Anxiously Engage in Good Causes

                    Families grow stronger as children learn the joy of being anxiously engaged in good causes.  Good causes are all around us, and none of us have the ability, energy or time to be involved in every one of them; therefore, we should use wisdom in our choices.  Wise parents teach by precept, example, and experiences the importance of being involved in good causes.

                    On August 1, 1831, soon after Joseph Smith and his party arrived in Jackson County, Missouri, the Lord revealed important information through His prophet to the people.  Part of the information included the following verses:  "For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

                    "Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness.

                    "For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves.  And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

                    "But he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned" (Doctrine and Covenants 58:26-29).

                    What does it mean to be "anxiously engaged"?  To be "anxious" means to be concerned, troubled or worried about something.  In this application, "engaged" means to keep busy, to work, or to stay occupied.  So if we are "anxiously engaged," we are working to do something about a matter that concerns us.  In verse 27, the Lord described it as "…do many thing of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness."

                    How can we know what a "good cause" is?  The prophet Mormon explained the following to his people about good causes:  "But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired by God.

                    "Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil" (Moroni 7:13-14).

                    What "power" do we have that allows us to do good?  As explained above, we are agents unto ourselves.  We were given moral agency in our premortal life with which we can choose for ourselves.  This is the power that is in each of us.  Mormon explained that this power comes from God.

                    "For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.

                    "For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.

                    "But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; nether do his angels; nether do they who subject themselves unto him" (Moroni 7:15-17).

                    The following story gives a positive example of being engaged in a good cause.  It is a true experience of Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone, a member of the Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  "When I was about ten or eleven, many of our relatives came to visit.  There must have been 35 or 40.  Mother had invited them all to dinner.  After dinner everyone went in the other room and sat down to visit.  There were piles of dirty dishes and silverware everywhere.  The food had not been put away, and there were dirty pots and pans from all the preparations.

                    "I remember thinking that later on everyone would leave, and my mother would have all the cleaning up to do.  An idea struck me.  I started cleaning up.  It was in the days before electric dishwashers.  Mother had always been very clean, and she taught us how to wash and wipe dishes correctly.  I started in on this mountain of work.  Finally, about three hours later, I had finished drying the last dish.  I had put away all the food, cleaned off all the counters, the sinks, and the floor.  The kitchen was spotless.

                    "I will never forget the look on Mom's face later on that night when all the guests had left and she came into the kitchen to clean up.  I was wet from my chest to my knees.  It was worth every particle of effort I had put into it just to see the look on Mom's face.  It was a mixture of emotion, relief, and pride.  I made a decision then that I would try to put that look back on her face over and over and over again" ("We Love Those We Serve," New Era, March 1988, 19).

                    I can understand the relief and pleasure that Mrs. Featherstone must have felt.  It must have been pure joy to realize that her son loved her enough to do all those dishes and clean up the kitchen.  This was a good cause.  Some variation of it could happen in every home.  I have personally been on the receiving end of similar "surprises," and I appreciated every one of them.

                    Several months ago members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Alaska were counseled to find people in their area who were not of our church who needed service.  September 17, 2011, was set for the day of our service.  Our ward (congregation) chose several different projects.  The Relief Society sisters found a non-member grandmother who has the responsibility to care for two of her grandchildren, a two-month old boy and fourteen-month old girl.  I do not know why the children were in her home; I only know that she needed everything necessary to care for a baby and a toddler.  Some sisters purchased clothing, including lots of diapers, and others purchased blankets, coats, etc.  One sister donated a slightly-used two-place stroller.  Money was collected for car seats, etc.  I made a Care Bear quilt for the little girl.  I felt great joy and satisfaction in being a small part of such a worthy cause.

                    Elder Ezra Taft Benson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, stated:  "Usually the Lord gives us the overall objectives to be accomplished and some guidelines to follow, but he expects us to work out most of the details and methods.  The methods and procedures are usually developed through study and prayer and by living so that we can obtain and follow the promptings of the Spirit.  Less spiritually advanced people, such as those in the days of Moses, had to be commanded in many things.  Today those spiritually alert look at the objectives, check the guidelines laid down by the Lord and his prophets, and then prayerfully act - without having to be commanded `in all things.' …. 

                    "Sometimes the Lord hopefully waits on his children to act on their own, and when they do not, they lose the greater prize, and the Lord will either drop the entire matter and let them suffer the consequences or else he will have to spell it out in greater detail.  Usually, I fear, the more he has to spell it out, the smaller is our reward" (in Conference Report, April 1965, 121-122).    

    

                    Good causes come in every shape and size.  Some can be accomplished by one or two people; others require larger numbers of people.  Some can be planned for, and others arise spontaneously.  Some can be done in a few minutes or hours while others can take days or weeks. 

I recently learned that the largest boatlift in history happened on September 11, 2001, when 500,000 people were rescued from Manhattan Island in less than 9 hours, by people who joined in a good cause.  This video shows what can happen when good people see a need and become involved.  My heart was touched while watching the video, "Boatlift - An Untold Tale of9/11 Resilience."  Wise parents teach their children the importance of being engaged in good causes.  

Be Alert and Aware

                    The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is the importance of citizens being alert and aware of the dangers surrounding us.  Americans must realize and understand that there are groups of people - secret combinations - who are trying to destroy the United States of America.  Ordinary American citizens are on the front lines of this battle and must accept that our nation is in danger of collapse from within.

                    On Sunday, May 22, 2011, a deadly tornado struck Joplin, Missouri, and destroyed approximately 25 percent of the city.  The EF-4 twister was approximately a mile wide and killed 116 people.  The tornado sirens went off.  Some people said that the storm was so loud that they didn't hear the sirens.  News anchors have reported in recent days that some people heard the sirens but didn't pay any attention to them.  They had become so used to hearing the sirens go off with nothing happening that they weren't concerned until they saw the storm bearing down on them.

                    I understand that the state of Israel has bomb shelters everywhere.  When sirens warn of rocket attacks, Israelis have approximately 60 seconds to get to a shelter before the rockets start hitting.  The rocket attacks are frequent and increasing in number.  Citizens of Israel are constantly on the alert; they are watching for anything out of the ordinary and listening for the sirens.

                    Our enemies have been broadcasting their intents to destroy the American way of life for many years.  Radical Islamists tell us that they are targeting us, and their actions show that they are serious.  For some reason, Americans are not listening to the words that our enemies are saying.

                    Faisal Shahzad (the Times Square bomber) was very blunt in his statement during his sentencing hearing in early October 2010.  In open court in New York City, Shahzad told the judge - and all of us:  "In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful, this is but one life.  If I am given a thousand lives, I will sacrifice them all for the sake of Allah fighting this cause, defending our lands, making the word of Allah supreme over any religion or system."

                    Shahzad continued with these words, "… brace yourselves, because the war with Muslims has just begun.  Consider me only a first droplet of the flood that will follow me.  And only this time it's not imperial Japan or Germany, Vietnam or Russian communism.  This time it's the war against people who believe in the book of Allah and follow the commandments, so this is a war against Allah.  So let's see how you can defeat your Creator, which you can never do.  Therefore, the defeat of U.S. is imminent and will happen in the near future, inshallah ["Allah willing"], which will only give rise to much awaited Muslim caliphate, which is the only true world order."

                    Radical Islamic terrorists have been trying to destroy America for over ten years.  We saw the damage the terrorists did on 9/11. 

We heard of the deaths of our military heroes at Fort Hood.  We know that more than forty other attacks have been attempted.  These attacks have been out in the open and obvious.  Other attacks are not so obvious and involve trying to destroy our Constitution - the supreme law of land - and replace it with Sharia law.  These attacks are done by using baby steps - a little here and a little there - until the law is completely changed.

                    Dangers from Islam are great, but they are not the only dangers we face.  Communists came into our nation more than fifty years ago and have been working in the shadows to destroy the American way of life.  They know that America cannot be destroyed from outside our nation until we are weakened on the inside.  The following quote is credited to Joseph Stalin:  "America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold:  its patriotism, its morality and its spiritual life.  If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within."

                    I have heard warnings about communism all my life, but I did not realize until now how insidiously it was being spread in our own nation.  I was recently reading some articles about socialism and communism and came across this video entitled "The Agenda - Grinding America Down.  I think the video is fairly recent.  I found it to be very interesting because I have seen the results of many of the ideas discussed. 

                    I was interested in reading all of the communist goals and found this site.  Forty-five "current communist goals" were entered into the 1963 Congressional Record.  The goals were excerpts of a book written by W. Cleon Skousen entitled The Naked Communist.  The Naked Communist was published in 1958 and became a best selling book, selling more than 1.5 million copies.  This book could be found in the libraries of the CIA, the FBI, the White House, Congress, etc. 

                    I found these goals to be very interesting.  I also recognize that most of the goals have been met.  I will share the goals set up by communists to "collapse America from within" and let you decide which ones you think have already been met. 

                    The 1958 current communist goals were:  1) U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.  2) U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.  3) Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.  4) Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.  5) Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.  6) Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.  7) Grant recognition of Red China.  Admission of Red China to the U.N.  8) Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.  9) Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.  10) Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

The list of goals continues:  11) Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind.  If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces…. 12) Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.  13) Do away with all loyalty oaths.  14) Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.  15) Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.  16) Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.  17) Get control of the schools.  Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda.  Soften the curriculum.  Get control of teachers' associations.  Put the party line in textbooks.  18) Gain control of all student newspapers.  19) Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.  20) Infiltrate the press.  Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policy-making positions. 

                    The goals continue:  21) Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.  22) Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression.  An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."  [Now I can understand why we have some of the art forms in our city!]  23) Control art critics and directors of art museums.  "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."  24) Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.  25) Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.  26) Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."  27) Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion.  Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a "religious crutch."  28) Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."  29) Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.  30) Discredit the American Founding Fathers.  Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

                    The "current communist goals" continue:  31) Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture."  Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.  32) Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture - education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.  33) Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.  34) Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.  35) Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.  36) Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.  37) Infiltrate and gain control of big business.  38) Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies.  Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].  39) Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.  40) Discredit the family as an institution.  Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

                    The goals continue:  41) Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents.  Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.  42) Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use ["]united force["] to solve economic, political or social problems.  43) Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.  44) Internationalize the Panama Canal.  45) Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic problems.  Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and individuals alike.

                    I am sure that you recognized that many of the goals have already been met.  Communists and other enemies of our nation have already infiltrated and gained control of every American institution, even our governing bodies.  If the United States is going to survive as an independent nation, Americans must wake up and recognize the dangers that we are facing.  It is not too late to save our Republic and our American way of life, but we must follow the example of the Israelis and stay alert, watchful, and listen to the "sirens" that are already blaring in our ears.

                   

                    

Elizabeth Bassett Harrison

                    Elizabeth Bassett married Benjamin Harrison, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.  She was the daughter of Colonel William Bassett and was born about 1741 or 1742 on her father's estate "Eltham" in Kent County.  We do not know much about her girlhood or even the exact day of her birth or marriage.  We do know that she was famous for "her beauty and her accomplishments as a girl" and for "her exemplary piety and benevolence" in her later life.  We also know that she was related to many of the "most noted families of Virginia" and that "her father was a man of wealth and social prominence."  It is probably safe to assume that "she was a gracious hostess" and "a mother of the true Old Dominion type" because her sons and daughters were of "such high character."

                    Benjamin Harrison was the son of Benjamin Harrison, "one of the largest landholders and one of the most prominent men of Virginia, and Anne Carter, "daughter of Robert Carter, "King Carter of Corotoman," Lancaster County, Speaker of the House of Burgesses and Rector of William and Mary College.  Benjamin Harrison, the father, was killed by a lightning strike, when Benjamin, his son, was still a minor.  As the eldest of six sons, Benjamin became the head of the house and owner of the estate known as Berkley.  After his marriage to Elizabeth, he took her home to Berkley, and they lived there the remainder of their lives.

                    Benjamin was very active in the patriot cause of liberty and served with honor in many different and important offices.  He was Speaker of the House of Burgesses, Governor of Virginia, a member of several Continental Congresses, and signer of the Declaration of Independence.

                    Numerous children were born to Benjamin and Elizabeth, but only seven survived infancy - three sons and four daughters.  Two daughters were killed in the same stroke of lightning that killed their father.  The children are as follows:  1) Benjamin (worked in the counting room of Robert Morris in Philadelphia; visited Europe where he made several important business connections; served as Paymaster General of the Southern Department during the Revolutionary War; established himself as a merchant in Philadelphia where he gained a large fortune which he sacrificed to help Robert Morris in his need; married twice, first to Anne Mercer and second to Susannah Randolph); 2) Carter Bassett (graduated from William and Mary College; became a lawyer; served in both the State Legislature and as a member of Congress in 1793; married Mary Howell Allen); 3) William Henry Harrison (was educated at Hampden Sidney College in Virginia; served in the army; became President of the United States in 1841; married Anne Symmes; great-grandfather of President Benjamin Harrison); 4) Lucy (married her cousin, Peyton Randolph, nephew of Peyton Randolph, the first President of Congress); 5) Anne (married David O. Copeland ); 6) Sarah (married John Wing of Weynoke).  There was no mention of the fourth daughter.

                    Facts and quotes are from Wives of the Signers - The women behind the Declaration of Independence, pp. 247-250.

Obama's Watergate

                    On June 17, 1972, a security guard at the Watergate complex discovered tape on the lock of one of the doors.  A fervent media investigation began, most notably by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of The Washington Post.  President Richard Nixon might not have been involved in the decision to burglarize the headquarters of the Democrat Party, but he was involved in the cover up of the event.  The members of the media wanted to know:  What did Nixon know, and when did he know it?  When associates in Congress advised Nixon that he most likely would be impeached, Nixon chose to resign the office of President in disgrace rather than go through an impeachment trial.

                    President Barack Obama may also be involved in a scandal; the only difference is that Obama's scandal could be three times as bad as Nixon's problem.  If our mainstream media were as fervent in investigating Obama as it was while investigating Nixon, they would be digging furiously into the background of the $535 million loan to Solyndra, the cronyism involved with LightSquared, and the gun-running debacle known as Operation Fast and Furious.

                    Solyndra is a company that made solar-power panels in a factory in California.  President Obama praised the company when he visited the factory in May 2010.  He claimed that the factory subsidized by U.S. taxpayers showed "the promise of clean energy isn't just an article of faith."

                    PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP warned two months earlier that Solyndra had deep financial troubles.  Jim Snyder and Christopher Martin of Bloomberg wrote on September 12, 2011:  "The Obama administration stood by Solyndra through the auditor's warning, the abandonment of a planned initial public offering and a last-ditch refinancing where taxpayers took a back seat to new investors.  That unwavering commitment has come under increasing scrutiny since the company's travails culminated in its filing for

bankruptcy protection on Sept. 6 and a raid on its headquarters by the Federal Bureau of Investigation two days later."

                    The FBI and a committee in the House of Representatives are now investigating the loan to Solyndra.  What did Obama know, and when did he know it?

                    Apparently the Pentagon has been worrying for months about a project that might interfere with the military GPS.  The concerns are about a satellite broadband company in Virginia called LightSquared.  An investment fund run by Democrat donor Philip Falcone is the majority owner of this company.

                    General William Shelton is a four-star Air Force general who oversees Air Force Space Command.  When General Shelton walked into a highly secured room on Capitol Hill a couple of weeks ago to give a classified briefing to members of Congress and their staffs, he dropped a big surprise.  When legislators pressed him, General Shelton told them that he was pressured to change his testimony by the White House who wanted his testimony to be more favorable to the company.

                    The Daily Beast  reported:  "There was an attempt to influence the text of the testimony and to engage LightSquared in the process in order to bias his testimony," Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) said in an interview.  "The only people who were involved in the process in preparation for the hearing included the Department of Defense, the White House, and the Office of Management and Budget."

                    Rep. Turner is the chairman of the House Armed Services subcommittee that oversees the space command and GPS issues.  The issues between LightSquared and the Pentagon were explored at a panel hearing on Thursday, September 15, 2011.   General Shelton gave his testimony to Turner's committee and shared the Pentagon's concern that the LightSquared project would cause significant disruptions to the military GPS.

                    The White House confirmed that its Office of Management and Budget had suggested changes to the General's testimony but insisted that the changes were not politically influenced.  LightSquared admitted that its representatives had met with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for guidance in getting their project approved.  They said that their project is consistent with President Obama's goal to expand the access to the broad band wireless nationwide.

                    The DailyBeast reported on September 20, 2011, that a second government official came forward alleging that the White House tried to influence his testimony concerning LightSquared.  Anthony Russo, director of the National Coordination Office for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing, told the Daily Beast that he had received "guidance" rather than "pressure" from the White House's Office of Budget and Management concerning his testimony.  He rejected the suggestion for him to testify that the government's concerns with LightSquared could be resolved in 90 days because he thought the testing would take at least six months.

                    Is LightSquared more of a scandal than Solyndra?  What did Obama know, and when did he know it?

                    The Operation Fast and Furious gun running scandal has been in the news since at least the first part of the summer.  According to Wikipedia, Operation Fast and Furious "was the name of a sting run by the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) between 2009 and 2010 as part of Project Gunrunner in its investigations into illegal gun trafficking.  The stated purpose of the operation was to permit otherwise-suspected straw purchasers to complete the weapon's purchase and transit to Mexico, in order to build a bigger case against Mexican criminal organizations suspected of being the ultimate buyer.  The operation started in the fall of 2009 and ended in late 2010 shortly after the death of Brian Terry, a US Border Patrol Agent and has since become the subject of controversy and a U.S. congressional investigation.  During the operation, the sale of at least 2,000 guns was facilitated by ATF knowing most would be trafficked to Mexico.  By June, 2011, the guns have been linked (through eTrace, ATF's electronic tracing program) to some 179 crime scenes in Mexico.  The remaining 1,400 guns have not been recovered."

                    United States Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was gunned down in Rio Rico, Arizona, on December 14, 2010, while trying to apprehend a group of armed suspects.  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent Jaime Zapata was killed by one of the gun-walker weapons in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi on February 15, 2011.  An investigation revealed that many agents on the U.S./Mexico border intended to apprehend gun smugglers attempting to take weapons across the border but were told to let the smugglers pass.

                    

                   U.S. Representative Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, held hearings on the gun running problem in June 2011.  During the hearing an agent from the ATF testified, "I cannot begin to think of how the risk of letting guns fall into the hands of known criminals could possibly advance any legitimate law enforcement interest."

                    Operation Fast and Furious is being investigated jointly by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

                    Former BATF Agent John Dodson testified that he and other agents were ordered to observe the activities of gun smugglers but to not intervene.  He said, "Over the course of the next 10 months that I was involved in this operation, we monitored as they purchased hand guns, AK-47 variants, and .50 caliber rifles almost daily.  Rather than conduct any enforcement actions, we took notes, we recorded observations, we tracked movements of these individuals for a short time after their purchases, but nothing more.  Knowing all the while, just days after these purchases, the guns that we saw these individuals buy would begin turning up at crime scenes in the United States and Mexico, we still did nothing."

                    After William G. McMahon, William D. Newell and David Voth, three supervisors of "Fast and Furious," appeared at a Congressional hearing, the Los Angeles Times reported that they were being transferred and promoted by ATF.  ATF denied that the transfers were promotions.

                    Kenneth E. Melson was relieved as the Acting Director of the ATF and moved to the DOJ's Office of Legal Policy as a "forensics" expert.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory Hurley was transferred from the criminal division into the civil division.  Dennis K. Burke, the Obama-appointed U.S. Attorney in Phoenix, resigned.

                    We don't know what else will come out of the congressional investigations, but I think we should be asking, What did Obama know, and when did he know it?

                    Since our mainstream media is working with the liberals/progressives, we cannot depend on them to help in the investigations of Solynda, LightSquared, and Operation Fast and Furious.  We can only wait for Congress to work through their investigations. Will the investigations be finished before the 2012 elections?  Will Obama decline a second term as President?  Will he be pressured by the Democrat Party to not seek a second term?  Will all these scandals just blow over and not have any effect on Obama?  Only time will give the answer to the questions:  What did Obama know, and when did he know it?

              

                             

Benjamin Harrison

                    Records show that Benjamin Harrison was born in Berkley, Virginia, but his date of birth is not known for certain.  He was a descendent of early settlers in Virginia who emigrated from England.  His ancestor on his father's side married into the family of the surveyor-general for the king.  As a member of the family he was given the opportunity to have his choice of the most fertile regions of Virginia for settlement.  He was thus able to obtain a large estate that was still in the family at the time the book was written.

                    Benjamin's father was instrumental in enrolling him in the college of William and Mary with the goal of obtaining a "classical education."  Benjamin was at the college when his father suddenly passed away.  The father and two of his four daughters were struck by lightning during a violent thunder storm and died at their mansion in Berkley.  Benjamin was in the midst of a dispute with one of his professors when he received the news.  He left the college before the end of the term and never returned to get a degree.  Benjamin was the eldest of six sons.  Even though he was still a minor at the death of his father, he took over the management of the estate.

                    While still quite young, Benjamin became a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses (about 1764).  There he won the confidence and respect of the other members because of his talents and sound judgment.   He was soon elected to be Speaker, and he became "one of the most influential men in that Assembly."  He remained a member of the House of Burgesses for the greater part of his life.  Benjamin's "great wealth, distinguished family connection, and personal worth" were noticed by the royal governor.  The governor wanted Benjamin on his side and offered him a position on the executive council during the problems caused by the Stamp Act.  Benjamin rejected the offer and joined the cause of liberty because he believed the government was trying to enslave the colonists.  He joined other patriotic members of the House of Burgess in opposing the oppressive acts of the British government.

                    Benjamin was chosen as one of the seven delegates to represent Virginia at the Continental Congress of 1774.  There he saw Peyton Randolph, a fellow Virginian and close relative, elected to be the president of the Congress.  When the delegates returned to Virginia, a convention was held in Richmond where all the acts of the General Congress were sanctioned by them.   Benjamin was re-elected to be a delegate to the Continental Congress of 1775 that met in May 1775.  During the autumn, Benjamin was appointed by Congress to be part of a committee to visit George Washington and the Continental Army at Cambridge near Boston and work with the Commander-in-Chief to devise future operating plans for the army.  Near the end of 1775, he was appointed as chairman of a foreign correspondence committee and held that position until the spring of 1777 when the committee was no longer needed.  A commissioner had been sent to Europe and another committee on foreign affairs organized with a salaried secretary.

                    As an active public servant, Benjamin was always among the first to seek "decisive and energetic measures.  He strongly favored independence and was chairman of the "committee of the whole" when the question about independence was being discussed.  He voted for the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and signed the document on August 2, 1776.  Benjamin resigned his seat in Congress in 1777 in order to return home to take care of his private affairs and serve Virginia.  He was immediately elected to be a member of the House of Burgesses, and upon taking his seat there, he was chosen to be the Speaker.  He held that office continuously until 1782.

                    Benjamin was appointed to be the lieutenant of his county; as such, he held the rank of colonel and was the commander of the militia as well as the presiding judge over the civil courts of the county.  As lieutenant, he was very active in defending his county when the traitor Benedict Arnold invaded Virginia and also when General Cornwallis made incursions into Virginia.

                    In 1782, Benjamin was elected as the Governor of Virginia and handled the affairs of the office "with great ability and firmness."   He held that office for two successive terms and then retired to private life.  The people obviously were not ready for him to retire because they elected him immediately to be a member of the House of Burgesses where he again was elected to be the Speaker.

                    Nominated for governor again in 1790, Benjamin declined the nomination because the incumbent had served in that office for only two years.  Benjamin was active in promoting the governor's re-election.  Benjamin was again elected to be governor in 1791 and invited friends to dine with him in order to celebrate.  He had previously suffered from "gout in the stomach" but was nearly recovered.  He suffered a relapse the night of his party and died the next day - sometime in April 1791.

                    Benjamin married Miss Elizabeth Bassett, a niece of Martha Washington, when he was still quite young.  Mrs. Harrison lived about one year after her husband's death.  Benjamin and Elizabeth were parents of "numerous offspring" but saw only seven children live to "mature age."  One of their sons was William Henry Harrison who became President of the United States.

                    Facts and quotes are from Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, pp. 184-187.

                    

International Crimes

                    The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from Article I.8.10:  "The Congress shall have Power … To define and punish… Offences against the Law of Nations."  This principle in the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the authority and the responsibility to determine and to define crimes against the United States by other nations.  (This is usually known as international law.)

                    The Founders understood, and Gouverneur Morris pointed out, the necessity of defining laws before applying punishment.  In other words, a definite law needs to be determined before it can be punishable.  A good example of this principle would be for drivers to be ticketed for driving 65 miles per hour in a 50 miles per hour zone without any signage telling the drivers that the speed had been decreased.  I have driven the Alaska Highway numerous times.  The basic speed along the Highway is 90 kilometers per hour, but the speed decreases rapidly when nearing small towns, villages, or collection of homes.  It would be very unfair to ticket drivers without first alerting them to change in speed required.

                    "Offenses against the law of nations are rules which `reason, morality, and custom' have established among civilized nations of Europe as their public law.  Since the United Nations was organized there has been an attempt to bring the members under the World Court, where these laws can be enforced against the citizens of the member countries.  For several reasons this is a dangerous practice.  First of all, Americans could be hauled up without any protection from their own Bill of Rights.  Furthermore, people are often appointed to sit on this court who are sympathetic to the Communist [or Muslim] philosophy….  When the United States agreed to have international disputes settled by this court, the Connelly Reservation provided that the United States would reserve the right to determine when the court would have jurisdiction over its American citizens.  Several Presidents have tried to get the Connelly Reservation repealed as a gesture of `good faith and good will' toward the World Court concept.  Congress, however, has continued to consider the World Court unsatisfactory as a fair tribunal to settle international problems because of the way it is presently structured."  (W. Cleon Skousen, The Making of America - The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution, p. 436.)

It is interesting to me that one of the communist goals of 1958 was to "Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic problems.  Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and individuals alike."  More about communist goals will be posted in a few days (October 6, 2011). 

I was very curious to learn which of our Presidents desired the Connelly Reservation to be repealed so I started doing some research on the matter.  I found the following information under the date of Monday, September 5, 1960, at www.time.com. 

"Through Washington this week spanged the opening shots of a battle over whether or not the U.S. will work wholeheartedly to help develop a world rule of law.  The battleground was the 83rd annual meeting of the American Bar Association.  Drawn up on one side were the forces that want the U.S. to lead in establishing a workable system of international law, on the other a determined rear guard that is ready to fight tooth-and-nail to halt a necessary practical step.  Point at issue is the so-called Connally Reservation, by which the U.S. reserves the right to label any international dispute involving itself as a `domestic' issue and thus escape jurisdiction by the World Court at The Hague.  The reservation was highballed through the Senate by Texas' Tom Connally in 1946.  The following year the A.B.A resoundingly urged its repeal on grounds that the Connally Reservation, rather than protecting the U.S., would cripple the workings of the World Court to the eventual detriment of U.S. interests.  A bipartisan campaign to repeal the Connally Reservation has won the backing of President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, Secretary of State Herter, Attorney General William Rogers, Democratic Senators Hubert Humphrey, J. William Fulbright and John Kennedy.  It may pass the Senate next year.  Hoping to influence the Senate's decision, a conservative faction in the A.B.A. has been working hard to persuade the bar association to reverse its 13-year stand in condemnation of the Connally Reservation."  

Three Presidents of the United States were listed in that paragraph - Eisenhower, Nixon, and Kennedy.  I tried to find something definite on more recent Presidents, but couldn't.  I did find the following at commieblaster.com.  

"Before ratifying the United Nations Charter in 1945, the Senate was wise enough to amend the section dealing with the World Court by barring the Court from jurisdiction over matters which were essentially domestic "AS DETERMINED BY THE UNITED STATES."  Those six words, authored by Senator Tom Connally (D-Tex), are known as the `Connally Reservation" and are the only thing which COULD prevent the World Court from interfering in American internal affairs on the pretext that our tariffs, immigration laws, school curriculums, etc. affect American relations with other countries and are therefore `foreign' and not `domestic.'  Very powerful interests in Washington have been trying to get that `Connally Reservation' repealed ever since."

Obedience

                    Jesus Christ was once approached by a lawyer who asked, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?"  Jesus answered, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy god with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:36-40).

                    When we love God we want to be obedient to His commandments.  "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me:  and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father" (John 14:21).

                    The words of Christ teach the importance of loving the Lord and our neighbors.  Some good questions for each of us to ask ourselves are:  Why am I obedient to the commandments of God?  Do I obey out of habit or for fear of punishment or desire for the rewards?  Do I obey because I love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and desire to serve Them?

                    Obedience is so important that even fear of punishment or desire for reward is better than disobedience.  Willing obedience because we love God and want to obey Him brings much more happiness into our lives.  When we obey His commandments freely, He then can be free with His blessings.

                    "Because love is the great commandment, it ought to be at the center of all and everything we do in our own family, in our

Church callings, and in our livelihood.  Love is the healing balm that repairs rifts in personal and family relationships.  It is the bond that unites families, communities, and nations.  Love is the power that initiates friendship, tolerance, civility, and respect.  It is the source that overcomes divisiveness and hate.  Love is the fire that warms our lives with unparalleled joy and divine hope.  Love should be our walk and our talk.

                    "When we truly understand what it means to love as Jesus Christ loves us, the confusion clears and our priorities align.  Our walk as disciples of Christ becomes more joyful.  Our lives take on new meaning.  Our relationship with our Heavenly Father becomes more profound.  Obedience becomes a joy rather than a burden."  (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Love of God," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 21-24.)

                    Obedience is the first law of heaven, and willing obedience is critical.  Even though we know that obedience to commandments helps to prepare us for exaltation and eternal life, we do not always understand the reason for a particular commandment.  We show our faith and trust in God by being obedient even when we do not understand why.

Adam and Eve were commanded to offer sacrifices after they left the Garden of Eden.  One day an angel appeared to Adam and asked him why he was offering sacrifices.  Adam answered that he did not know why but was simply being obedient to God's commandment.  (See Moses 5:5-6.)   The angel then proceeded to teach Adam the gospel and the mission of the Savior.  The Holy Ghost came upon Adam and he then prophesied about his posterity down to the last generation.  (See Moses 5:7-10; Doctrine and Covenants 107:56.)  Because he was obedient, Adam received further knowledge as well as greater blessings.

"The gospel is so very simple when we understand it properly.  It is always right, it is always good, it is always uplifting.  Obedience to gospel principles brings forth joy and happiness.  Disobedience has a day of reckoning and will only bring forth heartache, misery, strife, and unhappiness."  (L. Tom Perry, "What Should We Do on the Sabbath?" New Era, July 2010, 3.)

                    There is a story in the Book of Mormon about Nephi and his older brothers receiving a very difficult assignment from the Lord (see 1 Nephi 3:1-6).  The brothers complained about it being hard, but Nephi replied, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them" (1 Nephi 3:7).  Remembering Nephi's words have helped me many times when I received difficult assignments.

                    All commandments from the Lord are important, even ones that seem inconsequential.  "At the moment, these four guides - prayer, obedience to God's commandments, daily scripture study, and a commitment to follow the living prophet - may seem like small and simple things.  Let me remind you of the scripture found in Alma:  `Behold I say unto you that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass' (Alma 37:6).  When applied in our everyday lives, these four `small and simple' guides … will combine to provide the most powerful source of courage and strength there is:  faith in our Heavenly Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ."  (Ann M. Dibb, "Be of Good Courage," Ensign, May 2010, 116.)

                    The Bible tells of a man named Naaman who had a terrible disease.  He learned about the prophet Elisha and decided to ask Elisha to heal him.  Naaman was an important and powerful man in Syria and was greatly offended when the prophet in Israel sent his servant with a message for Naaman.  He was offended even more by the message:  wash seven times in the river Jordan.  Naaman was very angry and demanded, "Are not [the] rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel?  May I not wash in them and be clean?"  His servants were a little wiser than he and asked, "If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it?  How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?"  The servants' questions helped Naaman to understand the importance of obeying the prophet of God, even in a small matter.  Naaman went to the Jordan to wash and was healed.  (See 2 Kings 5:1-14.)

                    Sometimes we may consider a commandment to be a "hard thing" like the brothers of Nephi or too simple like Naaman, but we must remember that God will give us no commandments unless He prepares a way for us to be obedient to Him.  Abraham was given a hard commandment when he was told to offer his beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice (see Genesis 22:1-13).  He didn't understand why God would give him a son in his old age just to take him away, but he trusted God and chose to obey Him.  In return for his willing obedience, God provided a ram for the sacrifice and promised great blessings to Abraham, Isaac and their posterity.

                    The Prophet Joseph Smith said, "I made this my rule:  When the Lord commands, do it" (Teachings of Presidents of the Church:  Joseph Smith [2007, 160).  I want to be obedient also.  I want to be willing to do anything God requires.

                    The perfect example of obedience to God is Jesus Christ who said, "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me" (John 6:38).  Jesus spent his entire mortal life in obedience to the will of God, even though He was asked to do hard things.  He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:  nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39).  Jesus Christ made salvation available to all mankind because He obeyed His Father in all things.

                    Every blessing we receive comes from obedience to the law upon which that blessing is based because the kingdom of heaven is governed by law (see Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21; 132:5).  We know from other scriptures that we may gain knowledge and intelligence through obedience and diligence (see Doctrine and Covenants 130:18-19) as well as grow spiritually (see Jeremiah 7:23-24).  Through other scriptures we know that disobedience brings heart break, disappointment, and forfeiture of blessings.  In Doctrine and Covenants 58:31-33 we read, "Who am I, saith the Lord, that have promised and have not fulfilled?  I command and men obey not; I revoke and they receive not the blessing. Then they say in their hearts:  This is not the work of the Lord, for his promises are not fulfilled."

                    "Spirituality yields two fruits.  The first is inspiration to know what to do.  The second is power, or the capacity to do it.  These two capacities come together.  That's why Nephi could say, `I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded' (1 Nephi 3:7).  He knew the spiritual laws upon which inspiration and power are based.  Yes, God answers prayer and gives us spiritual direction when we live obediently and exercise the required faith in Him."  (Richard G. Scott, "To Acquire Spiritual Guidance," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 7.)

                    I know personally that God fulfills His promises when we keep His commandments.  God gives us life, air to breathe, and many other blessings - and then gives blessings each time we obey Him.  In the words of King Benjamin to his people, "He doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you" (Mosiah 2:24). 

The ultimate blessing that comes to the obedient is eternal life.  The Lord said, "If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God" (Doctrine and Covenants 14:7). 

Obedience in righteousness and truth to the end of life brings other blessings.  The Lord revealed, "Thus saith the Lord - I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end.  Great shall be their reward and eternal shall be their glory.  And to them will I reveal all mysteries, yea, all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of old, and for ages to come, will I make known unto them the good pleasure of my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom.  Yea, even the wonders of eternity shall they know, and things to come will I show them, even the things of many generations.  And their wisdom shall be great, and their understanding reach to heaven….  For by my Spirit will I enlighten them, and by my power will I make known unto them the secrets of my will - yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man" (Doctrine and Covenants 76:5-10).

                    I know that willing obedience is important because it brings order and safety as well as shows God that we love Him.  Loving God is the greatest of all the commandments of God.  I know that God gives us blessings when we are obedient to His commandments.  I know that obedience to the end of mortal life is essential to obtain the highest of all the blessings of God.