are a part. Bless her leaders that they may rise above pettiness and live after the tradition of the Founding Fathers. Bless our industry that it may benefit all mankind. Bless our science that out of it may come health and happiness of the peoples of the earth. Bless the people of this nation, you, every one of you, and me, and all who walk beneath its glorious flag with gratitude and appreciation, with respect and reverence, as well as with love." (Stand A Little Taller, p 173.)

June 14 is Flag Day. Please fly your Stars and Stripes!

Taxes for General Welfare

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from Article I.8.1: "Congress shall have power … to pay … for the general welfare of the United States."

This principle bestowed on Congress the responsibility and the obligation to use tax revenues of the nation to fund all the purposes itemized in Article I, section 8 - with the understanding that the funds were to be used for the general welfare of the entire nation and not for individuals or preferred groups.

According to W. Cleon Skousen: "Thomas Jefferson explained that this clause was not a grant of power to `spend' for the general welfare of the people, but was intended to `limit the power of taxation' to matters which provided for the welfare of `the union' or the welfare of the whole nation. In other words, federal taxes could not be levied for states, counties, cities, or special interest groups." (See The Making of America - The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution, p 387.)

Oh, how far we have come from what the Founders originally intended. There is little wonder of how our leaders have placed our nation in financial peril. If only, they had read and followed the Constitution!

Sacrament

The Savior introduced the sacrament on His last evening as He gathered His Apostles around Him in an upstairs room. He knew that He would soon die and that this was the last time He would meet with the Apostles whom He dearly loved. He gave them the holy priesthood ordinance to help them remember His great atoning sacrifice and keep His commandments. After His Resurrection, Jesus Christ came to the people who lived on the American continent and taught them the same ordinance. When the Church of Jesus Christ was restored in the latter days, Christ once again commanded His people to partake of the sacrament in remembrance of Him.

Christ wants His people to meet together often to partake of the sacrament and renew sacred covenants. The broken bread and water represent His flesh and blood, which He sacrificed for the good of all mankind. The scriptures contain instructions for the administration of the sacrament. It is administered by those who hold the necessary priesthood authority. A priest or a holder of the Melchizedek Priesthood breaks bread into pieces, kneels, and blesses it (see D0ctrine and Covenants 20:76). A deacon or other priesthood holder then passes the sacramental bread to the congregation. A priest or Melchizedek Priesthood holder then blesses the water, which is also passed to the congregation. When Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament, He used bread and wine, but He said in latter-day revelation that it really doesn't matter what we eat and drink during the sacrament as long as we do it in remembrance of Him (see Doctrine and Covenants 27:2-3). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints uses water instead of wine - a practice for which I am very grateful when dealing with children.

Jesus Christ revealed the exact words for the prayers on the sacrament, both of which are very beautiful. We should listen carefully to them and strive to understand the promises we make as well as what is promised to us. The following prayer is offered on the bread: "O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen" (Doctrine and Covenants 20:77).

The prayer on the water is as follows: "O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine [water] to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen" (Doctrine and Covenants 20:79).

The sacrament ordinance is performed in a simple and reverent manner. Each time we participate in this ordinance, we renew covenants with God. These covenants are clearly stated in the prayers on the bread and water. Since a covenant is a sacred promise between God and His children, it is important for us to know what the covenants are as well as what they mean.
When we covenant to be willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, it shows that we are willing to be identified with Christ and His Church. We also make a commitment to serve Christ and our fellowman and to bring honor to His name. When we covenant to always remember Jesus Christ, we commit ourselves to make sure that all our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions will be influenced by Christ and His mission. When we promise to keep His commandments, we commit to keep all of them instead of choosing which ones we will obey.

We take these obligations upon ourselves when we are baptized (see Doctrine and Covenants 20:37; Mosiah 18:6-10), and we renew our baptismal covenants each time we partake of the sacrament. The pattern for partaking of the sacrament was given by Jesus Christ (3 Nephi 18:1-2). When we follow this pattern of repenting of our sins and believing in His name, we gain a remission of our sins (see Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 26:24).

God's part of the covenant promises that if we keep our covenants, we will have His Spirit with us always. The Spirit brings knowledge, faith, power, and righteousness enough to gain eternal life.

Because the sacrament is such a sacred ordinance, we should prepare ourselves spiritually prior to the experience. In fact, the Lord has commanded that no one should partake of the sacrament without being worthy of doing so. This means that we should repent of our sins before we take the sacrament. During the sacrament service, we should be prayerful and reverent, keeping our minds off worldly things. This is a good opportunity to examine our lives and look for ways to improve and to become more committed to keeping the commandments.

Perfection is not required in order to partake of the sacrament, but a spirit of repentance should be in our hearts. Partaking of the sacrament with a pure heart brings the promised blessings from God. Worthily partaking of the sacrament increases our spiritual strength because it helps us to grow closer to God. I am grateful for the opportunity to renew my covenants on a weekly basis. I like the idea of starting each week with a clean slate.

Modesty

Families are strengthened when parents teach modesty to their sons and their daughters by word as well as by example. When parents teach and model modesty, children usually follow their example.

Modesty has been described as "an attitude of propriety and decency in dress, grooming, language, and behavior." In other words, a modest person does not "draw undue attention" to themselves. It has been my experience that how we dress affects how we act.

My daughter brought her family to visit a few weeks ago. While they were here, I polished my little five-year-old granddaughter's fingernails and toenails. Her parents entered the room while I was in the process and voiced some minor objections. I told them that I thought they were being silly about painted nails causing their little girl to become sleazy because I had painted nails as a child and I stayed modest. Even though I brushed off their worries, I have pondered often on the situation. My main concern was whether or not I undermined their authority, but a secondary concern was the same as their concern.

I believe that if parents teach and model modesty, their children will eventually do the same. I remember an experience that happened many years ago when my daughter was in high school. She left the house one afternoon to prepare for a dance at her friend's house. I discussed with her what she would wear to the dance, and she explained that she was borrowing a dress from her friend. I apparently didn't ask about the modesty of the dress, and she didn't volunteer any information. Upon her return from the dance, I asked about her experience. She laughed and replied that she had spent the evening doing the "prom pull." When I questioned what she meant, she explained that she spent the entire evening pulling up the strapless dress she borrowed. After her experience, she had no further desire to wear a strapless dress, and she dresses modestly to this day.

When parents do not know the importance of modesty or do not care about it, they tend to follow the examples they see on television or in the movies or yield to peer pressure - and allow or encourage their children to do the same. I have seen many examples of the following experience written about by LZ Granderson on CNN.com: "Her beautiful, long blond hair was braided back a la Bo Derek in the movie `10' (or for the younger set, Christina Aguilera during her `Xtina' phase). Her lips were pink and shiny from the gloss, and her earrings dangled playfully from her lobes.
"You can tell she had been vacationing somewhere warm, because you could see her deep tan around her midriff thanks to the halter top and the tight sweatpants that rested just a little low on her waist. The icing on the cake? The word `Juicy' was written on her backside.
"Yeah, that 8-year-old girl was something to see alright. … I hope her parents are proud. Their daughter was the sexiest girl in the terminal, and she's not even in middle school yet."

Why was an 8-year-old girl allowed to wear a halter top and tight sweatpants - especially in a public place? Did the parents purchase the clothing or did they send their daughter to the mall by herself? What do those parents hope to accomplish by allowing their daughter to dress like a tramp?

Granderson asked, "What adult who wants a daughter to grow up with high self-esteem would even consider purchasing such items? …
"And then I remember the little girl at the airport. And the girls we've all seen at the mall. And the kiddie beauty pageants.
"And then I realized as creepy as it is … the fact remains that sex only sells because people are buying it. No successful retailer would consider introducing an item like a padded bikini top for kindergarteners if they didn't think people would buy it. …
"It's easy to blast companies for introducing the sexy wear, but our ire really should be directed at the parents who think low rise jeans for a second grader is cute. They are the ones who are spending the money to fuel this budding trend. They are the ones who are supposed to decide what's appropriate for their young children to wear, not executives looking to brew up controversy or turn a profit. …
"Friends bow to peer pressure. Parents say, `No, and that's the end of it.'"

I don't appreciate seeing adults wearing sexy clothes. I don't see any need for women to be flaunting their cleavage for everyone to see. I certainly don't think it is attractive to see butt cheeks hanging out from under too-skimpy shorts. And I don't like to see teenage boys' underwear showing at the top of their low-hanging jeans! I don't see any reason why children should be dressing like tramps and sluts! The way we dress tells others what we think about ourselves. If we have high self-esteem and know we have value, we will dress to show that we feel that way. Is the sleazy dress code among our children and teens affecting their school work? Is the "dress code" to blame for the poor education in our nation?

Athelia LeSueur and her friend Emily Bell MCormick could not find modest dresses - so they decided to design and market them. They launched an on-line boutique called Shabby Apple. LeSueur said, "Immodesty disempowers women.... When women dress respectfully, they are given respect. Dressing modestly communicates to others that one deserves to be treated as a person with a mind and a strong sense of self." (See BYU Magazine, Spring 2011, p 69.)

It is time for parents to act as parents and to teach their children by word and by example to dress modestly. Modest dress brings better behavior, and better behavior helps our children to be safer. This is why I state that families are strengthened when parents teach and model modesty.

People Power

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is that the people retain all powers not specifically defined and delegated to the government. The Founders of our unique and great nation feared that a federal government would grow so powerful that it would crowd out the rights that legally and morally belonged to the people and/or the states. They spent much time and effort to carefully define the powers delegated to the government. They wanted to limit the authority of the government by the use of legal chains written into the Constitution.

W. Cleon Skousen wrote, "It will be recalled that one of the reasons many of the states would not adopt the original draft of the Constitution was that they feared the encroachments of the federal government on the rights of the states and the people. The first ten amendments were therefore added to include the ancient, unalienable rights of Anglo-Saxon freemen so there could be no question as to the strictly limited authority the people were conferring on their central government."

After writing the first eight Amendments to the Constitution, the Founders added two more that specifically limited the power of the government. The Ninth Amendment reads, "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." The Tenth Amendment makes their meaning even clearer: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Our Founders were familiar with governments in the past that were corrupt and abusive. By limiting the power of the federal government and dividing the powers between the states and the central government, the Founders hoped to provide more security for the people.

Alexander Hamilton explained, "This balance between the national and state governments ought to be dwelt on with peculiar attention, as it is of the utmost importance. It forms a double security to the people. If one encroaches on their rights, they will find a powerful protection in the other. Indeed, they will both be prevented from over-passing their constitutional limits, by certain rivalship which will ever subsist between them."

As the Constitution was originally written, states could protect themselves from legislation taking their rights. The Founders wrote that the two Senators from each state were to be selected by the legislature of that particular state. Because the Senate could veto any legislation by the House of Representatives, the Senators were able to protect the rights of their states. When the Seventeenth Amendment in 1931 changed the election of Senators to a popular vote, the States lost their representatives and therefore some of their protection.

The illegal immigration problem in Arizona is just one example of how the federal government is trying to crush the state's right to protect its citizens. It may be time for the people of the United States to force a repeal of the Seventeenth Amendment. I believe that the rights of the states and thus the rights of the people would be better protected if Senators were chosen by the legislature of their particular state.

Ideas and quotes for this post came from The Five Thousand Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen, pp 161-164.

Anne Justis Morton

Anne Justis married John Morton, signer of the Declaration of Independence, in 1745 or 1746. John was already considered by members of the community to be "a young man with a promising future."

Anne and John had much in common. They both came from Swedish ancestors who were part of a "tide of immigration" about the beginning of the eighteenth century. They lived on neighboring farms in Chester (now Delaware) County, Pennsylvania.

There is not much more known about Anne. John farmed his own "patrimonial acres" as well as surveying new lands. John's stepfather, John Sketchley, taught him mathematics as well as other essential education. John became a wealthy farmer who was well respected by his neighbors, and his neighbors were instrumental in the many public offices to which he was appointed or elected: justice of the peace, Pennsylvania legislature (Speaker of the House), county sheriff, a judge on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and a delegate to the General Congress from 1774-1776. John cast the deciding vote for Pennsylvania that broke the tie for the Province and made the Colonies' vote for independence unanimous.

While John was working for the good of the public, Anne looked after their estate and took care of their eight children, three sons and five daughters.

John died in April 1777 at age 54 and left Anne a widow. When the British Army moved through the family's neighborhood, they "despoiled his widow and children of property to the value of over one thousand dollars." John and Anne were members of the St. James Church, and their bodies "are said to be interred in the old churchyard" in the town of Chester.

Facts and quotes are from Wives of the Signers: The women behind the Declaration of Independence, pp. 192-195.