Xerox – Let’s Say Thanks

One of many in the Hero Generation

 

A special way to say “Thank You” to our troops.  The picture is of my nephew, Jonathon Heideman, in the service.  I thought a lot about the sacrifices these young men and women make for our country.  Today, I was on the plane to Salt Lake City.  A young man in uniform was going home to Utah to see his daughter.  He had not seen her since she was 2 months old.  She’s 8 months now.  He missed her rolling over, and sitting up, he missed her crawling, and now, she’s getting to take her first little steps.   He has only spent 2 weeks of her life with her.  What an amazing sacrifice.  He has time to spend Thanksgiving with her, and then he’ll ship to Afghanistan.  All of our hero’s make sacrifices.  There is a new generation of heros.  Remember them.

Click on the orange corners to see a message, and then click on the link to send your card.

Joe the Plumber, and A Look At Our Government

Two bald plumbers and me

 by Jacqueline Smith

I went to an event for Cherilyn Eagar last night.  She is running on the Republican platform for U. S. Senate against incumbent Bob Bennett.  I had a  chance to meet Joe Wurzelbacher.  He was very nice, and gave a great speech.  Before he spoke, my husband and I had a chance to speak with him for about 20 minutes.  We talked a lot about plumbing.

I think he feels like many of us.  He said being famous isn’t fun, and he would rather be plumbing.  While he enjoys going on the road and meeting people, and spreading the word about taking our country back, he, like many of us, wants to do the things in life that we do well.  We want to do things that bring us joy, happiness, and peace in our lives.  We love spending time with family, with friends, and being productive.  So does he.  Now we are thrown into a political maelstrom and feel we can no longer watch as the political winds blow the country into a place that is unrecognizable.

 The question isn’t whether or not we want to be politically active, the question is, “How can we not be?”  It is our responsibility as good Americans, parents, and citizens of this great nation to join in the great debate.  To put our best foot forward and leave behind some of our current desires for something so vital to our nation’s well-being.  This may be the only chance in our lifetime to begin to repair the damage. 

Remember, this isn’t about the Democrats.  This isn’t about Barack Obama.  This is about the slide into socialism and the Federal Government’s take over of our lives that has been happening for over 100 years. 

Do you think we’ll get through this like we did the Carter years?  Think again.  This is a different time in history.  Take a look at The 4^th Turning Cycle of History.  This is the time when a fight for the right way of life happens every single time in history.  300 generations have done it the same way.  We are no different.  But the last two times we went through this cycle, we did a poor job of it. 

Here is a drawing of how our government was set up to look originally.

 

 This shows a central Federal government, with surrounding states giving them certain limited powers.  This was in the Founding of this great country.

After the Civil war, we created another founding.  Many people don’t realize how much our government system changed.  But here is a drawing of that founding.

You will noticed that now the Federal government is over the states, and the arrows are going from the Federal government to the states.  The Federal government is now telling the states what they can and can’t do.  State sovereignty was being eliminated.

Then after the great depression, which was the crisis of that turning in history, we began WWII.  This pulled us from our depression, and another new founding was created.  This founding has been the most dangerous of all.  This globalism and socialism has found their way deeper into our government, where personal responsibility and accountability (as Joe spoke of in his speech last night) have all but disappeared.

Here is a drawing of that founding.

Notice the global entities that are putting pressure on the world governments, and then those governments are putting pressure on their states.  The states are left with a desire to de-centralize.  We can go one of two ways at this point.  We can move to global governance and lose all sovereignty, or we can bring the power back to the states, and re-gain control of our sovereignty on a local level.  The EU has had such an impact on Europe, that they no longer have currency that belongs to their individual countries but a European currency.  The global pressure on the U.S.S.R. had the opposite impact.  The states of that country broke apart and became their own individual countries.

So here we are, facing another crisis.  I have no mis-conceptions that this will be an easy time in history.  I’m not even sure what this crisis will really look like, but we are beginning to feel the impact.  We have had a housing bubble burst.  We have had the dollar falling.  We have had a swine flu scare.  We have the threat of terrorism ever looming in the back of our minds.  And we have The White House full of people with a different world view than many Americans. 

What are you doing?  Anything?  Are you just turning off the news because, why watch it anymore?  I know you are frustrated.  I am too.  So is Joe.  This will be a long fight.  This is not an election-cycle away from being fixed.  We will need to transform ourselves into the kind of people that generations later will thank us for our sacrifice.  Help us Save The American Republic.  That’s what this group is all about.  And every tiny chapter all over is doing the same thing.  We are waking our neighbors and friends and we are standing together.  Is there a 9-12 group in your area?  Join it.  If there isn’t one, create one.  Call it The STAR Forum, and we’ll help you.

There are amazing people behind the scenes doing so much.  But we need your help.  We need every tiny community all across this great nation to become STARS.  We hold the light and truth within us.  Together, we can Save The American Republic.

No one can do this alone.  A giant group won’t do it either.  But each community doing something can change the world.  Each person putting his shoulder to the wheel can push the Constitution back into the forefront of our minds.  We can talk about it.  We can study it.  We can be proud of it again.  Politics must be talked about openly.  Religion, too, for that matter.  They aren’t subjects to be considered controversial anymore.  They are the fabric of our country.

What we must also do, is be active.  Next year the Republicans want to take back control of the Senate.  If we are just looking for Republicans, then count me out.  However, if we are looking for truly Constitutionally-minded Republicans, I’m in.  Once we find them, how do we beat the machine that is the Republican incumbent that hasn’t held to those principles?  We become delegates in our precinct and take back our party.  We the people, create the party.  We have just ignored it for far too long.

FREEDOM CAN WIN!

Jeff Sandefer’s State Policy Network Speech

The following speech is available to read in it’s entirety by clicking here

SPN Speech

Thank you, Rich.  It is an honor to be introduced by such a good friend, a man who not only is my favorite education reformer, but brings incredible energy and good humor to such a difficult quest.

It is an honor too to be with so many freedom fighters. From my years on the board of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, I have seen how a state think tank can do so much for the cause of liberty. My thanks to all of you, for all that you do.

As I was preparing this talk, I was wondering what it might feel like to be on the front lines, defending freedom, in times like this.

Do you feel as I do?

Are you still wondering how a President from Texas, a self-proclaimed “compassionate conservative,” could have understood so little about freedom and free markets?

Are you angry with men like Mark Sanford, who with so much promise and so much to give, let personal appetites destroy their ability to serve?

Are you holding the Republican Party banner at arm’s length, like a soiled piece of cloth, wondering if we can ever wash off the stench from politicians who promised one thing to get elected, but spent money like drunken sailors once they were in office?

Does your heart, like mine, cry out for a Buckley or a Reagan or a Thatcher?

I am nothing more than an entrepreneur, a teacher and a father of three.  But I have had the honor of teaching with some of the finest entrepreneurs in this country.  And I have sat at Bill Buckley’s feet, and watched Margaret Thatcher from up close and studied Ronald Reagan from afar.

If you feel as I do today, please listen closely to what I say next, for it embodies all that I have learned as an entrepreneur and a teacher:

Do not give up hope.  For we freedom fighters have three simple truths, ancient truths, entrepreneurial truths, that are the secret to the American dream. Embrace them, master them, and you not only change the world – but you will change yourself as well.

Let me say that again:

Do not give up hope.  For we freedom fighters have three simple truths, that are the secret to the American dream. Embrace them and you not only change the world – but you change yourself as well.

I came here today because I believe that some of you in this room will change the world.  Not in a small way, but in a profound one. Because I have witnessed how the courage of ordinary people, armed with these three truths, can change the world.

Can the truths change your life as well? Stay with me for these next few minutes and I promise you’ll have your answer. …(Read the rest of the speech here)

We Must Be Educated to WIN.

This video shows parlimentary procedure, or Robert’s Rules of Order being used.  If you do not understand this system, you cannot win.  We must educate ourselves in the process of liberty, because these same rules are used on the local levels as well.  This video shows, however, that when you have corruption at the very top (the speaker), even knowing the rules won’t help you.   If you are interested in a class on Robert’s Rules of order, we’ll put something together.

Talk Radio and Conservative Programs

Treaty to End U. S. Sovereignty?

 Here is a link to a copy of the treaty.  And here is a link to the entire speech at Bethel University.

Also, please read this PDF, and you’ll get the picture of where our current world is headed.  We must remain the beacon of REAL HOPE!   FREEDOM CAN WIN!!

Glenn Beck reviews the Tytler Cycle of Democracy

This is a great clip from the Glenn Beck show on the Tytler Cycle of Democracy.  This also correlates to The Fourth Turning.  Click on the GREEN words to read more about these two cycles, posted earlier on this website.  Enjoy.

Who deserves the Nobel Peace Prize?

People like this …

Did you hear the words of these girls?  “People have to know what happened.”  It is time to take a stand so we do not go down the road toward socialism, which led to the rise of Hitler.  If you believe you have what it takes to stand up in your community, please contact us and we will help you get started and give you more information.  Read about the Path of the Hero, and decide if you are a Madison, Jefferson, Gandhi, or Mother Teresa.   We must be leaders in our communities and do what we can now to move the cause of liberty forward.  The STAR Forum has a plan that must be executed on a very local level.  If you have 10 people who believe in what you do, you have enough to get started.

FREEDOM CAN WIN!

Our Gun Culture in America

Labor Day, the Border, and Our 2nd Amendment Rights

Written by Jacqueline Smith

We were well on our way to Washington DC for the 9/12 March.  Our children received wonderful memories and lots of history.  We thought it would be wonderful to see Niagara Falls.  We planned on seeing Niagara Falls the entire time, but figured we would travel through Buffalo NY and then backtrack and see Palmyra on our way to Boston.  Our KOA situation became grim as it was Labor Day weekend and really didn’t know how far we would get until the day we needed the rental, so we traveled North into Michigan to stay at a KOA that could accommodate us.  This took us off the original track.  The next day we plotted Niagara Falls into the Garmin and it took us north to the Canadian border.  Oops.

Having traveled to Canada in the past, I remembered that my Driver’s License was a valid form of ID for crossing the border.  Wrong.  Just this June 2009 a new law went into effect that even though getting into Canada is fairly easy, without a passport or birth certificate, you can’t get back into the U.S.

Well, when asked if we had any firearms, we were honest and explained we had a handgun, and a shotgun.  Remember that because we are in a motor home, in the U.S. we have the right to bear arms according to the second amendment of the Constitution.  What ensued next, surprised us.  We were sent to the immigration office on the Canadian side.  Women in bulletproof vests escorted us (with our little children in tow) out of the motor home.  They inspected the motor home and confiscated our handgun.  (Apparently, handguns are illegal in Canada.)  We were told if allowed to stay and pass through Canada, they could not guarantee we would allowed back in the United States.  However, if we turned around here at the checkpoint, we would have to be allowed back in.  We thought okay, it completely throws off the schedule, but we love the United States and like our rights here.  Therefore, we opted to turn around.  After being escorted back to our RV, the woman in heavy protective clothing, reached into her pocket and placed our handgun in a rag in the outside compartment and watched us lock it.  They would not allow it back on board.  Nor would they allow us to touch it. 

Heading back to the U.S. I felt relieved, but also felt nervous.  Border agents walk by cars and ask them what brings people to the U.S.  Knowing honesty is always the best policy, we told them what happened.  The feeling of dread instantly left us.  Not only were we treated wonderfully, but everyone wanted to know about our guns, telling what kind they had.  A completely different feeling pervaded.

Upon entrance to the U.S. because we were Canada rejects, we have to go back through U.S. customs.  Not something that is normal.  They had a TV going and what was on but FOX NEWS.  This was a sigh of relief for me.  Once inside they had to clarify our rejection, check ID, confirm our concealed carry permit, and inspect our guns.  They also took down our serial numbers for the books.  Not sure how I feel about that, but we weren’t in a position to argue.    I proceeded to ask many questions to the officer that was processing us.

We found out that Garmin and the navigation system that gives the shortest route to Niagara Falls is responsible for catching quite a few illegal aliens and criminals.  But that’s redundant.  Because once they cross, if they are turned away, they are caught on the way back in.  They said this happens all the time, every day.  They were especially busy with Labor Day.  We also found out that the reason the Canadians were so freaked out by us, is that their Border Patrol agents are not armed at all.  They aren’t allowed to carry weapons.  All the Canadian agents had bulletproof vests on.  American agents, just wore their blue shirts, with a beautiful weapon strapped on their side, showing anyone looking who is boss.  The officer told us that, as I stated earlier, handguns are illegal, and that’s the real reason we were turned away, but because we didn’t have proper ID that made it a sealed deal. 

They were required to inspect our vehicle to see our guns, and when my husband opened the side compartment on the outside of the RV, the officer said, “Why are you putting that nice of a gun in a rag outside your vehicle?”  My husband explained the border patrol agent incident in Canada.  He told us to just put it back in our RV, and not worry as long as we had the ammo in a separate place.  My husband and the officer talked for a bit about different guns they both owned and we were sent on our way.  We were treated with great respect.

The gun culture of America is wonderful.  In Canada we were seen as such a threat, and in America in was almost exciting for these agents to meet responsible, gun-toting citizens, that were behaving in a respectful and responsible manner. 

 What a wonderful country we live in.  Our rights are what make us a great nation.  It is imperative that we continue to stand for liberty and freedom in all aspects of our lives.  Our Constitution was founded on principles that will stand forever, but as citizens of this great land, it is important to remember that it will only remain when we understand our freedoms, and when we quickly put our policies and our elected officials back on track when we notice our freedoms being eroded.

FREEDOM CAN WIN!

The Danger of Iconography

Glenn Beck has raised the title of liberty  in our day, but what does that really look like?  Some use the Unite or Die snake, but that has a negative connotation.  Some use the new Glenn Beck 9-12 snake, which is not as negative but not very pretty.  I’ve noticed the yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” flag as a well-known banner waved at the conservative tea-party movement events, but again it’s negative in its message even though I love it.    We need to be brilliant and engage the masses in our cause.   It is time to have a banner under which our movement stands.  It contend we make it a  STAR for Save The American Republic.  It has meaning, it holds beauty, it’s part of our original flags, and it is full of light and (sorry to say this) hope.    FREEDOM CAN WIN!