America, Where Are You?

 With the recent chaos that has engulfed our cities in the United States, I have found myself bewildered at the seeming acceptance of all the lawlessness. America has always been a land of law and order (now, before you jump down my throat and bring up the race riots of the 60’s, Rodney King, and events like those, I will speak to those events later). As a whole, we have always sought for peace and to settle discord through legal means. Yes, demonstrations have occurred throughout the history of our great nation, and some have devolved into bedlam, but America has always sought for justice through law.

 

Let me define America. America is not a land, it is not borders, flags, politicians, etc. America is the people. We are what make America, America. The opening words of the Constitution of the United States of America states, “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish the Constitution for the United States of America.” You see, “we the people” moved to establish a more perfect union. “We the people” establish justice, domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare of our fellow citizens, and “we the people” secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity. Therefore, America is “we the people”.  There is no other way of defining what America is, America is the people. 

 

There is a lot to be said of the people. We come from all walks of life. Whether from the squalor of poverty or from the lavish luxury of wealth and everything in between.  We come from many varied experiences in life. We are a strong and resilient people. We are giving and charitable to our core. We have a long tradition of protecting those who cannot protect themselves. We hate bullies and never back down when faced with opposition.

 

That being said, I ask again, America, where are you? We are witnessing our cities burn, get looted, vandalized and taken over by thugs and lowlifes. That’s right, I said lowlifes. Those who would put their desire to destroy and pillage before the needs of all others are lowlifes, selfish, self-centered, pathetic, and scum. I make no apologies for my harsh critique of these thugs. No man (and I use that term loosely) or woman should feel that they have the right to destroy other’s property or to take life because of an ideology that they adhere to. And that is what it is, an ideology base on emotion and lies. They refuse to look at facts, but would rather believe the hype because it fuels the innate animal within them. 

 

Have there been innocent people shot and killed by the police? The answer is admittedly, yes. Yes, there has been. Just one innocent person killed at the hands of police is horrible. Just this year alone there have been 558 total police shootings; 111 of those were of black citizens and 215 were of white citizens. The remaining are a combination of Hispanic, other and those of an unknown race. That’s a lot of people. Some of those people were innocent and some were not. 

The reality is that not everyone shot and killed by police are the victims of police brutality. There are some who were in the act of committing a crime. Who were fighting with police and/or were threatening to hurt or kill an innocent person. In all actuality, the vast majority of encounters with law enforcement do not terminate with the death of someone. That is the Hollywood portrayal of police encounters. There are indeed some bad officers. Just as there are bad teachers who rape their students, just as there are bad truck drivers who kidnap and kill people, the list can go on and on. There are bad people. We know that, we see it all around us. The murder rate in the United States is 6 in every 100,000 people. That’s a lot of bad people. Not that I am attempting to marginalized those who are killed at the hands of officers of the law. But if you take a look at the previously noted number of 111 black citizens (since this seems to be the only number of victims that we are concerned about in the United States right now) only a fraction of those individuals was unarmed, and out of those only a small fraction were innocent victims of what could be characterized in the majority of cases as a split-second decision that was wrong. I wholeheartedly believe that the vast majority of police officers do not have a personal vendetta against people of color. I believe it to be a disingenuous argument to say otherwise, and those who pound their moral chests and pontificate upon the injustices committed against people of color by the systemic racism that exists in law enforcement are stoking the fires of discord for political and personal agendas. And America is silent.

I am tired of watching my beloved country collapse into a chasm of moral decay. The citizen is silenced by a minority of the populace fearing that they will offend, or be ridiculed into silence. People express their feelings and they lose their job. Online trolls scour the pages of social media to lay waste to those who dare hold a differing opinion than their own, and then they scurry back into their online anonymity like the roaches that they are. 

 

There is no guarantee within the Constitution of the United States that you will not be offended. The fact that there are such a vast number of differing opinions on any given subject should cause the average American to shout hallelujah at the showcase of freedom that that represents to the world, but we don’t. We cower to the chaos. We sit in silence as we watch our land descend down the rabbit hole from which there is no easy escape, and our nation burns and crumbles before our eyes and we shut our eyes and pretend that nothing is happening and we go our merry way. We pound our chests and foam at the mouth as we defend a political affiliation, but when it comes to this Land, we sit idly and quietly doing nothing.

 

My heart breaks at the sight before me. Death goes unnoticed unless that death is a black citizen and the cops were the cause of death otherwise the death doesn’t matter to the masses gathered demanding that we declare the supremacy of black lives. This while the murder rate in Chicago and other cities skyrocket dwarfing previously reported years in the same timeframe. How can we expect to live free and perpetuate this great city set on a hill when we cannot even stand for justice for all people? When we are lambasted for declaring that all life matters? When we defend the right to life of an unborn child and are ridiculed for those personal beliefs, and then are sentenced to years in prison for ending the life of a litter of puppies. Life matters means nothing to society today. Because life doesn’t matter, agendas matter, political platforms matter, the new trendy hairstyle, clothing line, car, Tik Tok challenge, etc matter, but life doesn’t matter to society anymore. Unless that life can be used as political fodder. Then and only then does life matter.

 

This is not America. At least the America that we are supposed to be. It’s not the America bequeathed to us by our forefathers. Yes, our forefathers. The Constitution was written for all people regardless of color, race or creed. It was written to protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all people. So, America, where are you? Are you going to rise up and take your country back from the brink, or are you going to sit there in quiet repose and do nothing and watch it burn? Will you rise to the occasion or shrink before the cause of liberty?

 

This all stops when we arrive at the conclusion that we are America. That we are not racists. That we are not hate filled. That we are the most giving and charitable nation upon the face of the earth. That we are great because we are good in our hearts and we should be willing to spread our goodness.

 

So, America, where are you? Stand and be counted! Stand and take back your cities. Take back your freedom. Take back your nation and be a Nation United!

Race in America

Much has been said about what America is as of late. Most of what is being said is not good. If you were to take a surface level look at everything that is published in the media or reported on our television sets you would think that America is the most egregious violator of civil rights in the known world. As a Nation, we are so racist that people of color fear leaving their homes every day because they don't know whether they will return because they might be killed by a cop. The rioting hordes in the streets denounce the United States. Those taking part in "peaceful" protests are demanding that systemic racism be ferreted out and everyone punished for their role.

You have entertainers (from all genres) and politicians demonstrating their angst and anger over their recent revelation that "racism" is a problem in society. They pound their chests and claim a new level of enlightenment that has helped them see the problem. Then, like all good boys and girls, they swear to do something, to be a part of the solution and to promulgate their solution to the whole United States to stop this great injustice to people of color.

First of all, before I go on, let me tell all of these self-righteous, hypocrites that I don't need them to defend me. Yes, I am a person of color. Yes, I have experienced bigotry, prejudice, bias and in a very few instances actual racism (and that was in Spain, not the United States of America). I am more than capable of handling my own issues when they arise and they don't arise often. I don't wake up terrified of walking out my door and driving to work thinking that I am going to be stopped by the police and beaten or worse yet killed. There is nobody who actually feels that way. Those who do are not afraid of the police, but those that the police are trying to stop from committing crimes against society. So let's be perfectly honest here, the police are not evil and they don't put on their uniform every day with the hope that they will be able to put another notch in their belt indicating another person of color that they either beat or killed that day. It's disingenuous to say otherwise.

Secondly, let's define racism. I know what society's definition is, which is pretty much anything that they want to say it is, but none of these definitions are the actual definition of racism. Racism is defined as "a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race". I do not believe that there is a systemic problem among white people thinking that they are superior to people of color. Don't misunderstand me, I am not saying that there are not some people who actually believe that they are superior to another based solely off of race. What I am saying is that there is not a systemic problem with this. Additionally, I believe this is a universal problem found within all races. Growing up I would here my people going around saying "la raza" (the race, for those who don't speak Spanish). I asked what it meant and was told that is was to signify the power and superiority of our race. The blacks in our neighborhood would shout "black power". There would be fights in school and in the community with one race trying to subject the other through fear and intimidation (and no, the whites didn't have a dog in that fight). So it exists among all sects of society.

So if I don't believe that racism is the underlying problem; what is the problem? Well, let me answer that. I believe that we have a problem with prejudice, bigotry and bias based on race. And this is rooted in ignorance and intolerance. Ignorance is dangerous and we are seeing just how dangerous being played out before our eyes on the evening news cycles. We are bombarded with scenes and stories of victimization or perceived victimization. I apologize to those reading this for what I am about to say. Please understand that I mean no disrespect, but I must say it. We see our lily white neighbors foaming at the mouth screaming at the top of their lungs that we need to stop killing black people. Well in practice I think that is pretty good advice. If they are killing black people or anybody of color or other white people for that matter, I think that they should stop immediately and turn themselves in to be prosecuted. If they are not, they need to shut their mouths and stop acting like fools. 

I saw a video the other day of a white gentleman screaming in the face of a black police officer calling him every obscenity in the book telling him that he was a 'black Judas'. Now, let me put this into perspective for you (me being a man of color and maybe your not. I don't know), how do you think it feels as a person of color to be told by a white person how you should be feeling and what you should be doing? Think about it for a moment before you move on. You done thinking about it? Let me tell you how it feels. Nothing drives me more crazy and nothing screams actual racism than when a white person tells me how I should be feeling and what I should be doing about how I should be feeling. Or, when they tell me that if I don't agree with them then I must have never experienced anything in my life and lived a sheltered existence and that I need to open my eyes to what's going on. I have actually had "well meaning" white people tell me that. I don't need them to tell me what I've experienced in my life. I've experienced it. I don't need them to tell me how I need to or should react to what I've experienced, because I've already dealt with it in my own way, and guess what they didn't have to tell me how to deal with it because I somehow without their help knew what to do. It's amazing I know, a person of color not needing a "well meaning" white angel screaming in my face telling me how to feel.

Yes, I've experienced prejudice, bigotry and bias. My 4th grade year I went to a predominately white school. When I say predominately white I mean 99.9999% white. I was the only Hispanic and there was one Native American. Every day that I went to school I was called "spic", "wetback", "cherry picker" and so forth. Every day someone wanted to beat me up because of the color of my skin. I learned to defend myself quickly. I would pretend that I was sick so that I would not have to go to school. We tried to get a district waiver to allow me to go to a more diverse school, but we were told that it was all in my head and was denied the waiver. I was forced to go through hell every day. I was so happy when we moved. A few years ago I was stopped for DWM (driving while Mexican). I just came from a business meeting and was in a suit and a big old truck. I noticed that I had an unusual amount of police vehicles following me, but didn't think much of it because I wasn't doing anything. I then noticed that these police vehicles were actually starting to box me in and then all of a sudden I was forced off the road, surrounded by about 10 cruisers and demanded to keep my hands in open view. I complied since they all had their guns drawn and they seemed pretty serious. I was questioned and vetted then was told that they stopped me for not having insurance on my truck. That was a lie because I did have insurance on my truck. A couple of days later the same thing happened again. 
I've been followed in stores, refused service in jewelry stores, gun stores, car dealerships, etc. The list goes on, but that is not the point of this posting. I just want to establish that I've experienced things and guess what I am still alive and for the most part I think that I am well adjusted.

I saw a video a couple of weeks ago of a white lady kneeling before a group of black men and she was kissing their feet pleading for forgiveness. Each man made her kiss his feet and then came back to have her do it again. This scene was disgraceful and I am appalled that one; she felt the need to do that, and two; that they were relishing in the act. What kind of society are we trying to create here? Are we determined to make all white people out to be the enemy and pariah of society? We demand equality by demanding the un-equalization of  society. I know of no white person who currently owns or has owned a slave. I know of no white person who currently owns or has owned a white robe and pointed hood. I know of no white person who wakes up every morning looking for that one unsuspecting person of color that they are going to make miserable that day. I do know many who just want to live their lives. They could care less about the color of the skin of the person that sits next to them. And it's not because they don't see you and your struggles, it's because they have their own struggles that they are dealing with.

If we are to have peace we need to stop pitting one race against another here in the United States of America. We need to stop looking for racism and start looking for solutions. One solution would be to eliminate laws that put people on uneven ground (i.e. hate crime legislation because all crime is rooted in hate). Stop fighting school choice options, thus allowing children from inner city failing schools to attend better schools. We have proven that throwing money at schools doesn't make things better. We need to refocus our educational efforts to allow for learning rather than mere indoctrination. We must focus on removing ignorance from the general populace understanding that it is a choice to remain in ignorance. The Constitution of the United States, does not intend to put everyone on equal ground, but rather it provides the opportunity for everyone to have equal opportunity and access. There is a difference.

We need to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. We need to teach its principles and ensure that our laws justly represent it in scope and purpose. We need to ensure that all rights are being extended equally to all individuals regardless of the color of their skin. The freedom guaranteed within the Constitution of the United States is for all and is universal in nature. 

Primarily, we need to turn to God and establish His word in our hearts and ask for forgiveness. We need to put down our weapons of our rebellion against His laws and accept all as our brothers and sisters, equal in the eyes of the law. We need to stop the violence against our own people. We need to respect life at all stages. We need to acknowledge that life is a gift from a loving God and that life matters regardless of who you are or what you've done. The popular rebuttal to the "all life matters vs. black lives matter" argument is that when we say that all lives matter are we saying that pedophiles matter, and thus we can't say all lives matter. My answer to that is yes, the life of a pedophile matters. His crimes are heinous and represent the deepest betrayal of society, but he or she is still a son or daughter of God and will answer for their sin, but of us it is required to forgive all...their trespasses.

Lastly, we need to stop hyphenating our Americanism. We have so many hyphenated Americans that it is ridiculous. No other country does that, yet here we are dividing ourselves with words and grammatical markings. This encourages the us vs them mentality. Let's just be Americans. Let's stand shoulder to shoulder and honor this Nation as the freest Nation on earth (or at least it should be). Let's take those that would divide us and pit us against each other for power and control over us and show them the door (in some cases a prison door). Let's show these high-minded erudites that they are nothing. Let us, We The People, take back this Nation and the power which belongs to us. We can do this, and we must do it, or all will be lost, and this great experiment of freedom will be gone forever.
My fellow Americans, let us on this day, this Independence Day here declare that America will not fall on our watch. Let us stand united in purpose and resolve to ensure freedom's noble banner waves from sea to shining sea. Let us be that light on the hill that we have always been meant to be. That beacon to the world that freedom reigns supreme. Let us be a Nation United!

America in Shutdown

I've been following what has been going on in Washington with great interest.  I have been amazed that there are certain individuals within the halls of Congress who have despite the personal attacks and hate speech directed at them (in many cases by members of their own party) have stayed true to their message of the People First.  I for one find this behavior refreshing since it has been awhile since I've seen it come from any of the halls of government.  It is always easy to stand for something when you stand with many, but that becomes extremely more difficult when you stand alone, so I for one applaud those taking a stand and letting their voice be heard.

That being said, I would like to talk about what is happening over there in Washington.  We are experiencing a widening of the gap that separates us from them.  What I mean is that the politicians in Washington for so long have been entrenching themselves in their lofty positions and redirecting power away from the people and placing it in their hands and those of bureaucrats in Washington who answer to them and not the people.  You have to understand that when the Founding Fathers wrote the words, "We, the People of the United States....", they literally meant "WE", you and me, us.  The initials of our great Nation say it all "US"!  The power of the government doesn't lie in them it lies in US.  It is similar to giving a Power of Attorney to someone to officiate in our business affairs in our behalf.  Each Senator, Representative and President operates under this Power of Attorney.  They are to operate the affairs of government as if we were operating them and therefore they are to listen to us as a people.  They are to put us first before anybody else.  That means rather than giving billions in aid to Egypt or Russia or some other foreign government they are to take care of the affairs of this Nation.  They are to listen when we say no more, they are to listen when we say that we don't want to be forced to enroll in government sponsored healthcare.  They are supposed to run to do their job when we tell them to take care of it.  At least this is how government should operate here in the United States of America, but as you well know it doesn't.

Our government has been operating well beyond this basic definition that I've given.  They are operating outside the Power of Attorney given to them and they've been doing it to this point with impunity.  For the most part they've done it under the guise of that they were just trying to help and make our lives easier  because why would we want to trouble ourselves with the affairs of government.  They played the humble servant card while talking to us and then mocked us behind closed doors.  Now, they are openly and blatantly thumbing their noses to our faces and telling us that we have no voice, that they are the powerful ruling class and we are to do as they tell us or suffer the consequences of our choices.  Time and time again we the people are being pushed aside for special interests and Party rather than National loyalty. 

This has brought us to this point.  The President has been impotent as a "leader".  He has not led in Washington from the front, but has sat back and thrown fuel on the fire and then stands on the sidelines imputing blame upon the Republicans or more specifically the Tea Party and Conservatives within the Republican Party.  He has shown that he is not the great healer that he was made out to be, but rather the opposite.  He is the great divider, he is working extra hard to destroy all peace within our Nation to cause pain and suffering where none need be felt.

This brings me to the Senate.  That great Congress of self-important, self-obsessed men and women who love the greetings in the marketplace and to sit in the high places of importance.  Who in all their babbling have nothing important or reasonable to say.  They who out of show recognize time old tradition while on the floor of the Senate and then spit in the face of the American people.  When the Constitution was ratified the Senators were appointed by the individual State Legislatures.  This ensured that each Senator serving would be loyal to the State and work to protect the interests of the State.  This was practiced until May 31, 1913 when the 17th Amendment was officially adopted into the United States Constitution.  Those who pushed for the reform of how Senators should be chosen were Progressives. 

You see, the Constitution specifically separated the powers and duties of each arm of the government for specific reasons.  The House of "Representatives", these Representatives were to represent more the interests of the People who voted them into office, that is why there are so many of them as they represent a specified number of constituents within their voting districts. That is why they were given the authority to pass budgets and allocate funds because they represent the People and the desires of the People and are to disperse the funds of the People according to the will of the People and not according to the will of their party and or third party group or entity lobbying for preferential treatment.  This is their most basic duty.

The Senate was to represent the will of the State.  The elected State officials who, once again, represent the will of the citizens of their respective districts were to appoint the Senator, who would be subject to the State officials and thereby loyal to the needs of the State and responsive to those needs.  By changing this dynamic you now have a scenario as we see now where the Senator for a state might be liberal but the majority of the Representatives in the House are not as are the majority of the Representatives on the State level, but now we have a new dynamic where they are pitted against the will of the People as they are now not subject to State Legislatures, but to Party affiliations and purposes.  This has been no more evident than in what is happening today in Washington.

The 17th Amendment was essential to the Progressive movement in order to create a scenario where the will of the many would be subjugated by the will of the few.  I understand that Senators are voted in by popular vote, and that is not what I mean by the previous statement.  large cities tend to move towards a more liberal bent due to certain circumstances which exist within metropolitan areas, but outside of large cities we see the majority of the population lean more toward a conservative position.  We see this in California, which is typically considered a mecca for liberalism.  There are several Representatives in the House that are Republican, but both Senators are Democrats, thus silencing the voice of the Conservative Citizen within the State of California.  I am not saying that if the State Legislature were to select a Senator for California, that the person would be Conservative, but what I am saying is that these individuals in states like California are essentially silenced and are not given place at the table when it comes to the protection of their individual rights.

We as a people are constantly being told that we have no choice but to do what they, the government tells us to do.  If they say they need more money, We the People need to dutifully give it to them because they so mandate.  If they want to listen to our calls and read our email, well we better not complain because we are too ignorant to know what is needed to be done to protect us from our simple stupidity.  If we don't want to participate in "obamacare", well that is not our call.  The government doesn't have to participate because the cost is too restrictive to them, but the people had better tow the line and do what they are told or be fined and have your money confiscated from your personal bank account.

Well, my fellow Americans, it is time that we revoke the Power of Attorney of many of our Senators and Representatives upon the grounds of dereliction of duty and for performance of duties beyond the scope of said Power of Attorney.  These people including the President of the United States are standing in direct opposition of the will of the People and we should not be willing to stand idly by and allow it to continue like this.  We have the power of government, not them.  I don't care what you've been taught to believe, the Constitution places the power of government squarely in the hands of the American People and it is time that we take it back. 

We need to stop being sheep and do something or we will have nothing to save.  We say that we care so much about our children that we are willing to allow the government to take away our Constitutionally guaranteed and protected right to keep and bare arms to protect the children, but we don't care to protect Freedom for them?  It makes no sense to a sensible person like me.  My mind whirls in utter amazement as I watch the reaction of people today towards the government shut down.

To fix this situation that we currently find ourselves in will not be easy.  We've allowed it to get this bad, and we must fix it or we will lose everything.  We need to stop the senseless spending and over-regulation of everything in life or we will find ourselves left out in the cold and without a Country.  We will find ourselves in the shackles of tyranny and then when that happens if we should then decide to do something we will only be able to get our Country back by the shedding of greats amounts of blood.  Wouldn't it be easier to suffer a little now, rather than fight later? 

We need to appreciate the gift of Freedom and Liberty or we will be given to servitude and oppression.  God grants Freedom, and man enslaves their brethren for power.  We can prevail, but we have to be willing to be a People United and thereby remain a Nation United.

State of the Union

Every Independence Day I take the time to study the Constitution of the United States.  It gives me the opportunity to get to know in more depth the freedoms guaranteed in that document and the limited role of government authorized by it as well.  This year as I begin my study, my heart is weighed down with sorrow. 

The events of the last week have sickened me.  The Supreme Court in a move that stunned and shocked the Nation declared the Affordable Healthcare Act, a.k.a. "obamacare", as Constitutional.  This based on the premise that the government is given authority under the Constitution to tax the people of this Nation.  Though it is true that the Congress has the power to tax us, they don't have the power to regulate our lives and purchase habits.  A tax is a "tariff" if you would on a purchase.  A mandate is being told that you must do something. The dictionary defines a mandate as an authoritative command.  Let's see, the law states, buy insurance or face a penalty.  That sounds like a mandate to me. 

George Washington, our First President and great Statesman said this in 1796, "Towards the preservation of your government...it is requisite... that you resist with care the spirit of innovation upon its principles, however specious the pretexts.  One method of assault may be to effect, in the forms of the Constitution, alterations which will impair the energy of the system, and thus to undermine what cannot be directly overthrown."  I understand the desire to help others.  My heart burns within me to help those in need.  That being said, I understand that it is my duty to help those in need, not the governments.  The Constitution is plain in its delineation of powers.  The power or authority to help the needy lies in the people not in the government.  We cannot effectively preserve our Nation and neglect our Constitution.  We cannot seek for security and sell our birthrights.  We cannot give away our freedom and expect liberty.  If we continue to chop away at the Foundation of our Nation, we will shortly wake up to find that we are neither free or secure.  The enemy which we fight lives within each one of us.  That desire to allow someone else to take care of our obligations and to shirk our duty.  The laziness in which we view or exercise our Rights is causing a moral decay in this Nation that is epidemic.

We must fight off the natural man within us, and stand up and be men and women of resolve.  We must put our shoulder to the wheel and push along the cause of Freedom, or we will not be free.  We must turn the tide of socialism or progressivism and swing our Nation back to the Articles of the Constitution.  We must seek out men and women who know and understand, and then who love the Constitution and will fight for it. 

Our Nation is in trouble.  It's not Obama, although he is pushing it along very rapidly, but it is our Congress and Courts that are aiding in the destruction of this Nation.  Washington is full of liars and soothsayers.  Show me a true Statesman in Washington and I will work with that person to make a difference.  Show me a person in Washington with a backbone willing to make the hard decisions and I will support that person.  I am determined to see this Nation survive the attack from within.  I am determined to see this Nation forever remain a Nation United!

Let's Talk About Seniority

Here in Utah there has been a lot of talk about Seniority when it comes to political office.  Two years ago we heard it with Senator Bennett and this time around we are hearing it again with Senator Hatch.  So let's take a really quick look at seniority.

Hatch's claim is that he needs to be re-elected again because he has been in Washington for so long that he is the most senior Senator on the Senate Finance Committee.  He claims that his experience qualifies him to be able to lead the charge in saving America in our desperate time when our Country hangs in the balance ready to tip.  In 1976 (when I was two years old) Senator Hatch was elected to the US Senate. At that time he ran against an incumbent who had served three terms in Washington.  Hatch's main challenge to Senator Moss was that he had served too long and lost touch with constituents.  At that time Hatch supported term limits, at that point Hatch considered three terms too long, at that point Hatch promised two terms. 

Let's fast forward to 2012.  Hatch is still in office.  Now, unless I am completely math illiterate, 1976 to 2012 is not twelve years.  According to the Constitution of the United States, the term of a Senator in the US Senate is 6 years.  So that would mean that Senator Hatch's most recent bid for office would be his seventh term that he seeks.  What happened to he would only seek two terms, and that three terms had made Senator Moss out of touch with his constituents?  If three terms did that to Senator Moss, then what has six terms done to Senator Hatch?

I've had the opportunity to meet with Senator Hatch and I've exchanged communications with him, and I don't believe that Senator Hatch fully understands his role as a Senator for the State of Utah.  He has been duped into believing that his role as Senator is to centralize powers around the Federal Government.  He believes that his role is to ensure equality for all Americans.  He has helped expand the Government over and over again in size and expenditure.  He has worked hard to ensure that his Democratic friends will always look to him for support.  He has played the Washington game, and he has played it too long.

Now, let's really take a look at seniority. In the Constitution of the United States, Article I, Section III, we read, " ...each Senator shall have one vote."  Other than that I see no clause in the Constitution that says that the longer a Senator serves the more power he wields.  Therefore whether you are a recently elected Senator with only one day siting as a Senator or a veteran Senator with over 36 years serving, you only have one vote, wielding the same power and authority as any other Senator.  Seniority is of man, and unconstitutional in nature.  By saying that a newly elected Senator has no say in the Senate is to say that they have the right to silence the people of a State.  We, the people of the United States hold the power of government and we delegate that power to our elected officials to represent us, that is what a representative republic is based on.  Each and every Senator elected by their individual States, hold the same power and authority.  We don't send them to Washington to play games, and make friends, rattling  their swords in pretended indignation then retiring to their chambers to devise plans and schemes to quietly relinquish us of our Rights and Freedoms.  The centralization of powers around the Federal Government is anathema to the Constitution.  The powers of the Federal are specifically outlined and delineated within that document.  The problem is, and it is the same problem that I've decried many times, is that "We, the people of the United States.." don't know what the Constitution authorizes the Federal government to do.  They tell us what it tells them to do and we believe it.  If we were to read the Constitution we would see a very different job description that what we are told in schools and in the media.

We, as a people have to start caring enough for this Country if we are to regain our sovereignty as a people.  If we continue to lay our rights aside for the sake of being able to get a free lunch, we will find ourselves in the shackles of tyranny, and the only way to regain our Rights will be through the shedding of great amounts of blood.  It's time that we wake up, and wipe away the scales of political blindness.  That we put aside political correctness and we begin from this day to do what's right.  If we are to preserve this Nation for our children and our childrens'  children we must demand that our elected officials begin to listen to us, rather than to party bosses and special interest groups.  We, the people must demand adherence to our Constitution.  We, the people must demand action within the halls of Congress.  We, the people must be willing to put our sacred honor, treasure, and lives on the line to win our Freedoms if that becomes necessary, for sitting placidly on the side lines of life hoping that someone else will take up the fight in our defense will only get us more of what we see and slowly the chains of despotism will ensnare us and we will wake up one morning decrying the loss of Freedom.

My fellow Americans, I will not sit idly by and allow it to happen.  I call all to rally around our Standard of Liberty, that grand old flag, that banner of Freedom.  Stand shoulder to shoulder.  Stand with a firm determination that you will weather the storm which lies ahead.  Together we can turn the tide, together we can remain a Nation United.  

What Matters Most

I have asked myself over the past year or so of not writing, what matters most to me.  The answer has always been the same, Freedom.  Freedom matters most to me and we are watching our freedoms erode before us at an alarming rate. 

My lack of writing has not been based upon the fact that I like what's going on and I feel pleased with the direction of the Country.  There could be nothing farther from the truth than that.  The truth is, that I've been trying to get my legs back under me after suffering the effects of what is happening in our Country.  Job loss and financial woes have caused serious difficulties in life and last year I was restructuring and rebuilding.  I often said, I have to write about that particular issue, but found myself so weighed down by things that the time was hard to come by.  I must also confess, that I was discouraged by the fact that no matter what I did or said, everybody seemed to continue down the same path of self destruction as always. 

As we've entered into this election year, I find myself again pulled into the world of politics.  I was once again elected to represent my Precinct as a State Delegate for the Republican Party.  I find myself discussing politics more frequently.  I listen to the advertisements for all the candidates and can't help but think, Heaven help us.  The candidates for the various offices are very selective with what they share.  For example, Newt, he loves to tout himself as a Conservative and moral crusader for America.  He points the finger at Mitt and says he's a flip-flopper and not fit for office.  Well Mr. Speaker, you yourself have flipped-flopped on issues based off of your "moral compass" which seems to point the direction that you think that people want it to point.  He takes heat for impeaching Clinton while he himself was having an affair at the time and had left his wife before for another love interest leaving her battling cancer.  I believe that he was justified in overseeing the impeachment since Clinton wasn't impeached for infidelity, but for perjury.  There is a difference there, but you won't hear that from the media.  That is besides the point and a tangent that I didn't expect to go down.  Newt's infidelity shows that he has no self-control and believes that he should have what he wants regardless of societal limits or a sense of right and wrong.  What would keep him from dong what he wants if elected to office and removing even more of our Sacred rights.  He decries Obamacare as unconstitutional, but has always declared that he believes in single payer universal health care.  I believe that his opposition to Obamacare is based off of the fact that he couldn't implement it, and he wants to pander to what he deems to be the simple minded electorate.

Now, I don't have issue with just Newt, let's look at Mitt.  Mitt is a flip-flopper as well.  His "world" view is based off of the level of office he is seeking.  His level of Conservatism is based off of the same thing.  There's something about Mitt that just doesn't jive right.  His argument for supporting the Massachusetts health care law although based upon a Constitutional fact that it is a State's Rights issue is still flawed in that he is taking away the right of the majority to extend "rights" unto the minority.  The right being removed is that of Freedom and the "right" being extended is the erroneous right that everybody deserves health care.  There is no right to insurance.  That is a basic fact.  If he is unclear as to the difference of what is a right and a privilege then he needs to study up on things and then come back once he has the definitions correct.  Man does not create rights, our rights are given us by God.

And, as for Rick Santorum, well he is just not ready.  I supported him for the longest time and then lost interest when he got off topic and began to just rub me the wrong way.  There is just no other explanation for my loss of interest in him.

I won't even get into Ron Paul.  He's not the man, and I don't believe that he will ever be the man for the job.  I can see him as the Treasury Sec, but that's about it.  He would clean things up in that post.

Each one of these candidates has their strengths, but most are not ready in my mind.  Do I think that the Republicans have a chance, maybe a slight one.  I don't want to see Obama in another term, but unless the Republican candidates get on topic and fight with truth, fact, and passion for them they don't stand a chance against a man who will not be questioned on anything that he does. 

My message to the candidates of today is to stand on the issues.  Be bold and be true to yourself and to us.  Stop trying to give us what you think we want to hear and declare what needs to be said.  Be courageous enough to stand on the unpopular side of the issue.  If you feel that you are standing alone, I guarantee you that you are not.  Santorum did that at the beginning of his campaign and that is why I supported him, then he changed.  Be men of honor, be moral, be ethical, be Americans.  And may we ever remain a Nation United!

Our Constitution

I admit I listen to a lot of talk radio. I do so mostly because I can’t stand to listen to music all the time, and most music doesn’t interest me. The other day I was listening to a program, I can’t remember which one, and a person called in and made a comment that got me thinking. It wasn’t profound or well put in any stretch of the imagination, as a matter of fact when he said it, I yelled at the radio in utter disgust. The comment was that we, the American people have to defend the Constitution because it gives us our Rights. The radio host agreed with him and asked what he was doing to defend the Constitution. I would say that some reading this are wondering what made me upset. Well, I will tell you.

The Constitution of the United States of America does not grant us, nor give us our Rights. To say that the Constitution grants us our Rights is to say that our Rights are granted by men and can thereby be taken by men. The Rights guaranteed under the Constitution are not granted by that document, but enumerated by it. They are inventoried by that document making a list of Rights granted by Natural Law, and Nature’s God. When performing an inventory in a commercial setting, you count those items that are currently on hand, not those items that you plan on purchasing or creating at a later date. It is the same with our Constitution. The Founders were well aware of Natural Rights, they had mentioned that such things were existent when they authored and signed the Declaration of Independence. These men being as wise as they were, knew that man, not God would endeavor to replace man’s Rights with oppression. It is natural for men to restrict the free exercise of another’s Rights to suit their personal agenda, therefore the Founders saw fit to provide the Government an outline of those things which they could not touch. Our current President, Barrack Hussein Obama, has gone on record saying that his biggest concern with the Constitution is that it is a document of negative Rights for the Government; it says what they can’t do, but not what they can do.

Our government, for decades has endeavored to remove from men their Rights granted them by the Living God. They’ve extended extensions of those “rights” unto some, while limiting or completely annihilating the Rights of others in order to do so. You can’t pass hate crime legislation and maintain equal Rights for all because by the mere act of creating the legislation you’ve created an unequal situation amongst the citizens. All crime is based on hate, and therefore the creation of a special characterization for crimes against segments of society creates inequality in the laws.

We are approaching Constitution Day this Friday. I am very excited to see all the celebrations being planned and the preparations to provide education on the Constitution to the Citizens of this Nation. I just hope that we, those Citizens who claim to uphold the Constitution and who love this Nation will work to really understand what the Constitution is. It is important that we understand that our government cannot take from us that which they have no power to take. If we allow them to believe that they do, or if we believe that they can, they will. They will leave us without hope and limit our ability to question them. Thomas Jefferson knew this well and it is plainly manifested in his writings as in the writings of many of our Founding Patriots. In this current exigency we must ban together as one people and learn our Rights and study the Constitution. I don’t mean in large groups, getting together to pontificate upon the delicate state of our Nation and to rile against everything Federal. All that does is foment hate which leads to unpleasantness in the Public arena of debate. What we need is for Patriots to come together and study the document and understand the original intent. It is obvious through the writings of the of our Founding Fathers that they fully intended the People to understand the distribution of power, and that by understanding the distribution of power amongst the Federal System of Government we were to properly limit the unholy extension of that power into realms forbidden by the Constitution, yet we as a people have been told that it is not that important to know what it says, but more important to “interpret” the application to today since it was written so long ago by slave owning white men who had no clue as to what they were doing. I don’t except this, nor should any freedom loving American.

The System created by the Constitution is as near to perfect as men can get here on earth, when it comes to Government. If we understand it, we can properly dispense the powers of Government within the confines and limits put upon it by the Constitution and we will strengthen our Nation. The Constitution was written for a moral people, if the people are without morals we are without hope. We can’t turn to the Constitution and expect to be saved as a Nation; it will not work. Without morals, men are led by lust for power, and greed, and that is what has caused Nations to fall throughout history, and that is what is causing our Nation to weaken and shake at it’s foundation, the Foundation of the Constitution.

May this Constitution day bring joy and renewal to the hearts of America, and may we ban together and bridge the divide that is tearing us apart as a Nation. Let us turn to that which works, and may we ever remain a Nation United.