Today, you may have to walk across the street, or drive to a fire station, or visit a library, or possibly another public place and cast your ballot. This is your sacred duty. This is what separates us from the parts of the world in chaos. When we want to change things, we peacefully go to the polls.
We have watched our country slide down into socialism for the last 80 years, and we have reached a point of alignment in our country. Either you are on the side of liberty, or you are on the side of socialism. Today, show your side. There are good Democrats, good Republicans, and
Image via Wikipedia
good Independents running in races all over the nation. However, weed out the Progressives, the Marxists, the Collective thinkers … the Borg.
The tea parties, 9.12ers, and other like-minded groups have set out to not start a third-party, but to restore the parties to a place of integrity again. We have not accomplished this task completely, but have made huge headway. Now the people will have to decide if those that are on the ballot are worthy of their trust. And once in office, must be watched with vigilance.
Many have given their lives, their fortunes, and held true their sacred honor for you to be able to enjoy this privilege. If ever lost, your lifetime may end before you see the restoration of these liberties. Robert Morris understood well, what those words meant. Read about him and his sacrifice for our country. He gave his entire fortune, and then some.
Call a friend, take the bus, get a ride, but get out and vote. Do it as if your liberty depends on it, because it does. This is only the beginning. We will continue to clean our houses and rid them of the dangers that are within. We love our Founding Fathers. We love the document they created in Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of these United States. We are America; land of the free, and home of the brave.
Right now the war in the battlefield of ideas is raging, and yet many within the tea party groups, the 9.12 movement, and other conservative arenas are not feeling like they are winning the battle. But are they winning the war?
The media and the government have done a great job of simply ignoring or discounting the groups and their efforts across this great nation. Examples include how Time Magazine put not one picture of the march on Washington DC on September 12, 2009 in their “Year in Pictures.” This is not by accident. I was there on 9.12 and I saw the hundreds of thousands that by estimates of the crowd counters there said numbered at 1.6 million. However, in their minds, if you are simply ignored, you will go away.
It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds. -- Samuel Adams
Missouri votes to not allow the health care mandate (Obamacare) to stand in their state by an overwhelming 70+ %.The media does not report it. Does that seem like an oversight to you? It is not. It’s very deliberate.
A judge ignores the voters in California by overturning Prop. 8. Even though the people of the state have voted twice and won to keep marriage between a man a woman.
You may not feel like you are winning any battles, because the media and government continually ignore you, but you will win the war of ideas. Truth is the key. When you cling to the truth, you plant yourself firmly on the side of winning in the end. Do not give up hope. Do not stop believing in the decency of humankind. Do not allow the media or the government to cause you to doubt the difference you have made.
Stick together in your neighborhood groups. If you don’t have one, create one. There are like-minded people all around you. Continue to educate yourselves in the classics of great literature, and great thinkers. We are busy people. We do not believe that government can fix our problems, and we want to focus on our families, our businesses, and our lives. But make no mistake, if we do not stay focused in this critical time of alignment, our families that matter so much to us, will no longer be free.
We are in a Fourth Turning, and while there are many places to focus, do not let yourself be weary. You do not have to do everything, but if everyone does something, we will accomplish our goals of small government, less interference into our lives, less taxes and government waste, better quality of life with our families, and true charity among humanity by individuals and not governments. The ills of the world are defeated one family, one community at a time, not by an overreaching federal government mandating social justice. Dig deep, and find your own personal mission, and then live it.
Two weeks ago a group of 9.12 organizers, tea party organizers, and various campaign volunteers, most of which are also State and County delegates for the Republican Party met with Senator Orrin Hatch over lunch. (The opinions expressed in this article are mine, and are not necessarily the opinions of the other people invited to the luncheon.)
Jacqueline Smith, State Delegate and Founder of The STAR Forum, the Summit County 9.12 group, part of Utah Rising, and homeschool mom
There were others there as well, and I apologize if you were not included in the list.
This lunch was organized by Hatch as a way to reach out to the 9.12 groups and tea party movement. After the unseating of Senator Bennett, I think that Hatch is smart to reach out. He bought us lunch, and that was very nice. He didn’t have a chance to eat much because we were pretty excited about hearing his answers and had a lot of questions.
We had three main questions. Larry Jensen presented the first question regarding our caucus system. We asked him,
“Each of us here today spent hours, days and weeks of study and civic involvement to become elected representatives of our neighborhoods in Utah’s Republican caucus/convention system. We are here again today representing our neighbors who elected us. Senator Hatch, do you favor this traditional form of representative system of choosing candidates for the Republican party or do you favor a direct primary?”
Hatch responded that it has served him well so far, and the reason we have it is so that a relative unknown without a lot of money can actually win the seat for the party. He said that is the system we have and that he is willing to live with it.
The next question was asked by me,
“I applaud your thoughtful and well-reasoned opposition opinion to general Elena Kagan’s nomination for the Supreme Court. It represents the near unanimous conclusion of everyone I have discussed this with during the last two weeks. Beyond the reasons you cited, there is significant evidence that Ms. Kagan has a history of association with people tied to three interrelated organizations, the Communist Party USA, Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee/Democratic Socialists of America and the far left Washington DC “think tank” Institute for Policy Studies. We cannot allow a person with her documented background of associations to serve on the court. What actions do you plan to take to prevent Kagan’s confirmation?”
Hatch feels that a filibuster is unconstitutional and shouldn’t be used. He has come out publicly with his reasons for opposing Kagan. He doesn’t want filibuster used by Republicans or Democrats.
This answer troubled me, because even though I know he is a seasoned politician and well entrenched in the ways of Washington, I believe he is mistaken about the gravity of the current situation we face. We are facing a near coup d’état of the Democrat Party by the Communists and Socialists in this country. Has he been there so long and the transition been so slow, that he is unaware of the changes? Not that he needs to be disagreeable or combative, but is Hatch really willing to call it as it is, instead of hiding behind friendships of the highest aristocracy created in our American system?
While I don’t think filibuster is necessarily the answer, what else can be done? Can he get his face and voice out on the radio waves and television enough to send a strong message to the conservatives in other states so they are contacting their liberal Senators and swaying the vote? Is he willing to bring enough attention to the matter? Would he sacrifice his position and make some serious enemies to help our country block poor nominees, and put in Supreme Court Justices that will uphold the highest and first law of the U.S., the Constitution?
The third question was asked by MarcPelissie about auditing the Fed.
“What has to happen for you to champion a comprehensive audit of the Federal Reserve?” and as a follow-up “What can we do to ensure that happens?” or “What can we do to support you in making the audit happen?”
This answer came as a surprise, and a disappointment. Hatch told us the Federal Reserve does get audited. I realize it has some type of audit to be in business, because it is a private business remember, but it has not been audited in a way that gives the American people a good look at who is pulling the strings of this country. Hatch also responded by saying in his 34 years in the Senate they have never had a fiscal majority. I was 11 years old when Hatch went into office. Through the Reagan years, through the majority in the Senate when Clinton was in office we’ve never had a fiscal majority? Since Hatch has been in office the Republicans have held the Senate Majority over the 97, 98, 99, 104, 105, 106, 108, and 109th sessions of Congress. He told us to get fiscal conservatives into the Senate with him. He spoke of his seniority there on different committees and how we need to send “him” back to Washington.
So… is Hatch a fiscal conservative? Well, he voted for Bush’s tarp, and I haven’t forgotten that. Is it fiscally conservative to side with a President that says he is “abandoning free-market principles in order to save the free-market?” The day AIG received it’s bailout, I told my husband we may have just witnessed “Black Wednesday,” instead of Black Tuesday, for our generation.
He also made a really big deal out of the BCS when the health care debate should have been the sole priority.
Hatch asked us to make sure in November we elected more fiscal conservatives to the Senate. I have a strong feeling that November will bring a great number of new conservatives in every respect to the Senate. As sung by Krista Branch in her video “I Am America:”
“You stuff your pockets while Rome is burning,
I’ve got a feeling that the tide is turning.”
This could go two ways for Hatch that are completely positive. One, he has two years to prove he’s really fighting for the very threads that bind our country together. He will need to lead out in ways he never has in the past. We will be watching him, and we will back him, if he puts himself out there and puts his own personal “career” aside, and has instead public virtue. Two, he steps down without a fight in two years, and gets behind a freshman and mentors him, as our founders did not want career politicians. The aristocracy of the Republicans and Democrats must come to an end. A great book to read on aristocracy is “The Coming Aristocracy” by Oliver DeMille.
Some of the things we heard him say were also heard on the Glenn Beck program last Thursday. Here are the clips for you to hear. Much of the same speech was given to us at the luncheon.
Hatch invited three of my 9.12 friends to the fundraising event on Friday before Glenn Beck’s Salt Lake City show to have dinner with Glenn. At $2,500 a plate, that is quite a gift. Becky Pirente, Darcy VanOrden, and Brian Halladay all attended this very exclusive event. All three are 9.12 organizers or activists in the more populated areas of Utah. It was generous, and for a good cause. Again, he is reaching out hard to the people who are currently now the Republican Party of Utah with the most say.
It’s the delegates that will be in charge, and Hatch will work much harder than Bennett to ensure he has his delegates in place in 2012. Based on the cycles of history we will probably be in even more serious political upheaval by then, but time will tell. In the end the people will decide, and Hatch’s seniority isn’t going to be the thing on which their decision hangs. Those tactics will not work in this political environment.
Jason Chaffetz is a great example of what attention a freshman can create, and the waves that can be made when you stand for what you believe. Is he getting anything done? We don’t care, because we would actually like to see a Washington where nothing gets done and we, the people, are left alone. Chaffetz is a watchdog, and workhorse for our rights, and he’s not afraid of digging up the dirt.
Jason received a great amount of applause at the Glenn Beck American Revival in Salt Lake City compared to Hatch. Hatch should read the writing on the wall, and do the right thing, instead of the thing that keeps him in power. Chaffetz is well-known, and well-liked by the liberty-loving crowd in Utah. Rumor is that in 2012, Chaffetz may well be the one to challenge the, by then, 36-year incumbent. Until then, we can only hope that Hatch pushes hard for the truth, the law, and the correct principles that Save The American Republic.
I was visiting another site today and saw this video. I noticed the pictures used were from the Salt Lake City rally on April 15, 2010 at the Capitol. I even recognize a few of the people in the video, who happen to be members of The STAR Forum.
Our education system in America must change. We continue to tax the people to school our children in a broken, progressive, socialistic system. I love education, and I love all the children in this great country, but an unsustainable system that is not producing the results we need in our country must end, and a new system emerge, or more accurately re-emerge.
Dr. Brooks
I recently attended a wonderful event called ReValue America. This class was taught by Dr. Shanon Brooks of Face to Face with Greatness, and hosted by Chad & Christy Watterson. Because I have known Dr. Brooks for some time, the information was not unfamiliar but reminded me of the path I must take in order to put the values, the culture, the Americanism back into the heart of our country. And it begins with a different type of education for the whole family.
We school our children in literacy and skills. We want them to have good jobs. But we have killed their creativity. We have thwarted the genius that all children have within, by saying they must have these skills, or those skills, without any core values, without a sense of the virtues that keep our country headed the right direction. Throwing good money after a bad system will not fix our problems. (School Equalization is just a bad bandage to a bleeding artery, that pulls at the heart-strings, but is not the solution.) Money does not make children’s test scores increase. It has been proven that our rate of return for our dollar is not very high, especially in areas like Detroit, but even in Utah we are only seeing about a 67% ROI. (67 out of 100 children graduate) So what happened? Are the teachers that horrible, are the classes that under-funded? No. We have lost our culture over the last 80 years in America, and we must get our culture back. Attending this class and implementing a new way of thinking and a new lifestyle of education will be the greatest impact on liberty. I call upon 9.12 groups, tea party groups, and all other liberty-loving groups to schedule this event. If we are going to be the ones that bring liberty back to our country, we better understand more than just the founders writings, but what the founders were reading for a decade before they became founders. We will need an understanding much richer than anything we have received to date.
The Fourth Turning is upon us, and our time is limited. In order to have the type of impact on our society that great leaders of the past have had on their time, we must be educated in human nature, forms of government, family and society. We must have public virtue being exemplified in our society again, and being taught to our children. We must understand what it takes and begin getting a liberal arts education. (Don’t worry, that will not make you a liberal in political terms.) I discussed this on capitol hill at the Tax Day Tea Party Rally.
I don’t have the answers, but I know that together we can find the answers, if we are educated. We have an amazing group of people who have created a strong coalition with Utah Rising, but our efforts must not be lost by focusing only in the political arena. Glenn Beck has it right when he discusses the 9 Principles and 12 Values. We must focus on bringing that type of thinking back into the forefront of our country.
If you live in the Utah area, and you are interested in attending one of these classes, I ask that you send us an email, so we can keep you on a list until our class is put on the schedule.
I have had this video for a while, but I thought it appropriate with this article. Enjoy.
Thursday, April 15, 2010, there will be another opportunity for the Tea Party groups to rally. In Utah, there will be a protest / rally at the Federal Building at 10:00 a.m. that moves to the Utah State Capitol Building at noon. This will be a family friendly event, with speakers ranging from Tea Party Organizers, 9.12 Organizers (including me) , Candidates for public office, and those already holding political office. For more information on this event go to www.utahrising.com
So who are the people who belong to the Tea Party Movement? Are they anarchists, racists, and violent? No, no, and no. They are families that believe in their country, and they recognize government as a necessary evil to control anarchy, but government must never be allowed to become tyrannical. They come from all backgrounds, all education levels, and all classes. They are freedom loving people who recognize that failure is part of life, and the freedom to fail is part of what makes this country great. They are peaceful people, that sing songs of our country when they are walking the streets of DC like “God Bless America” and “America the Beautiful.”
This clip gives you a great idea of the kind of people who make up the tea party movement. My favorite line in this clip is “The more I give you, the more I control you.” It really is true that a government big enough to give you everything, is also big enough to take it all away.
This next clip is a letter read by Jon Voight, and he is very accurate in his thinking. We must be peaceful, God-loving, calm, resolved Americans. Join us in this great movement for liberty.
This Tuesday, March 23, 2010, will be the biggest tea party so far. You will see record numbers this Tuesday come out to caucus night in neighborhoods statewide. This mass meeting is the cornerstone of the Representative Republic that holds our country together. People have turned off the TV, they got off the couch, and they are attending. In the past few months, people have read books like Glenn Beck’s Common Sense, and Cleon Skousen’s The 5,000 Year Leap.
Many Utahns have become educated in this process. Before the education process swept over the masses, many people didn’t even understand that the only way to have a say on who showed up on the ballot in November was through this process. It was a mystery how candidates were selected. However, those days are over.
With the Federal Government ever encroaching into our daily lives, many Americans have been asking, “What can I do?” The 9.12 movement came forward and said, “We have a plan, and it’s called caucus night.”
Henry Glasheen, Summit County Republican Chairman, said, “Turnout is going to be fantastic across the board.” When asked why, he stated, “People are tired of government they view as not for the people.”
When an educated people participate in the process, liberty and freedom move forward. We must constantly watch our elected officials and demand they give us the most individual liberty, ask for the most personal accountability from themselves and their constituents, and demand that Federal Government stay within the bounds set by the Constitution.
You have never been to a caucus before? That is okay, these people are your neighbors. Find out where your caucus is by going to your COUNTY website. All the county websites are listed at http://www.utgop.org/county.
This is a great year to begin your participation in the election process. However, it cannot be your last. We have much to correct in our states, and in our federal government. So get involved, and stay involved. That is how freedom works. We have moved out of apathy, and it is vital to our liberty that we do not move back into a state of complacency.
The beauty of the Northeast is breathtaking. The lush green forests that hide the buildings, homes, and even the freeways are amazing. Only when you are right in a city do you feel the city at all. Part of our adventure for the march on Washington, DC, was to come to historic Boston, Massachusetts.
A good friend of mine, Andrew Mismash, and member of The S.T.A.R. Forum, served an LDS mission in Boston and suggested the Freedom Trail. Since we are in an RV, Parking was a bit of an adventure, and we ended up parking by the wharf. Our freedom trail began in the middle. While we didn’t make it down the entire trail, we saw many wonderful and important sites in Boston. There is so much history. I wondered at the liberal views that seem to emanate from this state, when there is so much Constitutional history right at your fingertips. There are many Universities in this state, and according to David Nobel’s Understanding the Times, the liberal professors apparently are having quite an influence. Nevertheless, I digress.
With five children in tow, the 7-hour walk (with a wonderful stop for seafood) was quite exhausting. What a day. My feet are aching, and my heart is full. I am so grateful to the men and women of courage who took a stand in Boston, for this is truly where it all started. According to the Fourth Turning, by Strauss & Howe, a catalyst must set off the crisis at the end of the 3rd turning.. The Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party were the catalyst of that period. Then the Declaration of Independence was signed and the Revolutionary War began.
9/11 marks the day in our time when it is believed we had our catalyst. About 7 – 10 year following a catalyst, an alignment takes place. The alignment in their day, was the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Is the march on DC the alignment of our time? Only time will tell.
We went to Paul Revere’s home.
It is the oldest building in Boston at over 300 years, because it was already 90 years old when he bought it. My daughter, Silvére, mentioned that the bed in his upstairs room looked the room of Felicity from her American Girls Series. This is where she first learned of the Boston Tea Party.
This brings us to the point of this trip. The Tea Party Movement and the 9.12 Projects When we mentioned back in April that we were having a Tea Party, she asked me if was like the Boston Tea Party. I was grateful she had connected history to today so well. While the original Tea Party movement in this country was about the upcoming taxes we know will be levied to pay for the outrageous spending and unreasonable programs being set forth by the current administration, and past bailouts and spending of the Bush administration, it has morphed into a rally for liberty. Constitutional principles are at the forefront. We want to tell our government “Don’t Tread On Me.”
This flag here, is still hanging in the Old North Church in Boston. Out in front of the church in the courtyard, is the statue of Paul Revere making his famous ride.
We saw the grave marker of John Hancock, signer of the Declaration.
We saw Samuel Adams gravestone, and the markers of those who died in the Boston Massacre.
The gravestones of the early colonists and Americans are interesting, and macabre.
And of course we saw the oldest pub in the state, dedicated to “patriot brewer” Samuel Adams.
Bunker Hill Memorial can be seen from across the harbor.
What a beautiful place is Boston, and so full of the memories of our patriot founders and those who courageously helped them.
The founders wanted to put an end to aristocracy. They wanted no more Lords and Ladies, Kings and Queens, simply, no more titles. The future day of 300,000 million people without title is here…or is it? The titles have changed, but an aristocracy has arisen in these United States. Now we call them Senator, Congressman, Representative, Czar (oh, I mean Special Advisor to the President), CEO, CFO, Professor, and PhD (and I do not mean the medical kind.)
The business suits, and tweed jackets are gods no more in the minds of the people. We are ready to end this new aristocracy. I am not against capitalism by any stretch, but I am against corruption whether it is in business or government. No special rules for the wealthy, no special rules for the government. The laws that are created must be laws they are bound to. Laws on taxes, laws on health care, laws on retirement must apply to our government officials as well as those they serve. Did you hear that? They serve us, the people. We the people of these United States will hold our politicians to a higher standard, and they will not be re-elected unless they are truly statesman, and understand the meaning of public virtue. We will end the taxes that take from the wealthy, and give to the poor. Our government does not get to play Robin Hood. Our growth as individuals depends our opportunity to choose to give to the poor rather than be robbed by taxation, otherwise we are merely slaves under an oppressive self-righteous government.
This is the greatest country in the world. We have a wonderful system of government. But, it must be filled by men and women of virtue, with an educated, and informed public standing behind them.
The Summit County Fair is a wonderful time for family to get together and see how things are done in the country. So many children raise pigs, cows, sheep, and hogs. They are shown at the fair, and proceeds go through the 4H group to help these children learn wonderful lessons in animal husbandry and responsibility, and most kids put the money in an account for future education. Other children show rabbits, chickens, turkeys, etc.
The STAR Forum will be available at the fair in our booth. We will have Pocket Constitutions to give away, The 5,000 Year Leap to purchase in book or MP3 form, and information about our group. We encourage you to come and see our booth, and get to know some of our members. JOIN US in the moving the cause of liberty forward.
The booth will be open in Coalville, Utah at the Fair Grounds
The Fair is underway now, August 6. Today, my oldest daughter won 1st place in Showmanship for Hogs in her class at the fairgrounds. One of the motto’s of our fair is that we aren’t raising pigs (or cows or sheep) we are raising children.
The winning buckle (sorry, it was a cell-phone pic and is a bit blurry.)
fortune, and then some. 
The S.T.A.R. Forum 