Fostering an Environment of Freedom

Hello all! After my short vacation from blogging, I am back and ready to go forward. Thank you all for your patience in waiting. I would like to write today a short post on the current state of the US as I see it.

We live in a country which, by it's very nature, is meant to be free. It is meant to encourage it's citizenry to grow to their fullest potential. It is meant to be a country where the people are in control by who we elect and don't elect. It is meant to be one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all.

What is truly, then, the best way to foster this environment of freedom?
-Keep the government out of the way. How can we be free if we are being held down? Move restrictions of government out of the way and let the people live their life as they see fit. Freedom.
-Keep the government out of our pocketbooks. How can we be free if the government is spending our money for us? This is not to say that government doesn't need to have tax revenue; police forces and any public safety is very important. Do we, however, need to pay millions of our dollars to research cow flatulence? I don't think so. (Yes, this research is for real and happening with our tax money right now.) Let the people have their money and spend it as they please. Freedom.
-Keep the debate ways open. This is where our country is at it's best. We live in a place where freedom of debate is available and openly used. Let me, however, say what debate is not. It is not marching down the street, offending as many people as you can while destroying private or public property. It is not a disruptive force; it is a conversation. Let the people discuss the best way to move forward. Freedom.

Of course, what this all comes down to is the individual citizen's responsibility to be involved and informed about this country, the elected officials, and the events surrounding them. Ignorance of American citizens leads to a government with unlimited control over the citizenry; able to manipulate and guide their opinions. Awareness leads to freedom; it allows the citizens to understand not only what's happening, but a way to change what will happen. Let us all, therefore, be informed and ready to make the decisions this country asks of us; and as always God Bless America.
I leave you now with a quote from Thomas Paine's Common Sense: "A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom."

Conservative Response to Liberalism - Part #3 - Government's Role

I would like to take a moment this morning to post the last part of my conservative response to liberalism series. (PART 1 HERE) - (PART 2 HERE) I haven't touched on this for a while now, since the topics of discussion were leading elsewhere, but I do feel it necessary to finish what I started. So, here is my last response to Mr. McKinley's Proud to Be A Liberal article.

To quote;
"Liberalism is "The Pursuit of Happiness." It is the freedom to create an environment where the individual can excel. What is freedom if it cannot be used to better our lives? A truly free society must be one where its members can rise above their limitations and expand their futures. We call it "The American Dream," and it's alive and well in the heart of the Liberal. Liberals believe in equal opportunities for all to rise above our means. Liberals believe in equal opportunities to rise above our education levels. Liberals believe in equal opportunities to rise above our social status. And Liberals believe each and every family should have an equal opportunity to make this world better for their children."

Once again, we are met with Mr. McKinley stating that liberalism is creating freedom. I cannot except this as true, however. Liberalism seems to do nothing but get in the way of freedom, and in the process, get in the way of the pursuit of happiness (as they are often times one in the same).
Liberalism is about growing government bigger. The modern liberal holds that the government can solve all the problems of the day. This 'big government' does nothing but block the individual's freedoms; it stops them from living as they want to. The bigger government gets, the less chance any individual has to do with there life what they want. If laws are put in place saying a person can't own a gun unless the are screened for months, register yearly, report there comings and goings, and face charges if their gun is used (even if they aren't the ones using it), than you are putting forth a situation where many wouldn't bother owning a gun. A freedom taken away. (This freedom is even constitutionally defined)
The modern American government is in our life constantly. It is telling the schools what to teach our children, and discouraging those who disagree and wish to homeschool. This is called, in many cirumstances, indoctrination. Don't get me wrong here, I don't believe that every class in every school is some type of government indoctrination. However, when the government says that the school cannot teach Creationism as an alternative to evolution, that is indoctrination. It is presenting only one side of the issue at hand and not letting any type of free decision to be made; it is stopping free-thinking from ever occuring.
In the end, do we really want the government to be growing, giving a small group of people more and more power? Sinful man, in his fallen state, cannot in most cases be trusted, unless fervently seeking God. Yet, our government has turned away from it's Christian founding. This government was founded by God-fearing people who looked upwards for the solutions to what they saw around them. The constitution was written on the premise that the government needs to stay as small as possible to allow freedom and liberty to reign across the land. The founders admitted their fallen, sinful nature and understood that power would corrupt government; they knew that the size of the government needed to be small to preserve the nation; and they knew that it was from a gift of God that they had a chance to form this country.
So where are we today? Our government is growing (along with the national debt), our President publicly states that we are not a Christian nation (even though we were founded on Christianity), our President is going around the world apologizing for our actions (instead of being proud of our heritage and what we have acomplished), and our people are turning their backs on God, leading to the moral deprivation of the individual.
Liberalism the pursuit of happiness? No, it's not. It is going farther and farther from it everyday. Only when man understands his governments role, and this nation is truly One Nation Under God, will this country be free and the people free to pursue happiness.

Morality - A Summation of My Thoughts

Here is a writing I have been working on for some time now. I have tried to pull together all my ideas from the past couple weeks of discussion on this site and state them concisely and completely as possible. I apologize for the length of this posting, however, this is a huge topic. I intend this to be the last posting on this subject before moving on to something else, as well, unless popular demand deems otherwise. Anyway, enjoy and feel free to comment below. Thank you all for your time.

Morality, as a guidepost for human decisions, is built into each person. The long standing debate has been where this morality comes from. Some hold to an evolutionary theory explaining how social animals evolved into humans, and as such, the necessary rights and wrongs that develop in a social system are the instincts that have carried into humanity, as we are, in the end, only animals anyway.
Others, (myself included), hold that religion, (particularly the Christian religion), best explains morality. In this view, God has placed in each person a moral compass, built into our souls, residing in our flesh. This moral compass, often called our conscience, guides us to hold certain things as right, (i.e. giving, caring attitudes to others), and certain things as wrong, (murder, stealing, etc.). Christianity also holds all Christians accountable to God for the things they do. This accountability is one of the strongest differences in Christian morality and evolutionist morality.
So, in the end, morality is debated not on the basis of what it is, but on the basis of why it is there; whether through God or through evolution. This debate, then, changes depending on how it is framed. If it is started from a biblical standpoint, it becomes a debate about whether religion can explain the world best or not. If the debate is framed from the evolutionist’s standpoint, it then becomes whether evolution can answer the questions of the world.
Furthermore, because of this prerequisite way of framing the debate, as well as the length of time this debate has taken place, each side can pull from its “bag of tricks” that has been developed for years. There are certain things which cannot be known by modern science; this is one of them.
Where does that leave us in today’s society then? We have the people who hold to the Christian view of things and battle for morality and justice. We also have the Evolutionists who will battle for a more relativist approach to morality. Yet we live in a country where we both have a chance to speak, and everyone has a choice to make freely and openly.
All that’s left, really, is for us to each make our personal case for morality, religion, politics, etc. and let the individual decide by asking questions and debating what is presented. So, here is my concise presentation of my beliefs.
1. - If the Bible and Christianity is everything it claims to be, and is the Word of God, it should present itself with all the answers needed to respond to critics of it. I believe wholly and truly it does. [2 Tim 3:16; Matt 2:18; 1 Cor 2:7-14]
2. - If religion itself is important and true, each person should be unashamed of presenting it fully. [Phil 1:5-6; 1 Thess 2:13]
3. - Morality is written in our hearts by God, as presented in the Bible, and manifest in each person through the conscience. [Rom 2:15]
4. - Each person then must choose whether to answer God’s calling or ignore it and move into a lifestyle of sin. This lifestyle is full of constantly trying to justify personal decisions through man’s corrupt mind, and therefore, can never be complete, but instead, always searching. [Rom 1:18-32]
Of course, the evolutionist / naturalist could make a list of their beliefs too. I believe, however, that their answers would be missing something (God), full of errors in other places (science changes it’s mind rapidly), and incomplete (science cannot know the beginning or the end), and therefore incorrect.

Hopefully my presentation here is clear enough to get my point across, well written enough to be clear, and open enough to allow for questioning and debate. Thanks again for taking the time to read and being a part of this sites mission; open debate in a public forum about issues that effect us everyday. Thank you.

Tax Day TEA Party - My Impressions

I attended the TEA Party in St. Paul, MN yesterday, to show my support of fiscal responsibility, (the government not overspending), limited government, (the government not in the way of peoples freedom), and free markets, (the government letting businesses work).
The crowd estimates for this party were between eight to ten thousand people. Multiply that by the hundreds of tea parties going on across the country and you have a huge event. Now I hope the country was listening.
Of course, many media outlets were not willing to just report the story as it was happening. CNN even went so far as to demonize and harass those attending. ((Watch the video here)) This is showing what conservatives have been saying for a long time; the media is blatantly and unashamedly bias. Every report I could find either hugely downplayed what was happening or linked the people in attendance to "extremists".

Extreme? How extreme is a rally that starts with the Pledge of Allegiance? How extreme is a rally that numerous times broke into chants of "USA, USA"? How extreme is a rally of people who see a news helicopter and turn around to wave? (I thought that was a bit corny myself, but it did go to show how peaceful the demonstration was). Most rallies are liberal in nature. They involve screaming and chanting, they often times have some violence thrown in (RNC Welcoming Committee for example), and tend to be very resentful to any authorities. This is why the media loves to report on rallies. There tends to be something violent happening, and something 'exciting' to show on TV. These TEA Party rallies were not like that. They were sane, peaceful, and had a very easy to understand message - stop spending our money like there is an infinite supply of it.

So, as the country moves forward, where do we go? I sincerely hope that we can move forward in a direction where the conservatives of this country are not afraid to say what they believe; not afraid of being demonized by the media or even those around them. I hope for the country to hear the conservative voice and listen to what they say. But most of all, I hope for a country that is informed about what is happening and willing to get involved with what is happening. Let's all be open to debate, open to conversation, and open to involvement in the process of this country. I leave you now with my favorite picture from the rally.

Comments on "The Dirty Dozen" - Heritage Foundation Research

The Heritage Foundation, (a policy research group), has released a list of twelve policies which the Obama administration has put in place that show "disregard for the civil society of American life." I would invite anyone who is interested to view the list here, and I would like to add some of my thoughts on the subject (though not on all twelve topics addresed; I will leave those to you).
The first on the list is the administrations attack on charitable giving by the wealthy of this country. The President's budget would decrease the amount of money that is deductible on taxes from charitable giving, taking away part of the built in incentive to donate to charity. This will undermine the money flow that so many charities count on for their existence. I understand why Obama wants to do this; more tax money flowing into the government which means bigger government. I question, however, why he cannot stop expanding government and instead cut spending. If the growing government trend continues, we will become a nation who cannot afford to make these private donations to charities. This would allow the government to chose which charities exist, as our tax money would be split between whomever they chose. Sounds like a dangerous picture, right? And, of course, we know that faith-based charities are already out of the picture, as Obama has reversed a Bush administration policy to include faith-based charities in the funding lists. You may say that I'm taking this too far, but I am only looking ahead to where the trends inevitably are going.
The Obama administration has also written a new executive order, (no deliberation or vote on these), which could be set to go into place soon, stating that doctors and nurses can no longer morally object to performing certain procedures, such as abortions. This would force all hospitals and clinics across the country to perform abortions, even if there are moral objections by the staff. This is a dangerous command. The Catholic-run charity hospitals have already threatened to shut down if Obama goes through with this order, citing the fact that they would never perform abortions in their buildings. This would have a huge impact, especially in urban areas where many poor depend on these charity hospitals for care. Also, many doctors and nurses, morally objected to the abortion procedure, have talked about quitting their practice. Obama would essentially shut down hospitals across the country. Of course, this would open up the way for government funded hospitals, (our tax dollars), to be set up and 'save the day', another sign of growing government. If a big government is what he wants, he certainly has found a good way to do it.
On the same abortion note, Obama wrote and signed an executive order lifting the ban on so-called "family planning groups" overseas from receiving US taxpayer funding. These groups perform abortions on demand, so much so that many countries in Europe are having their population stagnate due to the number of abortions being performed. And our tax money is now helping to fund it all. First of all, why is our tax money being used overseas to fund these types of groups? That doesn't make sense in and of itself. We have plenty of use for our tax money here at home; and then to use our money to fund abortion, which the majority of Americans object to? Absurd is the only word that comes to mind. How can the land of "life and liberty" be funding the murder of children around the world? Our own President supports not only partial-birth abortion, but what is known as "post-partum abortion", the killing of fully born children if the parents don't want them. It is a sad day in this country when life is snuffed out on a whim; when the self-centered society we have turned into becomes so selfish that would-be parents would rather have no responsibility for there actions and kill a child than take that child and care for it, or put it up for adoption so someone could give that child a chance to live. God help us for condoning these acts. Life is not to be thrown away, but cherished. We are not to play God and decide who shall live or die on a whim. Shame on us.
As for the rest of the list, you can look at it and decide what you think here. I only wanted to give a brief look at a few topics. I thank the Heritage Foundation for the work they are doing to ensure the life, liberties, and freedoms we all hold onto continue in this country; and I thank you the reader for taking the time to see what I have to say and become informed about what is happening in this country. Until next time, thank you all.

The Faith Our Country Was Built On - Not Worship of the State

I will start of by saying that this is a sensitive subject. Perhaps if you would like a longer discourse from me on the subject, you can email me at kelbylovelady@gmail.com and I will try to go into a bit more depth than I do here. But, as with any subject of serious significance, it is always going to be argued and fought over. So anyway, here is the video clip of President Obama in Turkey.
((Video Here))
In this video, Obama treads into water that I feared him going into, and does so on an international stage. He calls us a "secular nation" and also a "nation of citizens". In other words, a nation which doesn't have it's guidance in God or faith; doesn't have it's morals coming from a firm foundation, but instead uses a moral system that changes with the times and situations (moral relativism); a nation of people who have to look somewhere for guidance and will lean on their government, not themselves, their faith, and the freedoms and liberties granted to them.
It may not seem like a big statement that Obama made, but every person has to put there faith in something. I have learned this is always true, and with some deep self-searching, it can be figured out to be true by anyone who is honest with themselves. Where that faith is put determines a lot about the person. If a person puts their faith into God and religion, they have moral absolutes, right and wrong, black and white, a reason and purpose for their thoughts and actions; if a person puts their faith into government or self or any other man made group/thing, you then end up in inevitable moral relativism, loss of sanctity for human life, and a de-valuing of human experience.
So, what did the founders of this country think of religion in the citizenry? Here's John Adams, the second President of the United States:
"The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were. . . . the general principles of Christianity. . . . I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God; and that those principles of liberty are as unalterable as human nature."
How about Benjamin Franklin, one often pointed out as the 'un-Christian' founding father of this country. What did he have to say?:
"I believe in one God, the Creator of the universe; that he governs it by his Providence; that be ought to be worshipped; that the. most acceptable service we can render to him is doing good to his other children; that the soul of man is immortal, and will be treated with justice in another life respecting its conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental points of all sound religion, and I regard them as you do, in whatever sect I meet with them. As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think his system of morals and his religion, as be left them to us, the best the world ever saw, or is like to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupting changes, and I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some doubts as to his divinity; though it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it."
How about one more? Thomas Jefferson, perhaps:
"I, too, have made a wee-little book from the same materials, which I call the Philosophy of Jesus; it is a paradigm of his doctrines, made by cutting the texts out of the book, and arranging them on the pages of a blank book, in a certain order of time or subject. A more beautiful or precious morsel of ethics I have never seen; it is a document in proof that I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus."
I don't mean to force any thoughts or religion on anyone. I only mean to demonstrate hear that this country was founded on religion. This country was founded on faith and belief and moral absolutes and working towards a higher purpose. This country was not founded on moral relativism, worship of self and of state, worship of material things, or any other.
Mr. Obama, you have worked hard in your overseas trips to make friends with the nations of the world, and for that I applaude you. But, please be careful in how you speak. Do not take away from our heritage as a country founded on the principles of religion. We do not worship government, or hold to government, but hold strongly to freedom, to liberty, and to faith given to us from above.
As the Declaration of Independence states (added emphasis mine):
"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."

In Response to Comment on "A President Crossing the Line"

First of all, I would like to thank you, whoever you are, for sharing your thoughts and putting yourself forward. That is what we as Americans need to do; discuss the situations at hand openly and freely as the founders, as the founders desired. I would like to respond to what you said, and, as always, feel free to continue this conversation too, either here or with me personally at kelbylovelady@gmail.com.
First off, I don't want to try to put myself forward as a great thinker, someone who feels they are above the rest; someone on a 'high horse'. I am not at all. I am an average person, making average wages, living in an average small town. I'm sorry if my comments seem very forward and blunt, but I feel very strongly about what I am doing here. I am not trying at all to put down the American people for the choices they make. Do I feel they made the wrong choice in the last election? Yes. There is nothing different in me saying that now and the last eight years of everyone (including the so-called impartial media) ripping into Bush at turn of the shoulder. Part of the Democratic process of this country is people who are willing to stand up and oppose the ideas that are put forward because they whole-heartedly feel they are wrong for this country. I don't want to see wrong happen to this country in the same way that I'm sure no one wants to see wrong happen to there families, or even themselves. I'm just doing my part to defend the freedoms we all take for granted every day and continue the tradition of open debate.
So, to answer the question of "what I am doing here" directly, I am holding strong in my views, putting them forward for all to see because of my freedoms accounted to me by the Constitution and my Creator, and being prepared to defend myself and my ideas when need be. This is open conversation; freedom and liberty at its best. I'm not asking for everyone to agree with me, but to be willing to talk about it.
Now, on to the second part. I, as a Christian, in no way have meant to use God in a sarcastic statement, and have never meant to insult anyone. "God help America" was not meant with any sarcastic tone behind it, though I understand how it may read that way. We, as Americans, really do need God's help if we are to pull this country back towards what it can be at it's best. Furthermore, I believe that Christian love can be shown through caring about what is happening in this country, and working to help this country succeed. God doesn't only work in love, but also in convictions and trials. Please don't get me wrong, the love of God and the mercy shown every day by Him is amazing in itself, but Jesus didn't show his love of man by showering everyone with "worldly love". He often times rebuked the people, even those closest to him, in order that they may grow in understanding and maturity. I do not believe that what I am doing here is in any way compromising my Christian faith. In many ways, I think it is expanding it; right now is a perfect example. Yes, our sinful natures are the driving force behind what is happening in this country, but that doesn't mean we can't fight against it. The apostle Paul told us to put our sins behind us every day; he wants us to fight.
As far as what we can do in our daily lives goes, I understand how it can be hard to see in my writings. In national politics, we are only able to do so much as individuals, but I believe that our greatest responsibility is to be aware of what is happening; to be informed citizens who understand what is going on in our country and ready to react when able. When we are aware, and holding discussions with people we know; when this country is engaged in what is happening; when people understand politics in much more than a "vote every four years and not care any other time" way; that is when this country is at its best. My call to every citizen is to be informed and concerned. I'm not saying that we all need to be involved in politics everyday, all the time. Being informed is just a matter of knowing what is going on in this country and being willing to form an opinion on it.
Lastly, I would like to take the time to thank you, the readers of my writings, for taking part of your day to read what I have to say, and for showing that you care about this country enough to listen to discussion about what is going on. Thank you all and God Bless.

A Comment Response - Personal Responsiblity and Wealth - American Citizenry

In response to the rather large comment left below the Milton Friedman link; it's a bit too large to quote directly, but I want to give a few general thoughts about what I have read.

First off, let me say thank-you to whomever you are. You are the standard for what a concerned citizen of this country should be; active and vocal, looking to make a difference. I applaud your efforts. I would, however, like to make some points for you to consider. Feel free to contact me either through this page or by my email; kelbylovelady@gmail.com.

First off, I want to remind you directly that wealthy does not in and of itself equal evil. Wealth is a product of hard work. (Of course, there will be exceptions at every level, but I'm speaking generally now.) These people spend every waking moment working, or attempting to figure out what to do with the wealth they've acquired. It's not easy to see from a middle class perspective, but wealth creates it's own monster. Having millions, or billions, of dollars creates wealth by itself (interest); not to mention that the mechanics of that money making are probably still continuing to make money as well. Being wealthy is having a constant burden. The Reverend Frederick Gates said it best to John D. Rockefeller Sr. when he said, "Mr. Rockefeller, your fortune is rolling up like an avalanche! You must distribute it faster than it grows! If you do not, it will crush you and your children and your children's children!" Just think of that immense burden.

Secondly, greed is not inherint in all wealth. Greed is in a corrupt soul, not following in the steps of God's will. Greed is the taking over of the spirit by human corruption. If the people of this world were to follow their moral calling to perfection, we would never have issue. But, then again, we live in a broken, fallen world, corrupted by the sin we all live in every day. Wealth may breed greed, but wealth is not the creator of greed. Sin is the creator of greed. The 1% club, as you so aptly call them, are constantly burdened by there wealth, and yes, many are burdened by there greed as well. That is where my next point comes in.

I am very pleased with how you talked on personal responsibility, (though you never called it that, you went on at length about it in the second paragraph). This is the key to freedom and liberty, not just for the rich, but for all citizens of the country and the world. If people don't like something, don't partake in it; simple as that. If people have a problem with clothes that cost $100 dollars, don't buy them. The company making the clothes will have to change or fail. And that, my friend, is the whole of capitalism. If people remember their personal responsibility, they would have never signed a contract for a home loan that has payments doubling in 5 years. That's utterly ridiculous. Do they honestly believe they would make twice as much as they did when they signed the loan 5 years down the road? NO. They were looking for a government handout, which is what this administration is doing. They are giving out exactly what the irresponsible people of this country wanted. A handout. An easy way through. This is rewarding irresponsiblity. If every single American were to carefully consider purchases, this country could straighten itself out very quickly. But people don't want to think. They want the handouts this administration has promised. This is the greed in the middle class. This is greed of the impoverished. Don't work your way out, stand in line for a handout. Scary to think of how this type of thought pattern will progress in this country.

So once again, thank you for your comment and inspiring me to write this post. Lets all, each one of us, keep talking about the situation in this country, keep working for ways back to freedom, responsibility, and liberty, and take hold of ourselves through personal responsibility, so we may experience what liberty is like in this world.

The Basics of Our Government

As this is my first posting, let me start off talking about what I believe in. 

I believe that this country is the greatest country on earth. I also believe that the basis for this country's greatness lies in it's founding; in the mandates of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Without all of these in place, the country will begin to fall away from greatness and become a country just like any other. 

I believe that the pursuit of happiness is the key phrase to pay attention to. In this country we have the right to chase after our happiness for as long as we live, with as much effort as we can muster. However, we must always remember that it is our own, personal right, not the right granted to our government. Our government cannot and will never guide us to happiness. Our national government was established to protect our country from attack and to keep our country strong stable. That's it. All the rest is up to us, our local governments, and the free will and entrepreneurial spirit in us all. As time goes on, I'm sure I will expand on these thoughts more.

I believe that life and liberty are given to us by God above and therefore cannot and should not be tampered with by government control in our lives. The more government is involved directly in the everyday aspects of our lives, the less liberty we have; the less freedom we have. These freedoms we all take for granted everyday are being taken away from us slowly but surely and we must do what we can to protect them.

I do not write as a radical, looking for sweeping change; but rather as a concerned citizen who has seen enough going on in the political world for me to break my silence. I hope that you as a reader find my postings insightful and maybe eye opening. Thank you for reading, and as always, I will do my best to respond to all serious comments posted.