Mamie Eisenhower

                    Mamie Geneva Doud was born on November 14, 1896, at 709 (formerly 718) Carroll Street, Boone, Iowa, the second of four girls.  Her parents were John Sheldon Doud (November 18, 1870, Rome, New York - June 23, 1951) and the former Elvira Mathilde "Minnie" Carlson (May 13, 1878, Boone, Iowa - September 28, 1960, Denver, Colorado).  John and Minnie were married August 10, 1894, in Boone, Iowa.  Mamie's three sisters were Eleanor Carlson Doud (June 27, 1895 - January 8, 1912), Eda Mae Doud (December 23, 1900 - November 9, 1918), and Mabel Frances "Mike" Doud Gill Moore (October 6, 1902 - October 15, 1988).  Mamie's father was an executive at a meatpacking company founded by his father (Doud and Montgomery - "Buyers of Live Hogs") and owned investments in Illinois and Iowa stockyards; he retired at age 36.  Mamie's religious affiliation was Presbyterian.

                    The American paternal ancestors of Mamie Doud extended back ten and eleven generations to England.  After immigrating to the United States, they settled in Connecticut and lived there for over one hundred years before migrating west to New York State where Mamie's father was born.  Mamie's maternal ancestors were Swedish.  Her grandfather, Carl Severin Jeremiasson, was born in 1841 in Halland County, Sweden, and her grandmother, Johanna Maria Andersdotter, was born in 1841 in Fjarar, Sweden; they immigrated to the United States and settled in Boone, Iowa.

 

                    Mamie was named - at least in part, after a popular song of the day entitled Lovely Lake Geneva.  Her physical appearance was described as auburn hair, blue eyes, and five feet one inches tall.  Mamie was only nine months old when her family moved from Boone, Iowa, to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Due to the ill health of her older sister Eleanor, the family moved in 1902 to Pueblo, Colorado, and then to Colorado Springs.  They settled permanently in Denver, Colorado, in 1905, but Mamie's mother did not like the severe winters of Colorado.  The family purchased a second home in San Antonio, Texas, where they began spending the winters in 1910. The Doud family was extremely close to each other and socially active in their communities; they often made their home a center of activity for other children and families.

                    Because the family was moving between homes, Mamie split her high school years between one school in Denver and the other in San Antonio.   Mamie also attended a finishing school (Miss Wolcott School for Girls, 1914-1915, Denver, Colorado) and a dance school (Miss Hayden's Dance School, Denver).  Even though Mamie had little interest in academics, her father taught her the value of money, and she very early developed skill with budgeting and finance.  Mamie was blessed to have this education.  Although she was reared in a well-to-do home with all the comforts, including household help, jewelry, and fine clothing, she was an expert at saving money and was very conscientious about costs.  She was musically talented and played the piano and the electric organ; she also enjoyed dancing, bridge, and canasta.

                    Not long after Mamie completed her studies at the finishing school, she met Dwight Eisenhower in October 1915 in San Antonio.  After being introduced, Eisenhower as officer of the day invited Mamie to accompany on his rounds at Fort Sam Houston.  They became formally engaged on St Valentine's Day, February 14, 1916, when Eisenhower gave her a miniature of his West Point class ring.

                    Lieutenant Dwight D. Eisenhower was age 25 and Mamie Doud was age 19 when they married on July 1, 1916, at the home of her parents in Denver, Colorado.  After their marriage, performed by Reverend Williamson (Central Presbyterian Church, Denver), the newlyweds honeymooned for a few days at Eldorado Springs, Colorado, a resort near Denver.  They then visited Eisenhower's parents in Abilene before setting up housekeeping at Fort Sam Houston.  The crude living quarters of a lieutenant must have been much different than the homes she enjoyed before marriage.

                    Two children were born to Ike and Mamie Eisenhower, but only one lived to adulthood.  Doud Dwight "Icky" Eisenhower was born September 24, 1917, and died of scarlet fever on January 2, 1921.  John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower was born August 3, 1922, in Denver, Colorado.  He graduated from West Pont in 1944 and earned a master's degree in English literature from Columbia University in 1950.  After he retired from a military career (1944-1963), he was appointed as ambassador to Belgium (1969-1971) by Richard Nixon.  Besides being a decorated military hero and a diplomat, he was also an author and wrote three books:  The Bitter Woods (an account of the Battle of the Bulge, 1969), Strictly Personal (1974), and Allies:  Pearl Harbor to D-Day (1982).  He also served as a White House aide to his father.  His son, David, married Julie Nixon, the daughter of Richard M. Nixon, the 37th President.

                    Mamie Eisenhower followed a similar pattern to that of other Army wives, meaning she made a home in a succession of Army posts in the United States, in the Panama Canal Zone, in France, in the Philippines.  Even though Mamie was accustomed to more luxurious homes, she adjusted well to the Army life.  While Eisenhower was gaining promotions and fame during World War II, Mamie was living in Washington, D.C.  After he retired from the military and became the president of Columbia University in 1948, the Eisenhowers purchased their first home, a farm located at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (now the Eisenhower National Historic Site). The work on their dream home was delayed while Eisenhower served as the commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces and Mamie as his hostess at a villa near Paris.  The work on their retirement home was finally completed in 1955.   The Eisenhowers moved 28 times before their final retirement when they left the White House in 1961.

                    The 1952 presidential campaign was the first to "market" the candidate's spouse to women voters.  There was a Republican effort that year to enlist housewives as supporters and also to be volunteer workers; they did this by "translating political issues" into the everyday language of most women, such as grocery bills and sending loved ones off to war.  Along with the "I like Ike" slogan, there were buttons stating "Mamie for First Lady," "We Want Mamie," and "I like Mamie Too."

                    Mamie, age 56, with her energy and enthusiasm played an important role in Eisenhower's campaign for President.  While on his "77-stop train tour of the nation," Eisenhower would "often finish his speech by asking a crowd, `How'd you like to meet my Mamie?'"  This was her cue to come out and wave to the crowd.  She played the part of a loving and dutiful wife by listening while he rehearsed his speeches and sometimes gave suggestions to him about how to make his speeches simpler in order to speak to the common citizen.  She maintained some control on who was allowed to come onto the campaign train to meet the candidate.  Whenever the campaign manager assigned hotel rooms to her apart from her husband's suite, she overruled him.  In both the 1952 and the 1956 presidential campaigns, Mamie made brief appearances on television commercials and live broadcasts with Ike.

                    Eisenhower was the first President to kiss his wife openly in public following his inaugural ceremony.  Mamie's inaugural gown is "one of the most popular in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's collection of inaugural gowns."

                    In the view of Mrs. Eisenhower, she was simply the wife of the President of the United States and the hostess of the White House.  "Indeed, few First Ladies seemed to better reflect the general role, priorities and values of most middle-aged middle class American women during her White House tenure than did Mamie Eisenhower in the 1950's:  family, home, entertaining, and personal appearance."   

                

                    As First Lady, Mamie was known "for her outgoing manner, her love of pretty clothes …, jewelry, and her obvious pride in husband and home."  Mamie was a victim of Meniere's disease, an inner-ear disorder that affects equilibrium.  Because of this disease, Mamie was "uneasy on her feet" and became the subject of rumors that she had a drinking problem. 

                    Mamie was "a gracious hostess" as the Eisenhowers entertained "an unprecedented numbers of heads of state and leaders of foreign governments."   "With her experience as a high-ranking military spouse, Mamie Eisenhower knew well how to manage a large staff, demanding nothing short of excellence from them yet expressing personal, familial warmth for them.  She was famous for not only ordering that the mansion's carpets and rugs be kept meticulously clean and clear of even shoe marks but for also ordering up fancily-decorated cakes for practically every occasion, including the birthdays of the domestic staff member[s]."

                    Mrs. Eisenhower's favorite color was pink, and she used pink frequently in her public wardrobe and in the décor of the First Family's living quarters in the White House.  Because of Mamie's love for pink, it became a popular color for textiles in the early 1950's to the point that "one paint company even offer[ed] `First Lady Pink' among its pallet."  Mamie was so well-loved by American women that they even copied her famous bangs.  Mamie always coordinated her accessories and was included on the nation's "best-dressed list" for clothing and hats.

                    Mamie's favorite flower was gladiolas, and she saw that they were included in many flower arrangements in the White House.  Mamie celebrated holidays, such as Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Halloween, by decorating the state rooms with paper decorations and piping in seasonal music.  Mamie was an avid fan of the television comedy series "I Love Lucy" and the "Milton Berle Show."

                    Mrs. Eisenhower was famous for being a "penny pincher" and for clipping coupons for the White House staff.  Her recipe for "Mamie's million dollar fudge" was printed in many publications and reproduced by American housewives.

                    When the Eisenhowers left the White House in 1961, they retired to their farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, which was their first permanent home.  After Ike's death in 1969, Mamie continued to live on the farm full time until the late 1970's when she took an apartment in Washington, D.C.

                    When Mamie suffered a stroke on September 25, 1979, she was rushed to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the same place that Ike died ten years earlier.  She was still in the hospital on October 31 when she told her granddaughter, Mary Jean Eisenhower, that she would die the next day.  She obviously knew it was her time to go because she died early in the morning of November 1, just a few weeks before her 83rd birthday.  Mamie was buried next to her husband and her oldest son at Place of Meditation on the grounds of the Eisenhower Library in Abilene, Kansas.

                    Mamie has been honored in several different ways and places.  Boone, Iowa, Mamie's birthplace, was dedicated as a historic site in 1980; the only other First Lady to be so honored is Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams.  One of the east-west streets in Boone (Fourth Street) is now called Mamie Eisenhower Avenue.  Denver, Colorado, and the surrounding area also honored their connection with Mamie by naming a park in southeast Denver and a public library in Broomfield, a Denver suburb, after Mamie.

Universal Studios gave Hollywood starlet Joan Olander the stage name of Mamie Van Doren after the new First Lady because she signed her contract with them on the day that President Eisenhower was inaugurated.

Facts and quotes for this article were found here and here.  


This version of Mamie's Million Dollar Fudge recipe appeared in Who Says We Can't Cook?, a spiral-bound collection of recipes published in 1955 by the Women's National Press Club of Washington, D.C. according to this site.  

[Boil together] for six minutes:

4 1/2 cups sugar

Pinch of salt

2 Tablespoons butter

1 tall can evaporated milk

Put in a large bowl:

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

12 ounces German sweet chocolate

1 pint marshmallow cream

2 cups nutmeats

Pour boiling syrup over ingredients in bowl:  beat until chocolate is all melted; pour into pan.

Let stand a few hours before cutting.  Store in tin box.

Contraceptive Controversy

                    Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh is defending himself against a growing ad boycott for exercising his right to speak freely.  Last week Limbaugh called Sandra Fluke, a thirty-year-old student at Georgetown University law school, a "slut" and a "prostitute" because she supports the contraceptive mandate of the Obama Administration that all employers provide contraceptive coverage for their employees.   "What does it say about the college co-ed Susan Fluke who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex - what does that make her?  It makes her a slut, right?  It makes her a prostitute."

There has been a great backlash from women over his statement.  Sponsors are defecting from his program, and at least one radio station has discontinued his program.  Limbaugh apologized to Fluke for using those words.  He basically said that he is sorry that he fell to the level of his opponents.  By attacking Fluke, "I became like the people we oppose.  I ended up descending to their level."  I personally don't expect this problem to force Limbaugh off the air and feel that his situation will smooth out in the not too distant future.  After all, he has been on the air for more than twenty years and has survived other controversies.

For the record:  I can understand how Limbaugh connected Fluke's support of government-sponsored contraception with prostitution.  Prostitution is defined as "the use of one's body, honor, talents, or other gifts, in a base way."  A prostitute - whore, harlot, slut - is defined as "a woman who has sexual relations with men for money."  If the government is in the business of providing contraceptives for women in order that they can have unrestricted sex, is not the government also in the business of being a pimp; if so, the women who are being "paid" to participate in the activity of sex could be considered in some ways as _____.  It is not a big jump to make the connection!  Were Limbaugh's comments inappropriate?  Yes.  Is he the only person that has called someone in public life a slut or other terrible and undeserved names?  No.  I remember well that President Obama used the "obscene and derogatory term `tea baggers'" when referring to members of the Tea Party.  http://winteryknight.wordpress.com/2010/05/04/barack-obama-calls-tea-party-movement-tea-baggers-in-interview/   Other conservatives have been called sluts and worse.  It appears that all of us should be more civil to each other!

Lisa Murkowski, Republican Senator from Alaska, is also in the hot seat over this controversy.  She returned to Alaska for the start of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race and kept running into women who were not happy that she voted for the Blunt Amendment.  This measure would have allowed any employer to opt out of providing birth control or other health insurance coverage required by Obamacare for "moral reasons".  Moderate women are upset that Murkowski - a moderate lawmaker who supports abortion rights and contraception coverage - "betrayed" their confidence in her.  She claims that she voted for the amendment for religious freedom.

We must not allow ourselves to become engulfed in this controversy.  The whole uproar is about contraception coverage is distracting us from an attempt to take away freedom of religion, a right protected by the U.S. Constitution.  Religion is under direct attack by the Obama Administration, and Obamacare is the means of destroying this freedom. 

At least seven religious institutions are fighting back against this attack and have filed lawsuits against the Obama Administration's anti-conscience mandate included in Obamacare.  This "controversial regulation forces almost all employers to provide health insurance coverage of abortion-inducing drugs, contraceptives, and sterilization, without a co-pay."  There is a very narrow religious exemption that will cover only certain "formal houses of worship," which do not include church-owned businesses such as hospitals and schools.  Many non-exempted religious employers who morally object to abortion and contraception are in a difficult position.  The mandate forces them to "either violate their beliefs by providing coverage of morally objectionable services or forgo providing employee health insurance altogether and pay hefty fines for doing so."  You can find more information here.  http://blog.heritage.org/2012/02/22/morning-bell-religious-liberty-under-attack/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBel

You may recognize that this controversy has been going for several months since the White House announced the anti-conscience policy as an interim final rule.  Many religious leaders spoke out about it, and President Obama announced an "accommodation" in response.  After doing their research, the religious leaders declared that the accommodation was "unacceptable".

Religion freedom is just the first liberty destroyed by Obamacare.  The Heritage Foundation produced the following video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6PutWIZwpU about this very problem.   The video includes numerous experts speaking on this subject.  Here are a couple of quotes from the video:  "I'm not opposed to contraception.  I'm opposed to despotism" (Yuval Levin).  "What is at stake here ultimately is whether civil society will survive, and whether voluntary institutions or voluntary associations ranging from the traditional family to multimillion member organizations like the Catholic Church to small businesses will be allowed to function only if they imitate the government, only if they imitate the state" (George Weigel, prominent Catholic scholar).

Obamacare is shaping up to be the tool by which Americans will be forced into socialism.  Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was correct:  we are finding more and more that we don't like in Obamacare after it was passed.

Matthew Spalding, vice president of American Studies at The Heritage Foundation, wrote: http://blog.heritage.org/2012/02/22/despotism-thy-name-is-obamacare/ "What is happening has little to do with health care or even public policy and everything to do with the role of government in the most immediate and intimate matters of our lives.  All is subject to government control, regulatory dictate, and administrative whim.  Nothing will be allowed outside of the new regulatory scheme:  no independent state programs, no individuals or businesses permitted not to participate, no true private market alternatives."

 Just for the record, I am not opposed to contraceptives.  The choice of whether or not to use contraceptives is the responsibility of the man or woman or couple.  I am opposed to being forced to buy or have my tax dollars buy contraceptives for other people!  I am also opposed to the government forcing individuals and organizations to provide contraceptives as well as "morning after pills" and other means of abortion - whether or not it is against their conscience to do so.

I consider sex to be an activity that we can choose to participate in or not - with the rare exceptions of rape and incest.  If we make the choice to participate in this activity, we also choose to pay the costs of that participation.  If we choose to participate in unprotected sex, we also choose to face the possibilities of pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted diseases. 

Because sex is an activity that we can avoid if we so choose, it is no different than any other activity and should not be treated any differently.  My son plays hockey and has done so since he was six years old.  We always provided sufficient protective gear - helmet, faceguard, shin guards, cup, etc. - to insure as far as possible that he would not be seriously injured while playing hockey.  We covered that expense ourselves without expecting anyone else to pay for our son to have the opportunity to play hockey. 

Some of our daughters played soccer, and we provided shin guards and training to help them avoid as many injuries as possible.  In spite of all our precautions, both of our daughters broke collar bones, one daughter broke a leg, and the other daughter injured her knee serious enough to require surgery.  Those were the consequences of allowing our daughters to play soccer, and we carried the costs involved.

Other activities require other types of protective gear, such as football (helmet, faceguard, and all kinds of pads) or rock climbing (helmet, correct shoes, strong rope, etc).  When we choose to participate in an activity, we also choose to be responsible for any required protective gear as well as any consequences.  Sex is no different.  It is an activity requiring us to use our agency, not a disease or accident that just happens!

The contraceptive controversy is a distraction to take our focus off the fact that our religious liberty is at stake.  We must not take our attention from the real battle and stay alert and focused in order to protect our right to freedom of religion.

Greatness of Eisenhower

                    Dwight D. Eisenhower was President of the United States during my childhood and youth, and I remember that he was well liked and respected.  I also remember that there was fear that the Soviet Union would attack our nation. 

Ike was inaugurated in 1953 and left office in 1961 and is the very first President that I remember.  Since I included many of the facts of Eisenhower's life in a previous article, I will not include them in this article.  I will merely say that Eisenhower was a great hero from World War II and was encouraged to run for President for the good of the country.  He was President when the Korean War ended in 1953 as well as when the Vietnam War began in 1961.

                    President Eisenhower gave his "Eisenhower Doctrine" in a speech on January 5, 1957, including a "Special Message to the Congress on the Situation in the Middle East".  "Under the Eisenhower Doctrine, a country could request American economic assistance and/or aid from U.S. military forces if it was being threatened by armed aggression from another state.  Eisenhower singled out the Soviet threat in his doctrine by authorizing the commitment of U.S. forces `to secure and protect the territorial integrity and political independence of such nations, requesting such aid against covert armed aggression from any nation controlled by international communism.'"

Since we can learn much about a man by listening to his words and observing the patterns of his conversations, Ike's words illustrate what he considered to be important.  Judge for yourself whether you consider Eisenhower to have been a great President. 

Here are some quotes attributed to President Eisenhower, and others can be found at this site. 

                    "A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done."

                    "Americans, indeed all free men, remember that in the final choice, a soldier's pack is not so heavy a burden as a prisoner's chains."

                    "An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows."

                    "Before all else, we seek, upon our common labor as a nation, the blessings of Almighty God."

                    "I can think of nothing more boring for the American people than to have to sit in their living rooms for a whole half hour looking at my face on their television screens."

                    "When you appeal to force, there's one thing you must never do - lose."

                    "When you are in any contest you should work as if there were - to the very last minute - a chance to lose it."

                    "Politics ought to be the part-time profession of every citizen who would protect the rights and privileges of free people and who would preserve what is good and fruitful in our national heritage."

                    "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.  This world in arms is not spending money alone.  It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.  This is not a way of life at all in any true sense.  Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron."

                    "A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."

                    "Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you're a thousand miles from the corn field."

                    Here are just some of the interesting Eisenhower quotes that can be found at this site.  

                    "Any man who wants to be president is either an egomaniac or crazy."

                    "Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative."

                    "From behind the Iron Curtain, there are signs that tyranny is in trouble and reminders that its structure is as brittle as its surface is hard."

"Here in America we are descended in blood and in spirit from revolutionists and rebels - men and women

who dare to dissent from accepted doctrine.  As their heirs, may we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion."

                  "History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid."

"How far can you go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without?"

"Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in the blood of his followers and the sacrifices of his friends."

Here are a few more quotes from this site.  

"What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog."

"This is what I found out about religion.  It gives you courage to make decisions you must make in a crisis, and then the confidence to leave the result to a Higher Power.  Only by trust in God can a man carrying responsibility find repose."

"No one can defeat us unless we first defeat ourselves."

As we can see from his words, Eisenhower was a warrior that preferred peace, a President that knew the strength of the nation lies in its people, and a man humble enough to believe in God.  I consider Eisenhower to have been a great President. 

Lawful Appropriations

                    The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from Article I, Section 9, Clause 7:  "No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law."  This clause in the Constitution promises that no taxpayer money will be spent unless their elected representatives approve it.

                    "This is the meaning of the phrase, `appropriation made by law.'  It is intended to mean that neither the executive nor the legislature alone can raise or spend money at will, but that each appropriation bill must be passed by both the House and Senate and signed by the President (or passed over his veto by a two-thirds vote).  …

                    "In other words, even though a legitimate debt is due by the United States, no payment can be made until an appropriation for that purpose has been legally processed as described above."  (See W. Cleon Skousen, The Making of America - The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution, pp. 484-485.)

                    Gary Kepplinger explained this clause further:  "The Appropriations Clause is the cornerstone of Congress's `power of the purse.'  It assigns to Congress the role of final arbiter of the use of public funds.  The source of Congress's power to spend derives from Article I, Section 8, Clause 1.  The Appropriations Clause provides Congress with a mechanism to control or to limit spending by the federal government.  The Framers chose the particular language of limitation, not authorization, for the first part of the clause and placed it in Section 9 of Article I, along with other restrictions on governmental actions to limit, most notably, executive action."  (See The Heritage Guide to the Constitution, 163.)

Fasting or Just Hungry?

                    Fasting is more than just going hungry.  Fasting accompanied by prayer is an opportunity to seek spiritual growth.  Prayerful fasting is an opportunity to be filled with the Spirit of God.

                    Imagine that you have a basket filled with rocks and you desire to use the basket for apples.  I am sure that you will soon realize that the only way that your basket can be filled with apples is to first dump out the rocks.  This principle is shown in the following scripture found in the Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ about missionaries teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to a Lamanite king.

"And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said:  What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken?  Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day?  Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.

"But Aaron said unto him:  If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou will repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.

"And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:

"O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day…" (Alma 22:15-18).

This king was in the process of repenting for his rebellion against God and offered to give up his kingdom and all his possessions in order to receive the Spirit of God or the Holy Ghost.  Aaron taught the king that he needed to bow down before the Lord in prayer and repent of his sins.  Unlike most people, this king was ready to give up all his sins - not just one or a few but all - in order to receive the Holy Ghost.  He was willing to dump out all his rocks (sins) in order to fill his basket (soul) with apples (the Holy Ghost).  We can make room for the Holy Ghost in our souls by ridding ourselves of our unrighteous thoughts, words, and actions.

                    One very important way to overcome our weaknesses and rid ourselves of our sins is to regularly fast and pray.  Many people think that fasting is merely giving up food and drink.  Going without food is merely starving ourselves if we do not make the effort to gain spiritual strength.  We can be uplifted spiritually through the experience of fasting and prayer.  Our fasting can be more joyful and spiritually uplifting when we prepare properly for the experience and include prayer.  Even though our bodies are physically empty when we abstain from food, we can receive the Lord's Spirit when we partake of spiritual nourishment during the fast.

                    When Jesus Christ visited the inhabitants of the American continent after His resurrection, He told them:  "And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost" (Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ, 3 Nephi 12:6).

                    Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints go without food and drink for two consecutive meals one Sunday each month.  We call it "fast Sunday."  On that day we attend fast and testimony meeting, and we make a donation called a fast offering to the bishop in order that he might have the necessary funds to help the poor and needy.  This donation is at least the amount that we would pay for the two meals.  Many members give many times more dollars as a fast offering.  My husband and I give about one percent of our monthly income for our fast offering in addition to the ten percent we pay as tithing.

                    In addition to the monthly fast, we can also fast any time we feel the need for extra spiritual help or in case of an emergency in our family or community.  We are not required to pay a fast offering on any of these occasions.

                    Why do we fast?  There are numerous scriptures that teach us of the importance of fasting.  Please notice the many scriptures that counsel us to include prayer with our fasting.  The scriptures are listed in the following order: Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Doctrine and Covenants.

                    "Is not this the fast that I have chosen?  To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

                    "Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house?  when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? (Isaiah 58:6-7).  Purpose given is to feed the hungry and to clothe the naked.

                    "Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning" (Joel 2:12).  Purpose given is to draw closer to God.

                    "And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day" (Luke 2:37).  Purpose given is to serve God.

                    "And he caused that the priests should assemble themselves together; and they began to fast, and to pray to the Lord their God that he would open the mouth of Alma, that he might speak, and also that his limbs might receive their strength - that the eyes of the people might be opened to see and know of the goodness and glory of God.

                    "And it came to pass after they had fasted and prayed for the space of two days and two nights, the limbs of Alma received their strength, and he stood up and began to speak unto them, bidding them to be of good comfort" (Mosiah 27:22-23).  Purpose given is to receive special blessings, such as healing. 

                    "Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God.  Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself.  And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me" (Alma 5:46).  Purpose given is to gain a testimony.

                    "Nevertheless the children of God were commanded that they should gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God" (Alma 6:6).  Purpose given is for the conversion of people who are not yet members of the Church of Jesus Christ.   

                

                    "But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God" (Alma 17:3).  Purpose given is to gain the spirit of prophecy and revelation and the ability to teach.

  

                    "Behold, now it came to pass that the people of Nephi were exceedingly rejoiced, because the Lord had again delivered them out of the hands of their enemies; therefore they gave thanks unto the Lord their God; yea, and they did fast much and pray much, and they did worship God with exceedingly great joy" (Alma 45:1).  The purpose given is to worship God and to show gratitude to Him.

                    "Also, I give unto you a commandment that ye shall continue in prayer and fasting from this time forth" (Doctrine and Covenants 88:76).  Purpose given is to be obedient to God's commandment.

                    Numerous people understand that we can gain many blessings by observing the fast properly, but some people do not yet have this understanding.  The Lord told His people through the Prophet Joseph Smith that we should feel joy as we fast.

"And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full.

                    "Verily, this is fasting and prayer, or in other words, rejoicing and prayer" (Doctrine and Covenants 59:13-14).

                    Do you feel joyful when you are fasting?  Do you know how to feel more joy in your fasting?  The answer is proper preparation and prayer.

                    When I plan ahead and look forward to fast Sunday, my fast is much more enjoyable.  Some of the things that we can do to make our fasts more joyful are as follows:  1) pray at the beginning of our fast as well as during the fast; 2) concentrate on our fast;

3) decide to make the fast a meaningful spiritual experience.

                    One of the most important ways that we can prepare for our fast is to choose a purpose for our fast.  Fasting with a purpose can make our experience more meaningful and may make the experience easier for us.  If it is an emergency fast, we would have an immediate purpose, but here are some suggestions for our monthly fasts:  1) choose a specific person or group of people who are in need of divine help; 2) choose a personal weakness to overcome; 3) fast for knowledge about a specific problem - such as a job offer or move; 4) fast for spiritual strength or for special blessings for ourselves or others.

                    It is very important that we include prayer with our fasting.  Our prayers can be 1) requests for strength in fasting;

2) opportunities to discuss our purpose for fasting with Heavenly Father; 3) expressions of our gratitude to Heavenly Father for the opportunity to fast and receive spiritual growth.

                    We may feel physically weak while we are fasting because we are depriving our bodies of food and drink; however, we can gain strength in other areas of our lives.  Bishop John H. Vandenberg gave the following counsel while he was serving as our Presiding Bishop:  "Fasting and prayer equip a person with a much greater degree of strength and power than would otherwise be his if he were left to his own devices.  Fasting and prayer can bring an individual to a point of humility and faith where the Lord can give him the extra strength and power needed to complete a task or to solve a problem" ("The Presiding Bishop Talks to Youth About:  Fasting," Improvement Era, Feb. 1969, 71).

                    I am very grateful for my many opportunities to fast and pray.  I consider these instances as two of the most valuable spiritual tools I can use.  I am grateful for my testimony of the purpose of the fast as well as for my positive attitude about it.  I know that spiritual strength and blessings can come through fasting and prayer.  I encourage you to remember to prepare for your next fasting experience and to include prayer with your fasting so that you can receive spiritual fulfillment instead of just going hungry.

  

                                       

Establishing Zion

                    Families grow stronger as we establish Zion in our individual homes.  Our homes can be places where we dwell together in peace and harmony and where our hearts are knit together in joy, love and unity.  

                    President Henry B. Eyring stated, "We see increased conflict between peoples in the world around us.  Those divisions and differences could infect us.  That is why my message of hope today is that a great day of unity is coming.  The Lord Jehovah will return to live with those who have become His people and will find them united, of one heart, unified with Him and with our Heavenly Father.

                    "You have heard that message of unity from me more than once.  I may well speak of it in the future.  I have heard it from every prophet of God in my lifetime…. The Lord's prophets have always called for unity.  The need for that gift to be granted to us and the challenge to maintain it will grow greater in the days ahead, in which we will be prepared as a people for our glorious destiny.

                    "My message is that we are doing better.  Fathers and mothers are pleading for unity in their homes, and those prayers are being answered.  Families are praying together night and morning….

                    "You have seen evidence, as I have, that we are moving toward becoming one.  The miracle of unity is being granted to us as we pray and work for it in the Lord's way.  Our hearts will be knit together in unity.  God has promised that blessing to His faithful Saints whatever their differences in background and whatever conflict rages around them….

                    "The reason that we pray and ask for that blessing is the same reason the Father is granting it.  We know from experience that joy comes when we are blessed with unity.  We yearn, as spirit children of our Heavenly Father, for that joy which we once had with Him in the life before this one.  His desire is to grant us that sacred wish for unity out of His love for us.

                    "He cannot grant it to us as individuals.  The joy of unity He wants so much to give us is not solitary.  We must seek it and qualify for it with others.  It is not surprising then that God urges us to gather so that He can bless us.  He wants us to gather into families…"  (Ensign, Nov. 2008). 

                    Heavenly Father wants us to gather into families and then into classes, branches, wards and stakes in order to learn more about unity.  As we build unity in our individual families and Church families, the unity will overflow into our communities, cities, counties, states, and nations.

                    An ancient American prophet by the name of Alma and his people lived in difficult and dangerous circumstances as they gathered at the Waters of Mormon.  Alma taught the principles and performed the ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ to his followers, and they were unified.  The scriptures say, "And they were called the church of God, or the church of Christ, from that time forward.  And it came to pass that whosoever was baptized by the power and authority of God was added to his church….

                    "And he commanded them that they should teach nothing save it were the things which he had taught, and which had been spoken by the mouth of the holy prophets.

                    "Yea, even he commanded them that they should preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people.

                    "And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.

                    "And thus he commanded them to preach.  And thus they became the children of God" (Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Mosiah 18:17, 19-22).

                    We can help unity to grow in our homes by developing faith in Jesus Christ, repenting of our sins, forgiving each other, receiving revelation, being humble (because pride is the enemy to unity), and being peacemakers.  Unity can be established among people who come from vastly different backgrounds because the children of our Heavenly Father have more in common than we have differences. 

      

                      Elder D. Todd Christofferson said, "Zion is Zion because of the character, attributes, and faithfulness of her citizens.  Remember, `the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them" (Moses 7:18).  If we would establish Zion in our homes, branches, wards, and stakes, we must rise to this standard.  It will become necessary (1) to become unified in one heart and one mind; (2) to become, individually and collectively, a holy people; and (3) to care for the poor and needy with such effectiveness that we eliminate poverty among us.  We cannot wait until Zion comes for these things to happen - Zion will come only as they happen.

                    "As we consider the unity required for Zion to flourish, we should ask ourselves if we have overcome jarrings, contentions, envyings, and strifes (see Doctrine and Covenants 101:6).  Are we individually and as a people free from strife and contention and united `according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom"?  (Doctrine and Covenants 105:4).  Forgiveness of one another is essential to this unity.  Jesus said, "I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men" (Doctrine and Covenants 64:10).

                    "We will become of one heart and one mind as we individually place the Savior at the center of our lives and follow those He has commissioned to lead us….

                    "Much of the work to be done in establishing Zion consists in our individual efforts to become `pure in heart' (Doctrine and Covenants 97:21).  `Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom,' said the Lord; `otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself' (Doctrine and Covenants 105:5).  The law of the celestial kingdom is, of course, the gospel law and covenants, which include our constant remembrance of the Savior and our pledge of obedience, sacrifice, consecration, and fidelity….

                    "Throughout history, the Lord has measured societies and individuals by how well they cared for the poor….

                    "In much of the world, we are entering upon unsettled economic times.  Let us look after one another the very best we can" (Ensign, November 2008).  

                    All of our families would be living in conditions closer to Zion if we would follow the counsel given by Elder Neal A. Maxwell:  "Let us once and for all establish our residence in Zion and give up the summer cottage in Babylon" (A Wonderful Flood of Light [1990], 47).  Families who are seeking to establish Zion in their homes are growing stronger as they do so. 

Personal Independence

                   The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is:  In order to be truly free, individuals must be independent of all other people, organizations, and governments.  People who have an "entitlement mentality" and expect others to take care of them cannot consider themselves to be personally independent.  In fact, people who are dependent on handouts from the government are slaves of the government rather than free men and women.

                    The Heritage Foundation's report entitled "The 2012 Index of Dependence on Government," written by William Beach and Patrick Tyrrell and dated February 8, 2012, begins:  "The great and calamitous fiscal trends of our time - dependence on government by an increasing portion of the American population, and soaring debt that threatens the financial integrity of the economy - worsened yet again in 2010 and 2011.  The United States has long reached the point at which it must reverse the direction of both trends or face economic and social collapse.  Yet policymakers made little progress on either front since the 2010 Index of Dependence on Government was published.  Today, more people than ever before - 67.3 million Americans, from college students to retirees to welfare beneficiaries - depend on the federal government for housing, food, income, student aid, or other assistance once considered to be the responsibility of individuals, families, neighborhoods, churches, and other civil society institutions.  The United States reached another milestone in 2010:  For the first time in history, half the population pays no federal income taxes.  Related to these disturbing trends, publicly held debt continued its amazing ascent without any plan by the government to pay it back.  As if those circumstances were not dire enough, the country is about to witness the largest generational retirement in world history by a population that will depend on currently bankrupted pension and health programs"

                    One of the biggest problems with entering a government entitlement program is the difficulty involved in extracting yourself from it.  The longer a person receives something "for free" - at no personal effort or cost - the more willing that person is to believe they are "entitled" to that benefit.  The older I get, the more I understand and appreciate why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints expects/requires the recipients of its welfare program to do something for what they are getting - except of course those people who are truly incapable of doing anything.  A Bishop may require a welfare recipient to shovel the snow from the walkways around the chapel or water the lawn or help in the bi-weekly cleaning of the meetinghouse.  He may require the recipient to work in the Bishops Storehouse helping other needy people.  There are numerous ways that people can do their part in society and "pay" for the assistance they receive.  By "working" for what they get, welfare recipients are more able to maintain their dignity and their ability to help themselves.  There is no shame in needing help, but there is shame in getting sucked into believing that you can't help yourself.

                    In an excellent article entitled "TheEffects of Dependence Programs:  More Harmthan Help," Donlyn Tumbull explains:  "Whoever controls your money and your choices controls you.  And when you lose that ability, you begin to stop taking responsibility for your life.  Dependency programs breed more dependency and can create the same psychological effects as people involved in abusive or other severely difficult situations.

                    "Many people assume if you are in a bad situation you will do anything to escape.  However, the truth is, `If you feel like you aren't in control of your destiny, you will give up and accept whatever situation you are in'.  It's the very definition of a psychological effect proven in the 1960's by scientist Martin Seligman, called `learned helplessness'. 

                    "When people begin to believe they can't help themselves they eventually stop trying.

                    "The Administration is allowing people to become fully dependent on them for their basic needs like food and access to health services, even encouraging it.  The more they rely on the Government, the more Government has control of their lives and the less people feel they are capable of escaping their situation.  Without responsibility and choices, they give up."

                    Independence improves our self-esteem and our capabilities.  Agency or the opportunity to choose is one of the greatest gifts that God has given to His children.  He bestowed it upon us in our pre-earth life.  Agency is so important that there was a war fought in heaven because Satan wanted to take away our agency.  Those spirits who followed Satan were cast out of heaven and lost the opportunity to gain physical bodies.  How do we maintain control of our lives and our ability to make choices?

                    "And there was war in heaven:  Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

                    "And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

                    "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world:  he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:7).

                    The government "entitlement" programs are a Progressive plan to take away our ability to choose and and thus to control our own lives.  Touted as a means of "saving" us, they actually enslave us.  Government agents who seek to take away our agency are no better than Satan who continually tries to entice us to accept bondage. 

Lehi, an ancient American prophet, taught, "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man.  And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life , through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself" (Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ, 2 Nephi 2:27).

We must be free and independent in order to be happy and live effective lives; otherwise, we are miserable like the devil.  This site  has an article entitled "Personal Power and Control Can Make You Happier and Healthier."  The article states, "Control is the real and perceived personal power we each possess over our own life and the events in it.  It is our ability to make choices and choose our own destiny.  Related to this real or perceived ability are our feelings of competence and personal power.  We are happier and more effective when we have the power to choose.  The loss of personal responsibility for our lives causes us to be less happy and healthy.  It is only natural that when this power to make choices is taken away, we resist and engage in `reactance.'  We like to at least believe we have the ability to control our lives."

This article describes a test about "whether increasing control and power in the elderly causes them to be happier and healthier."  The testers separated out an experimental group of residents in a "one of the finest nursing homes in Connecticut" and gave these residents more personal responsibility and choice in their care.  They believed that these residents would "demonstrate improvements in mental abilities, activity level, and satisfaction with life."  The residents on two floors were randomly selected to be part of the test.  One floor would have more choice in how their rooms were arranged and be "responsible for voicing their complaints, telling what they liked and what they wanted changed."  They were also "offered a plant of their choice" to care for and a choice of whether or not to watch a movie and when.  The comparison group was basically told that their choices would be made for them because it was the nursing home's "responsibility to make the home a place where they could be proud of and happy in.  They were given a plant that would be cared for by the nurses and told when they could see the movie.  The "test" lasted for three weeks.

"The results [were] striking.  The fourth-floor residents reported they felt happier and more active than those in the comparison group.  Even greater differences were seen in the nurses' ratings.  It was determined the experimental group's condition improved markedly over the three weeks of the study, while the comparison group in general declined.  Furthermore, significantly more residents from the experimental group attended the movie and participated in the game."

The importance of choice over events in our lives is present from the cradle to the grave as is our accountability for our choices.  Toddlers are most happy when they feel that they have a choice in their clothing, in the food they eat, in the books they "read."  When teenagers sense they are being "forced" to do anything, they quickly indicate their refusal.  As shown in the above referenced test, the aged are also happier when they feel they have control over the events in their lives. 

I do not appreciate or enjoy having someone tell me what I can do or where I can go.  When my husband is over-zealous in trying to control me, I remind him that "I am free, white and 21" and I don't need anyone controlling me!   I am a very independent woman, and I want to make my own decisions.  I want to maintain as much freedom and independence as possible; therefore, I recognize the need to retire Barack Obama before he and his minions enslave all Americans.  We must repeal Obamacare and shrink the entitlement programs to the point where they are strictly for those Americans who cannot help themselves.  We must make the necessary changes in our tax codes so that every working American pays taxes.  Our nation cannot survive much longer as a free nation if individuals continue to sell themselves into bondage to the federal government. 

                    For other articles containing my feelings about entitlement programs, click here  or here. 


Updated March 3, 2012:  Here is a good video about how our government wants to increase the number of citizens who depend on government for services.