Who's In Charge?

Having lived through parts of thirteen presidential administrations, I can only remember one other time in my life when I felt that no one was in charge, during the Jimmy Carter years.

Who is in charge now?

No one seems to be in charge of this mess in the gulf.

The oil continues to flow onto pristine beaches from Florida to Louisiana. The US has 2000 skimmer boats available to the gulf, but only 20 are deployed. Why?

Apparently, there is no one in charge at the State Department.

Our Secretary of State travels around the world and while out of the country announces that the U S government is going to sue the State of Arizona for wanting to protect its borders. Eighteen other states are pushing for similar legislation. Is Washington going to sue all of them? If the Federal Government would stop looking at potential voters, and see illegals coming across the border, maybe state and federal would work together on this mess.

Apparently there is no one in charge of the military.

Valiant soldiers are out on the streets of Afghanistan and unable to pursue the enemy without the Afghan government permission. Why? The president says they will continue with the surge, but leave in a year. What was that?

No one seems to be in charge in Congress.

They can't even write a budget. They don't want us to see all those RED zeros. The national debt will soon tip the scale of no return. Trillions... has at least 12 zeros in it.

Is there anyone in charge of the White House?

It's almost funny to see the woman of the house out promoting healthy eating and exercise, counting our grams of fat and salt, and then see the man of the house smoking cigarettes, and eating the biggest burgers and fries with the Russian president. In the days of Rome it was said Rome burned while Nero played his fiddle. In our case, he smokes, plays golf and eats burgers.

Is anyone in charge of the country's moral compass?

We have the government dismissing anything with a hint of Christianity, like a fly-over in a military ceremony. We have a president who cancelled a national day of prayer, but met with the Muslims to celebrated their holidays. We have Christians who are led to hand out tracts about Jesus in Dearborn, Michigan getting arrested because Muslims get angry. Apparently there was a gathering of Muslims and the Dearborn police saw a reason to put in place a No Bible Zone of FIVE SQUARE BLOCKS.!!! Whatever happened to freedom of religion and freedom of speech? Has the Constitution been revoked?

Is there anyone in charge of the country's infrastructure?

What is the cost to the economy of vehicle repair due to bad roads? How many bridges in YOUR area need replacing?

Is there anyone in charge of the agricultural community?

Creating bio-fuel only increased the price of fuel and food, as both energy users and people who eat are competing for the same field of corn. Truckers move things across America. It used to be that diesel cost less than gasoline. Not any more. Ever wonder why the cost of food has gone up so fast?

Is there anyone in charged of the country's commerce?

With continued uncertainty in Washington about health costs, changes in taxes, many businesses are afraid to make any progressive moves due to the total lack of leadership inside the beltway.

Is there anyone in charge of the country's safety?

There are many under-the-table moves to control the guns of private, law-abiding citizens. Every day a new bill makes its way to the Internet warning Americans that the Second Amendment is still being challenged by the bad guys. We read of home invasions, burglaries, purse-snatchings, bank robberies, street gangs. And what is the answer? "Guns increase violence," is the Left's cry. But, time and time again, the figures show that guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens drops the crime rates because thugs think twice if they know the person on the other side of the door could shoot them first!

This country is in a mess. There isn't much an individual person can do except continue pressing on. Don't quit supporting our troops. Buy things made in America, if you can find them. Learn to shoot and get your permit...while you can. Continue spreading the Word about Jesus, because ultimately He is the only answer.

Through all the turmoil here and around the world, remember, truly, only God is in charge, and His judgment will be final! There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth and people will plead, "in thy name [have I not] done many wonderful works?" And Jesus will reply, "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matthew 7:22-23

Fatherhood--the Most Important Role a Man Can Have

Whether a man is a biological father, an adoptive father, a step-father, a favorite uncle, or a kindly neighbor, being a father figure to a child is the most important role a man can have. Mentoring a child into maturity, endowing them with self-worth, not false self-esteem, can have a life-time affect. Memories of activities, adventures, and simply just time well spent will stay with a child forever. The building bones of character and moral compass comes from these relationships.

I have many treasured memories of my father as I grew up. He was often somewhat of a taskmaster with discipline,  but he had his softer sides. Quite often our weekends were toodling around rural New England seeing sights and visiting distant relatives. My mom could usually find a gift shop that displayed many different types of baskets. She would cajole my father into stopping. He always bought her some type of  basket in which she could store her sewing or knitting supplies. And, always this was topped off with ice cream cones.

Sometimes my dad would say, "Anyone want to go ..." fishing, or boating on the reservoir, or to a ballgame at Fenway Park. My sisters usually weren't interested, so it would be my dad and me. As another girl, it wasn't that I was that fond of fishing, though I loved going to Fenway. It's just I loved spending time with my dad.

It's VERY important fathers offer their time to their kids. And it's VERY important for kids to perceive these times as  building blocks of forever memories. What you DO isn't important. It isn't necessary to make great plans that are complex or expensive. Just time--alone, Dad and Kid.

My dad has passed on, and not a day goes by but I miss him. But I have the memories of fishing, boating, and riding the Post Road Bus to Boston to spend whole days in Boston at Fenway Park. They were times of just the two of us, cherished in my heart and mind forever.

If you have the heart of a child, or still have a father, or father figure, do something special this Father's Day to create some lasting, character building memories.

Update on Yesterday's Post

Much fury has been printed about the NRA's decision to "make a deal" with the devils in Washington, DC. I will not address that at this time. However, I read on American Thinker a post by Mark J. Fitzgibbons where he discusses this, and states at the end of his post:

"Update: Nancy Pelosi has pulled the vote on the DISCLOSE bill. John Bresnahan of Politico writes:

'Following a rebellion by two important factions of rand-and-file House Democrats, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has pulled a campaign-finance bill opposed by a broad coalition of special interest groups, including the U. Sc. Chamber of Commerce.

'Pelosi and other Democratic leaders had scheduled a Friday vote on the DISCLOSE Act, a bill requiring special-interest groups to disclose their top doners if they choose to run TV ads or send out mass mailings in final months of an election. The legislation is designed to roll back the controversial Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case which overturned restrictions on corporate campaign activities.'"

Apparently, even though the NRA made a deal with the devil, other affected groups who were going to be greatly affected by this onerous bill that greatly affected free speech, had to continue making noise.

Friends, stay alert. Read non-mainstream media news outlets. You won't hear anything about this on regular news. Continue making news!

Freedom of Speech vs. U. S. Congress

The politicians in Washington, D.C. today must really fear the National Rifle Association, and its members. Otherwise, why should they work so hard to suppress them? In case anyone hasn't heard, there is a bill in Congress at this moment that is called the DISCLOSE Act. H.R. 5175. This act, if passed, is a result of the Supreme Court overruling the McCain/Feingold Act that would have controlled/restricted donations to political campaigns and dissent on policies in Washington. It is in fact a back door way to strangle free speech. The bill will target not the group, but individual members in a group. Once the DISCLOSE Act has silenced groups, it will go after independent protesters: individual writers, bloggers, anyone who disagrees with what is happening in Washington.

How does this affect the NRA? The NRA has a war chest of millions that is uses to fight laws on gun control, and other Second Amendment issues. It keeps its members updated on how the despots in Washington work to stifle free speech (First Amendment) and the right to bear arms (Second Amendment). The DISCLOSE Act puts onerous regulations on those who protest. Initially, anyone who would pay for opposition ads in a political campaign would have to divulge its members list and large donors to the cause. The NRA does not want to divulge its members list because the next step is for the government to contact each member and harass them by any means at the government's disposal.

In a move to silence the NRA, and to protect the members list, the Democrats proposed to "exempt" the NRA and "other groups like the NRA" (quote from letter from NRA dated 6/15/10)from this bill. (Under further investigation, the only group actually exempted is the NRA. )

NRA's letter, in part, stated:


STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION ON H.R. 5175, THE DISCLOSE ACT

The National Rifle Association believes that any restriction on the political speech of Americans are unconstitutional.

In the past, through the courts and in Congress, the NRA has opposed any effort to restrict the rights of its four million members to speak and have their voices heard on behalf of gun owners nationwide.

The NRA's opposition to restrictions on political speech includes its May 26, 2010 letter to Members of Congress expressing strong concerns about H.R. 5175, the DISCLOSE Act. As it stood at the time of that letter, the measure would have undermined or obliterated virtually all of the NRA's right to free political speech, and therefore, jeopardized the Second Amendment rights of every law-abiding American.

The most potent defense of the Second Amendment requires the most adamant exercise of the First Amendment, in order to protect and preserve the freedom of the Second Amendment.

The NRA must preserve its ability to speak. It cannot risk a strategy that would deny rights, for the Second Amendment cannot be defended without them.

Thus, the NRA's first obligation must be to its members and to its most ardent defence of firearms freedom for America's lawful gun owners.

On June 14, 2010, Democratic leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives pledged that H.R. 5175 would be amended to exempt groups like the NRA, that meet certain criteria, from its onerous restrictions on political speech. As a result, and as long as that remains the case, the NRA will not be involved in final consideration of the House bill.


Many bloggers are saying the NRA sold out. Others are saying they blinked first. MY mind says they felt it more important, at this time, to preserve their ability to speak on other issues (gun owners rights, etc) than to continue to be vocal on this bill. Whatever the case, IF the NRA stands silent on this bill, it is everyone else's responsibility to stand up and protest. Letters and e-mails to Congress, House and Senate, must be sent immediately. This bill is being debated now. Urge your Senators and Representatives that a vote FOR H.R. 5175 is a vote FOR gun control, and AGAINST the First and Second Amendments.

Everyone reading this should send letters to their U.S. Representatives and Senators to express their outrage on this feigned finance campaign issue, to the real issue, if one group or one person's freedom of speech in infringed upon, then no one is safe!!

"You're a Grand Old Flag!"

Here it is, June 14th, Flag Day in America. Which flag are you flying today?
Mexican-American? Italian-American? British-American? Spanish-American? Canadian-American? African-American? Regardless of your heritage, it should be plain, old American, the Stars and Stripes. If you live here and breathe the fresh, free air that millions have died to preserve, you should proudly fly the American flag!!!

I know I will probably date myself, but one of my favorite movies (I saw it on TV) was the life of George M. Cohan, Yankee Doodle Dandy. This film traced his life from his birth (said to be July 4th, but might have been July 3rd), through his broadway days where he wrote patriotic plays about America, and wrote numerous very patriotic tunes, "You're A Grand Old Flag," "We're Not Coming Home 'til It's Over Over There," and many more. His plays were filled with Old Glory. His patriotism was never questioned.

Back in the early days of America, before the "love-ins" and "liberations" of anyone who felt opressed (women, etc) when people came to America they felt proud to be finally called AMERICANS!!! They rolled up their sleeves and set about doing some type of job and became producing, productive Americans. They didn't come with their palms turned UP, but their hand outstretched to the next wave of people seeking a better life. Most became citizens as soon as possible. They learned English. Their children went to school where English was taught, not seven or eight other languages so they could all get along.

One lady I knew was born in Massachusets of Lithuanian parents. When she was a baby they returned to Lithuania. However, they soon realized what they left in America and returned. She was about age 12 at that time. She told me she couldn't speak English. However, the school placed her in the third grade, and she stayed there until her English improved enough to be placed in the grade suited to her age. She said it took her two years to get out of third grade, but she learned the language of the land, and was gratefully always.

Our pledge allegiance to our flag is under fire today due to the words "under God" in there. Laws might be passed to strike the words out of the pledge, but you cannot strike God out of the LAND! When we pledge our allegiance, which flag should be flying? There is only ONE flag that I will pledge my earthly allegiance to, and it is the one with the 13 stripes, and 50 stars.

What about you?

A Couple of Thoughts to Share...

Today in our state are the primary elections--where the parties' "multiple choices" will probably come down to a two-per-party run-off in two weeks. If you vote today, you must vote in the same party's run-off.

Anyway--as usual, our quiet, refined state is up to its usual slime. A little-known State Representative (female) somehow surged ahead in the polls, ahead of three male counterparts. In the two weeks prior to the vote, two very chivalrous men could no longer hide their shame and sin and confessed adulterous affairs with this contender. Hmmmm. She has denied the veracity of their allegations. For some reason, her poll numbers increased to over 40%. Perhaps voters realize not all slime is in the Gulf coast.

Get out there and vote. Many have died to give you this right.


Another F.Y.I.
The attempt to have gun control in America has not gone away. No matter whatever protestations come from Washington, D.C. this administration wants to get gun control in place. So far, vigilant Americans have stood in the breech to prevent this. No matter what they say, this administration has people holding office and positions to push for gun control. In October, 2009, Secretary of state, H R Clinton spoke of the UN treaty being negotiated. Gun Rights Examiner, David Codrea reported, "No sooner do we get done talking about one international gun control effort than another resurrects itself, or should I say, is dug up by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. Then a quote from Reuters: "The United States reversed policy on Wednesday and said it would back launching talks on a treaty to regulate arms sales by consensus, a stance critics say gave every nation a veto. The decision, announced in a statement released by the U.S. State Department, overturns the position of former President George w. Bush's administration..."
The State Department's press release: "As long as the Conference operates under the rule of consensus decision-making needed to ensure that all countries can be held to standards that will actually improve the global situation by denying arms to those who would abuse them, the United States will actively support the negotiations."

Oxfam International, wants other countries to "resist any US demands to give any single state the power to veto the treaty" demanding all governments to reject this veto clause.

Former Georgia congressman, Bob Barr reported, with Hilary Clinton's endorsement of the treaty, that this the country is heading in the wrong direction. In his book, "'Perfect Storm' for UN Gun Control Agenda" quoted undersecretary John Bolton, referencing our constitutionally guaranteed "rights to keep and bear arms," that the US "would not be a party to an international effort that would directly or indirectly infringe that fundamental right."

Barr continues, "We know what has changed: We have a president, a secretary of state, and an undersecretary philosophically in sync with the UN." When Clinton spoke to the UN, the US Constitution was not even mentioned.

There are some who say, "But...we have the Constitution. The second amendment gives us this right." Every year, those who want gun control find some place, some city, to challenge a gun law. So far, the Constitution has been defended. But these folks have very deep pockets. Stay awake. Stay alert. Don't let any treaties get through to infringe on our rights to bear arms and protect ourselves. You never know who will knock on your door to tell you the right is no longer there.

This is an election day! Read what the people are for (and against) before you vote for them. A lot of people are now regretting how they voted in the last election.

Freedom of Information Access

Are Administration Fears Leading to Controlling the Press?

A couple weeks ago there was a post on NationalReview.com that the Obama administration was investigating ways to license reporters. They want journalism to be subject to permits and licenses like plumbers, hairdressers, barbers, and other such self-employed people. Their reasoning was that there is just so much information out there flying around by "alternate media" that no one can verify if it is true. (And, therefore, can't control it.) Actually, this new media, which is mainly on the Internet, in the form of bloggers, independent writers, analysts, and opinion writers are writing and publishing things this administration doesn't agree with, and they (the administration) wants to shut them up.

The administration says people need to be protected from these folks who write on-line, and unverified. How can anyone know what is true???

How can anyone know what is true on Mainstream Media?

So the administration flew a flag of discontent and now wants a certain course structure, a degree in journalism, a "character background check," and, of course, a fee to obtain a license, before anyone can be called a journalist. When folks on-line heard about it, and questioned the administration about it, they said it was just an advisory investigation to rein in troublemakers (people who write against Obama and this administration.) They didn't see that it would really infringe on freedom of the "press," as the press (newspapers) are actually being hurt by this information over the Internet.

Today, on foxnews.com, is an article "Journalism 'Reinvention' Smacks of Government Control, Critics Say." This outlines the administration potential policy recommendations which would be another attack. The Federal Trade Commission has made "a list of potential policy recommendations" to reinvent journalism. A project began in May, 2009, where the FTC was to "consider the challenges of the journalism industry in the digital age." "Potential Policy Recommendations to Support the Reinvention of Journalism" is a "47-page document that outlines a major government push to rescue the country's flailing media platforms - specifically newspapers..." Proposals mentions are:
"--the creation of a 'journalism division of AmeriCorps..."
"--tax credits to news organization for every journalist employed;"
"--establishing citizenship news vouchers, which 'would allow every American tax payer to allocate some amount of government funds to the non-profit media organization' of their choice...;"
"--increasing funding for public radio and television;"
"--providing grants to universities to conduct investigative journalism;" (who are they going to investigate on the tax payers' $$$?)
"--increase postal subsidies for newspapers and periodicals;"
"--a 5 percent tax on consumer electronics..."

First, the government wants to license reporters (for a fee), and now they want a 5 percent tax on consumers access to unfettered information.

We all know some folks on the Internet who are sullied characters with no moral compass. Just watch local news this week about bloggers and public relations workers who have no conscience on their desire to confess all. As bad as this has been for the lady running for office, this should NOT lead to government control of what is truth and factual. Whose truth are they willing for us to see? And who determines what is truth?

It is a very bad thinking to even consider putting restraints on the press. If people don't like what they are reading on the Internet, they can switch sites, like people who watch news on TV can change channels, or simply shut the TV off. Writers, professional, free-lancers, and others, need to remain free of government constraint, licensure, and taxes on the information generated. A free society needs a free press (not my original quote). Anything less, and we no longer are free.



The government's draft stated this was done just an idea to get the discussion going. Well, it got going, and it should continue going, right out the door and be disposed of quickly before it takes root.