Not NOW, not Ever

I saw a letter from the National Organization of Women on the Team Sarah website recently, in which this group has come out publicly in endorsing Obama and, more importantly, smeared Sarah Palin (I have included a copy of the letter at the bottom of this post for everyone to see it for themselves). Now, I have never paid attention to this organization, or their movement, so I really had no idea about who they are, or whom they represent, other than in the most general of terms. But I was so outraged by this letter that I decided to go find out what I could about their organization.

What I discovered is that, for all their bluster and self-acclamation, they really are just another fringe group, a small, but well organized (and highly motivated, like so many on the left) bunch of women's-libbers who are stuck in the bra-burning 1960's. On their website, they state that they have 500,000 donating members, and chapters in all 50 states. That sounded like a lot of women until I went to the last Census report and found that there are 140 MILLION females in this country. Suddenly, this organization looks like the Branch Davidians down in Texas a while back. And like the Davidians, they probably shouldn't be ignored, because they have the potential to be dangerous.

These kinds of groups, like the Left in general, are only successful because they are great at getting attention. That, and their members devote a lot of spare time to their cause, not unlike sports fanatics, NASCAR fans, gun enthusiasts and fishermen. Each of these groups has a huge number of people who like the particular hobby, but very few who live and breath for it. The liberals are like that too. Very few of them actually spend much time getting involved in their cause, but they like the message, or more to the point, they like the idea of something for nothing, reward without effort, and someone taking care of them so they don't have to do much except nod their heads when prompted.

So, the NOW organization is dangerous. They are vocal and get the attention of the media, thereby making it look and sound like they represent the majority of women when, in actuality, they represent about .0035 of one percent, or one female out of every three hundred females in our Country! Where do they get off with this bunk?! They represent virtually nobody!

I think that it is high time that we the people stand up, shake off the shackles of complacency, laziness and fear, and start standing up for what we believe in. We have been sitting on our hands, or our tongues, while these little factions with their special interests have been screaming at the tops of their lungs, getting support from the other little pods of oddballs around them, forcing one thing after another on the majority, while we just sit quietly, hoping to avoid their wrath by not making waves. Well, what do you think it is that they are doing? Making waves of their own, that's what!

Look, if we don't start standing up for our beliefs, we will soon be outlawed in our own country. I don't mean that like it might sound, but seriously, where will this end if we don't start demanding majority rule? Will we wait until the liberals shut down conservative talk radio? Will we wait until our public schools make being non-gay socially unacceptable? Or, will we finally stand up and say "wait a minute" when the liberals start outlawing our churches if we don't allow same sex marriages to be performed in them?

How far are you, personally, going to allow this to go before you finally stand up for yourself? For your family? For your children?

Here is the disgusting letter from NOW:

The National Organization for Women has endorsed the Obama-Biden ticket for just the reasons listed below. They usually do not endorse, but in this case believed it was absolutely necessary to take a stand. if you agree, please pass this on.

Subject: Women and Sarah Palin

Friends, We are writing to you because of the fury and dread we have felt since the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republican Party. We believe that this terrible decision has surpassed mere partisanship, and that it is a dangerous farce on the part of a pandering and rudderless Presidential candidate that has a real possibility of becoming fact. Perhaps like us, as American women, you share the fear of what Ms. Palin and her professed beliefs and proven record could lead to for ourselves and for our present or future daughters. To date, she is against sex education, birth control, the pro-choice platform, environmental protection, alternative energy development, freedom of speech, gun control, the separation of church and state, and polar bears. To say nothing of her complete lack of real preparation to become the second-(and possibly first)-most-powerful person on the planet.

We want to clarify that we are not against Sarah Palin as a woman, a mother, or, for that matter, a parent of a pregnant teenager, but solely as a rash, incompetent, and altogether devastating choice for Vice President. Ms. Palin's political views are in every way a slap in the face to the accomplishments that our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers so fiercely fought for, and from which we've so demonstrably benefited.

First and foremost, Ms. Palin does not represent us. She does not demonstrate or uphold our interests as American women. It is presumed that the inclusion of a woman on the Republican ticket could win over women voters. We want to disagree, publicly.

If you agree that Palin is an irresponsible, even dangerous, choice for VP, please consider participating in this drive.

Gentlemen, send this to the women you know and care for. I know it's tough to understand the way this choice is impacting women, but I have never seen so many women so outraged, angry and distraught in my entire life. We'd like our voices heard. If you agree, PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY! If you send this to 20 women in the next hour, you could be blessed with a country that takes your concerns seriously. Stranger things have happened.
******

I love the closing line,"stranger things have happened". It's like they already know that they are merely a fringe group and that there aren't enough of them to do anything about Sarah, so they are asking for help from 'gentlemen', their sworn enemy, to help them now. Hysterical!

And my favorite part; "this terrible decision has surpassed mere partisanship,". If that isn't the pot calling the kettle black! Here is what Webster's online dictionary has as a definition of the word partisanship:
2 a: a member of a body of detached light troops making forays and harassing an enemy b: a member of a guerrilla band operating within enemy lines

Enough said, right? To coin a phrase from the last time citizens in this country stood up to terrorists, another fringe group, "Let's roll people!"

That's reality from my backyard.

Who needs sophistication?

So, the liberals keep slamming Sarah Palin. They have dug up every little thing on Sarah that they could find. I assure you that, compared to the stuff that has been raised about Senator Obama, this stuff is microscopic! Nonetheless, the media is all over Governor Palin, keeps trying to make it look like she is a rookie, unsophisticated in the ways of national politics, even uneducated. Well, they are wrong. Sarah is a small town girl. She is not a byproduct of beltway politics and, if that is what makes one 'sophisticated', then I guess you could say that she is not.

Sophistication is really all it's cracked up to be these days anyway. The way the liberals are defining it, I can only say that I am glad that Governor Palin isn't sophisticated, by their standards. I see her as being sophisticated, but I am sure that my definition of that is far different that the liberal democrats and their elitist cronies.

I guess that what they are trying to tell us is that their guys, Senators Obama and Biden are sophisticated, and that is what makes them better than her. Hmmmm, let's examine that for a minute. Both of these guys are lawyers, is that what makes them sophisticated? Both of them are United States Senators, is that what makes them sophisticated? Both of them come from impoverished backgrounds but have risen to wealth. Is that what makes them sophisticated?

Last time I looked, most of what is wrong with this country can be traced back to lawyers who have turned this country into the most litigious nation in the world. Well not all lawyers are bad though, right? So lets look at what kind of law they practiced. Let's see, Joe Biden practiced corporate law. Hey, isn't that the group who the Obama campaign says is corrupt? They don't pay their fair share of taxes, they don't provide adequate health care to their employees, the top guys get rich while everyone else gets worse off? Hmmm. Ok, well Senator Obama practiced civil rights law. A noble enough cause, I guess, depending on your point of view. If you look up the definition of civil rights, you find that this isn't just some 'equality of race' term, it includes things that are anathema to the Democrats and their liberal cohorts. Things like individual freedom of belief, speech, press/media, and political participation. Now hold on, you say, the Dems are for all that stuff! Well, sort of, I guess, if you don't look at how they fight their opposition on most issues. Yes, they tout those things as being their beliefs, but in practice, they only actually believe in these things for their own purposes, not for everyone, and certainly not for those who would oppose them.

Let's move on. As Senators, well really only Joe Biden can truly be called an actual Senator, because Obama didn't really spend any time in that position, time, that is, when he wasn't distracted by his run for the White House. But, I digress. Both are liberal democrats, and both fought against pretty much everything President Bush wanted. In fact, in their sophistication, they have ridiculed John McCain for voting with the President of our Country so often, as if that were a bad thing to do. As Senators, both supported the lessening of loan restrictions, and were rewarded by fannie mae and freddy mac for their devotion. Both fought the President and the conservatives on this issue, and bragged about it during their campaign. But when everything turned bad in the financial markets, they quickly blame the bush Administration when, it was their party which had the control of both houses of congress.............hmmm.

Darn, I sound like I'm picking on these two, poor, public servants, doesn't it? Oh, speaking of poor, both of these guys grew up dirt poor, even lived with relatives from time to time because their families were struggling so badly. But they overcame it didn't they? Their families rose above it all and became 'middle-classed'. They both found the money for college and, oh yeah, law school, in a time when the government didn't do a whole heck of a lot for people that wanted to get an education. I cannot take the time to discuss how Senator Obama financed his education in this post, perhaps another time. From that dreadful background these two have risen to wealth and now they, seemingly, want to discredit themselves and their families, by declaring economic war on those who make too much money, while both of them live well above the financial limit that Obama has set as a benchmark for the 'wealthy' who need to pay more taxes.

Listen to Obama talk with 'Joe the plumber', he says it right there on camera. "I make much more than that". Well, doesn't that make them part of the problem? They are slamming big oil (and their huge 5% profit margin) like they are stealing from the poor, but they both support a version of NAFTA, which puts working class folks here in our country out of their jobs.

I'll take Sarah Palin over either one of these sophisticated hypocrites any day.

Watch this video. It is a bit long, but, oh so worth it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yvc0tYG_YpA

If that doesn't help people understand the democratic party, and where their policies will take our country, they must have their heads jambed too deep in the sand to recognize truth when they see it.

That's reality from my backyard.

The Attack On Marriage

Here in Arizona, we are going to be voting on a marriage protection amendment on the November Ballot. This initiative will amend the Arizona State Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman. Very simply stated. There is no agenda hidden in page after page of legal mumbo jumbo. Yet, the alternative lifestyles community still feels threatened by it. People are calling this bill a referendum on the gay community, and nothing more than a fundraiser to fuel anti-gay sentiment in this State, according to some of the opposition leaders. My initial reaction to their assertion that the government should stay out of their private lives is this; if you had kept your private life private, we wouldn't need to be here. Secondly, this isn't the government, it's your fellow citizens who are darn tired of you pushing your values onto us using the courts of liberal judges.. We are merely fighting back in a legal forum where judges can't overrule us. Us, as in we the people, the majority.

Marriage has, from the beginning of time, been generally accepted as a man uniting with a woman. Until very recently, when someone announced a wedding, nobody had to wonder what the gender of their prospective partner was. The gay community has brought this to the forefront, and now, as things really aren't going their way, they attempt to turn the tables and blame government. Not many politicians are jumping to get involved in this battle. The GLBT community has dragged most of them into this. Even the presidential candidates are keeping a low profile on this issue.

Frankly, I really wonder why we are still having this debate at all. I mean, 26 other States have already passed their own version of this legislation, and most have carried 65% of the vote, or better. In Arizona, two years ago, there was a measure brought before the people, which had far reaching implications, and it was defeated by a fairly narrow margin. That legislation would have prohibited government recognition of domestic partnerships and similar types of unions. In that scenario, there was reason to overthrow the proposed amendment because it would restrict the rights of alternative lifestyle couples with regards to their ability to qualify for insurance, through their employers, that would extend benefits to their partners. It would have restricted hospital visitation, and otherwise punish these people for their lifestyle.

The current proposed legislation, however, does not, in any way, affect these people on any of these issues. It merely seeks to affirm, via constitutional amendment, what the majority of the citizens of the State, as well as the Country as a whole, believe to be right and, thereby, prevent further attempts by the minority, abetted by the liberal judiciary branch of our government, to revisit the issue.

The argument, by the opposition, that the voters have already decided this issue is false. As stated previously, the initiative that was defeated in 2006, was far different and went too far for most people. I think the defeat of that proposition was justifiable. I do not believe that our Constitution supports bias, nor do I believe that our founding fathers were interested in what individuals choose to do in their own lives. I do believe that there was great interest in that group to set a standard of propriety for this nation and her people. To that end, we must endeavor to persist in the face of this pressure to have the majority acquiesce to a very small segment of our society.

If we are expected to bow to the will of the marginal group of people who are pushing this issue, where will it stop? Let's say, for the sake of discussion, that this issue was decided in favor of the minority. What happens, then, if, say, ten or twenty years from now, another small group of people get together with the idea that they want to create their own little society, within the confines of the existing society, but that they want to be nudists. Sounds outlandish, right? But is it? Based on the 'civil rights' arguments put forth by the gay/lesbian faction, wouldn't we then have to recognize this new groups 'rights'? Ok, so maybe there is a better example than this one, but I think you get my point. Where, and when, can we finally draw the line?

I believe that the line needs to be drawn right here, and right now. The 'Defense of Marriage' amendment is not unfair to those who have a different view of marriage than the overwhelming majority of people in this country. The amendment, as written in the Arizona proposition, merely supports what most of us believe and prevents those who think otherwise from forcing their beliefs onto us. They can have their ceremonies that celebrate the commitment which they are making to each other. They can have the benefits which are afforded to traditional couples. They can be who they want to be, both, in public and in the privacy of their own home. All of these things give them equal recognition as far as the government is involved, and it prevents their little group from establishing, as normal, what most of us deem to be abnormal, for lack of a better word.

If you think that I am overstating the consequences of this issue being defeated, just read for yourself what is happening in Massachusetts now that gay marriage has been allowed: http://www.massresistance.org/docs/marriage/effects_of_ssm.html

Based on these, and other examples I have read about, passage of this proposition will help prevent the continued denigration of mainstream America. Our children will not be forced to listen to the propaganda of this faction in our public schools. The liberals, with their wild ideas that teachers, not parents, are more fit to teach our children what is normal, will be held at bay. These public school teachers are paid from public monies to teach that which the public wants their children to learn. Teachers are paid to instruct our children in math, language and scientific theories and principles. It is parents who are responsible for their child's understanding of their surroundings, of morals, of right and wrong.

Further, at this critical time, with our economic struggles still unresolved, and our State already in a budget crisis, the last thing we need is another group clamoring for funds to further their, now legitimized cause.

Finally, the liberal mindset is to teach that all individuals have the right to think for themselves, to decide, for themselves, what to believe. So why is it that liberals are so adamant that their ideas should be forced on every person, regardless of age, in this country? I think that the liberal crowd needs to take a good hard look at their own actions and reconcile the flaws in their own belief system, before they come banging down my door to tell me how to think and live.

That's reality from my backyard.

The time is now

Isn't it frustrating to sit in front of the television these days? First one candidate, and then the other, telling us that he or she, not their opponent, is the right person for the job. When they are done, we get to see the propaganda for all the ballot initiatives, in their commercials. No matter where you turn, you get bombarded with, first one side of an issue, and then the other side comes on with their take on things. It is easy to see why so many people tune out, just waiting for this whole election mess to be over.

I think that the people who are in charge of these things actually count on a certain portion of the citizenry to give up, to give in to the impulse that it's just a big mess. People have said to me, "Hey, it doesn't even matter what I think or do anymore." Voter apathy is becoming more and more of a problem. Here we are, at the crossroads of our future, and I keep running into people who just don't care anymore. "It makes my head hurt", someone else said to me. My wife is so sick of hearing about all this stuff that she just wants to fast forward to November 4th, so she can go to the poll and cast her ballot and be done with it. I wish it were that easy.

Twelve days from now, we will have the opportunity to finish this mess, at least for the next two years. Twelve days people! We have a lot to do! Every one of us can do more than we have done up to now. Every one of us needs to be more bold, to be more vocal, to put ourselves out there in the crosshairs of the oppositon. We need to stand up for our candidates, get a clear understanding of the ballot initiatives in our state, and speak to our friends, neighbors and co-workers about these things. Yes it is tough to do, but the alternative will be harder to live with.

Put a bumper sticker on your car, wear a pin on your shirt, anything that you can do to start a dialogue with those whom you come in contact with. Don't be afraid! Do not shrink from this responsibility! Yes people, it is our responsibility to use our voices to affect the various outcomes of this election.

Right now, there are forces who have gathered, who are not afraid to do these things, even with people they don't know. They are mobilized for their cause. They work hard, harder than we do, to assure their victory. "They" are but a small portion of our population, perhaps less than ten percent, but they are working day and night to force their will upon us all. They have money, they have the support of the media, of Hollywood, and they are coming to your town to make you live the way they live. To have the morals that they have. To teach your children what they believe.

We cannot allow this to go on any longer. The time has come for the moral majority to take back our country. The only reason that this tiny faction has had success is because they have used our minor differences to separate us into smaller groups. To bicker amongst ourselves. There are more Christians in this country than there are of them. We outnumber them more than 10 to 1. By allowing them to factionalize us, we have become weak. Christianity is not a religion, it is all religions who's foundation is Jesus Christ. Because we each have our own distinct beliefs, does not mean that we are not brothers and sisters under the umbrella of the Gospel of Christ.

Together, we can defend our Constitution. United, we can make decisions in legislation for our country that mirror our beliefs, our morals. Together, we can elect the people who will best serve our needs and concerns and pass legislation that supports our point of view.

Join me in getting out the vote. Let's get our kind of people mobilized and out to the polls. Not everyone can get the time off work, but those that can, need to join the McCain/Palin ticket, from now until election day, to get our conservative, Christian brothers and sisters involved in our fight. Go to the website. Volunteer. Work in your community, or travel to a state where you are needed. Our voice must be heard. It must be loud. We must take back our country.

If we lose this election, we have only ourselves to blame. That's reality from my backyard.

The Mask

Halloween is right around the corner but my thoughts have been on the upcoming elections. I'm getting ready to leave for New Mexico, to help the McCain/Palin ticket get out the vote. I leave on Halloween, so that is, I guess, how I came up with this thought.

As all the little, and not so little, trick-or-treaters come and go from my door each year, I always wonder who the little guy in the monster costume, or underneath all the Dracula makeup is. I know most of the kids in my neighborhood, at least by sight, and I try to guess which one is hiding behind the mask. I get them to talk so I can have a better idea of who they are.

But each year, when I see them riding their bikes or skateboards, or playing ball in the street (we live on a cul-de-sac), and I ask them about their adventures on the previous night, I find that my ability to guess which one was what creature is way off.

Right now, as I sit on my patio listening to the desert night, I am wondering what the man who wins the election will look like after all the hullabaloo of the campaign season is over. What will he look like the day he is sworn into office? Who will he be when he steps up to the podium to address us, as a nation, for the first time? Who will he be six months later?

When I imagine John McCain there, I get pretty clear ideas about what I will see, and who he will be. When I imagine freshman Senator Obama in that setting, I get blurred vision and I find myself unable to paint a portrait of the man. I mean, what do I have to go on, really, when I attempt to put brush to canvas with him? Am I to use his vast experience in Illinois, or do I have enough information about what he might do based on his track record in the United States Senate? Um, not really. The candidates are busy putting what they perceive to be their best foot forward as they work to gain our trust, but as my father always told me when I was arguing for an opportunity to get out of the house on a Saturday night, trust is something you earn.

Senator Obama has not earned the trust of the citizens of this nation. Oh he talks the talk, he tells people who they want to hear but, like old Tom Martin, my fathers former business partner once said to me, "talk is cheap, it takes money to buy whiskey". He saw through me back then like I see through Senator Obama now. Barak Obama talks a good day's work, but I haven't seen him do it. John McCain, while far from perfect, has a track record. He has been "over the mountain", he has walked in the boots of the ordinary man. He has put his country ahead of his own desires, yes, even the desire to live to see another day.

If I was to have the opportunity to serve my country in war, and I had the choice of one or the other candidate to go with me into the fray, it would be an easy decision. Heck, I would take John McCain at 72 years old over Barak Obama at ANY age.

This country is on the precipice of an ugly, ugly place. Most of the rest of the world hates us, at least a third of it wishes we didn't exist and, in fact, has sworn a religious oath to wipe us from the face of the earth. This fight is being brought to us, we are not the bully on the block looking for someone to torment. If we show up with a bouquet of flowers, instead of an army, and ask them if there might be some way that we can all just learn to get along, the messenger will not be coming back. Just look at the history of the world. It has happened time and again.

Remember Iran in 1979? It had already started back then. Jimmy Carter was in the white house then and Iran was NOT afraid of us. But after the election, when Ronald Reagan was voted in, suddenly Iran wanted to talk their way out of the situation. Yes Jimmy Carter was given the opportunity to receive our hostages back from the Iranians, but it was almost simultaneous with the swearing in of President Reagan, who had made it clear that, first and foremost on his agenda as President, we would be going in after our people, come what may.

That is where we stand again today. At least, that's how it looks from my backyard.