Tuesday, October 13, 2009

From Bondage to Bondage

Today on Glenn Beck's show he discussed the thoughts contained in the concepts here.

I went online to seek out this same set of thoughts Glenn used to find out the origin and background of the statements. There is a certainty on the internet that some version of this was credited to a few different people. But this particular set of statements in this order I found in its entirety in a Snope's expose. The expose' was not about the statements contained so much as the email under discussion's extrapolation from the sentiment. I thought how about filling in the blanks...what if we each look over the single sentences and answer where in our lives we believe each of these statements became true.

I am not sure if the first two statements have application to a specific time. In my life, I can point to a couple of waves of spiritual freedoms and my life began mid 20th century. However, from Courage to Abundance, I believe that began its assent after the Korean War. It was the last war for a full decade America was involved in and right after that time America and by extension, many nations, began to experience 'abundance'.

From the abundance, complacency. I remember in the 1970's a joke that circulated as a commentary on just how complacent American's had drifted to. The abundance hit a snag in the 70's with a break down of our confidence with the initialization of OPEC's pricing and oil rationing. The economy tanked.

The mid 80's we rebounded and this time we wound up moving from complacency to apathy. A new generation growing up with technology, Hollywood, double income families and less and less 'family' time; a transference of authority over the family from the family to educators and social professionals. The 80's wound up defining all sorts of 'ism's' arising as people manifest behavioral actions which became alarming.

In the 90's we wound up moving from apathy to dependence! Co-dependence, inter-dependence explanations for people's behavior. Independence became a 'bad' notion. If you are independent you are not a Team player, you are not sensitive to the fragility of the universe which manifests 'inter-dependence' on a monumental level. If you express an independent, non conformist opinion, you are considered rebellious, stubborn, and bigoted. Yet, was it not 'independence' that dominated the 'cause' of the founding fathers who founded our LIBERTY through the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE? Were they not diligent in moving America of the day, the 13 colonies, from Bondage to Spiritual Faith.

If we follow the logic of the sentiment above, where are we, in your opinion? How close are we to the final condition, "From dependence back to bondage"? Perhaps closer than you think. We are not completely dependent yet. We still have government health care and everything that is inherent in the various bills they are coalescing into 'free health care'. We still have Cap and Tax, we still have attacks upon the various FREEDOMS we are so dependent upon, SPEECH! If our speech is squelched so is our right to our own religious beliefs and press and the right to stand up for our family, property, beliefs, ourselves!

I believe we teeter dangerously close to the edge of the precipice leading only to bondage if we do not move back to courage and liberty! With a reassertion of liberty and courage we will realize abundance. Abundance -- not necessarily of a material nature. Abundance may be freedom to SPEAK your mind; speak up for another or for a cause you believe in, or simply to hold an unpopular opinion and not be censured for it. Abundance of freedoms from being labeled because you hold a strong opinion, for instance, in civility, in appropriate deportment as allowed by our Constitution.

Liberty has been fanned back to life after smoldering for the past 3 decades. Liberty is manifesting itself in the courage of many Americans who have donned the unpleasant but patriotic notion of confronting their elected officials inquiring of them why they do not respect their constituency. Courage manifesting itself in people like the couple who went on the road at their own peril to expose the truth about some employees working for ACORN, on our tax dollars! With this demonstration of courage and liberty comes more pressure from the government to squelch the 'discontent'. The administration has moved from calling you and I names for our stand for liberty to calling anyone who reports the notions being moved forward -- in some intention to transform the country -- 'the opposition'. Color me an opposer if transforming my country to anything -- other than what it was transformed to in 1791 -- is the goal!

FROM COURAGE TO LIBERTY; will you join the movement back from dependence to INDEPENDENCE? to LIBERTY? Away from BONDAGE? Step back to independence; step away from the edge of the precipice with bondage as ground zero.

That's my opinion. What's yours?

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Small Victory for Freedom

Hawaii County's Human Services Committee took the first step in preserving our constitutional freedoms yesterday during an historic vote on Resolution 237-09. The Resolution's stated purpose: "...Urging Hawai'i State and Federal Legislators to amend vaccine laws to the right of medical, religious and philosophical exemption from mandated vaccine programs."


What a laudable leadership step this resolution proves to be. Residents from Kona, Waimea and Hilo were present to testify before the Committee in support of the approval of Resolution 237-09. After considerable discussion, where the only point of divergence between council members was the absence of testimony from an opposing view, the committee voted to approve the resolution 7 votes yes, 1 vote no. The resolution now passes to the full Council for discussion and consideration with more testimony pending. This resolution is tentatively expected to make it to the October 21st Agenda.

The core point of the Resolution is 'choice'. Choice which comes from the exercise of 'freedom'. Freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution! Our Declaration of INDEPENDENCE says the following: "
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..."

Thus, the premise of this Resolution is wholly based on the guarantee of our freedoms as expressed prolifically in our Bill of Rights, our Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution! Authority for the audacity of this Resolution comes from our Declaration of Independence' opening paragraph: "When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." With this said, the Resolution stands as testimony to the world the folks of Hawaii County expressly resolve to maintain those freedoms which include right to decide whether or not to accept the immunization currently offered for H1N1.

And so Hawaii County's Human Services Committee has declared the cause which impels them to separate themselves from the strong plausibility of a 'mandated' inoculation program currently being hotly debated on a national level. CBS News writes: "This raises an obvious and important question: Under what circumstances can government officials order mandatory vaccination? And could the general public be ordered to roll up their sleeves for injections, even if there might be side effects beyond a sore arm or mild fever? The concern in New York also comes as skepticism of vaccination in general seems to be on the rise. "

Councilwoman Naeole's staff did an outstanding job in seeking out the information they needed and arming themselves with the knowledge that would be defensible and in creating the resolution. Councilwoman Naeole further proved a novel leader in this instance in supporting her staff for their outstanding devotion to this topic.

Councilman Greenwell remained ever focused on the primary issue this resolution exposes and addresses: the 'right' and 'freedom' of Americans to 'choose' if they wish to receive the inoculation, or to opt out for any reason.

Resolutions usually bear no particular legislative weight other than to put on the record the consensus of a group or legislative body. Yet, in this world of 'political gain' as the dominant underlying motivation for nearly all things done on a governmental level, THIS RESOLUTION manifests a clear apolitical impulse prone only in the direction of continuing a freedom based personal choice.

The medical arguments are no less important and bear considerable contemplation, but the underlying issue is the 'freedom' to choose to accept or reject the medical rationale for such a mandate.

Plaudits to the Human Services Committee, to Councilwoman Naeole and her staff and to Councilman Greenwell for maintaining and providing clarity in articulation time and time again, marshaling a positive vote for a positive resolution in the presence of a grateful constituency!

That's my opinion! What's yours?

Friday, October 2, 2009

Crash of Entitlement!

Drudge Report leads today with this huge headline: THE EGO HAS LANDED
WORLD REJECTS OBAMA: CHICAGO OUT IN FIRST ROUND

Newt Gingrich writes this:
newtgingrich Somehow charm and oratory dont seem to work in foreign affirs but historians have warned that foreign policy is different than campaigning
Breitbarts lead is this:http://www.breitbart.tv/pandemonium-in-the-broadcast-center-chicago-loses-olympics-bid/


And so you have it, the crash of entitlement. We through everything at the bid for Chicago both big "O"'s Oprah and Obama and still it wasn't enough.

Meanwhile back at home a reality check seems to be in order. 43 troops lost their lives in September, a full month after a request was submitted to give support to the Afghanistan war front by the very General appointed to bring this one in as a done deal! And did you hear? John Kerry wants Obama to take some time to think over his strategy, perhaps weeks. Wow, talk about support.

Last month marked another anniversary of the observance of POW-MIA day. Nice write up here: www.vfwpost3830.com

Unemployment is still going off the richter scale.

Americans are reeling from the reality that their strong protests against an over reaching government has fallen on deaf ears. That the push for health care reform should step back and take some time to review the many concerns.

But we could spend beaucoup bucks to make a bid for Chicago as the the 2016 site of the Olympics. Spare no expense.

For so many reasons I am grateful this has happened. It is a form of censure to America that even when we foisted the 'One' upon them they opted to work as an independent committee and not be swayed by some sense of entitlement.

And score one for the folks who believe merit and not cronyism should be the final basis for a decision. The President and his team have let down a lot of people back in his home town but it is not for lacking any nerve to spend money that belongs to the people to be used for National Security. Not bringing home the gold somehow seems quite fitting for a country who is subsidizing itself on monopoly money!

Now that the fun is over Mr. President, how about our troops in Afghanistan? Did you ever entertain the idea of stopping by and saying 'howzit'? Or, how about, 'You're next on my plate'? Gee, using tax payer dollars to bolster our troop's morality, troops from all over the US and not just Chicago, what a novel idea. "O"ops!