Newt Gingrich? Honestly?

 George Washington, in his first inaugural address said: 

 “No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the Affairs of men more than the People of the United States. Every step, by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency.”

John Adams said:

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

Providential agency is to be acknowledged in the Founding of this country and the government was made for, and is only serviceable to, a moral and a religious people.

Hmmm. 

 Thomas Jefferson:

“He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and a third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world’s believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions.” 

And, lastly from Sam Adams: 

“The public cannot be too curious concerning the character of public men.”

Newt Gingrich finished on top in South Carolina. WHAT are we thinking??

 Aren’t we even concerned that a man who rivals Bill Clinton for moral depravity may once again grace the White House? I know Obama the Dictator is bad, but Newt as the replacement? Really? 

If the Author and Finisher of our faith cared so much about us, and about Liberty to have a hand in founding this country, will we now say “no thanks”? Will we approve a man who is a serial adulterer over other good and decent men?

If our Heavenly Father took such great care to raise up wise men to Found this nation, can we now be ambivalent to the character of the men we choose? 

What happened to Integrity? Character? Honesty? Honor? 

The definition of insanity is doing the same things again and again, but expecting different results. Is ANYONE happy with the morals and character of our elected representatives these days?

How often do you hear “they’re just a bunch of crooks”? Well STOP electing crooks!

“They’re just a bunch of slimeballs”; STOP electing slimeballs! 

I have not been a Mitt Romney fan; I was last election--come on, John McCain?? I was a supporter of Romney last election, but this time, I’m more conservative than I was then, and Romney hasn’t been my guy; until now. 

I’ve been in an lengthy discussion on Facebook about forgiveness, and how I’m not being forgiving of Newt; well, *I* don’t have any reason to forgive Newt, he hasn’t done anything TO me. I don’t NOT forgive him either; he has to ask his Father in Heaven for that; I don’t however have to trust him one way or the other; here’s what I do know: 

Doctrine and Covenants 82:3

“For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation.” 

And that’s not about forgiving Newt Gingrich; it’s about US. 

Could we say, as American’s with a divine document as our foundation, that much has been given? Can we honestly doubt the hand of God in our government? Our Founding Father’s believed it, are we so much more “enlightened” that we can safely shun that ideal?
Much HAS been given to us, and MUCH is expected of us in return; how we  handle the reigns of liberty will be weighed against us just as readily as any other sin we might commit. Do not take lightly the trust your Heavenly Father has placed in you, and do not take lightly the responsibility to be “curious about our public men.” 

If we can’t be too careful, as Sam Adams reminds us, how is it that someone who has cheated on two wives can be trusted to not be a liar and a cheat again?

Can we trust a person, man or woman, who has had a $300,000 ethics fine while serving in the public trust? I say no. 

I don’t understand how Newt can be favored over two men of valiant character; how can Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney both be rejected for Newt the slimeball? 

Heavenly Father IS mindful, and if we aren’t careful, if we don’t hold our elected representatives to a higher standard, one that we should hold ourselves to, then not only will he be our “elected representative”, but he will be a representation of how far American’s have sunk morally. 

Proverbs 3:5-6:

“5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” 

Pray for guidance, and look to George Washington as a model for our public men and women; use the General as the example to measure the others against.

The “Indispensible Man” is needed once again. Now.  Even yesterday.

A Centennial Celebration

Sunday is Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday. It's because of him that I became interested in politics.
His wit and his warmth, wove the welcome mat to the door of my political awakening.
I had registered to vote in High School; I think everyone did that spring, because we got extra credit for doing so. That was the end of it as far as I was concerned; I didn't pay any attention at all, for the next year or so.

There was a vague knowledge that Iran was holding some Americans hostage, but by then, I was 19; that was literally, a world away.
I don't even remember if I voted that November of 1980.
Something happened though; Ronald Reagan, our 44th president, was being sworn in and at the same time, the hostages were flying home.
It quickly became obvious the terrorists knew President Reagan was not of the same mold; not cut from the same cloth as the previous president, Jimmy Carter. No tip toeing around; no negotiating.
They were acutely aware that this new president was a man who meant what he said, and said what he meant. He would come after them; hunt them down and get our citizens back safe.
Mr. Reagan never backed down. I still get choked up when I hear a clip of him in West Berlin at the Brandenburg Gate: "Mr. Gorbachev, Tear down this wall”; his voice clear and strong.
The people in the East were inspired, and not long after, that wall did come down.

In 1980 Reagan said “If I could be elected president, I wanted to do what I could to bring about a spiritual revival in America."
Is ANYONE saying that today?
In my next post, I’ll explore that quote a little bit; the man was amazing.

Ronald Reagan is one of my hero's. In part, I am who I am today, because of him. His policies, his charm, his humor, his no nonsense political style; these things drew me in, and provided the catalyst for my ongoing interest in politics.
So, Happy Birthday Mr. President; I sure miss you. I wish you were here.

Memorial Day

Taken from the book "Thoughts for the Occasion: Patriotic and Secular" published in 1894:

Heroic Devotion Merits Reward

“To say that they died a glorious death would be saying little, for the same is said of those who, following the lead of vain and greedy conquerors, found their graves among the enslaved nations, slaves themselves to the selfish and despotic will that ruled them.
"For our dead we have a higher praise. It was not enforced obedience to the command of a tyrant that dragged them from their homes; not the lust of conquest, nor the scarcely nobler thirst for glory. When the life of the nation was attempted, when the cause of liberty and human rights called for their aid, they rushed forth to rally under the banner they loved, with grand singleness of purpose and heroic devotion--leaving all behind them, to meet toil and danger,hunger,sickness, wounds, and death, for nothing but the sublime satisfaction of doing their duty to their country and to mankind.”
Gen. Carl Shurz, St. Louis, MO.

The Father of Our Country

Today is George Washington's 277th Birthday. I stand in awe of this man.
His courage and integrity have shaped my thinking. Where would we be if not for him?

Born in Virginia on February 22nd, 1732, George was a bright and busy boy.
He learned to do things early in life and by the age of 16 was a surveyor, making meticulous maps. He began keeping a journal early in life, and this thankfully became a lifelong habit. We know much of his character through his own words.

I believe George Washington was called of God to be the first president the United States of America would know; to set the standard by which all future leaders of this country would be measured.

An example of Providence in the young colonel's life:

Early on the morning of July 9th, 1755, during the French and Indian war, Washington watched with pride as the British troops marched together, preparing for battle on the banks of the Monongahela river. The French were not willing to give up Fort Duquesne, and were unevenly matched against General Braddock's troops; the French therefore planned an ambush, convincing the Indians to join them.

As the ambush progressed, the British were unprepared. This was not the way gentlemen fought, and the ambush caught them by surprise. The Indians in the company even laughed at their victims, powerless due to shock.

As the cacophony rose, confusion reined.

Colonel Washington had been ill, but was there that day, ready to fulfill his duty of carrying the Generals orders to the troops in all parts of the field. His presence on the field in his scarlet regimentals made him an easy, conspicuous target; the enemy did not fail to take advantage of the circumstance. Two horses were shot from under him, four times his coat was torn by musket balls, but Washington was not injured. They even found a gold medallion he had been wearing on the battlefield; it had been shot off of him by a bullet.

The Indians later testified that they had singled him out; shot repeatedly AT him; they couldn't hit him. They became convinced that he had Divine protection. I am convinced as well.

In fact, Washington never was wounded in any battle.

George Washington was spared that day; protected by Divine intervention. He went on to be protected and uplifted as a Revolution was waged against his former brothers in arms.

Our Heavenly Father had a special plan for General Washington. He became the "Father of Our Country".

Here is his Farewell Address, I didn't type it up, it's quite long, but worth the time it takes to read it:

George Washington's Farewell Address

This is a beautiful example of his character, his love for this country, and gives us a benchmark by which we should be judging our candidates today.

Everyone also needs to read:

George Washington's Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior .

Let this good and decent man influence your life. We need heroes in our day, here is one of the best.

Abraham Lincoln

Today is Abraham Lincoln's 200th Birthday.

I've just begun learning about him. He was a man of dedication and conviction.
He was also funny and could be stern; a principled man.

A letter from President Lincoln to Colonel Robert Allen. Dated June 21, 1836:

"Dear Colonel,
I am told that during my absence last week you passed thorough the place and stated publicly that you were in possession of a fact or facts which, if known to the public, would entirely destroy the prospects of N.W. Edwards and myself at the coming election, but that through favor to us you would forbear to divulge them. No one has needed favors more than I, and few, generally, have been less unwilling to accept them; but in this case favor to me would be injustice to the public, and therefore I must beg your pardon for declining it.
"That I once had the confidence of the people of Sangamon County is sufficiently evident; and if I have done anything, either by design or misadventure, which if known would subject me to a forfeiture of that confidence, he that knows of that thing and conceals it is a traitor to his country's interest.
"I find myself wholly unable to form any conjecture of what fact or facts, real or supposed, you spoke; but my opinion of your veracity will not permit me for a moment to doubt that you at least believed what you said. I am flattered with the personal regard you manifested for me; but I do hope that, on mature reflection, you will view the public interest as a paramount consideration and therefore determine to let the worst come..
"I assure you that the candid statement of facts on your part, however low it may sink me, shall never break the ties of personal friendship between us.
"I wish an answer to this, and you are at liberty to publish both if you choose.
"Very respectfully,
"A. Lincoln."

Now I don't know if Colonel Allen ever published his remarks, for this discussion I don't care. What I care about is Mr. Lincoln's integrity.
It was more important to him that the people judge him accurately, than to win an election; that the people have all the information they needed to make an informed choice.

I also read once recently that President Lincoln had prayed for help in securing the Union and that if God should help him succeed, then he would free the slaves. He was a man of his word. Something sorely missing in today's politicians.

Happy Birthday Mr. President.

Constitutional Restraint?

Here is a great article by Walter Williams today: The Hell With Our Constitution

Now, I'm not saying that I want John Doe to suffer; to lose everything. That's not what I desire for anyone. However, I can't see how making the rest of us PAY for Mr. Doe's mistakes helps anyone.

There is an old maxim that says "If you give a man a fish, he eats for today; if you teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime." Now this is a general truth regarding welfare, but suppose you substitute a different word or phrase for 'fish'. Let's put in money: "If you give a man money, he eats for today; if you teach a man to use his money [properly], he eats for a lifetime." What about "If you [tell] a man [about the Constitution] he understands for today; if you TEACH a man to [understand the Constitution] he [understands] for a lifetime." I imagine you could substitute others with equal veracity.

If we aren't teaching people about the Constitution, can we expect them to understand it? If we are only playing lip service to it, how can we expect others to revere it? Nothing is going to change unless we begin to teach correct principles.

Way back in the 1930's people began to expect that the government would solve their problems. John Doe doesn't seem to know that the government isn't supposed to be involved in the minutiae of his daily life. He hasn't been TAUGHT properly about the Constitution. This is one of many problems with the public educational system we have today.

I would like to encourage you to go to The National Center for Constitutional Studies and see about ordering a hand full of pocket Constitutions. If you order in bulk, you can get a discount; share an order with a friend maybe. Start handing these out to people. We have to start getting these into the hands of friends and strangers. The message that our elected officials are circumventing the Constitution and trampling our standards has got to be spread.

Happy Birthday Mr. President

Today is Ronald Reagan's birthday. It's because of him that I became interested in politics.
His wit and warmth were the welcome mat of my political awakening.

I had registered to vote in High School, I think everyone did that spring. That was the end of it as far as I was concerned; I didn't pay any attention at all for the next year or so. I had gotten the extra credit, I was happy, because I NEEDED extra credit :)

Then, there was a vague knowledge that Iran was holding some Americans hostage, but I was 19, and that was literally a world away.

I don't even remember if I voted that November of 1980.

Then something happened. Ronald Reagan was sworn in, and the hostages were released.

It struck me as very important that the hostages were released when they were. It quickly became obvious that the terrorists knew President Reagan was not of the same mold as the previous president Jimmy Carter. No tip toeing around; no negotiating.

They were acutely aware that this new president was a man who meant what he said, and said what he meant. He would come after them; hunt them down and get our citizens back safe.

Mr. Reagan never backed down. I still get choked up when I hear a clip of him in West Berlin at the Brandenburg Gate: "Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall."

His voice clear and strong. The people in the East were inspired, and not long after, that wall did come down.

Ronald Reagan is one of my hero's. It's partly because of him that I am who I am today.

So, Happy Birthday Mr. President; we sure miss you. Wish you were here.

The Preamble to the Constitution

I was helping my son work on his "Citizenship in the Nation" merit badge for scouts today, and we read these words:

"WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

I was struck by how much they wanted this preliminary paragraph to tells us.
They spell out all the things that they planned for the Constitution to do. They want to secure all these blessings to their posterity--to you and I; then comes the interesting part to me, they "do ordain and establish this Constitution..."
Now ordain means to order, I understand that, but I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in my faith, ordain has a different meaning, as I believe it does in many ecclesiastical circles; to ordain means to set apart for God, or for God's work.

It struck me that the Founders wanted us to know that THEY believed the Constitution was a Divine document; that they wanted this nation set apart for God.
We have a book of modern revelation called the Doctrine and Covenants. I know this book to be of Divine origin. In section 101 verse 80 the Lord says "And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood."
The Lord has told us straight forwardly that HE established the Constitution; He raised these men up for this purpose. The Constitution IS of Divine origin; the Founding Fathers KNEW this, and their wording suggests that they wanted US to know this; to remember this.

We have pushed God out of every arena in our so called modern society. We worship things instead of Him. We can allow condoms in school, but not Prayer. We have allowed the secular humanist movement to have a larger voice despite Christianities larger numbers. We Christians tend to take a pacifist attitude, and in so doing have let the minions of the Adversary walk all over us and force God out of the center of society. But that's another post.

My point here is to help us all to remember that God ordained this country by the raising up of wise men to establish the Constitution of the United States of America. We have an obligation as the beneficiaries of these blessings and liberties to learn, teach and uphold the Constitution.
We have to speak up, write letters, and get involved in even the smallest way. We can no longer sit back and be silent.