Sunday, July 29, 2012

Chick-Fil-A vs the government

Chick-Fil-A, a fried chicken restaurant chain, is in the news because the boss supports traditional marriage (one man and one woman). Chick-Fil-A president Dan Cathy has been taking heat from the Left for some comments he made presumably about homosexual marriage. The odd part is, he didn't actually say anything about homosexual marriage. The comment in question came during a Father's Day interview wherein the emphasis was on fathers. Cathy only stated his beliefs about traditional family and marriage and the growing problem of fatherlessness in our society today -- a very real problem.

Leave it to the "news" media to try to make a story out of nothing.

Chick-fil-A is not being accused of discrimination, either in hiring or in service. The franchise is being targeted by the Left merely to punish the company's owner for his religious and social beliefs. It seems that, in the minds of Liberals (AKA Progressives), the ideal of "diversity and tollerance" means Liberals may believe and do anything they please and throw it in everyone's face while Conservatives are out of bounds if they have differing opinions.

However, the bigger part of this little brouhaha is liberal elected government officials (eg Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and others) deciding what personal opinions a business owner must have on controversial issues -- even when those opinions do not adversely affect his employees or customers! This a government attack on religious beliefs that are incompatible with the Leftist agenda!

Even the ACLU (defender of Liberal extremism) stepped up to tell Chicago to back off. Adam Schwartz, ACLU senior attorney, said, "The government can regulate discrimination in employment or against customers, but what the government cannot do is to punish someone for their words."

Now, if a consumer doesn't want to do business with Ben & Jerry's because of their pro-homosexual-marriage stand or with Chick-Fil-A because of their pro-traditional-family stand, that is the right of that consumer.

But, do we really want government to ban, censor, or otherwise regulate a legitimate business because the personal opinions of the owners and management have not been politically cleansed?

Government should never be in the business of defining or validating values and conscience. That is the role of family and religion.

This isn't about homosexual or traditional marriage. It's about government control. Just how much power do you want government to have over what you think and do?

But, it's more than that. It's a battle between good and evil. It is some of the nation's most morally bankrupt politicians and their childish followers (see images below) attacking one of my Christian brothers because of his religious beliefs. Why is it that those who clamor the loudest for diversity seem to believe that diversity does not include straight white Christians?

Once again, this case shows that Liberal politicians rely on constituencies that are generally illiterate when it comes to civics and real news. How else can these politicians get away with what they say and do? Only through misinformed and uninformed constituencies can Leftist politicians attain and retain public office. We need smarter voters.






I have written in the past that the government shouldn't be in the marriage business. Throughout almost all of human history, marriage was a family and/or religious event.

Relatively recently, government interjected itself -- initially to regulate interracial marriages. That government intrusion has only harmed marriage and family and fomented an ugly rift between heterosexuals and homosexuals. Government introduction of no-fault divorce has been disastrous for children.

As far as the government should be concerned, a marriage should be viewed as nothing more than a legally-binding private contract made between consenting adults -- not to regulate who people can marry or to give benefits to one marital status over another. The only role government should have is to provide a mechanism whereby the marriage contract can be enforced and to protect the rights of the persons involved (ie property rights and especially the rights of children).

As long as government interjects itself into defining marriage, I defend the right of individuals (ie restaurant owners, you, and me) and organizations such as churches (eg California's Prop 8) and civil rights groups to voice their opinions on that definition. Ultimately, politicians and judges need to learn to respect the voice of the voters and the rights of people.

Marriage has never been the rightful role of government. The same can be said of most of what we demand of government -- even when government officials want to censor a person's religious beliefs as is the case with Chick-Fil-A.

When we all start voting for a lot less government, we'll all be a lot happier.



Friday, July 27, 2012

What's wrong in America


When I first heard the news of last week's Aurora theater shooting, my first thought was that someone in his circle should have seen warning signs. A promising young man, as he was, simply doesn't drop out of a PhD program after letting his grades drop unless there is something spiritually or emotionally wrong. Nobody saw that? C'mon!

When one looks back at the history of this kind of violence, every case had warning flags that were ignored. Every case!

In the news today, come reports that the Aurora shooter sent at least one message that should have been considered a frightened plea for help and a huge red flag that trouble was brewing. The package sat unopened in a mail room until the tragedy was executed -- over a week! It was addressed to a psychiatrist -- a person trained to help such people in need of help. A grand failure in the helping professions!

His reported demeanor during his first court appearance tells me that he could have been helped -- and stopped -- and he wanted that. Everyone around him let him down. And, today, those people know it.

James Holmes legally bought guns and ammo because his nationally-manded FBI background check revealed no criminal record, drug addiction, history of mental illness, and other prohibiting characteristics. That background check can only look into a buyer's documented past. It cannot read the mind of the buyer nor the minds of those who should know that the buyer is potentially dangerous.

We certainly don't want to live in a society where everyone is chronically suspicious of each other's mental fitness and reporting insignificant things to the authorities. But, if a friend or a professor -- especially the professor to whom he sent his plea for help -- had simply said something like, "Hey, Jim, you seem troubled. Wanna talk about it?", life in Aurora could very well be happier today.

The bottom line is, if you see a coworker, a family member, a friend, or a neighbor having a bad spell. Do or say something! These events are predictable and preventable!
And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? -- Genesis 4:9.






Sunday, July 22, 2012

What we're doing isn't working!


As is typical of him, Dr. Sowell has hit the nail squarely on the head. We'd be far better off if either he or Dr. Walter Williams were elected as our first Black president.

Why would any one listen to racist opportunists like Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpto when we have a genius with incredible common sense like Dr. Thomas Sowell?

Much of the nation's problems and those of the world's, can be resolved or mitigated by returning to absolute truth (time-tested truth as taught in the Scriptures).

We, as a society, have pushed aside the Word of God in favor of "relative truth" -- what's true for you isn't necessarily true for the other guy. Everyone is making up their own rules as to what is right and wrong. This movement serves to assuage the feelings of guilt of those who refuse to comply with God's absolute truth.
‎For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (Bible, 2 Timothy 4:3, 4)
Many of us also suppress their natural God-given sense of right and wrong through alcohol and drugs (recreational and prescribed), psychological "therapy", and association with others who will tolerate, support, or reinforce their divergence from absolute truth.

We have pushed Mom out of the home and into the workplace while dumping our children off at day-care centers where our children call someone else "Mom." When the kids are home, they spend countless hours with electronic babysitters: TV and video games.

Through taxpayer-funded subsidies, we encourage fatherless families. Far too often, not only does a child not know his father, Mom isn't sure who the father is! Divorce is an expected and seemingly natural part of our enlightened disposable society.

We have shoved God out of the public square and out of our schools. Our children are fed anti-God scientific theory as if it were proven absolute truth. Any teachings remotely resembling anything one might hear in church is forbidden. School children who wear clothing emblazoned with a US flag or a verse fro the Bible is routinely ejected from class. Teachers get fired for simply having a Bible on their desks.

Few graduates of our government schools have read classic literature. Instead, their teachers assign semi-pornographic and anti-morality readings. When churches stand up against such government-recognition/imposition of immorality, they are condemned, picketed, and vandalized.

Christian military chaplains are forbidden the use of the name Jesus!

We kill millions of un-born children every year -- mostly for convenience. Then we wonder why our surviving children grow up to disrespect the life of others.

We perpetually elect and reelect politicians who legalize and even subsidize (with our neighbor's money) all the above relative truth. Then, we call for term limits -- on the other guy's elected representatives who seek a return to absolute truth.

After all of this, we are shocked that all of this rejection of God-given truth results in tragedies such as mass shootings in malls, businesses, schools, churches, theaters, and even military bases. We refuse to blame our personal and societal rejection of God. Instead, we blame an inanimate object or we claim that we don't yet have enough laws or a government that is powerful enough.

Can anyone see that none of this is working for society?
[N]either the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt. — Samuel Adams (essay in The Public Advertiser, Circa 1749)
This is why we desperately need smarter voters – voters with a moral compass. We need to repent! We must turn away from big government, narcissism, and secularism and return to God and to the traditional family.





Monday, July 9, 2012

Who is Willard Mitt Romney?


Get to know the candidates before you vote!

His full Name is: Willard Mitt Romney.

• He was Born: March 12, 1947 and is 65 years old.
• His Father: George W. Romney, former Governor of the State of Michigan.
• He was raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
• He is Married to Ann Romney since 1969; they five children.
• Education: B.A. from Brigham Young University, J.D. and M.B.A. from Harvard University.
• Religion: Mormon - The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints.

Working Background:

• After high school, he spent 30 months in France as a Mormon missionary.
• After going to both Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School simultaneously, he passed the Michigan bar exam, but never worked as an attorney.
• In 1984, he co-founded Bain Capital a private equity investment firm, one of the largest such firms in the United States .
• In 1994, he ran for Senator of Massachusetts and lost to Ted Kennedy.
• He was President and CEO of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
• In 2002, he was elected Governor of the State of Massachusetts where he eliminated a $1.5 billion deficit.

Some Interesting Facts about Romney:

• Bain Capital, starting with one small office supply store in Massachusetts, turned it into Staples; now over 2,000 stores employing 90,000 people.
• Bain Capital also worked to perform the same kinds of business miracles again and again, with companies like Domino's, Sealy, Brookstone, Weather Channel, Burger King, Warner Music Group, Dollarama, Home Depot Supply, and many others.
• He was an unpaid volunteer campaign worker for his dad's gubernatorial campaign 1 year.
• He was an unpaid intern in his dad's governor's office for eight years.
• He was an unpaid bishop and stake president of his church for ten years.
• He was an unpaid President of the Salt Lake Olympic Committee for three years.
• He took no salary and was the unpaid Governor of Massachusetts for four years.
• He gave his entire inheritance from his father to charity.
• Mitt Romney is one of the wealthiest self-made men in our country but has given more back to its citizens in terms of money, service and time than most men.
• And in 2011 Mitt Romney gave over $4 million to charity, almost 19% of his income. Just for comparison purposes, millionaire Joe Biden gave $5,540 or 1.5%.

Mitt Romney is Trustworthy:

• He is unafraid to show us his real birth certificate.
• He is unafraid to show us his high school and college transcripts.
• He is unafraid to show us his social security card.
• He is unafraid to show us his law degree.
• He is unafraid to show us his draft notice.
• He is unafraid to show us his medical records.
• He is unafraid to show us his income tax records.
• He is unafraid to show us he has nothing to hide.

Mitt Romney's background, experience and trustworthiness show him to be a great leader and an excellent citizen for President of the United States.

You may think that Romney may not be the best representative the Republicans could have selected. At least I know what religion he is, and that he won't desecrate the flag, bow down to foreign powers, or practice fiscal irresponsibility. I know he has the ability to turn this financial debacle that the current regime has gotten us into. We won't like all the things necessary to recover from this debt, but someone with Romney's background can do it. But, on the minus side, He never was a "Community Organizer", never took drugs or smoked pot, never got drunk, did not associate with communists or terrorists, nor did he attend a church whose pastor called for God to damn the US.

Note: I verified the above at left-leaning Snopes.

I confess that Romney doesn't elicit the emotional attachment that Obama does. But, are you going to vote based on emotion or reality? I know he's not a minority. But, are you going to vote based on the candidate's character, as suggested by Martin Luther King, Jr., or based on the color of his skin?

I am troubled by some of this past actions on key issues (abortion, homosexual marriage, and gun rights). But, he says he's changes his views on those issues. It's clear that his opponent is still on what i consider to be the wrong side of those issues.

So, Romney is far from my ideal presidential candidate. But, he's the only candidate with a chance to replace one of the only anti-American president we've ever had. Romney will get my lesser-of-two-evils vote. Regardless, we voters must do better pre-vote homework than this:





Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Happy 4th of July vs Happy Independence Day


Does anyone say, "Merry 25th of December"? No, we say, "Merry Christmas!"

Then, why say "Happy 4th of July" when the name of the holiday is Independence Day?
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it.... -- Declaration of Independence
Today is an excellent day to read the Declaration of Independence. Then, ask yourself, how many of the grievances against King George III listed therein apply today under our current governments? You'll be surprised.

We need to start asking ourselves some fundamental questions:
1 - Is it time to "alter or abolish" our present form of "government?"
2 - Does it still serve the ends defined in the Declaration of Independence?
3 - Or has it become the enemy of our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness?

We have an opportunity to "alter or abolish" the central, State, and local governments in November. The nation's founders wisely gave us the opportunity to replace approximately one third of the Senate, the entire House of Representatives, and the entire Administration this year. Similar opportunities abound at the State and local levels.

That's called a revolution -- just what we celebrate our founders did in 1776.

Sadly, history shows we won't take full and appropriate advantage of this opportunity to revolt against our oppressive governments and replace them with better representation.
Doing this will require a mental revolution: A casting off of old prejudices, assumptions, manipulations, and mythologies. Each of us must do the work of causing this revolution in our own minds. Then we must proclaim it to the politicians, the media, our friends, our families, and our neighbors. -- Perry Willis and James Wilson, 4 Jul 2012
The same voters who call for term limits will reelect the same old batch of self-serving statist political elites (thugs). We need smarter voters.