Monday, December 29, 2008

Day at Doling Park

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Rains came down and the floods came up



Today this is what my backyard looked like. The rain was so intense that it looked like it was fog filling in all empty space in the back yard.




And here is what it looked like a few minutes later, when the rain let up just a little bit. A big puddle! I cannot imagine what our old place must look like right now. It flooded a lot more then this every time it rained this year.

In fact, here are some pictures from our old place.



This weather did have some benefits tho, we got more produce from our garden.



Previous to this, as many of those in Springfield will recall, we had severe ice storms, and those ended up being a blessing for us too. We really wanted a garden spot for the next season, and the ice storm removed all of our trees for us. :)








As crazy as the weather can be, every time, it has ended up being a blessing. Right now we realized one blessing already from witnessing today's rain. We are going to need better trenches around our garden space and raised beds are a must. And as simple as it may seem, acknowledging the Lord in everything, especially our blessings, brings us even more happiness and joy.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Angel's Adventures




So, I have not really been called angel much since high school except be a few close friends. I figure, I might as well use some of my nicknames in this blog.

Speaking of nicknames, I have had several. Of course, the negative ones I purposely forget to mention, and I will mention some that bring back some of my favorite memories with them. "Princess who writes a lot with a pen." LOL Yes, that has got to be one of the longest nicknames ever! "Pocohontas", "Powdered Donut", "China Doll", "Kithy", "Lacey", "Quick Britches" and "Buttercup". Of course there all have stories, which I will relate at another time.

I did finally finish my article at LDSFreemen.com, you can read it here if you are curious.

Recently, I read the book "A Glorious Standard for All Mankind" by Christopher S. Bentley. I highly recommend this book for those that are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as for those of you who are curious about the LDS position on the U.S. Constitution. You can find it here.

For my birthday, my mother gave me these great books, and then again for Christmas, she gave me more from the set. They are incredible, and I recommend them as well. They are "The Great and Terrible" series.



We did get our flat tire replaced, and are able to drive around safely again, so I am happy about that.

I spent the last two days finishing sewing and crocheting Christmas presents for my children. It was a good Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, we smoked our turkey in our charcoal smoker, using hickory wood for extra flavor. We added a chipotle and lime BBQ sauce to it as it cooked, and it was the most tangy and tender turkey we have made yet.



For dessert we had birthday cake. We sang happy birthday to Jesus, and blew out a matchstick candle (since I could not find the birthday candles) and enjoyed eating a bit too much vegetables and chipotle ranch dip.

After watching the rest of the movie "Beethoven", and letting our food get settled,
we read "The real Christmas Story" by W. Cleon Skousen, and read several poems from the book that the Kimber Academy has called "Peace at Christmas".

After that, we sang several Christmas Carols about the Savior and his birth, had scripture and prayer and then opened one present. The children went to bed, while Aaron and I worked on our projects. After awhile, Aaron read the book I am reading right now to me while I kept working.

At midnight, I got a phone call from my mom seeing how I was doing and how things were going. My youngest sister was out with her boyfriend and was not back yet, and so my mom was worried. I can completely understand that now. I used to wonder what the big deal was, but as a mom, I can tell you, it is now a big deal when your children are not where you expect them to be when you expect them to be there.

I thought I would go ahead and share a picture from Christmas morning, so here you go. :)




Monday, December 22, 2008

The Last Two Days

Yep, I am a little bit behind on my blog. Life always seems to run away from me these days.

So, going back to my Saturday. In the afternoon, I attended a baby shower for one of my friends from the Ron Paul meetup group. I was so excited to go and hang out with her and her husband as well as meet some of their friends and family that I have not met yet.

It will be even more exciting to see the face of their son when he finally makes his debut into the world.

I had to leave early to make it to the meeting be held by the Well Fed Neighbor Alliance at the Library Center. I met a lot of great people and saw clips of several movies that I have already seen before, and a couple that I have not. One of the best connections was the master gardener that I met. For Christmas, I will be giving the gift of my husband being able to attend his classes. He talked about how he can produce enough produce for 2 people for a year in a 4x16 raised bed. It will take 3 for our family, but definitely something we not only want to look at for our family, but for our neighbors as well. There is enough space for a community garden set up on some property connected to our place, and the Land owner has agreed to let us garden it. We are hoping to show him these raised beds, and get him on board for making this a community gardening area for the other homes that are right here as well. Each home could have their assigned section, if they wanted to participate, and if not, we could offer it to someone else in the community. Here is the website where you can check out the classes.



After I finished with that meeting, I went to join my husband and children in the library. On the way there, I saw a couple friends that were looking at some videos on Magnetic energy, and cars that are running on it. It is amazing technology and it is free energy. There has been many inventions that would create free energy all over the world, but they keep getting crushed by big corporations that want to not have free energy available. This is something that we need to do something about, and I am going to work with others to see what can be done to bring this technology into the local markets. Imagine having free energy, and being able to invest your money else where because you do not have a utility bill, or have to pay for gas in your car.

While talking with these friends of mine, I found out that another friend is in the hospital. He had internal bleeding, so my husband, kids and I drove over to Cox south to visit him. It was nice to see him and he seemed to be doing really well. He ended up talking to me about politics, and the different campaigns that he managed. He shared some great ideas with me, that I think I will use in my own campaign, when the time comes. I would appreciate it if you kept him in your prayers. While I was there, he was frustrated that thy wanted to draw more of his blood, he said that there must be vampires in the basement with how often they were taking it. I can empathize. I remember being poked and prodded quite a bit when I was going through my pregnancies.

Aaron had decided to take the children to McDonald's while I was visiting, and so when I came downstairs, they were still gone. I spent the hour opening the door for those people that were locked out and freezing. It was actually kind of fun to be that helpful. I even opened the door for the hospital security to get in. I wondered why in the world they would lock that door when so many people were wanting in, and it was so cold outside.

I finally got picked up, and got dinner. Yep, I ate dinner at almost 11pm.




This sandwich is SO huge, that I ended up sharing it with those in the car, and still having some left to put in the fridge and have for dinner the next night. It tasted great tho, and was just spicy enough to warm up my Popsicle body.

I finally went to bed around midnight, after sucking on a slippery Elm lozenge. I LOVE those, they make a scratchy throat go away, and I can sing even if I have a bit of a cold.

Sunday morning, I was tired and had to drag myself out of bed. But it was worth it, getting to sing a little solo part in sacrament meeting, and to see the kids in primary. After church we discovered that we had a flat tire. If you are going to have a flat tire, I am telling you, the best place to have it happen is in the parking lot of my church. I am so grateful for all those that were willing to help. Brother Palmer had compressed air right in his truck, so he pumped that baby up, and we were on our way. We have to get a new tire, but, I am glad that I did not have to walk home, or freeze trying to help Aaron change that tire.

Well, I am off to try to brainstorm about my next article for LDSFreemen.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Saturday is a Special Day


There is a song that I often sung as a child called "Saturday".

The words are:

Saturday is a special day, it's the day we get ready for Sunday. We clean the house and we shop at the store, so we won't have to work until Monday. We brush our clothes and we shine our shoes and we call it get the work done day. We trim our nails, and we shampoo our hair, so we can be ready for Sunday.

So today, not only for Sunday, but in preparation for this next week, we are definitely doing all those things. This morning at 9am we went to the James River Care Center and sang with other youth from our church to those who live there. It was a very happy experience, and one I really enjoyed. My husband and I had a few unexpected experiences that took us back to times in our lives with our own grandparents. So, I have been left pondering this morning about my Grandma and Grandpa Dunn, as well as my Grandma Hull.

I thought that I would share some of these memories with you today. It has made me realize that it truly is the small things that we remember, and that make an impact. Never under estimate the little things that you do.

Lette Mae Wardell Dunn was born in March in 1922. She was born in Cowley Wyoming. My grandmother passed through the veil on November 28,2001. It is hard to believe that it has been that long without her right here, because I often feel that she is not gone. My grandmother always gave the "I Love You" sign in sign language whenever she said good bye to us. I cannot remember a time that she did not do this.



As we were going from room to room singing carols, we came to a room with an old man who was very happy to see us, and he kept showing us that he loved us through sign language. We were singing "Silent Night" and I could hardly get through the song because of all the emotions that suddenly came flooding back. All the I love you's from my grandmother as well as the last Thanksgiving I spent with her as well as the Christmas that year being the first without her. My grandmother was living with my mother at the time, after having been in a care center in Wyoming, she was brought to Utah so my mother could care for her. That was the 2nd hardest Christmas in my lifetime, the first being when our son Ammon suddenly passed away in utero and I had to deliver him, which was on December 9, 1997. I was 21 1/2 weeks along at that time. His passing through the veil made me feel all that closer to our Heavenly Father, and how he must have felt about his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Knowing that he was going to be a sacrifice, willingly, for all of us. This last year, a simple verse of scripture burrowed itself deeply into my heart from a different perspective then before.

The verse is:


Luke 23: 46
46 ¶ And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

For the first time, I saw the willingness of the sacrifice in this verse. Jesus Christ willingly deciding to die, to give up the ghost, to send his spirit back to the Father that gave it. The spirit burned all the more, that He did this for me and everyone because of his great love for us.

When I think of my grandmother, the first images that come to mind are all about service, compassion, and freely giving of herself. There are so many things that I admired about her, that I never told her that I did. There are things I will never forget, like her orange juice blended with bananas, or her banana bread. The little cork board coasters, and the round glass bowl that she always seemed to have one of her fresh cut roses floating in. But most of all, I will never forget that she loved me. She loved all of us, and everyone. Her life was full because of what she gave, and so it is that example that I hope to live as well.

My grandfather, Billie Leland Dunn was born in June 1923 in Kingsville, Texas. He passed through the veil January 2, 2000. When I think of my grandfather I think of him constantly taking pictures of everything. He loved photography and loved taking pictures of family. I loved to sit and look at all the photo albums that he had that were just full of family members. And not only that, there were cards from friends for years and years in there. My earliest memory of my grandfather was his garden. He was out in the garden picking his tomatoes. I remember it very well, because I got in trouble that day. I had found this little metal door on the chimney, that I thought must be a secret hiding place, and so I got it open only to find a lot of ashes! My grandfather could be very strict, but at the same time, I knew that he loved me and my grandmother. There was a man at the care center today that has Parkinson's disease, just like my grandfather had. He was so happy to see us, and he reached out to touch our hands as best as he could, and that was when I saw my grandfather sitting there. It is this grandfather that I heard from in a dream, that resulted in my article "The Power of One" on LDSFreemen. That dream still influences my life today.



"Let your light shine. It gives permission to others to shine as well."

My Grandma Hull was very much a southern woman, I just did not know it. I only knew her while she lived in Utah, which is during my entire life. I always thought that she did things different then other grandmas in Utah, and I always thought that she was a great hostess. She would have her house decorated for every holiday, and celebrate it well, surrounded by friends and family. She was so focused on family. A sweet lady that waved good bye and said to my children "Bye Hunny, nice to see you, thanks for coming." reminded me of her. My grandmother, Lucille Hull passed away just last year. I went to Utah, and was there for about 6 weeks to see family there. I was thankful that she passed through the veil, so that she could be as young as she truly felt. She often talked about her spirit being 16 or 17 and her body getting in the way. She had a bubbly laugh, and there were many times I really did think that she was younger then me. She loved social gatherings, and was very involved in politics. She was a campaign manager for Dixie Lee Minson when she ran for Governor of Utah. She was quite the lady. I have no idea how she was able to remember all the birthdays, anniversaries and holidays, and even throw parties for her dog. I hope someday to be able to be as thoughtful as she was, and as open about how I feel about others. I care about everyone, I really do, I just do not tell them, and I really should. I have been told I care too much, but for me, I think that I should show more action with that caring.

Aaron mentioned that he too had memories of his Grandma Rose come flooding back, as we watched a sweet lady give cookies to all the children caroling with us. She did remind me of his grandmother Rose. She was such an incredible woman. I loved her very much, and wish that I and my children had more time with her. I miss her and Grandpa Davis both. I also miss grandma Timothy. She gave us the encouragement to get married, and eventually to move to Missouri. Even when she went blind and lost most of her hearing, she would still know I was there. She would walk into the room and call my name. I have no idea how she did it, but I was so touched that she could tell I was there.

Family means everything, and I am grateful for the knowledge that family does not end at death, that we can be united together for eternity. I have found great peace and comfort in this knowledge. Binding on earth and in heaven these precious relationships is one of the greatest gifts that we have been given. Some of us marry until death do us part, but it does not have to be that way, we can choose to accept the gifts that Christ has offered us, and enjoy these relationships eternally. And that, is the only way I want to spend my eternal life. Surrounded my those whom I have come to love and admire during this life, those who I have served, and have served me.

In Christ, we have been given everything. It is a gift that we just need to choose to accept. His arms are stretched out still. And I am thankful for that, not just at this time of year, but everyday of my life.


Thursday, December 18, 2008

I'm Exhausted!!!



So, I decided that today was a good day to do another herbal tea cleanse while working on all my projects, both political as well as Christmas, and now I am just exhausted!

So, this entry is going to be short and to the point. I am writing to make sure that I do so daily as I decided to do as my new year's resolution. Otherwise, I would just go to bed LOL.

The children had their regular classes today, and then Aaron took them to the Discovery Center. They love it there.

I got a lot done, but I still have a lot to do!

So, I am going to go on a vacation from now until tomorrow. See ya then.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

All in a Days Work


This is one of the many Christmas pictures we took today.

And it was a long day for pictures that is for sure! My digital camera died after taking about 8 pictures, and so I had to switch to my camcorder to get any pictures. We tried 5 times to take pictures with the camera that would delete them as soon as I went to upload them. We had to take a short break because everyone was unhappy with mom, but we eventually got something worth giving to our family members that are far away this year.

After our classes this morning, we decided that we better get these taken care of and also decided that we are giving our family extended family members coupons this year. We are offering to make either a scarf or a hat whichever they choose, in one of three colors of their choice. All the children can make these items, and so when the coupon comes in, whoever wants to do it will and we will send it to each family member that wants one.

Yesterday, was also a very busy day. I went to the Young Conservatives meeting that is hosted by Vincent David Jericho. Since it was a private meeting and they did not want any media there, I will not mention much about it other then the food was good and the topics were interesting. I enjoyed meeting new people as well as getting to socialize with good friends. I know that I am probably one of the few that has the position on capital punishment that I do, but I will still maintain it. And my position is that it is a life issue. I feel that all life is of value, and that we should not practice capital punishment at all. I do not trust the Federal Government to really make the decision of whether or not someone's life should end. I also feel that we cannot know whether or not someone can change, and I believe that they need to have the opportunity to repent, and I would not want it on my conscience to have cut their life short when they would have eventually done so. If we look at the Bible, Saul eventually repented and became Paul. I cannot imagine history without Paul.



I also want to mention, that I finally made a decision yesterday, and I am going to run for State Representative of the 137th district. (unless they call it something else when the boundaries are re-drawn). I have been pondering about this for awhile, and really feel moved to run. It is my desire to represent the people of my district, so I am going to be out and about learning about them, what matters to them and the issues that they are personally facing starting in January.

And there is this great social networking site for political activists like me called Missouri Matters, if you are in Missouri and want to talk about what matters to you, then check it out, and find me there!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

A Wintry Day


This post is a day late, but we can blame that on a malfunctioning mouse.

Today I awake to a very cold day. Weather.com stated that it felt like -6F outside. I decided to see just how cold that was, and put out a bowl of liquid on the porch. I came back just over an hour later, and it was frozen. It did not seem like a very good day to get out and go anywhere.

I wanted to go an support a friend of mine who was having a hearing for unlawful foreclosure on his home. I wanted to go and get the details of his situation, and help him however I could, but I literally did not get past my driveway.

I also had plans to go to the thrift store and go shopping for some Christmas items, but when we called we discovered that they were closed due to their parking lot being an ice rink.

Realizing that today was not going to go as planned, I decided to take it in stride and just go with the flow.

My husband and children made themselves busy reorganizing the house, and sorting laundry. I worked some more on the Christmas presents I already was working on, had some hot chocolate, and tried not to think about my long to do list that would just have to wait.

The children started their math game and worked through measurements and rebuilding broken windows and doors. They also played some educational games on www.PBSKids.org Then they went and had reading time and then started on their own Christmas crafts and presents. This is going to be our most homemade Christmas yet. It has been fun so far.

I spent some time on Facebook, and moderating www.LDSFreedomForum.com And I am still pondering my next article for www.LDSFreemen.com



In the evening we had Family Home Evening. Our lesson was on the Holy Ghost and the different roles that he has in our lives. He can reveal truth to us, warn us of danger, comfort us and guide us. We sang "I love to see the Temple" and "I am a Child of God". It was a very simple FHE, but we got everyone to bed earlier like we wanted so that Aaron and I could work side by side and chat while the children were sleeping, or 'having a hard time going to sleep' as a couple of our little darlings decided to share a few times before they finally went to sleep.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

The Sound of Silence



The sound of silence is not a sound that I hear often on Sundays anymore, at first that was really difficult, but now I have come to like the many different sounds and experiences my Sundays bring.

There was a time that I would get my family ready for church, go to church, be a sponge soaking in the spirit, come home and eat, and sleep. I felt like I was wrapped in a cocoon of warm fuzzy love. As silly as that sounds, I am quite serious. It was the most peaceful day of the week.

Now, it is a very full day of service, where I give of myself and share my talents, and grow through being active rather then sitting there and soaking up what others were giving.

Today, my husband and I taught our primary class of 5 year olds that Jesus will come again. We had a great time talking to them about the friends and family that they look forward to seeing again, that they have not seen for awhile, and how that relates to getting to see Jesus when he comes again. We played a game that taught about how to prepare for when he comes using little colored plastic bears that we had from a game my in-laws gave us when I was visiting Utah last year. It was fun to see the children advance and discuss the different arrows that they landed on. I noted to myself how much they have grown this year, how all of them can now write their names themselves and no longer need my help. They all have been able to tie their shoes now, and compete to see who can be the most reverent so that they can be the leader for bathroom break and then who is the most reverent so they can lead the rest to singing time. We advanced with these children from last year. So, it will be strange to have all new children next year, which we have heard will be the case. We don't know what class we will be teaching yet.

After church, my youngest son had a little frustration moment with a girl from church. It took quite awhile to get him to open up and talk about why he was frustrated and finally accept her apology, while it was amusing in a way, I did wonder why he wanted to hold so much in rather then just work it out. It made me think about times in my life where I thought being angry at someone accomplished something, when all that it did, was make me miserable. I am glad that he got over it, because she is a nice girl, and I like her. I would not like to see my son hold a grudge forever over the incident LOL.

I also had choir rehearsal, which I enjoy usually. I just was rushing in there due to trying to understand what happened to upset my son, and the choir moved their rehearsal location, so I had no idea where they were. I finally figured it out, I rushed in there, and then immediately it was 'Solo sister Davis'. LOL Being an emotional individual, especially when it comes to singing, I was not ready, but I tried. We perform this next Sunday, so I will make sure to be relaxed and ready then. I love the ward choir. No pressure and singing about themes that absolutely make me feel happy. And if I mess up, it is ok, I am not surrounded by professionals, well, except for the director and his wife, they are professionals!

So, then I come home and for lunch have a tuna sandwich. Making simple meals for Sundays really does help the house stay peaceful. My home has become my sanctuary, and I love being here. If you dropped by, you are likely to smell incense, hear classical or world culture music and be offered a cup of herbal tea. I like to crochet right now, so that is what I would be working on or reading a book.

Sundays are different tho, we try to make them stand out from the rest of the week. We play hymns, and try to do nothing at all but be together and enjoy resting and relaxing. Tonight, we all made homemade french fries and fry sauce, which is something we will create ourselves at restaurants too. Utah has it all over the place, you could even buy "Some Dudes Fry Sauce" at the grocery store. Not something that I have seen here yet in the five years and four months that we have lived in Missouri.

At this moment, my husband is working on untangling the yarn that he is using to make a King sized blanket for our bed. A project I wanted to do myself, but with all that I am trying to make, he wanted to do for me. My entire family can crochet because of these Nifty Knitters that I was given for my birthday last month. I think it is great, it has awakened us in a way to make things for ourselves of higher quality and for a lower cost. My youngest daughter will crochet right on her stuffed animals making them pants and shirts and who knows what all. It makes me laugh to see some of their creations, but it is great to see them create. Sometime, when I get batteries that fit my digital camera, I will have to have them put on the bear costumes that they have made and some things they have crocheted and share those.

Since it is 11 days until Christmas, I have some creative work to get to myself. So, it is off to hot chocolate and time working beside my husband. This time in the evening is my favorite. But, my favorite time in the morning is our couple scripture study. I just really treasure 'our' time.

Our families are so precious, and they are gone faster then we realize, all grown up and no longer making messes, or noise, or interesting creations, and at sometime, we will miss those fingerprints on the table and fridge and the child tiptoeing down the hall to sneak some baby carrots from the fridge in the middle of the night. Cherish those moments. They pass way to fast.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Community Resiliency Conference in Springfield Missouri



Today I went to the first conference hosted by The Statesmen For Our Constitutional Republic.

I met a lot of great people that have a lot of great ideas. I think that this organization is one that I will support in the future. It is really important that we work together to strengthen our local communities and find ways that as a community that we can become more self-sufficient. As the economy continues through its ups and downs, we will need to rely on each other and the skills, talents and abilities that we each have in order to keep things moving forward.

I am going to go ahead and use the real name of people for this post. :) Eric Vought has a wealth of information about cottage industry, wild edibles, soap making, and much more. There is a lot that he is willing to teach others that can help them be able to provide more for themselves and others.

I also met Galen Chadwick, who is part of the Well Fed Neighbor Alliance. He has a goal by Thanksgiving of 2009 to have 1000 gardens in this area. He has some great ideas about having out own neighborhood food banks, the public schools using locally grown produce rather then the imported stuff, and many many other ideas that would help our community be able to be part of the Transition Movement. He mentioned a good book to read is "The Transition Handbook" by Rob Hopkins. He mentioned a place that we can get heirloom seeds here locally. I need to get that information from him so that I can post it here as well.

Another speaker that I enjoyed was Allen Busiek. He has a yahoo group called the Southwest Missouri Preparedness League. This groups shares knowledge among each other and preparedness and other related issues, and a mutual assistance network for members to help each other in times of need, and they promote awareness. The benefits that come from all that they do is peace of mind, saving money and everyone needs a good hobby. :)

I suggest visiting their web sites and yahoo group in order to get a more full experience of all that was taught today. Even after 6 hours of learning, discussing, and growing, I know that there is so much more that each of those who were in attendance could have taught.

Missouri Round Table for Life



This was a very informative meeting that I went to last night. I must say, that when it comes to political things, there is usually money at the heart of it. In this case, a good question to ask is "Why did the cloners spend $30 Million on Amendment 2"? This amendment was called "Missouri Stem Cell Research And Cures Initiative."

Here is what the ballot summary said:

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to allow and set limitations on stem cell research, therapies, and cures which will:

* ensure Missouri patients have access to any therapies and cures, and allow Missouri researchers to conduct any research, permitted under Federal law;

* ban human cloning or attempted cloning;

* require expert medical and public oversight and annual reports on the nature and purpose of stem cell research;

* impose criminal and civil penalties for any violations; and

* prohibit state or local governments from preventing or discouraging lawful cell research, therapies, and cures?

The proposed constitutional amendment would have an estimated annual fiscal impact on state and local governments of $0-$68,916 And it notes that the initiative does not ask for or require and state or taxpayer funding for stem cell research.

What I learned, is that in the state of Missouri, much of what they were trying to do was already legal, except that tax payer money could not be used for abortions, human cloning or stem cell research. That these things must be done through private funding sources.

So, we have to then figure out why did they do this? What was their point? The Life Sciences Research Trust Fund was already going to get 25% of Missouri State's tobacco settlement every year. The huge amount that the tobacco defendants must pay is $4,500,000,000 per year with annual increases until 2018 when the payment then reaches $9,000,000,000 per year and then pays at that amount forever. So, the Life Sciences Trust Fund will receive $764,150,000 through 2025.

The citizens will have no say about how this money is spent. There will be seven private citizens appointed by the governor that will decide.

There is much much more then this, and to fully understand it, I would suggest that you call 314-854-1381 and ask for a booklet, or come and see me to get one.

The part that made me the most upset, was to see that the amendment actually does allow for public funds, which includes taxpayers money to be used for human cloning, harvesting stem cells from human embryos, implant human embryos from in vitro fertilization and then abort them at any stage of development to harvest their stem cells, and to purchase by reimbursement eggs for somatic cell nuclear transfer from women.

There is absolutely NO legislative oversight, the funds cannot decrease for this funding, and must always increase because any decrease is now unconstitutional.

It also forces all Missouri laws, statutes, ordinances, and regulations must be construed to be in favor of human cloning.

And on top of that, the fiscal cost will be over $3 billion by 2025 with increasing costs beyond that.

I KNOW that those that are fiscally conservative here in Missouri would have voted no had they know the real story here. I know that those that believe in protecting life would have voted no. This amendment passed under the pre-tense that it banned human cloning, which it does not do. I cannot tell you how upset this made me. I am so tired of seeing misleading ballot summaries in our elections here. I KNOW that Missourians would make different choices at the ballot boxes if the summaries really referred to the true wording and power of the initiatives.

I hope that the town hall meetings that they are having across the state will be well attended so that people can become more informed. When looking at our State budget, it looks like we will have a deficit in 2010, which is against Missouri's Constitution, plus plain stupid economically. We cannot afford to have any public money going to things like this, when we are going to need it to just keep things running.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

My new goal

I will make this short and sweet. I have a new goal of writing in my blog daily about the things that I am doing. A sort of record in my life. I am hoping to do better with this then I have my personal journal which went from daily to being once a month. I would like to keep better record of how I spend my time and where. Due to the nature of some of the things that I do, I would like to let you know that I will not use real names of the people involved, other then my immediate family.

Tonight, I am going to the Round Table for Life Town Hall meeting. I will write more on that tomorrow. I am looking forward to this event because I think that it is important to track where money goes and why, and if we can save billions of money from being wasted in this state, then I am going to be right there doing that.

Things I've Done

I got this from my sister so I thought why not?! :)



Things I've Done!
To participate just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done. Happy discoveries!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band(sang in one)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen an eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Monday, September 22, 2008

Save the Family

What you can do to stop the bailout

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO6P_yjKFR4


Lies From Paulson Keep Stacking Up: What You Can Do About It

Somehow Paulson has gone from "Our banking system is a safe and a sound one" (See You Know The Banking System Is Unsound When....) to Paulson telling Congress "That we're literally maybe days away from a complete meltdown of our financial system, with all the implications here at home and globally."

Inquiring minds may wish to consider a recap of things that have happened since Paulson made his "Our banking system is a safe and a sound one" speech.

* Paulson anounced "Financial Institutions Must Be Allowed To Fail", arguably one of the most amazing financial lies in history.
* Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were placed in Conservatorship putting taxpayers at risk to the tune of $200 Billion or more. Equity and preferred shareholders were wipe out while the treasury (taxpayer), guaranteed the agency bonds.
* Lehman went bankrupt after a long weekend poker party. See Fed Sponsored Poker Party Morphs Into "Old Maid" for more details.
* AIG was nationalized. The treasury took an 80% stake in AIG in return for $85 billion. Taxpayers are at risk of that $85 billion.
* Merrill Lynch (MER) merged with Bank of America (BAC) as noted in Another Shotgun Marriage: Bank of America and Merrill Lynch.
* 3 Month Treasury Yields Effectively Hit Zero in a systemic distrust of banks and money market funds.
* The Fed Intervenes In Money Markets with non-recourse funding of asset backed commercial paper.
* The US Taxpayer Becomes A Giant Dumpster For Illiquid Assets.
* In the biggest financial witch hunt in history the SEC banned short selling of financials. See Peak Insanity: SEC Plans to Temporarily Ban Short-Selling and Paulson's Shorting Ban Needs Revisions Already.
* Of course Congressional Leaders Are Stunned That Bernanke Finally Admits The Truth.
* Bush Administration Seeks "Dictatorial Power"


The implications are twofold.

1) Paulson and Bernanke are liars
2) Paulson and Bernanke are incompetent

There are no other choices except "both of the above"

Shouldn't Paulson and Bernanke have the obligation to explain how that happened, and most important what the Fed's role and Congress's role in that was?

Yet somehow Congress is supposed to rush through a package that is arguably unconstitutional, because two known liars and/or incompetents say there is an urgent need to do so.

Sadly, Congress is more concerned about getting something done quickly than getting something done right. In the corporate world one would expect to see overtime hours. Here we are in a global financial emergency and Congress is concerned about getting something done before recess.

Everyone Wants A Bailout

Mortgage lenders, banks, the auto industry, home builders, broker-dealers all are asking for handouts. Today I see Paulson saying Foreign banks may get help.

In a change from the original proposal sent to Capitol Hill, foreign-based banks with big U.S. operations could qualify for the Treasury Department's mortgage bailout, according to the fine print of an administration statement Saturday night.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson confirmed the change on ABC's "This Week," telling George Stephanopoulos that coverage of foreign-based banks is "a distinction without a difference to the American people."

On "Fox News Sunday," Paulson told Chris Wallace that he would resist the Democrats' desired limits on executive compensation.

"If we design it so it's punitive and institutions aren't going to participate, this won't work the way we need it to work," Paulson said. "Let's talk executive salaries: There have been excesses there. I agree with the American people. Pay should be for performance, not for failure. We've got work to do in that regard. We need to do that work. But we need this system to work. And so reforms need to come afterwards.

Participation Not Voluntary

The proposed bill virtually give the Treasury dictatorial powers, yet Paulson has the gall to say
"If we design it so it's punitive and institutions aren't going to participate, this won't work the way we need it to work"!

That is yet another lie from Paulson.

Paulson resists calls for added help in bailout

It's interesting to note that Paulson resists calls for added help in bailout.

"The credit markets are still very fragile right now and frozen," Paulson said in an interview on NBC's Meet the Press. "We need to deal with this and deal with it quickly."

Paulson made the rounds of the television talk shows to stress the need for speed in getting the bailout package approved. The administration spent the weekend negotiating the details of the proposal with members of Congress with the expectation that it can be passed in the next week.

Paulson said that "it pains me tremendously to have the American taxpayer put in this position but it is better than the alternative."

Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, said that what Congress was being asked to approve was the "mother of all bailouts" which Shelby said would end up costing more like $1 trillion rather than $700 billion when the costs of the government taking over mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and insurance giant American International Group Inc. were added.

Mother Of All Bailouts Is Correct

Notice that Paulson does not want Congress adding anything to the bill, yet he is willing to bailout foreign banks. In return for what?

What To Do

In Bush Administration Seeks "Dictatorial Power" I noted some actions you can take. After repeating the section, I wish to add to it. First a recap.

Contact Your Senator Today!

It's time to contact your senator. Here is contact information for Senators of the 110th Congress.

Phone or Email your Senators today. Tell them in your own words

* Urge your senator to Filibuster any bailout legislation.
* Emphatically state you do not want a bailout of any kind for anyone.
* No Dictatorial power for Paulson or Bernanke
* Taxpayers should not have to bail out banks making bad loans
* Tell them that "The Fed" and Paulson are systemic risk".


Email AND Phone Senators Shelby, Bunning, Kyle, Ensign, Hagel

Whether Senator Shelby is your Senator or not, flood him with calls and emails asking for a filibuster and to stop the insanity. Senators Shelby, Bunning, Ensign, and Kyle might be sympathetic to the cause, based on past statements. I am taking a stab at Hagel.

Ask For A Filibuster

Please email and phone the following. Specifically ask for a filibuster and tell them to vote no to any bailout.

Tell them that anyone who votes for this bailout will never get your vote again.

Shelby, Richard C.- (R - AL)
110 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5744
E-mail: senator@shelby.senate.gov

Bunning, Jim- (R - KY)
316 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4343
Web Form: http://bunning.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm

Kyl, Jon- (R - AZ)
730 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4521
Web Form: kyl.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Ensign, John- (R - NV)
Washington D.C. Office
119 Russell Senate Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-6244
Fax: (202) 228-2193
Web Form: ensign.senate.gov/forms/email_form.cfm

Hagel, Chuck (R - NE)
248 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4224
Web Form: hagel.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home

Please email and phone both of your senators as well.

Once Is Not Enough

I want to emphasize that once is not enough. Here is what to do.

* Flood the senators with emails and phone calls.Tell them in no uncertain terms that if they vote for this bailout they will not get your vote, ever again.
* Send an email or call every day, preferably both.
* Put each message in your own words.
* Make the phone message sort and sweet.
* Use one of the following verbs: concerned, frightened, scared, afraid, mad rush to action
* Use one of the following themes: US dollar, unconstitutional, national debt, how do we pay for this?, printing money, lies, etc
* Vary each message so they do not all sound alike

Send this post to 5 or 10 of your friends and have them do the same. Do it now, while you are thinking about it.

I must be honest and state that this action is highly unlikely to work. However. It is the only shot we have.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Saturday, September 20, 2008

The Bailout is Treason

Some Americans have forgotten their history, and it is because of this, that corruption and robbery have run rampant through our nation.

It is time that we awaken from our slumber, and stand up and save what is left of this nation.

An educated people are a free people, and that is what this blog's intention is, to re-educate Americans to the truths that our founder's knew, the ones that government schools so carefully forget to teach you.

Thomas Jefferson said "I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies ... If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs."

The Federal Reserve is just such a banking institution.

Before it was created, nearly 100 years ago, the United States congress was in charge of coining and regulating the currency, this is what the Constitution demanded. A central bank was unconstitutional, because in short, it robbed the people.

Before the Fed's existence, congress could create money without interest being charged.

Today, the Federal Reserve charges interest for the money that they create for our government's use. ALL of your federal income tax goes to pay that interest. And when there is interest charged on money, there is NO WAY to pay it back, because there will NEVER be enough money in circulation to pay it off. NEVER.

Due to fractional reserve banking, there is not enough cash in the world to back up all the bank deposits either since so much is now done electronically, and because they print more with nothing backing it, our dollar loses its buying power.

When the dollar loses value, all those that are saving are robbed. When the dollar loses its buying power, food costs more, gas costs more, so ALL the people are robbed.

When the Fed gets together to ask congress to give them more power, the power to have all American Taxpayers take on the debt load of all the bad loans and poor investments due to the banking and housing industry greed, they rob all of us.

Those of us who have lived within our means, which is a few, will now share the burden that should have been the consequences of Big Business plundering us, but instead, they are asking to plunder us more, so that they can go on with business as usual.

Like Thomas Jefferson, "I wish it were possible to obtain a single amendment to our Constitution - taking from the federal government their power of borrowing."

Andrew Jackson, who won on the campaign slogan Jackson and NO BANK said, "It is not our own citizens only who are to receive the bounty of our government. More than eight millions of the stock of this bank are held by foreigners... is there no danger to our liberty and independence in a bank that in its nature has so little to bind it to our country? ... Controlling our currency, receiving our public moneys, and holding thousands of our citizens in dependence... would be more formidable and dangerous than a military power of the enemy."

Andrew Jackson was successful in destroying the Central Bank, but once he was gone, the once again took little steps back into existence, as Americans forgot their own history, and how the central banks were the destruction of liberty the world over.

Two weeks before president Garfield was assassinated he said, "Whoever controls the volume of money in our country is absolute master of all industry and commerce...and when you realize that the entire system is very easily controlled, one way or another, by a few powerful men at the top, you will not have to be told how periods of inflation and depression originate." If you haven't figured it out yet, it is the Federal Reserve that is responsible for this monetary crisis, and it is deliberate. They are consolidating power, the big powers eating the little powers, and what junk they took on, they are putting on your back as their slave.

The Federal Reserve, is unconstitutional. It is central banks that caused the first American Revolution, when the colonists refused to be taxed for the failing banking policies of the European Central bankers. They understood their enemy, and they choose liberty, will we?

Any congressmen or senator that votes for these bailouts is committing treason against our nation. They would be voting to further destroy our true system of government and push us towards more socialism and communism. If they were for The People, they would stand up and declare NO they will not enslave this people, and then they would take back their right to control and issue the money, and not allow the Central Bank to continue to create the inflation and depression in our nation!

And when you see how many agree to do this to you, and shred the few fibers of liberty that remain, you will see how many no longer represent you! It is my hope, that enough people will become informed, that they will realize what is being perpetuated on them, that it is criminal behavior, and that we can yet have a bloodless revolution, by voting them all out!

Once liberty is lost, it will take blood to bring it back. My ancestors spilled their blood for this nation, and to maintain liberty here. Let it not be said that it was all in vain. Let this generation be the generation that stands up to tyrants and says, no more, we will have liberty!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Ron Paul's Statement to the National Press Club

Ron Paul Statement to the National Press Club

The American Majority

The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to the doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can ‘throw the rascals out’ at any election without leading to any profound or extensive shifts in policy.

Carroll Quigley – Author of Tragedy & Hope

The coverage of the presidential election is designed to be a grand distraction. This is not new, but this year, it’s more so than ever.

Pretending that a true difference exists between the two major candidates is a charade of great proportion. Many who help to perpetuate this myth are frequently unaware of what they are doing and believe that significant differences actually do exist. Indeed, on small points there is the appearance of a difference. The real issues, however, are buried in a barrage of miscellaneous nonsense and endless pontifications by robotic pundits hired to perpetuate the myth of a campaign of substance.

The truth is that our two-party system offers no real choice. The real goal of the campaign is to distract people from considering the real issues.

Influential forces, the media, the government, the privileged corporations and moneyed interests see to it that both party’s candidates are acceptable, regardless of the outcome, since they will still be in charge. It’s been that way for a long time. George Wallace was not the first to recognize that there’s “not a dime’s worth of difference” between the two parties. There is, though, a difference between the two major candidates and the candidates on third-party tickets and those running as independents.

The two parties and their candidates have no real disagreements on foreign policy, monetary policy, privacy issues, or the welfare state. They both are willing to abuse the Rule of Law and ignore constitutional restraint on Executive Powers. Neither major party champions free markets and private-property ownership.

Those candidates who represent actual change or disagreement with the status quo are held in check by the two major parties in power, making it very difficult to compete in the pretend democratic process. This is done by making it difficult for third-party candidates to get on the ballots, enter into the debates, raise money, avoid being marginalized, or get fair or actual coverage. A rare celebrity or a wealthy individual can, to a degree, overcome these difficulties.

The system we have today allows a President to be elected by as little as 32% of the American people, with half of those merely voting for the “lesser of two evils”. Therefore, as little as 16% actually vote for a president. No wonder when things go wrong, anger explodes. A recent poll shows that 60% of the American people are not happy with the two major candidates this year.

This system is driven by the conviction that only a major party candidate can win. Voters become convinced that any other vote is a “wasted” vote. It’s time for that conclusion to be challenged and to recognize that the only way not to waste one’s vote is to reject the two establishment candidates and join the majority, once called silent, and allow the voices of the people to be heard.

We cannot expect withdrawal of troops from Iraq or the Middle East with either of the two major candidates. Expect continued involvement in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Georgia. Neither hints of a non-interventionist foreign policy. Do not expect to hear the rejection of the policy of supporting the American world empire. There will be no emphasis in protecting privacy and civil liberties and the constant surveillance of the American people. Do not expect any serious attempt to curtail the rapidly expanding national debt. And certainly, there will be no hint of addressing the Federal Reserve System and its cozy relationship with big banks and international corporations and the politicians.

There is only one way that these issues can get the attention they deserve: the silent majority must become the vocal majority.

This message can be sent to our leaders by not participating in the Great Distraction—the quadrennial campaign and election of an American President without a choice. Just think of how much of an edge a Vice President has in this process, and he or she is picked by a single person—the party’s nominee. This was never intended by the Constitution.

Since a principled non-voter sends a message, we must count them and recognize the message they are sending as well. The non-voters need to hold their own “election” by starting a “League of Non-voters” and explain their principled reasons for opting out of this charade of the presidential elective process. They just might get a bigger membership than anyone would guess.

Write-in votes should not be discouraged, but the electoral officials must be held accountable and make sure the votes are counted. But one must not be naïve and believe that under today’s circumstances one has a chance of accomplishing much by a write-in campaign.

The strongest message can be sent by rejecting the two-party system, which in reality is a one-party system with no possible chance for the changes to occur which are necessary to solve our economic and foreign policy problems. This can be accomplished by voting for one of the non-establishment principled candidates—Baldwin, Barr, McKinney, Nader, and possibly others. (listed alphabetically)

Yes, these individuals do have strong philosophic disagreements on various issues, but they all stand for challenging the status quo—those special interest who control our federal government. And because of this, on the big issues of war, civil liberties, deficits, and the Federal Reserve they have much in common. People will waste their vote in voting for the lesser of two evils. That can’t be stopped overnight, but for us to have an impact we must maximize the total votes of those rejecting the two major candidates.

For me, though, my advice—for what it’s worth—is to vote! Reject the two candidates who demand perpetuation of the status quo and pick one of the alternatives that you have the greatest affinity to, based on the other issues.

A huge vote for those running on principle will be a lot more valuable by sending a message that we’ve had enough and want real change than wasting one’s vote on a supposed lesser of two evils.

My Savior Jesus Christ: I Love the Lord (Music Video)

Friday, September 5, 2008

My family in the News at the Rally for the Republic

If you find anything else, please let me know!(A lot of people took pictures of us so I hope to stumble across those.)


My family got to feel like celebrities as we were photographed and interviewed like mad. I am sure that not all of the images taken were used, or all of the interviews either, but it was an interesting side effect I did not count on when dressing up as Revolutionary Colonists. :)

So here is what I have found so far, and I have more coming in. I will try to post more as people send them to me.

Charity Angel

PBS

Washington Post

CBS News

George Loper

NY Times

CBS5

Battlefieldeart’s Blog


If you find anymore, let me know. :)



Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Get up and win the race!

The Race
By: D. Groeberg
"Quit! Give up! You're beaten!"
They shout at me, and plead.
"There's too much against you now,
This time you can't succeed!"

And as I start to hang my head
In front of failure's face
My downward fall is broken by
The memory of a race.

And hope refils weakend will
As I recall the scene
For just the thought of that short race,
Rejuvenates my being.

A children's race, young boys, young men
How I remember well.
Excitement, sure! But also fear
It wasn't hard to tell.

They all lined up so full of hope
Each thought to win the race.
Or tie for first, or if not that,
At least take second place.

And fathers watched from off the side
Each cheering for his son
And each boy hoped to show his dad
That he would be the one

The whistle blew and off they went
Young hearts and hopes afire
To run and be the winning one
Was each young boy's desire.

And one boy in particular
Whose dad was in the crowd
Was running near the lead and thought
"My dad will be proud."

But as they speeded down the field
Across a shalllow dip,
The little boy who thought he'd win
Lost his step...and slipped,

Trying hard to catch himself
His hands flew out to brace
And mid the laughter of the crowd
He fell flat on his face!

So down he fell, and with his hope
He couldn't win it now
Embarrassed, sad, he only wished
To disappear somehow.

But as he fell, his dad stood up
And showed his anxious face
Which to the boy so clearly said:
"Get up and win the race."

He quickly rose, no damage done
Behind a bit, that's all.
And ran with all his mind and might
To make up for his fall.

So anxious to restore himself
To catch up and to win,
His mind went faster than his legs,
He slipped... and fell again.

He wished that he had quit before,
With only one disgrace,
"I'm hopeless as a runner now,
I shouldn't try to race."

But in the laughing crowd he searched,
And found his father's face
The steady look which said again,
"Get up and win the race."

So up he jumped to try again,
Ten yards behind the last.
If I'm to gain those yards he thought
I've got to move real fast.

Exerting everything he had
He regained eight or ten
But trying to catch the lead,
He slipped... and fell again!

Defeat he laid there silently
A tear dropped from his eye
"There's no sense running anymore
Three strikes! I'm out why try?"

The will to rise had disappeard
All hope had fled away
So far behind, so error prone
A loser all the way.

"I've lost, so what's the use, he thought
"I'll live with my disgrace"
But then he thought about his dad,
Who soon he'd have to face.

"Get up and echo sounded low,
Get up and take your place,
You were not meant for failure here,
Get up and win the race!"

With borrowed will "get up" it said
You haven't lost it all
For winning is no more than this
To rise each time you fall.

So up he rose to run once more
And with a new commit
He resolved not to win or lose,
At least he wouldn't quit!

So far behind the other's now,
The most he'd ever been
Still he gave it all he had,
And ran as though to win

Three times he'd fallen stumbling,
Three times he'd rose again
Too far behind to hope to win
He still ran to the end

They cheered the winning runer
As he crossed the line first place
Head high, and proud, and happy
No failing, no disgrace.

But when the fallen youngster,
Crossed the line last place
The crowd gave him the greater cheer
For finishing the race

And even though he came in last
With head bowed low, unproud,
You would have thought he won the race
To listen to the crowd

And to his dad he sadly said,
"I didn't do so well"
"To me you won," his father said
"You rose each time you fell"

And when things seem dark
And difficult to face
The memory of that little boy
Helps me to run my race.

For all of life is like that race
With ups and downs and all
And all you have to do to win
Is rise each time you fall.

"Quit! Give up! You're beaten!"
They still shout in my face
But another voice within me says,
"Get up and win the race!"

Saturday, August 23, 2008

I am Livid!!! Utah GOP leadership Betrays voters and Delegates

I did not and will not support Mitt Romney, but I know what is right and what is wrong. And when Utah voters voted for Romney, they did not expect their delegates to be bound to McCain by the GOP leadership when the delegates sad NO they will represent the people, and the leaders choose otherwise!!!

The decided this morning to do this. McCain only had 51% of the delegates, and there is a chance of a brokered convention, so they HAVE to get others to back McCain. So they do it like this!!! If I was in Utah, I would be shouting about this from every rooftop and to every station and anything I could to let the people know what their GOP leaders are doing. So, they think that Mitt may be the VP so they support the Evil McCain. When I was in Utah visiting, EVERY SINGLE person I talked to said that they would vote for Obama if McCain had the nomination, which is a shock too, since they both are evil, I will not vote for either. If this happened in Missouri, there would be some pitch fork wielding citizens with torches showing up at the doors of the 70 people that decided to void the voice of the people. It is the behavior of traitors, not that there are many Americans left in the GOP. Shame on you Utah GOP shame on you!!

On Sat, Aug 23, 2008 at 5:48 PM, David Edward Garber wrote:

It's official! This morning, by a vote of 70 supporters to 12 opponents, Utah's state Republican Party's Central Committee voted to adopt a proposed new "standing rule" that would apply a new twisted interpretation to our party's by-laws--an interpretation that will now bind our state's set of Republican national delegates to vote for McCain rather than Romney on their first national convention ballot.

Here is the precise text of this new standing rule:

Standing Rule

This Standing Rule has been adopted by the State Central Committee of the Utah Republican Party and shall be a binding rule of the Utah Republican Party unless and until superseded by a change in the Constitution or Bylaws of the Utah Republican Party, or by a subsequent standing rule adopted by the State Central Committee expressly revoking or modifying this Standing Rule:

It is hereby ruled by the State Central Committee of the Utah Republican Party that:

1. An ambiguity exists in the meaning of "the candidate" as it is used in Bylaw 7.0 (B) that is sufficient to have generated public controversy among Party members over the meaning and effect of Bylaw 7.0(B); and that

2. Each reference to "the candidate" in Bylaw 7.0(B) is hereby interpreted to mean a person who is a candidate for nomination on the first ballot at the National Convention at the time of that ballot, according to the rules of the Republican National Committee and any rules adopted by the National Convention; and that

3. Bylaw 7.0(B) does not require that the Utah National Convention delegates and alternates be allocated to or bound to vote on the first ballot for a person who does not meet the definition of candidacy defined in part 2 of this Rule; and that

4. Bylaw 7.0(B) does require that the Utah National Convention delegates and alternates shall be allocated to and bound to vote on the first ballot for "the candidate" as defined in part 2 of this Rule, who has received the most votes of the statewide vote in the Utah Republican Presidential Primary.

RULED this 23rd day of August, 2008, by the State Central Committee of the Utah Republican Party, meeting in South Jordan, Utah, in the presence of a quorum.


Funny that they never noticed this "ambiguity" before--they seemed pretty clear about what it meant during our state convention when they tried to have this rule suspended.

I wrote this story for some friends on MySpace to try to explain what happened:

Utah's GOP Leaders Defeat Utah's GOP Rules

This morning marked the end of a long war between Utah's GOP leaders and Utah's GOP voters/delegates/rules over whom our national delegation will support at our national convention next week.

Utah's GOP Primary: "Okay, it's time to vote, Utahn Republicans! Which of these candidates do you prefer to become your next President?"

Utah's GOP Voters: "Well, 89% of us reckon that we prefer that conservative-talkin' LDS guy with the nice hair!"

Utah's GOP Rules: "According to us, based on these primary election results, Utah's Republican national delegation will be bound to cast 100% of their votes for Romney on their first national convention ballot in September."

Mitt Romney: "Meh, my Presidential campaign is hopeless, with McCain's friend Huckabee drawing votes away from me. So, I'm suspending it and becoming McCain's biggest cheerleader, instead. *buttsmooch* I now want all of my national delegates to vote for McCain to the extent that the law/rules will allow. Now, what is thy bidding, my master?"

John McCain: "Muhahahahahahaha!!! Now, more than 51% of all national delegates will be voting for me! Next, I want to assimilate the other 49%, as well, so that I can enjoy a big everyone-loves-McCain-fest in September. Hey, Utah, gimme yours!!!"

Utah's GOP Rules: "Sorry, McCain, but we don't allow that--they're bound to Romney, as the voters decided, and that's final."

Utah's GOP Leaders: "Whoa, not so fast, you darn rules! No worries, John, we won't let those pesky rules stop us from getting you whatever it is you want. Hey, state delegates, we need 2/3 of you to vote to suspend these annoying party rules so that our national delegates can be free to vote for McCain, instead."

Utah's GOP State Delegates: "Wait, you want us to throw out our rulebook and nullify our primary? Just to please that awful McCain?! HECK, NO!!!"

Utah's GOP Leaders: "Dang, this won't be as easy as we'd hoped. Darn those state delegates! Why must they be so devoted to those silly party rules rather than us? Hmmm, we need a different strategy to deliver those votes to McCain..."

Utah's GOP Rules: "Forget about it, guys. As long as it's up to us, Utah's national delegates MUST cast their first set of ballots for whichever candidate received the most votes in Utah's primary election. And that was Romney by a landslide. Sorry."

Utah's GOP Leaders: "Hey, that's it!!! We'll just redefine what the meaning of the word 'IS' is! Er, 'candidate.' Let's see, hmmm... Let's say that 'the candidate who received the most votes in our primary election' does not apply to candidates who suspend their campaigns once the primary election is over! So, although Romney was initially 'the candidate who received the most votes' with 89%, since he suspended his campaign, he no longer counts--and, so, McCain has now became 'the candidate who received the most votes' with only 5%. Once we pervert these rules, those darn rule-respecting Utahns can follow them AND still give us what we want! Why didn't we think of this devious scheme sooner?!"

Utah's GOP Rules: "Hey, that's not what those who wrote us meant to..."

Utah's GOP Leaders: "SHUT UP!!! You'll mean what we say you mean! Now, central committee, we need you to vote to approve our new screwy interpretation that we've invented so that it will serve as a new standing rule for our party."

Utah's GOP Central Committee: "Okay, 85% of us say, hey, whatever you want, boss."

Utah's GOP Leaders: "Hurrah, we won!!! Eat that, voters and delegates! As you can see, your votes only count when we like the outcome. We, not your silly rules, are the supreme power in this party! Bwahahaha!!!"

So, in less than two weeks, despite the fact that 89% of Utah's Republican voters wanted Mitt Romney (not Juan McCainnedy) to be their next President, and despite our party rules that we all assumed would bind our national delegation to support our primary election winner, our national delegation will presumably vote for McCain, instead, thanks to these underhanded machinations of our party leaders.


I'm tempted to produce some sort of flier about this subject, mass-produce it, and then deliver a copy of it to every likely voter in my area. Unfortunately, I'm too broke at the moment to spend much at any copy centers. But I hope that some of y'all will consider doing something like this, though. Our Republican neighbors need to know what schmucks are running their party and, unless they hear it from us, they may never hear it at all.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

A Glorious Standard (An Introduction)





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