The dangers of socializing our country

I have thought long and hard about putting this posting up. Many of you are not going to read the whole thing (because it is very long, even for me), but I wanted those of you who so desired to be able to read this talk in its entirety. I tried many times to cut things out, to pare it down, but I think it is most effective when read all together. I have been increasingly worried about the move of our country towards socialism. It has been happening slowly in the past, but the events of recent days have shown that we are more than willing to move to a socialist society much quicker than I thought possible. We have turned into a country that wants the government to take care of us. Some time ago, I had come across a talk given by then Apostle Ezra Taft Benson. What impressed me so much about this talk is that it was given in General Conference in October of 1961. Talks in General Conference are considered to be right up there with scripture as far as revelation goes, so this talk carries a very powerful message. Read it and ponder it. I will post again in a couple days with some comments.

Here it is:

Elder Ezra Taft Benson
Of the Council of the Twelve Apostles

My brethren and sisters and friends, in keeping with the spirit of the keynote address of our beloved President, I desire, if the Lord will bless me, to speak to you about the American heritage of freedom-a plan of God.
I direct my remarks particularly to the men of America and more especially to those in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who hold the Holy Priesthood of God.
Every member of the priesthood should understand the divine plan designed by the Lord to raise up the first free people in modern times. Here is how scripture says it was achieved:

First: Prophecy is abundant that God deliberately kept the American continent hidden until after the Holy Roman Empire had been broken up and the various nations had established themselves as independent kingdoms. Keeping America hidden until this time was no accident. (2 Nephi 1:6, 8.)

Second: At the proper time, God inspired Columbus to overcome almost insurmountable odds to discover America and bring this rich new land to the attention of the gentiles in Europe. (1 Nephi 13:12; Admiral of the Ocean Sea, by Dr. Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 46-47.)

Third: God revealed to his ancient American prophets that shortly after the discovery of America there would be peoples in Europe who would desire to escape the persecution and tyranny of the Old World and flee to America. ( 1 Nephi 13:13-16.)

Fourth: God told his prophets that the kingdoms in Europe would try to exercise dominion over the people who had fled to America, but that in the wars for independence the American settlers would win. (This is a remarkable prophecy in that 2,300 years before the Revolutionary War was fought, God through his prophets predicted who would win it.) (Ibid., 13:16-19.)

Fifth: The prophets were told that in the latter days when the gentiles came to America they would establish it as a land of liberty on which there would be no kings. The. Lord declared that he would protect the land and whosoever would try to establish kings either from within or without would perish. (2 Nephi 10:8-14.)

Sixth: Having declared America to be a land of liberty, God undertook to raise up a band of inspired and intelligent leaders who could write a constitution of liberty and establish the first free people in modern times. The hand of God in this undertaking is clearly indicated by the Lord himself in a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith in these words

". . . I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose...." (D&C 101:80.)

Seventh: God declared that the United States Constitution was divinely inspired for the specific purpose of eliminating bondage and the violation of the rights and protection which belongs to "all flesh." (Ibid., 101:77-80.)

Eighth: God placed a mandate upon his people to befriend and defend the constitutional laws of the land and see that the rights and privileges of all mankind are protected. He verified the declaration of the founding fathers, that God created all men free. He also warned against those who would enact laws encroaching upon the sacred rights and privileges of free men. He urged the election of honest and wise leaders and said that evil men and laws were of Satan. (Ibid., 98:5-10.)

Ninth: God predicted through his prophets that this great gentile nation, raised up on the American continent in the last days, would become the richest and most powerful nation on the face of the earth; even "above all other nations." (See 1 Nephi 13:15, 30; Ether 2:12.)

Tenth: Concerning the United States, the Lord revealed to his prophets that its greatest threat would be a vast, worldwide "secret combination" which would not only threaten the United States but also seek to "overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, (Ether 8:25.)

Eleventh: In connection with attack on the United States, the Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith there would be an attempt to overthrow the country by destroying the Constitution. Joseph Smith predicted that the time would come when the Constitution would hang, as it were, by a thread, and at that time "this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction." (Journal History, Brigham Young's Speech, July 4, 1854.)

It is my conviction that the elders of Israel, widely spread over the nation will at that crucial time successfully rally the righteous of our country and provide the necessary balance of strength to save the institutions of constitutional government.

Twelfth: The Lord revealed to the Prophet Nephi that he established the gentiles on this land to be a free people forever, that if they were a righteous nation and overcame the wickedness and secret abominations which would arise in their midst, they would inherit the land forever. (1 Nephi 14:1-2.)

Thirteenth: But on the other hand, if the gentiles on this land reject the word of God and conspire to overthrow liberty and the Constitution, then their doom is fixed, and they ". . . shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant." (1 Nephi 14:6; 3 Nephi 21:11, 14, 21; D&C 84:114-115, 117.)

Fourteenth: The great destructive force which was to be turned loose on the earth and which the prophets for centuries have been calling the "abomination of desolation" is vividly described by those who saw it in vision. Ours is the first generation to realize how literally these prophecies can be fulfilled now that God, through science, has unlocked the secret to thermonuclear reaction.

In the light of these prophecies there should be no doubt in the mind of any priesthood holder that the human family is headed for trouble. There are rugged days ahead. It is time for every man who wishes to do his duty to get himself prepared-physically, spiritually, and psychologically-for the task which may come at any time, as suddenly as the whirlwind.

Where do we stand today? All over the world the light of freedom is being diminished. Across whole continents of the earth freedom is being totally obliterated.

Never in recorded history has any movement spread its power so far and so fast as has socialistic-communism in the last three decades. The facts are not pleasant to review. Communist leaders are jubilant with their success. They are driving freedom back on almost every front.

It is time, therefore, that every American, and especially every member of the priesthood, became informed about the aims, tactics, and schemes of socialistic-communism. This becomes particularly important when it is realized that communism is turning out to be the earthly image of the plan which Satan presented in the pre-existence. The whole program of socialistic- communism is essentially a war against God and the plan of salvation-the very plan which we fought to uphold during "the war in heaven."

Up to now some members of the Church have stood aloof, feeling that the fight against socialistic-communism is "controversial" and unrelated to the mission of the Church or the work of the Lord. But the President of the Church in our day has made it clear that the fight against atheistic communism is a major challenge to the Church and every member in it.

During the general conference of the Church in October 1959, President David O. McKay, in discussing the threat of communism, referred to W. Cleon Skousen's book, The Naked Communist, and said, "I admonish everybody to read that excellent book." He then quoted the following from the flyleaf: "The conflict between communism and freedom is the problem of our time. It overshadows all other problems."

The fight against godless communism is a very real part of every man's duty who holds the priesthood. It is the fight against slavery, immorality, atheism, terrorism, cruelty, barbarism, deceit, and the destruction of human life through a kind of tyranny unsurpassed by anything in human history. Here is a struggle against the evil, satanical priestcraft of Lucifer. Truly it can be called, "a continuation of the war in heaven."

In the war in heaven the devil advocated absolute eternal security at the sacrifice of our freedom. Although there is nothing more desirable to a Latter-day Saint than eternal security in God's presence, and although God knew, as did we, that some of us would not achieve this security if we were allowed our freedom-yet the very God of heaven, who has more mercy than us all, still decreed no guaranteed security except by a man's own freedom of choice and individual initiative.

Today the devil as a wolf in a supposedly new suit of sheep's clothing is enticing some men, both in and out of the Church, to parrot his line by advocating planned government guaranteed security programs at the expense of our liberties. Latter-day Saints should be reminded how and why they voted as they did in heaven. If some have decided to change their vote they should repent-throw their support on the side of freedom-and cease promoting this subversion.

When all of the trappings of propaganda and pretense have been pulled aside, the exposed hard-core structure of modern communism is amazingly similar to the ancient Book of Mormon record of secret societies such as the Gadiantons. In the ancient American civilization there was no word which struck greater terror to the hearts of the people than the name of the Gadiantons. It was a secret political party which operated as a murder cult. Its object was to infiltrate legitimate government, plant its officers in high places, and then seize power and live off the spoils appropriated from the people. (It would start out as a small group of "dissenters" and by using secret oaths with the threat of death for defectors it would gradually gain a choke hold on the political and economic life of whole civilizations. )

The object of the Gadiantons, like modern communists, was to destroy the existing government and set up a ruthless criminal dictatorship over the whole land.
One of the most urgent, heart-stirring appeals made by Moroni as he closed the Book of Mormon was addressed to the gentile nations of the last days. He foresaw the rise of a great world-wide secret combination among the gentiles which " . . . seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; . . ." (Ether 8:25. Italics added.) He warned each gentile nation of the last days to purge itself of this gigantic criminal conspiracy which would seek to rule the world.

The prophets, in our day, have continually warned us of these internal threats in our midst-that our greatest threat from socialistic-communism lies within our country. Brethren and sisters, we don't need a prophet-we have one-we need a listening ear. And if we do not listen and heed, then, as the Doctrine and Covenants states,

" . . . the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people." (D&C 1:14.)

The prophets have said that these threats are among us. The Prophet Moroni, viewing our day, said, "Wherefore the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation." (Ether 8:24.)
Unfortunately our nation has not treated the socialistic-communist conspiracy as "treasonable to our free institutions," as the First Presidency pointed out in a signed 1936 statement. If we continue to uphold communism by not making it treasonable, our land shall be destroyed, for the Lord has said that " . . . whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold they shall be destroyed; . . ." (Ibid., 8:22.)

The Prophet Moroni described how the secret combination would take over a country and then fight the work of God, persecute the righteous, and murder those who resisted. Moroni therefore proceeded to describe the workings of the ancient "secret combinations" so that modern man could recognize this great political conspiracy in the last days: "Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain-and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you,

"Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; . . .
"For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; . . ." (Ibid., 8:23-25. Italics added.)

The Prophet Moroni seemed greatly exercised lest in our day we might not be able to recognize the startling fact that the same secret societies which destroyed the Jaredites and decimated numerous kingdoms of both Nephites and Lamanites would be precisely the same form of criminal conspiracy which would rise up among the gentile nations in this day.

The stratagems of the leaders of these societies are amazingly familiar to anyone who has studied the tactics of modern communist leaders.
The Lord has declared that before the second coming of Christ it will be necessary to

". . . destroy the secret works of darkness, . . ." in order to preserve the land of Zion-the Americas. (2 Nephi 10:11-16.)

The world-wide secret conspiracy which has risen up in our day to fulfil these prophecies is easily identified. President McKay has left no room for doubt as to what attitude Latter-day Saints should take toward the modern "secret combinations" of conspiratorial communism. In a lengthy statement on communism, he said:

". . . Latter-day Saints should have nothing to do with the secret combinations and groups antagonistic to the constitutional law of the land, which the Lord 'suffered to be established,' and which 'should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh according to just and holy principles.' " (Gospel Ideals, by David O. McKay p. 306. Italics added.)

There are those who recommend that the clash between communism and freedom be avoided through disarmament agreements. Abolishing our military strength and adopting an unenforceable contract as a substitute to protect us would go down in history as the greatest mistake free men could make in a time of peril.

President McKay declared:

"Force rules in the world today, consequently, our government must keep armies abroad, build navies and air squadrons, create atom bombs to protect itself from the threatened aggression of a nation which seems to listen to no other appeal than compulsion." (Ibid., p. 304.)

This parallels the historic statement by George Washington when he vigorously warned:

"There is a rank due the United States among the nations that will be totally lost by the reputation of weakness. If we would avoid insult we must be able to repel it, if we would secure the peace it must be known that we are at all times ready for war."

Some timid, vacillating political leaders proclaim that communism is something we will have to learn to live with . . . whether it is Khrushchev, or some other leader. The present communist system, they declare, will continue because there is no alternate system to replace communism. The policy of increasing power, of pushing their system outward and using the communist party, they say, will go on.

Such a negative attitude writes off the hundreds of millions behind the iron curtain as a lost cause. Surely no courageous, liberty-loving citizen will treat the communist secret combination as "something we will have to learn to live with."
There is a more courageous and sounder point of view.

President McKay expressed it in these words:

"Men will be free. I have hoped for twenty years that the Russian system would break up. There is no freedom under it, and sooner or later the people will rise against it. They cannot oppose those fundamentals of civilization and of God. They can't crush their people always. Men will be free." (Church Section, Deseret News, November 6 1957, in an article entitled, "President McKay receives Senator Kennedy at Church Offices.")

What is the official position of the Church on communism? In 1936 the First Presidency made an official declaration on communism which has never been abrogated. I quote the concluding paragraph:

"We call upon all Church members completely to eschew communism. The safety of our divinely inspired constitutional government and the welfare of our Church imperatively demand that communism shall have no place in America"
We must ever keep in mind that collectivized socialism is part of the communist strategy. Communism is fundamentally socialism. We will never win our fight against communism by making concessions to socialism. Communism and socialism, closely related, must be defeated on principle. The close relationship between socialism and communism is clearly pointed out by Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina in a letter to the editor of the Washington Post, of August 6, 1961, in these words:
". . . Both socialism and communism derive from the teachings of Marx and Engels. In fact, the movements were one until the split over methods of approach, which resulted after the Russian revolution in 1905.... The aim and purpose of both was then and is now world socialism, which communism seeks to achieve through revolution and which socialists seek to achieve through evolution.
"The industrial achievements of the U. S. are the result of an economic system which is the antithesis of socialism. Our economic system is called 'capitalism' or 'private enterprise' and is based on private property rights, the profit motive and competition.
"Both communism and socialism seek to destroy our economic system and replace it with socialism; and their success, whether through evolution by socialism or through revolution by communism or a combination, will destroy not only our economic system, but our liberty, including the 'civil' aspects as well....
". . . The 'common ground' of socialism and communism is a factor to which the American people should be alerted. Without a clear understanding that communism is socialism, the total threat and menace of the cold war can never be comprehended and fought to victory."

When socialism is understood, we will realize that many of the programs advocated, and some of those already adopted in the United States, fall clearly within the category of socialism. What is socialism? It is simply governmental ownership and management of the essential means for the production and distribution of goods.

We must never forget that nations may sow the seeds of their own destruction while enjoying unprecedented prosperity.

The socialistic-communist conspiracy to weaken the United States involves attacks on many fronts. To weaken the American free-enterprise economy which outproduced both its enemies and allies during World War II is a high priority target of the communist leaders. Their press and other propaganda media are therefore constantly selling the principles of centralized or federal control of farms, railroads, electric power, schools, steel, maritime shipping, and many other aspects of the economy-but always in the name of public welfare.

This carries out the strategy laid down by the communist masters. John Strachey, a top official in the Labor Socialist party of Great Britain, in his book entitled The Theory and Practice of Socialism said:

"It is impossible to establish communism as the immediate successor to capitalism. It is accordingly proposed to establish socialism as something which we can put in the place of our present decaying capitalism. Hence, communists work for the establishment of socialism as a necessary transition stage on the road to communism."

The paramount issue today is liberty against creeping socialism. It is in this spirit that President McKay stated:

"Communism is antagonistic to the American way of life. Its avowed purpose is to destroy belief in God and free enterprise.... The fostering of full economic freedom lies at the base of our liberties. Only in perpetuating economic freedom can our social, political, and religious liberties be preserved." (Excerpt from Inaugural address for Dr. Henry A. Dixon, President of USU, delivered by President McKay at the USU fieldhouse, Logan, Utah, Monday, March 18, 1954.)

Again President McKay warned, citing the words of W. C. Mullendore, president of Southern California Edison Company:

"During the first half of the twentieth century we have traveled far into the soul-destroying land of socialism and made strange alliances through which we have become involved in almost continuous hot and cold wars over the whole of the earth. In this retreat from freedom the voices of protesting citizens have been drowned by raucous shouts of intolerance and abuse from those who led the retreat and their millions of gullible youth, who are marching merrily to their doom, carrying banners on which are emblazoned such intriguing and misapplied labels as social justice equality, reform patriotism social welfare." (Gospel Ideals, p. 273.)

It is significant that 118 years ago this month the Prophet Joseph Smith, after attending lectures on socialism, made this official entry in church history: "I said I did not believe the doctrine." (History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 33.)

No true Latter-day Saint and no true American can be a socialist or a communist or support programs leading in that direction. These evil philosophies are incompatible with Mormonism, the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

What can priesthood holders do? There are many things we can do to meet the challenge of the adversary in our day.

First, we should become informed about communism, about socialism, and about Americanism. What better way can one become informed than by first studying the inspired words of the prophets and using that as a foundation; against which to test all other material. This is in keeping with the Prophet Joseph Smith's motto, "When the Lord commands, do it." (Ibid., Vol. 2, p. 170.)

The Foundation for Economic Education, Irvington-on-Hudson, New York on which President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., served as a board member, continues to supply sound freedom literature. We should know enough about American free enterprise to be able to defend it. We should know what makes it possible for six percent of humanity-living under our free economy-to produce about one-half of the earth's developed wealth each year.

We should know why paternalism, collectivism, or unnecessary federal supervision will hold our standard of living down and reduce productivity just as it has in every country where it has been tried. We should also know why the communist leaders consider socialism the highroad to communism.

Second, we should accept the command of the Lord and treat socialistic communism as the tool of Satan. We should follow the counsel of the President of the Church and resist the influence and policies of the socialist-communist conspiracy wherever they are found-in the schools, in the churches, in governments, in unions, in businesses, in agriculture.

Third, we should help those who have been deceived or who are misinformed to find the truth. Unless each person who knows the truth will "stand up and speak up" it is difficult for the deceived or confused citizen to find his way back.

Fourth, we should not make the mistake of calling people "communist" just because they happen to be helping the communist cause. Thousands of patriotic Americans, including a few Latter-day Saints, have helped the communists without realizing it. Others have knowingly helped without joining the party. The remedy is to avoid name-calling, but point out clearly and persuasively how they are helping the communists.

Fifth, each priesthood holder should use his influence in the community to resist the erosion process which is taking place in our political and economic life. He should use the political party of his choice to express his evaluation of important issues. He should see that his party is working to preserve freedom, not destroy it. He should join responsible local groups interested in promoting freedom and free competitive enterprise, in studying political issues, appraising the voting records and proposed programs, and writing to members of Congress, promoting good men in public office and scrutinizing local, state, and federal agencies to see that the will of the people is being carried out. He should not wait for the Lord's servants to give instruction for every detail once they have announced the direction in which the priesthood should go. Each member should exercise prayerful judgment and then act.

Sixth, and most important of all, each member of the priesthood should set his own house in order. This should include:

1. Regular family prayer, remembering especially our government leaders.
2. Getting out of debt.
3. Seeing that each member of the family understands the importance of keeping the commandments.
4. Seeing that the truth is shared with members of the family, with neighbors, and with associates.
5. Seeing that each member is performing his duties in the priesthood, in the auxiliary organizations, in the temple, and in the civic life of the community.
6. Seeing that every wage earner in the home is a full tithepayer and fulfilling other obligations in financial support of the kingdom.
7. Providing a one-year supply of essentials.

In doing these things a member of the Church is not only making himself an opponent of the adversary, but a proponent of the Lord.
In the prophecies there is no promise except to the obedient. To a modern prophet the Lord said:

"Therefore, what I say unto one, I say unto all: Watch, for the adversary spreadeth his dominions, and darkness reigneth;
"And the anger of God kindleth against the inhabitants of the earth;
". . . I give unto you directions how you may act before me, that it may turn to you for your salvation.
"I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." (D&C 82:5-6, 9-10.)

May God give us the wisdom to recognize the threat to our freedom and the strength to meet this danger courageously.

Yes, perilous times are ahead, but if we do our duty in all things, God will give us inner peace and overrule all things for our good. God grant it may be so, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

More on my idea of giving

There is something that I thought of as I was doing my last post, but it didn't make it into the message. It was brought home a little more today as I taught a lesson on Fasting.

In the church I belong to, there are two main types of offerings that we make (money wise that is). We have tithing and fast offerings. There is a big difference in them and i want to bring that out. First of all, tithing is an all or nothing thing. Do you pay 10% of your increase or do you not. If you do, then you receive the blessings that the Lord has laid our for obedience to that commandment. It is a wonderful blessing to all those who follow it. I strongly believe that if you live the law of tithing, that the Lord will bless you to be able to take care of your family and financial obligations as long as you are wise in your actions.

The second portion of the offerings we give are fast offerings. When we fast, we then give to the church (at a minimum) the amount of money we would have used for those 2 meals that we have skipped. That money is used to help those in need financially, first in the area that you live in, but if there is extra and others are in need further away, that money can go to help them. This is one of those interesting commandments. There is some leeway in this one. It is one of the ones that the Lord uses to see how faithful you are willing to be in following the spirit of the law.

Take me for instance. I usually skip breakfast, so I don't have to do anything there, and my lunch usually amounts to a sandwich and top ramen on Sundays. Top Ramen is about 8 for $1 and my sandwich is maybe about a dollars worth, if that. Technically, I could pay $2 and say that I was paying my fast offerings. Technically, that is really all the Lord has asked me to do. However, what is the spirit of the fast? Why do we do it?

As I mentioned in my last post, I have been the beneficiary of these fast offerings when I was out of work. It was a great blessing, it allowed us to stay in this area and keep our house. If everyone in the congregation was only giving the types of offerings I was mentioning earlier (my $2), there is no way the Bishop would have been able to help me out. The great thing about fast offerings is that you can give as much or as little as you want. There are times in my life that I have not been able to give, but now is not one of those times. We as a family give more than the minimum because we can. It is a way that we can help those around us above and beyond our normal capacity. It is a wonderful blessing to be able to pay more in fast offerings than I need to. I firmly believe that as we are generous in our fast offerings, the Lord will bless us above and beyond our wildest dreams.

Most of the time these blessings are not monetary in nature. I cannot tell you of the feeling I get when I know that someone who is having a hard time is able to last a little longer because of my help. When we tie the monetary offerings with an offering of service, the reward is immeasurable. Because I choose to willingly help others, I am blessed in return with a clear conscience and a glad heart. Because I am willingly giving of my substance and time, how much better off I am. There is nothing better than a glad heart and clean hands.

I have been impressed over and over again at the willingness to help others that I have seen around me. Because we have the freedom to give, we do, and it makes us happy. It is so completely opposite the feeling I get when I am forced to pay for something that someone may or may not need. When it is forced upon us, we resent and become less willing to give. I guess this is going to get political again (tis that season), but this is the difference I see in the two major sides of the debate (conservative and progressive, not Republican or Democrat). Progressives believe that it is right and just to take away from one group in order to help another. Conservatives believe that, left to themselves, people will help those around them. In forcing to give, we have the blessings of given taken away from us.

I hope that we all will give our time and talents to support those around us who are in need. I hope that we can, through our example, help others to see the joy that we receive through willing giving. I hope that the government can learn to get out of the giving cycle and allow us to once again be the beneficiaries of the blessing that come from happy giving. Those blessings come to those who give and who receive. We have facilitated in the enslavement of millions as we have pushed off our responsibilities to the government. Many are now enslaved by chains that are difficult to shake off, chains they will pass and have passed onto their children. Too many are enslaved by the chains of reliance on government. We too often let others do what we can and should be doing for ourselves. It is time to stop. If you have to rely on someone other than yourself, let it be your family. If your family cannot help, let it be your neighbors or church. If they cannot help, then gird up your loins and dig in and do it yourself. There is nothing in this life that you can't overcome with the help of God and a little elbow grease. The scriptures say to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling". I say that this relates not only to our spiritual salvation, but our temporal salvation as well. It is time to work out our own salvation. Work as if everything in this life depends on you, then pray as if everything in life depends on God. Where we fall short, that is where the Lord picks up and allows us to go farther than we ever thought possible on our own.

Wow, I get preachy sometimes. Oh well, it is your fault for reading it. Let's get away from the tithing attitude (boy that sounds bad...) and get into the fast offering attitude of giving all that we can, not just what we are required to do. All of us will benefit from that.

Why I am a liberal...

That may seem a strange title to a post by me. Before any of you start worrying that I have become a pod person and you need to come save me, let me explain. The definition of a liberal or conservative has changed from time to time over the years. Prior to FDR, a liberal had the following ideals:

-individual freedom
-limited government
-individual property rights
-natural rights (inherent in being a human being)
-the protection of civil liberties
-constitutional limitations on government
-free markets

Now in case you think I am just a walking encyclopedia, I am using resources such as Wikipedia and other online sites as reference material. With that disclaimer, let me get on with my explanation.

I believe that government was made to serve the people, but not to take away the ability of its citizens to act for themselves. A different way of saying this could be that the government is to protect us from outside hostile influences, not protect us from our own decisions. We should be free to act for ourselves, free to make choices in our lives, free to be all that we can be, or free to fail if our choices are bad ones. The only way we truly learn is by failing and then picking ourselves back up again. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. Just like it took thousands of tries to come up with a reliable filament for the lightbulb, our path to success will be littered with the results of our failures. Is it bad to fail? As painful as it may be at the time, that is truly how we learn. If we don't learn the first time, then we have the chance to fail again, and again, and again until we get it right. Through the process of failure comes success. When we take away a persons right to fail, we also take away their right to succeed. You don't hear that every day, but if you think about it, I think you will find you agree.

Are there times in life where we need help to get through our situations? Absolutely. A few years ago, I found myself without a paying job, many financial obligations, and no real prospects for a paycheck. It was a dark time for me. With our savings dwindling away and no money coming in, I was faced with a difficult decision. Well, it wasn't really a decision per se, it was more of a dilemma. I needed to go to my church and ask for help financially. It was against everything I believed in to go and ask for money that I didn't earn. There was an element of shame and embarrasment that I had not felt before. I had failed in my responsibilities as a husband and father. It was a difficult meeting to say the least. They helped me, I later got a job, and now I give more than I did before because of the feeling of obligation I have. I was helped in a time of need, and now I can help others and I choose to do so.

I have thought about that experience often and I have wondered if I should have felt the way I did about taking that help. The more I think about it, the more I realize that the shame and embarasment are there for a reason. We should not feel comfortable taking from someone else the substance that they have worked for. It should be with great soul searching and agony that we make the decision to take from others what is rightfully theirs and that they have received as reward for their labors. That should only be taken when it is willfully given. What right do I have as someone in need to take forcefully that which has been legally and rightfully obtained by someone else. The only way that their substance should be given to me is if they willingly give it, and once it is given to me, I should feel the solemn obligation to spend that wisely.

We often talk of how we should help others in times of need. Unfortunately, the definition of liberalism has been twisted to now say that we are in need of a "benevolent dictator" to take forcefully from those that produce and give to those that do not. In doing this, we take away two very important concepts in our society: personal responsibility, and the joy of giving. There is a spiritual reward for giving, and I am not talking about some churchy thing. It is a natural law, with the benefits available to anyone. When we willingly help someone else, we help to make ourselves whole. I firmly believe that we have a mechanism built into us that when we are helping someone else, we are happier. If you are ever overwhelmed by the problems in your own life, see what happens when you willingly and lovingly forget yourself for a minute and help someone else. You will see what I mean very quickly.

The second part of that is the personal responsibility. We are all responsible for our own well being (well, we should be at least). Unfortunately, we have decided that the role of government is to save people from their mistakes. That could not be further from the truth. If it is true that we have inherent rights endowed upon us by our creator, and that those rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, then how can we justify the current attitudes towards the role of government? I especially like the way they phrased this. The concepts of life and liberty cannot be taken away. By our choices, we may lose either of those, through recklessness or disdain for the law. The last concept is the pursuit of happiness. We are not guaranteed happiness, it is not a right. Through our decisions and the attitudes we have, we may be happy and we may not be. Some may think that to be happy means to have a yacht and 3 vacation homes and a house with 8 bathrooms (in my case, having to clean 8 bathrooms puts a big damper on that for me). If this is your desire, you are free to pursue that dream. Others may think that happiness is a small cabin on a lake with no contact with the outside world. If you can do it, go for it. Nowhere in any of the founding documents of our country does it mention our right to happiness. There is a reason for that. Nobody but yourself can decide whether you are happy or not. If I were to give you everything you ever wanted, that would still not guarantee your happiness. Happiness is a state of mind, not a tangible thing. I have know truly happy people that have none of the things that you or I think are necessary for happiness. I have know truly unhappy people who seem to have everything you could ever want. What is the difference? The difference is their attitude.

So, now we have come down to what I think the difference between a classic liberal and a liberal (or progressive) is. Attitude. I believe that a classic liberal looks at the world as full of opportunity and possibility. We can achieve anything our heart desires as long as we don't have government interfering in it. A progressive believes that the world is full of inequities and the only way to make things fair for everyone is to have the government level the playing field. It is the old cup half empty/half full argument. Are there inequities in the world? Absolutely. Are there injustices? Are there people who have more challenges than others because of their color, religion, sex, or because they are not as good looking as someone else? Surely. Is it the job of government to "level the playing field" by mandating equal results for all? No way. It is the role of government to protect our freedom. Our freedom to thrive, our freedom to fail. The government should protect our land by sticking to the concepts of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. We should not let anyone take those freedoms away, whether it be foreign foe or our own government. The role of government is to protect our borders so that we can have the freedom to follow our dreams.

OK, that is a really long post. It appears that you will rarely get a short one from me, no matter how hard I try. I now have to go to work so I can continue to pursue what I think will make me happy...

reactions to Gov. Palin's speech

You know, I am a little concerned for Joe Biden. Everyone was talking about how good old Joe was going to run circles around the Republican VP nominee. Watch out Joe, you may be in over your head. Here are some of my favorite quotes from her speech to the convention:

Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involved. I guess — I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities.

Well, I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I’ve learned quickly these last few days that, if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But — now, here’s a little newsflash. Here’s a little newsflash for those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion. I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this great country.

Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reason and not just to mingle with the right people. Politics isn’t just a game of clashing parties and competing interests. The right reason is to challenge the status quo, to serve the common good, and to leave this nation better than we found it.

And now, I’ve noticed a pattern with our opponent, and maybe you have, too. We’ve all heard his dramatic speeches before devoted followers, and there is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it’s easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or even a reform, not even in the State Senate. This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting and never use the word “victory,” except when he’s talking about his own campaign.

I think I can finally in good conscious cast my vote for John McCain. In the last two elections I have voted Constitution Party. I like their platform and agree with what they stand for. The problem is that with the election looking like it will be so close, I found myself questioning whether I could stay out of the Republican/Democrat fray. I think I can now say that the ticket of McCain/Palin has assuaged my concerns. I do not agree with everything McCain has done. I don't agree with some of his stances and policies. I do not, however, believe that Sarah Palin will just sit in the background and not speak up when McCain is wanting to do something that Conservatives will have major problems with. I think she may be able to balance him and tip the scales in the Conservative direction.

Finally, let me just comment on the commentators tonight. Being the glutton for punishment that I am, I turned to MSNBC to see their coverage of the Sarah Palin speech. Over an over again, the main guy at the desk (Keith Olbermann) would make a comment about how Palin's speech was sarcastic, or the wrong tone, or some other negative thing. Then, the reporter on the convention floor would interview someone and say something like this: "Some people have said that Palin's speech was overly sarcastic, what do you think about that?". The clearly orchestrated comments by the talking head and then repeating of his terms to the convention floor was painful, but comical, to watch. It is nice to see that the left wing commentators are finally taking their masks off and really letting people know who they are. The honesty is refreshing. Thanks Keith.

Should be an interesting couple of months. Without a doubt, change is headed to Washington. Let's hope that it is the change that we desire. God bless you all.

Anthony

What I think about Gov. Palin

I'm sure there are a few of you that are wondering what I think about John McCain's pick for VP. To begin with, let me tell you what I know about her. To tell you what an Alaskan loser I am, I still read the Anchorage Daily News at least 3-4 times per week (I also read the Homer News 2-3 times per month). I haven't lived there since 1993, but I still keep up somewhat on the state. I first started looking into Sarah Palin about 6 months ago and after a couple days of reading, I was suggesting to those around me that she would make the perfect VP pick for whoever became the Republican nominee. None of the frontrunners were really true conservatives, so any one of them would have benefitted from her credentials. Here are some of the things I like about her.

First, she is from Alaska. OK, that seems to be a given, but I have found that people in Alaska have a different way of looking at things. There is a rugged individualism that says, "go ahead and throw whatever you will at me, I will pick myself back up and continue on". I firmly believe that we need to do everything we can to help ourselves. The other thing about Alaskans is that when the chips are down for someone, everyone picks up and helps out. I have had numerous personal experiences where tragedy and devastation have hit and everyone pitches in and helps. No waiting for the government to come bail them out. So, the fact that Sarah Palin is from Alaska is a big plus.

Second, of any of the candidates, she is the closest to a real person with current real person experience. That confusing sentence means that she knows what real life is like right now. I don't think any of the other candidates really has a clue what it is like to be an American today. On a side note, that is why I think that nobody should be allowed to stay in Washington D.C. for more than 8-12 years. After 8-12 years, you have to go somewhere else and spend another 12 years in the real world before even thinking about going back. OK, back to the topic at hand. She has children like me, she is a similar age to me, she has similar experiences that help her to have a certain outlook on life. I like that.

Third, if you have lived in Alaska, you know that politics and oil are inseparably connected and that has caused some, shall we say "indiscretions" to enter politics. When I think of political corruption, I think of 3 places: Louisiana, Illinois, and Alaska. Well, out of the 2 camps, we have representatives from 2 of the 3. I won't talk about Obama except to say that he seemed to have no problems in politics in one of the most corrupt cities in the nation. We can talk more about him later, but I am focusing on Governor Palin now. She not only talked the talk about rooting out corruption, but she did something about it. She took on not only the Democrats, but the corrupt Republicans in Alaska. In spite of her own party campaigning against her, she won the race and became Alaska's first female governor. I trust her more than any other politician I know right now. Of course, most of you know that I don't have much trust for any politicians currently, so this isn't saying much, but we shall see.

Lastly, she has the conservative values that I look for in a leader. She is a lifetime member of the NRA, she is strongly pro-life to the point that she carried to term and gave birth to a child with Down's Syndrome even though she knew the child had health issues before he was born. She could have chosen to abort him (as is the suggestion so many times by those on the left), but she chose not to. She is a mother who has shown that you can be successful and busy but still stay together as a family. She not only talked about reducing political earmarks, but she told the congressional delegation from Alaska that she would not accept them (and then followed through with it). When confronted by the Global Warming crowd about polar bears, she had an excellent response. She said that we all have to deal with the very real possibility of "Climate Change" in a reasonable way that is balanced and makes sense. She did not automatically deny that change is happening, but realizes that there are many factors to deal with and that, like it or not, humans are on the top of the food chain. Furthermore, she has the negotiating experience (more than any of the other candidates) that I look for in a leader. Look at this link for an interesting story American Spectator Article

I will write more on my feelings about this after tonights speech. It will be interesting to see what kind of response it gets. I have seen nothing but negative things in the media about Governor Palin, so I am curious as to their reactions tonight.

Keep your chin up and your powder dry.

Anthony

Family Reunion in Washington

Well, time for another update. I am right now sitting at my parents kitchen table (well, I just moved to the living room) enjoying a family reunion. We actually will have by midnight tonight all our family, including spouses and kids. That is quite a feat. We just spent some time together playing games, having dinner, and talking. It is nice to be able to have everyone here. About half of us flew and the other half drove, which brings me to todays purpose in writing. I cannot believe how much it cost us to drive over here. Gas prices are just getting ridiculous. It is so frustrating to see the political machine at work (or not at work as the case may be). I have seldom seen politics rise to the level of absurdity that they have recently.

First of all, let me state my beliefs on energy and energy independence. I am a firm believer that we, the United States of America, should be able to provide for all of our energy needs. We are one of the most blessed lands as far as natural resources go. We have an abundance of so many things that most other nations could only wish to put their hands on. There is no reason for us to need to import any natural resource that we can get on our own in our own lands. We are fools if we make ourselves slaves to other nations (especially enemies) through dependance on their benevolence and desire for mutual gratification. Oh wait, we have already done that...

That being said, I don't believe that oil is the only answer for our problems. Normally I am against and kind of bill that has the word "comprehensive" in it. I don't believe that congress should take on more than 1 item at a time because when they do, someone always figures out a way to add funding for a Spotted Sparrow museum into the war funding act. The museum gets funding because nobody wants to vote against the war funding. It is a big shell game that we all lose (and the politicians are the only winners). However, I believe that we need, as a nation, to have a "comprehensive energy policy" in order to help us to get energy independent and for us to be able to sustain our growth. Here are the things I believe we should do (and this means immediately).

First, we should open up offshore drilling grounds. Why is it that we let all the other nations, using slant drilling techniques, to take the oil that is rightfully within our borders. Why do other nations, considered far more environmentally friendly than the United States, allow offshore drilling in their countries? Can it be done in an environmentally friendly way, absolutely. I hear so many people talk about how it will take 15 years for us to benefit from any oil exploration now. What a bunch of bull. We may not get any oil from it for 15 years, but it will benefit us now. Many now claim that oil speculation is one of the major reasons for the increase in oil prices. If that is true, then just knowing that oil will be flowing through the pipelines and shipping lanes in 10-15 years will be enough to drive prices down in the short term. Back in the 70's when we had the energy crisis and President Carter declared that we were going to invest in all kinds of new technologies, the price of oil went down. The middle eastern countries did not want us to take advantage of our own resources because that meant that we would not be buying from them. The same thing will happen again this time. The current prices are not sustainable. We have too many technologies that are reasonable at $80 a barrel that we would never consider when oil was at $20 a barrel. The market is all about opinion of what is going to happen in the future. Show the world we are serious about energy independence (and really mean it), and we will see prices come down.

The second part of my plan is to start building more nuclear power plants. Even with all the waste from nuclear energy production, it is still the cleanest energy we have. If people would just stop the "not in my backyard" mentality and start looking at the benefits of nuclear energy, we could move this country to the next phase of energy independence. One of the greatest strengths of the American people is their ingenuity and perserverence. We can solve any problem we set out minds to. Someone out there right now has an idea of how to make transporting and storing of nuclear waste safer and more efficient. That person (or persons) just have to get the right people together and we will have the answer. How do you think all those electric cars are going to get charged up? We need this capacity.

Next, we need to put some of that ingenuity into coming up with cleaner coal technology. We have an abundance of coal in this country. Already we have reduced drastically the emissions from coal fired electricity plants. We just need to do more. If we can find a way to scrub the carbon dioxide from these plants (and I have already heard of a few very feasable inventions that already work), we can take advantage of the vast wealth of coal we have at our fingertips.

On an additional energy source note, someone needs to do something about the way we store our electricity. The current batteries we use for our electric and hybrid cars are a joke. They are way too big and environmentally unfriendly. When we start needing to replace all these batteries, where are they going to go? What will our landfills look like with 50,000 very large battery systems from the Prius's? What kind of impact will that have on our environment? I sure hope that there are lots of super smart people working on a new type of battery right now. If not, then our capabilities in the electric car department will be severely limited.

Lastly (for now), we need to put some brain power into our renewable natural resources. That would include wind, solar, hydroelectric, and tidal power to name a few. Of all of those, the only reliable one is the tidal power. Not too many people have spent much energy on this type, but I believe that the constant flow of the tides could be an incredible, constant source of energy. The others (solar and wind) that so many people talk about are important, but not for critical systems. They are too unpredictable. I see the best use of these is in individual power generation. Put solar shingles on your roof, put a windmill on your property, put up solar panels in your yard. These are great for a variety of purposes. Keep your electric bill down, take strain off the system, have power when there is a grid outage. Great solutions that we can start to implement now to help us in our personal lives.

Anyone who says that we cannot be totally self reliant in our energy needs is either uninformed, illogical, or being too political. We need to take the politics out of energy policy. If we can put all these pieces together into a comprehensive energy policy, we can be truly energy independent. That is what we need now, not political bickering and posturing. Normally I think that the less that gets done in Washington D.C. the better, but this is one time I think they need to get off their (well, you get the idea) and do something right for this country.

God bless you, God bless the United States, keep your chin up.

Anthony

more updates...

OK, so I am sitting here in an Arby's in Elko, Nevada waiting for my mother in law to show up with Kira, so I have a few minutes to update you all again. Unfortunately, I figured out the time zones incorrectly, so I arrived over an hour early. As long as they don't kick me out of the Arby's I'll be fine.

So Kira has been in Reno with her Grandma Teri and Grandpa Rex for the last week. Gusti was at girl's camp and Kyle was at scout camp so her and Tori (her cousin from Germany) went to visit Grandma. They had fun there, but I sure missed having Kira at home. With Kali in Germany, she's my only girl that is around. One of the things I love about Kira is that whenever I come home, she gets up and runs to me and gives me a big hug. I miss those hugs.

One of the other things I miss are the talks that I used to have with Kali at night. She used to come into our bedroom right at bedtime and want to have these long talks about whatever was going on. The cynical side of me says that she has figured out a novel way to postpone her bedtime, but I'm sure it is just that she wants to spend time with Gusti and I. As frustrating as it was at times to try to get her out of our room so we could go to sleep, I do miss it. I am excited for her to get home. She flies in on the 28th of July, so it is not too much longer.

I just want to say that Gusti took some great converse pictures on the 4th of July, but I have been a slug and have not put them up yet. Sorry Ron. I will get them up soon.

Gotta go to the Taco Bell to meet the girls. God bless you, God bless the United States, and keep your chin up.

Anthony

Catching up...

OK, so I am finding that I am as good at keeping up with my blog as I am with keeping in touch with my friends (which means not very good). Oh well, I guess I should have known that I wouldn't be any better just because it is digital and I can type it.

Anyway, I had quite the experience a couple weeks ago. For those of you who are not LDS, sorry, but I am going to talk about churchy things. 2 weeks ago, I had the opportunity of ordaining my son to the priesthood. Kyle turned 12 on the 1st of July and so he was going to become a deacon. That is cool in and of itself, however this day was even more special. On the same day, I was able to ordain Chris (our foster son) to get the priesthood as well. Quite the experience. I had the opportunity to baptize Chris not too long ago and he was now getting the priesthood. Both of these experiences was a little different.

First of all, ordaining your son (only son) to receive the Aaronic Priesthood is quite an overwhelming experience. I can't tell you how proud I am of Kyle and how good of a kid he is. He never ceases to amaze me with his level of caring, compassion, and observation. If even a percentage of boys his age have the qualities that Kyle has, then we are in good hands for the future. Being able to pass the priesthood to him that I received from my Father a number of years ago (I can't count that high, so I won't tell you how many years ago that was) was an experience I will never forget. I know that Kyle will magnify his priesthood and be an example to those in his quorum.

About 2 minutes after ordaning Kyle, I had the opportunity to ordain Chris and make him a Priest. An interesting thing has happened as I have had some recent experiences with Chris. I have had the spirit bear stong witness to me that the decisions he has made are what Heavenly Father wants him to do. I have to say there is a bond there and some feelings that I have towards him that I didn't necessarily have before. It has been a great experience.

Well, because Kyle was now a Deacon, I knew they would be asking him to pass the sacrament. I went over a couple things with him and told him that the other Deacons would help him out. He was a little nervous, but ready. I was finishing something up, so I had to send Gusti and Kyle and Chris over to the chapel without me. About 5 minutes later, Gusti texted me and said I better hurry and get over there because both Kyle and Chris were passing the sacrament for the first time. I wasn't finished, but I left what I was doing and ran over to the church (couldn't miss it...) and made it in time. I can't put into words the feelings I had watching them both pass the sacrament. Kyle picked up on things quickly, but Chris was having some issues. I wasn't sure what to do to help him, but I was spared the need to intervene because one of the members of the ward stood up and guided him for a couple minutes until he had it down. Then he let him finish on his own. I love this ward. We have people who care about others and help out when needed. This was just another experience in a long list of experiences like this.

Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know about this. I won't ever have the chance to do this again, and it was a great time.

I will update you again soon (maybe even today, I have more to write). I think I am going to end my posts with something a local talk show host uses to sign off every day.

God bless you, God bless the United States, keep your chin up.

Anthony

Chucks in history

Well, Ron wanted me to post some pics of historical people wearing Converse. I wasn't able to find any of the founding fathers with them (yet), but I did find a couple interesting ones...



I always knew it was cool to wear chucks...

I even found a pirate...



I even found a really cool one for all you Full House fans...(I know you're out there)



That's all I have for now, but I am sure I will find more later.

Happy Blogday to me...

What an interesting time to start a blog. For those of you who don’t know, I have some pretty strong feelings about the country I live in and the direction we are headed. I’m sure that if you can make it through this post and come back from time to time that you will see that. To start this blog out, I want to tell you something that happened to me yesterday.

I was sitting in church and it was time to sing a hymn. Since it is so close to Independence Day, we were singing one of the patriotic hymns, America the Beautiful. I like to sing and so I was singing along and everything was good. We got to the end of the second verse and something happened. I couldn’t sing any more. It was like I was seeing the words for the first time and they had a profound effect on me. Here are the words to the song:

1. Oh, beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood, From sea to shining sea.
2. Oh, beautiful for pilgrim feet,Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law.
3. Oh, beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved, And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness, And ev’ry gain divine.
4. Oh, beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam,Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea.

I know this is a long post, but you are going to have to put up with it (or just leave, either way). The words that started to affect me are at the end of the second verse. “America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law.” I have felt from time to time that my love and feelings for my country may be a little over the top. I firmly believe that this country was established in order for a greater good to be established on the earth; a place where freedoms and rights and responsibilities could coexist in a way to make the strongest and freest people and nation in the world. I still believe that to the core.

The one thing that I have struggled with is that in receiving that freedom, some here have chosen to exercise it unwisely. We have the meek and lowly that are not always taken care of and sometimes abused. We have those who take advantage of their power for their own benefit and to the detriment of others. We have those whose words and actions would cause any normal thinking person to pause and reconsider the levels of freedom that we afford to all in this nation. Is this really what freedom is all about?

I remember watching a broadcast on the last night of 1999. I was at work (because in the computer world there was this thinking that we might be witnessing the end of the world as we knew it) and I was watching Nightline or something like that. They had representatives from three prominent religions in the United States on and were interviewing them about the state of the world. The first two gentlemen talked about how wicked the world was and how the younger generations needed to get back to God or the whole world was headed for disaster. After they were finished, President Gordon B. Hinckley had his turn. In his usual positive way, he reflected on the many instances he had seen over the years of the youth helping those in need, of the countless hours of service, the many acts of charity, and the general positive demeanor he found in the youth today. He spoke of the hope he had for the nation because of what he had seen in those future leaders. It was truly a contrast after hearing the dire predictions of the others.

I tend to believe as Pres. Hinckley did. I have always felt that we have been given the most wonderful gift we could receive, that of agency, freedom to choose. Because of that agency, some will choose wisely; others will choose the selfish path that destroys those around them in the pursuit of their own gain. Would it be better to take some of their freedoms away in order to form a better working society? Some would say yes. I answer that with a resounding NO. The reason we have people in our nation who are great is because they have taken that same agency and chosen to do good.

“America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law.”

Is America perfect? Do we always make the correct decisions? Well, of course the answer to that is no. The founding fathers realized this, and were concerned that we in the future might not make the correct decisions. However, instead of limiting our freedoms (which some would say would have been a good idea), they reinforced the idea that we are free; that in our freedom we make mistakes. But, as the author of America the Beautiful so eloquently represents, the idea is that we learn and grow. That as we make decisions, we ask God to help us overcome our flaws. That as we make mistakes, we learn and seek for a better way.

God mend our every flaw, May God our gold refine, and when we do good, crown it in brotherhood and bless us that that our successes will bring light and liberty and truth to those on this earth that need it so much.

The greatest gift we have in this life here on earth is the ability to choose (even though my kids probably think they don’t get to choose enough). Let us use our freedom wisely to bring success and prosperity and happiness to all those around us. Let us use our freedom to lift those who are in need to a better place. Let us cherish our freedom enough to fight for it when those who would enslave us in bonds of sloth and servitude come calling with their siren song of assistance. Let us not regress to a time where we allow others to make all our decisions for us, to take that freedom from us in the name of security. Fight for freedom, fight for liberty, fight for justice.
To end this extremely long post (get used to it), I want to quote something from the Declaration of Independence.

“And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”
What will we do to support and sustain our freedom? This is a question for another (long) posting. But as we celebrate the 4th of July, think on these words and what it meant for those who set up the system to guarantee our freedoms. Think on it and ask yourself what you can do to keep those freedoms alive.