It's to the WE of the you and me Thing

Dear America,

Darling,

you and i are more 

than you and i because 

It's we.

e.e. cummings

exactly

the story of U.S...it isn't always as rosey posey as a love poem

can I get an amen?

the whole is complicated, and yet so beautiful if only we step back a wee bit.

And just like that, this girl is finding her common phrase of "wee bit" becoming something brand new; another dimension gets tossed into play, and faster than you and me and the we put together can say hike, we grow.  We expand to meet the day. with whatever it takes.

Although i didn't watch the Thursday Night Football game, it pleases me to hear of the news that both sides stood for the anthem.   Both sides stood for the anthem. hip hip hooray

perhaps WE are moving in the right direction once more.

As Arnold Ahlert, Beating the Left at It's Own Game (yesterday @ The Patriot Post), points out:

"A Remington Research Group survey reveals that 64% of Americans believe NFL players should stand and respect the National Anthem. And ratings are down another 11% compared to 2016. Thus, despite every effort by the media to frame the argument as one of racism and police brutality, Trump has successfully reframed the argument as one of respect and patriotism. In doing so, he has revealed that the decades-long progressive assumption they could always frame The Narrative to their advantage is no longer a given."

A genuine, love struck, patriotism is the WE factor that wins the day.

Being more interested in the whole,
becomes so much more than the need/agenda/propaganda/identity politics
of the individual or fraction holding the megaphone.

And besides -- if WE want to make comparisons....yes, 233 African-American men have lost their lives at the hands of police.  Never mind that it was during a crime, or after making a threat to life and limb of an officer; never mind that the truth is, the 'hands up, don't shoot' meme was based on a lie.  No, no.  Let's just make fact to fact comparisons, shall WE?

In 2016, yes, 233 African Americans died in a police officer related death.

AND in 2016 -- 466 WHITE people lost their lives in a police officer related death.  DOUBLE!

 Now -- with two eyes open wide -- GO to THIS database and pick the WE apart all the live long day, see the  whole truth.

The whole truth still stinks -- yes.  Indeed it does.

963 people died in police shootings, in the year of our Lord, 2016. 963.

233, black; 466 white; these numbers spell out a certain, and rather absolute, and highly relate-able set of circumstances that WE should not ignore....right, Colin?

Here's another point by the good Arnold Ahlert:  According to statistics of the same year, 2016 --
 "a staggering 7,881 black Americans were murdered [including children!] — mostly by their fellow black Americans."

Here's another one:

"Police brutality? In 2015, a police officer was 18.5 times more likely to be killed by a black male than an unarmed black male killed by a police officer. And in the last 10 years, black males have comprised 42% of all cop-killers, despite representing only 6% of the nation’s population."

And when it comes to killing our own babies --- of all death by legal abortion stats in the year 2016, 40% are African-American babies. [Striking, considering this demographic is only 13% of the general population]

The truth hurts, doesn't it lefties.

Too bad, so sad.

The police brutality numbers do not align with your agenda -- no way, no shape, no form, no matter what you say.  The total WE, in the US, is so much MORE than what you would like us all to believe.

Now, it is interesting looking at the WE factor coming up the ranks in America; simply suggesting another look at the millennials...

I am somewhat encouraged, actually.  For overall, when answering questions upon the subject pertaining to obtaining the American Dream --  the millennials of today rank these issues in the following order of importance:

1.  Economy
2. Terrorism and Security
3. Debt and Spending
4. Race Issues
5. Gun Control
6. Healthcare

[WE might as well just leave Healthcare out of the conversation entirely for this group; clearly under the influence of Yerba Mate,  the spirit of their youth is understandably well established and going strong...teehee]

Anywho, they do not see the race issues being race issues, for they are living in a pretty wide range of race being in their immediate and really real world...their peer groups, their schools, their neighborhoods, their favorite dining places, their sports, their music, their loves xoxo....etc.  They have all grown up in a WE that is, and forever will be, a cornucopia of backgrounds and race and spirit.

These millennials have already traveled so much of the world already.

These millennials have a spirit of WE naturally flowing through their veins.

They drink up the entire world in shameless solidarity.

It's beautiful, right?

Oh to the WE coming up in the next generation; not to dismiss the fact that there is much to learn from each other, as the old and the new learn to blend into the new WE of the new US.

The study also finds something rather astounding, in consideration of just who has the greatest, natural, country pride:  white millennials are only at about 40% -- while Blacks reach a full 50% (and yes, this study is separating the groups as White, Black, Hispanic, Asian). 

Hmm, just thinking outside the Ivy League; wonder if the cultural denigration of white people -- especially through progressive teachings favoring an UNFAVORABLE light of white people in history, in America, has had any effect?   Yes.  that was a rhetorical question.  White people may as well not get out of bed in the morning, right, radicals and leftist professors far and wide?  Or maybe, it's the Paine effect of, "[W]hat we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly"   Either way, WE digress.  bigly

Oh I just hope the new WE gets it all together.

Oh I just hope the new WE goes big in every way -- the economy, terrorism and security, and debt and spending should be our highest priority; everything else will fall into place, take formation, naturally and effectively and lovingly, if we treat each other with care and compassion...because that is JUST and precisely WHO WE ARE, as Americans.  WE ARE FAMOUS FOR IT!

THIS mandate of good character and integrity for all simply goes out to ALL of US of the WE -- one race doesn't have to be or do more than another; it's called an equal opportunity duty come one, come all.  And yes, it is a duty.

It is not a one sided thing, but multi-faceted.  Every single one of us must do our part to bring the more lovely, the more kind, the more forgiving, the more time, the more patience, the more pause, the more golden rules, the more tolerance, the more free speech, the more opinion, and then, and only then, the more stronger WE all will be, ultimately.


For the first time in many days, this girl is feeling optimistic.  Is it because all of the football players stood on the sidelines while the national anthem played, all arm in arm?  To  be honest, probably not.  Although their actions are worthy of praise and support, my happier heart is probably a combination of a couple things:  the unifying spirit, by choice, made by the players, added to the choice being made inside me.

Happiness and optimism is a choice as much as it is a result of our efforts and dreams.  WE can do anything with the right spirit in mind; anything.

Of course, it may be a fleeting feeling; it may come and go, and come back again.  Things are never constant, everything changes.  Seasons come and seasons go; people change; and thank God WE have the ability to change, right?

WE have the ability to become better people with every breath we take; and if you are one to continue to choose the side that just makes noise, rebels and riots -- make each other bleed and ache, in the physical or the in the emotional, in the natural or in the make-believe --  then you are not part of the WE who truly wants to be a WE.

Division produced by the rogue and the radical do not have the honor of keeping the power!

Let me repeat:  DIVISION produced by the rogue and the radical do not have the honor of keeping the power!  Not in America.  Not in America.

Thank God we have a God we can lean on in times like these.  For these are the days that try a girl's soul.  No, no, that's not how it goes.  Let me try that again:

"THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated”

Thank you, Thomas Paine.  Thank you.

"IT IS dearness only that gives every thing its value."  so true, so true

Today -- this day -- all I can do is feel for the WE of US.  It is this dearness, this nearness of heart and soul, that I wish to keep close to me all the day through.

We must ask ourselves, what do WE hold dear...what do WE wish to value...and come together on these things in principle and on purpose.

WE are so much bigger than the mini me, the  i of the two, the separate 300 million souls of the whole.  If all of us make each day count, considering what is at stake for the whole -- we will win the day all together.  For  you and i are more than this...

INDIVISIBLE is where it's at --  be it yesterday, or today, or tomorrow.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a Pledge of Allegiance Thing

Dear America,

"Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one; when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer...For were the impulses of conscience clear, uniform, and irresistibly obeyed, man would need no other lawgiver; but that not being the case, he finds it necessary to surrender up a part of his property to furnish the means for the protection of the rest; and this he is induced to do by the same prudence which in every other case advises him out of two evils to choose the least."

Thomas Paine, Common Sense

published in January of 1776, Common Sense is credited for instilling the spirit of independence into the hearts and minds of an oppressed community -- the American colonists.

I just love the line, "[F]or were the impulses of conscience clear, uniform, and irresistibly obeyed, man would need no other lawgiver; but that not being the case...."

We have NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem precisely for such cause.

Humanity -- in every gender, race, creed, and astrological sign -- is human.  We err.

We err as a community; we err as individuals; we err as a nation; we err as a school board; we err as a football player; we err as a spectator; we err as a journalist; we err as a blogger and just a girl; we err as a president; we err as a church and as a state.  We err as a police officer in the line of duty and we err as members of a community whenever a crime is committed and/or a threat to life and limb is made.

Do we really need a rule to tell us what is the right thing to do?

Isn't there something inside us all that allows us to stop and listen to our heart -- be it an intuition, a feeling, a heeding of conscience, that ultimately steers us in making each and every choice we make all the live long day?

This kneeling thing -- the impulse to disrespect the spirit of unity and show of patriotism -- is seen as being either a revolting gesture against country, or a political stance with the strength and the will to tackle its leftist agenda, leaving no opposition standing.  Either way, it is an obscene crime against the solidarity and security of a nation.

And to think, the NFL Rule Book has rules on the improper use of language and gesture and behavior unfitting of a football player all through the game...a lot of them, too.

And to consider, according to the rules, both teams must be on the field ten minutes before the start of every game, quickly running up to the coin toss....which should come right about three minutes before the start of every game -- while the presenting of the colors to the national anthem is done during the official start.  The anthem is officially part of the official game.  Taking the proper gesture should be self-explanatory to every American citizen, and especially to the players taking the field under such pomp and circumstance and pageantry and production.

Common sense, alone, is sufficient to argue that upon this turf is of no time or place for divisive politics to usurp the moment for which she stands; for the purpose of the moment is to bring good sportsmanship, good character, and good gestures all together with certain, common intentions:  offering a peaceful salute to who we are as a nation.

How often did President Obama opine the words -- 'that is not who we are' -- and making a cut up the middle, immediately return the phrase to who we are, as a country, as Americans?   Let me tell you, it was often (as this girl continues the struggle to get him out of her head).

But why did he do that?  Because as humans, as Americans, sometimes a reminder as to who we are is needed; and not only needed -- it needs to be heeded, after certain postures seeded and individual ownership deeded, and with great courage greeted, genuinely and dutifully with each new day.

It takes work.  It takes reminders.  It takes second chances, and patience.  It takes forgiveness of the wrongful choices which have come before us -- choices made by other humans, of which we have no part, nor ever wish to have a part, if only by being a student of history and of life itself,  as we accept the past for what it is and what it teaches us, as we venture forward with great hope and every effort to make and meet the future a better place for us all.

Arms linked and all.

The thing is AMERICA is bigger than our differences of opinion, our divisive politics, and even the mainstream media (teehee).    America is bigger than Colin Kaepernick (no shock jock there); it is bigger than the owners and the coaches and the players and the stadiums full of spectators and Fox Sports and ESPN and NBC all together; roll them all up into a ball and let America have a go -- and just watch her kick that thing from here to kingdom come without so much as drop of sweat.

Hilarious, isn't it?  That the weekend game in London met with our players taking a knee during America's anthem, and yet they stood for God Save the Queen!   They take a stand for  England?  They stood for the commonwealth credited for the creation and operation of pure oppression in the masterminding of the slave trade -- and not for the country that spent a hundred years and a war trying to abolish it?  Know your history, boys; know your history.

Is America without fault?  No, she isn't.

But what is America, generation after generation?  How many people have come through her halls of justice and injustice, large and small?   Isn't she more than the choices people have made; isn't she bigger than that?  Or perhaps, better still --  is she, in fact, the culmination of the choices made -- year over year -- whether good, bad or indifferent?

America is a spirit -- an idea birthed 241 years ago -- coming from an age that defied oppression in every way, and in turn, becoming an exception to all other nations of the world, to date, in that time and place.  With firm reliance on Divine Providence, our humble founders fought for the creation of America, as they mutually pledged to each other: "our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor" when signing the Declaration of Independence.

Sigh.
Indeed.

Common Sense was written to stir up the impulses to revolutionize the colonies, becoming more oppressed under the rule of England with each new day.  Something had to be done.

Indeed.

America is a spirit expressing in each moment of the day.  Day after day.

In no small way, Thomas Paine was instrumental in creating change; and our founders took the ball and ran with it.

And while we have talked often about this subject many a day,  suffice it to say, that without rules in society, chaos would surely ensue.  Why?  Because we are human...from the imperfect and the grotesque to the bold  and the beautiful.

We have rules -- some even unspoken.

We have rules -- whether it be on the road, in church, in the classroom, in congress, while playing a game of football or Monopoly.  Rules assist in the keeping of order.  Otherwise, there would be disorder.

At the end of the day --  and at the beginning of every football game -- there is an unspoken rule to heed to the order of reverence to country.   And football players know exactly what they do when they kneel; it is pure disruption of the rules in play, whether it is written in the rule book or not.  It's as if these players are choosing to take a knee that they know equates to an act as obscene as calling America a foul name, as repulsive as making an offensive gesture in crude revelry.

 [Kind a like this.  Of course, Beckham is a big boy and makes his own choices, but is that Beckham really being his very best on display?]

But make no mistake.  The kneel:  IT IS a political stance they take.  IT IS a political, ideological, and fundamental transformation of AMERICA that they seek, taking as many casualties as needed -- even if its the entire NFL and every Sunday from the Harvest Moon through the dark of winter.  And for better or worse, the outcome could prove revolutionary; only time will tell. 

Welcome to the new world; an age when common non-sense reigns.

As we sit and make history, all choices we make now are relevant and in play.

“The man who refuses to judge, who neither agrees nor disagrees, who declares that there are no absolutes and believes that he escapes responsibility, is the man responsible for all the blood that is now spilled in the world. Reality is an absolute, existence is an absolute, a speck of dust is an absolute and so is a human life. Whether you live or die is an absolute. Whether you have a piece of bread or not, is an absolute. Whether you eat your bread or see it vanish into a looter's stomach, is an absolute.

There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil. The man who is wrong still retains some respect for truth, if only by accepting the responsibility of choice. But the man in the middle is the knave who blanks out the truth in order to pretend that no choice or values exist, who is willing to sit out the course of any battle, willing to cash in on the blood of the innocent or to crawl on his belly to the guilty, who dispenses justice by condemning both the robber and the robbed to jail, who solves conflicts by ordering the thinker and the fool to meet each other halfway. In any compromise between food and poison, it is only death that can win. In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can profit. In that transfusion of blood which drains the good to feed the evil, the compromise is the transmitting rubber tube.”
― Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

absolutely.

My loyalties are to America -- what is best for the whole.

I pledge allegiance 

to the flag,

of the United States of America,

and to the Republic for which it stands,

one Nation, under God,

indivisible,

with liberty and justice for all.

INDIVISIBLE is absolute.

Perhaps, if we were all angels, rules would prove unnecessary; laws would not be needed, let alone cry out to be heeded, that which precepts are regularly seeded, and individually deeded, into the hearts and minds of decent and good countrymen.  But that not being the case...We must remind each other how a nation of good character prevails; how a nation proves strong when indivisible, in person and in spirit, with both sides locked and aligned.

Make it a GOOD DAY, G!

It's an Oh Say Can You See Thing

Dear America,

t-shirt material...

"YOU MATTER 

UNLESS YOU MULTIPLY YOURSELF

 BY THE SPEED OF LIGHT 

THEN YOU ENERGY"

now let's apply this to the nation, alongside what seems to be multiple orbits of agenda's and politics swirling around each other, oh so madly.

where does it end?  how does it end?

or is this just the way it is now -- the settled science according to the modern, although rather ignorant, world -- that we have reached an age when a patriotic co-existence without politics simply doesn't have a chance to breathe, let alone survive, in America? 

it's just so sad

the Pittsburgh Steelers attempted to simply stay out of it - deciding as a team to stay off the sidelines and remain in the locker room while the national anthem played; they chose not to make a stand either way.  Oh the irony, right?  For as they purposely placed themselves smack dab in the center -- may as well call it the fifty yard line -- lo and behold, Alejandro Villanueva, the Afghanistan Veteran, broke away from the huddle.  He just couldn't do it.  In a blink of an eye, he went out to the field and stood there all by himself.  The rest of the team didn't see it coming.

The result?  Instant political bombs bursting in air, with Tomlin and team becoming the topic of conversation, be it left, right or center.  Although the team wanted to stay neutral, out of the fray, at the end of the day, their actions proved the exact opposite reaction.

What did Coach Tomlin say?  "Like I said, I was looking for 100 percent participation [to not participate with the civic honor to cross our heart while the Star Spangled Banner played, in unison with an entire stadium of fellow patriots], we were gonna be respectful of our football team."

So they thought it made more sense to be disrespectful of decades of tradition  -- 

the one where two teams stand on the sidelines.... directly across the field from each other... while beginning the contest on certain, common ground... saluting the land of the free and the home of the brave -- the one that gave them all an opportunity of getting paid millions playing a game, no less.

So they thought it made more sense to be disrespectful of country -- 

Tomlin calculated that it would be wiser to choose to respect their football team, over the respect of the whole --  be it the stadium full of paying football season ticket holders, or all 300 million of us intrepidly attempting to co-exist within the boundaries of this nation and be patriotic at the same time.  wow

thing is -- Tomlin and team made a choice.  As much as there may be good reason to admire the team as they attempted to stay out of it; it is no surprise that hiding stands equally off-putting.

By choosing to stay in the locker room, they opted to take sides smack dab square with the side of political correctness; instead of rising above it all and coming out to the sidelines like a bunch of big boys, with a spirit of good sportsmanship, they put the football between their legs and huddled in the protection of each other and displayed a certain, offensive sense of arrogance against what is best for the country -- and more than that, what is best for the sport in which they play!

More than anything else, all this nonsense --  all this divisiveness being drummed up and now multiplied from one Sunday to the next -- is not being productive in any way, shape, or form.

And proving to be such a disservice, too, bearing in mind, that each of these players are uniquely positioned with the complete honor of influencing the next generation of impressionable minds -- whether future football players or not, our children are watching this!

And just to be clear -- Trump didn't make this issue political, like, yesterday.

It began being political the day Colin Kaepernick took a knee. Saying,“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”   [While under contract and making  11.6 million dollars in 2016; and bear in mind, it began over perceived police brutality against African-American men committing crimes, targeting the anthem to curry anti-police, and in turn anti-American, sentiment.]

To commentary from Sports Anchor Jim Brown:

“I’m going to give you the real deal. I’m an American. I don’t desecrate my flag and my national anthem. I’m not gonna do anything against the flag and the national anthem. … This is my country, and I’ll work out the problems, but I’ll do it in an intelligent manner.”

Here's a great post from Nate Jackson, at The Patriot Post.

Of course, President Trump may have become the antagonist-in-chief, interjecting into such a political football conversation....oh well, so be it.   Let it be, let it be; and may it be the kind of political muscle that breaks the growing, unconscionable, un-American trend, somehow, some way.

Antagonist:  1.  One who opposes and actively competes with another; adversary 2. Anatomy, A muscle that opposes another muscle.

Indeed. 

Nothing wrong with that, right?  This is pure nature against nature.

Sure, we all have a right to speak up -- even a president.  

If Colin has a right to speak his peace, then so does the president of the United States, as well as, all the rest of us in between.  The very ability for Trump to speak freely -- against the establishment, upon twitter, and all, no matter how ugly  -- was the precise reason he was elected president.

But make no mistake, this American anthem protest during the quintessential all-American game of football  -- by the sidelines, the taking of a knee, the staying in the locker room until its over --

is all about muscle meeting up with muscle.   

It's muscle opposing muscle kicked up to catatonic levels; pretty soon, nobody will be able to move freely; nobody will be able to just watch a little football, in peace, and eat an afternoon away with nachos and beers simply for the love of the game.  

The THING IS, these actions -- gaining steam in both directions faster than a two minute warning --  are pulling us, the body of all Americans, further and further apart.

And this will not end good if we continue on this trajectory.

Nobody wants politics in football.  Nobody.

These players who continue to protest such as they are will not only ruin the game, they will destroy the means of providing for their very own livelihood; nobody wants to pay to see this behavior. 

You've made your point; now let's see what true community activism can do; go back to being a football player, go back to being a mentor of strong character to those who look up to you, go back to being good sports, go back to standing up out of respect, because respect is just the proper way to go.

------------ x

Now -- here's a total reversal for you, according to the field of blog -- and it comes courtesy of an event attended over the weekend.

The local chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution gathered together for an annual celebration of the signing of the Constitution.  At this event, the DAR requested proclamations from every entity from sea to shining sea, from local mayors all the way up to the president of the United States.  We must have received twenty or thirty of them. [And yes, the president wrote a beautiful two-page spread.]

But the real kicker came courtesy of our very own state of California, Governor Jerry Brown.

Multiple requests were denied.

Here's a guy -- who took an actual oath to uphold the Constitution -- showing just where his solidarity lies; and it's not standing, locked arm in arm, with the rest of us.  How sad is that?

He may as well have just sent us an instagram shot of him taking a knee.  

Politics used to be so fair, and way more fun; but when did the Constitution become political?

First the flag,

then commemorative statues,

and now the Constitution, Jerry?  E tu Brute Brown?

As more and more leftist activists -- and some actually in office --  claim to matter MORE than the rest of us and gaining at the speed of light, ultimately the whole of the nation will be unable to take the hits; pure momentum is growing in the favor of radicals, with the help of the mainstream leftist media and a multitude of leftist muscle proclaiming to be unarguably absolute, no need for debate -- no matter how un-American it  may look.  They don't care.  Any and all opposition may as well just take their ball and go home, according to the left.

Football was better when we were all on the same field, when we all mattered just being part of the one body known as Americans, when we all just came together in one place to root for our favorite team and still leave friends.

But this mess -- this mess was created by one football player, which led to another football player, and then another, and so on.  Football players continue to antagonize the issue each and every time they choose to take a knee.  As the cosmic laws of cause and effect multiply, only bad energy can come of it.  bad, bad energy.

They surely don't see it that way; but that doesn't mean it is any less true.  The coaches should have nipped this one in the budweiser a long, long time ago. [But what do I know, I'm just a girl..]

And besides -- speaking of me, teehee  --  this girl just may 'have mixed drinks about feelings,' but football is not designed to be a sport about people's feelings.  Players get hit!   Guys get hurt!  Even the stands might get a little ugly.  But at the end of the day, it is sport!  It is a bloody, ugly and brutal display of muscle -- pure force against another force.  Spectators yell and scream; players call each other names; and nobody leaves a stadium unaffected... 

...having all of that begin after a friendly singing of our Star Spangled Banner and a salute to the flag at least gave us the proper foundation before all hell broke loose, yes?

oh say can you see

what a mess that was made.

i pray, that it stops,

before we all go down...

O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a Call for Better Supervision Thing

Dear America,

t-shirt dogma strikes again...

"In my defense, 

I was left 

unsupervised."

Teehee

toddlers, of course, come to mind.

dogs, too.

and this morning, we might as well go big, and add the entire state of California.

And yet, "unsupervised" doesn't really do the situation justice; it's really more a case of being left in the hands of The Left for way too long.  Thanks to Governor Brown's do-over, giving him a second run at head of state...... as if with a box of rainbow crayolas and all the freedom in the world......in the abstract -- the intentions of bringing California fully into its destiny, remaking the state into a leftist/socialist/utopian masterpiece, is nearly complete.

All that needs to happen now is the "redistricting"-- the state lines being delineated by a thick red line, preferably with a permanent Sharpie.  It's all about marking a line that The Fed can't cross, separating California from the rest of the 49 states, and conceivably, marking a line just as broad and wide as a colorful, graffiti'd wall --  and proudly tagged, of course, by the mishmash majority  --  the leftist elitists, power grabbers, radicals, and progressives all going rogue, and now taking over the lives of every Californian.  Every identity, agenda, and partisan policy wants to leave an impression, an imprint, to validate their worth and secure their position on the canvas.

California simply wishes to ignore the federal supervision that comes along with the privileges of being part of the United States of America -- the one nation under God, indivisible, that it is.

To frame it fully, take a glance here.  

And here.

And here.

And here.

California may as well just begin throwing paint.  But just look at me, now digressing into an expressionists wet dream.

So.....Regarding the Fence.....the one we all agreed upon, before we didn't.

The politics of the state is not only oh-fence-ive to the few, the proud, the conservatives, who happen to remain and call California home, but in a mere ten years, the state's representation has totally done an about-fence, so to speak, for leftists sake. 

Case in point:  the Secure Fence Act of 2006, legislation signed by President Bush with bi-partisan approval (80-19-1).  Then Senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer BOTH voted in favor of it.  Then Senator, Barack Obama, VOTED IN FAVOR of it!  For some further background, go here...but beware, for like most things happening in big gov,  it's a little shady.

Now, here's the thing:

As senators, sworn into office -- any reversal of support for the wall, protecting our nation's sovereign borders, is pure, unadulterated contempt of the oath taken to serve and protect this country above all else. To smudge the lines of allegiance, just so, reveals a remarkable fall from duty and responsibility to the whole.  Such actions could easily be considered a disgraceful dereliction of duty -- and fully subject to being held accountable, and perhaps relieved of duty, given its treasonous nature to not nurture the nation's sovereignty.  boom.

Oh my.  Left unsupervised, this girl can sure rule her world, eh?

It's kinda funny, when I consider the possibility of California making her scrappy exit from the nation, my mind wanders into the What IF universe in a Dada nano-second.  

What if North Korea starts to lob missiles our direction? a Thaad is not one of our things -- California doesn't own a single anti-ballistic missile system!  Hello?   The ships, the special forces, the artillery, the army of marines committed to the semper fi...ooh rah...every military asset belongs to the Federal Government.  Has California even thought this one through?

What if -- upon news of California becoming a sanctuary state -- every opportunist south of the border begins to make their trek north?  Why even bother to have a border check point, if in fact, the line of separation is meaningless and completely useless?  At what point do we meet the threshold, unable to take in even one more soul (no matter how kind and hard-working they may be)?  

Me thinks good fences make good neighbors, but maybe that's just me being G.

What if -- under the weight of the massive financial responsibility to care for the whole, California must resort to increasing taxes to European levels, creating reason for a mass exodus to anywhere but here?

What if --  the Leftists become so successful in shouting down and shutting up opposition, whether in Berkeley or San Bernardino, north or south --  be it peaceful speech, contrary policy ideas, or humble gatherings of like cause --  that  any and all opposition becomes non-existent?   Calling attention to a popular movement of leftist origins  -- what a mockery they make of any intent to "co-exist;" as it becomes increasing clear to be more a platitude of plaster of Paris and collage, and an exhibit of the highest form of hypocrisy, than of genuine, bonafide, one love one world, no matter the differences.

  

Is this when we return to burning books and blogs, too?

Oh and just how do we combat the breaking bad phenomenon, be it beginning with California whackadoodles and ending badly?

And then again, maybe this girl is just showing her age, right?  There is that.

Like most people, I thought it would take longer to get here, too -- but now that I'm here, all I can do sometimes is sit in my corner window and pray.  I pray not just for my little world, but on behalf of the entire, magnificent universe of life and love and liberty that surrounds us all.  oh how I pray.

From my favorite devotional, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, this morning:

"Wait quietly in My Presence while My thoughts form silently in the depths of your being.  Do not try to rush this process, because hurry keeps your heart earthbound.  I am the Creator of the entire universe, yet I choose to make My humble home in your heart.  It is there where you know Me most intimately; it is there where I speak to you in holy whispers.  Ask My Spirit to quiet your mind so that you can hear My still small voice within you.  I am speaking to you continually: words of Life...Peace...Love.  Tune your heart to receive these messages of abundant blessing.  Lay your requests before Me, and wait in expectation."

indeed

yes please.

no need to ask me twice -- come to me, BIG G, and quiet my little mind.  

...Supervise Me; supervise my every word and deed and still moment to come.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's All About Making the UN Great Again Thing

Dear America,

"The only way

 to deal with the future 

is to function efficiently 

in the Now."

Gita Bellin

amen

and let it begin with a new era in dealing with the UN -- and in turn, the rest of the planet. 

It's all about making the UN great again....

Below are MY highlights --  mostly in big boy blue --  from President Trump TODAY, in his first speech @the UN [the RED being some of MY favorite parts....my go-to G-pink just wasn't strong enough....teehee].  Now carry-on, Mr. President:

"Mr. Secretary General, Mr. President, world leaders, and distinguished delegates: Welcome to New York. It is a profound honor to stand here in my home city, as a representative of the American people, to address the people of the world.

As millions of our citizens continue to suffer the effects of the devastating hurricanes that have struck our country, I want to begin by expressing my appreciation to every leader in this room who has offered assistance and aid. The American people are strong and resilient, and they will emerge from these hardships more determined than ever before."....

"But each day also brings news of growing dangers that threaten everything we cherish and value. Terrorists and extremists have gathered strength and spread to every region of the planet. Rogue regimes represented in this body not only support terrorists but threaten other nations and their own people with the most destructive weapons known to humanity.

Authority and authoritarian powers seek to collapse the values, the systems, and alliances that prevented conflict and tilted the world toward freedom since World War II."...

"We do not expect diverse countries to share the same cultures, traditions, or even systems of government. But we do expect all nations to uphold these two core sovereign duties: to respect the interests of their own people and the rights of every other sovereign nation. This is the beautiful vision of this institution, and this is foundation for cooperation and success.

Strong, sovereign nations let diverse countries with different values, different cultures, and different dreams not just coexist, but work side by side on the basis of mutual respect.

Strong, sovereign nations let their people take ownership of the future and control their own destiny. And strong, sovereign nations allow individuals to flourish in the fullness of the life intended by God."...

"Generations of Americans have sacrificed to maintain the promise of those words, the promise of our country, and of our great history. In America, the people govern, the people rule, and the people are sovereign. I was elected not to take power, but to give power to the American people, where it belongs."...

"America does more than speak for the values expressed in the United Nations Charter. Our citizens have paid the ultimate price to defend our freedom and the freedom of many nations represented in this great hall. America's devotion is measured on the battlefields where our young men and women have fought and sacrificed alongside of our allies, from the beaches of Europe to the deserts of the Middle East to the jungles of Asia."...

"If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph. When decent people and nations become bystanders to history, the forces of destruction only gather power and strength.

"No one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the well being of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea. It is responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of North Koreans, and for the imprisonment, torture, killing, and oppression of countless more."....

"The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary. That’s what the United Nations is all about; that’s what the United Nations is for. Let’s see how they do."...

"We face this decision not only in North Korea. It is far past time for the nations of the world to confront another reckless regime -- one that speaks openly of mass murder, vowing death to America, destruction to Israel, and ruin for many leaders and nations in this room.

The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy. It has turned a wealthy country with a rich history and culture into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed, and chaos. The longest-suffering victims of Iran's leaders are, in fact, its own people."....

"It is time for the entire world to join us in demanding that Iran's government end its pursuit of death and destruction. It is time for the regime to free all Americans and citizens of other nations that they have unjustly detained. And above all, Iran's government must stop supporting terrorists, begin serving its own people, and respect the sovereign rights of its neighbors."...

"We seek the de-escalation of the Syrian conflict, and a political solution that honors the will of the Syrian people. The actions of the criminal regime of Bashar al-Assad, including the use of chemical weapons against his own citizens -- even innocent children -- shock the conscience of every decent person. No society can be safe if banned chemical weapons are allowed to spread. That is why the United States carried out a missile strike on the airbase that launched the attack."...

"The United States is a compassionate nation and has spent billions and billions of dollars in helping to support this effort. We seek an approach to refugee resettlement that is designed to help these horribly treated people, and which enables their eventual return to their home countries, to be part of the rebuilding process.

For the cost of resettling one refugee in the United States, we can assist more than 10 in their home region. Out of the goodness of our hearts, we offer financial assistance to hosting countries in the region, and we support recent agreements of the G20 nations that will seek to host refugees as close to their home countries as possible. This is the safe, responsible, and humanitarian approach."...

"In some cases, states that seek to subvert this institution's noble aims have hijacked the very systems that are supposed to advance them. For example, it is a massive source of embarrassment to the United Nations that some governments with egregious human rights records sit on the U.N. Human Rights Council.

The United States is one out of 193 countries in the United Nations, and yet we pay 22 percent of the entire budget and more. In fact, we pay far more than anybody realizes. The United States bears an unfair cost burden, but, to be fair, if it could actually accomplish all of its stated goals, especially the goal of peace, this investment would easily be well worth it."....

"The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented. (Applause.) From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure. Those who preach the tenets of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people who live under these cruel systems.

America stands with every person living under a brutal regime. Our respect for sovereignty is also a call for action. All people deserve a government that cares for their safety, their interests, and their wellbeing, including their prosperity."...

"If this organization is to have any hope of successfully confronting the challenges before us, it will depend, as President Truman said some 70 years ago, on the "independent strength of its members." If we are to embrace the opportunities of the future and overcome the present dangers together, there can be no substitute for strong, sovereign, and independent nations -- nations that are rooted in their histories and invested in their destinies; nations that seek allies to befriend, not enemies to conquer; and most important of all, nations that are home to patriots, to men and women who are willing to sacrifice for their countries, their fellow citizens, and for all that is best in the human spirit."....

"The true question for the United Nations today, for people all over the world who hope for better lives for themselves and their children, is a basic one: Are we still patriots? Do we love our nations enough to protect their sovereignty and to take ownership of their futures? Do we revere them enough to defend their interests, preserve their cultures, and ensure a peaceful world for their citizens?

One of the greatest American patriots, John Adams, wrote that the American Revolution was 'effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people'."....

"This is the true vision of the United Nations, the ancient wish of every people, and the deepest yearning that lives inside every sacred soul.

So let this be our mission, and let this be our message to the world: We will fight together, sacrifice together, and stand together for peace, for freedom, for justice, for family, for humanity, and for the almighty God who made us all.

Thank you. God bless you. God bless the nations of the world. And God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much."

amen, amen, amen

bold and beautiful and brave delivers every time.

[Thank you, POLITICO, for the entire text transcript.]

Make it a Good Day, G

It's About Godliness and Tidiness Things, and maybe a couple of other things ungodly and untidy

Dear America,

"It's a very strange phenomenon, 

but when we reduce what we own 

and essentially 'detox' our house, 

it has a detox effect 

on our bodies as well." 

 from the life-changing magic of tidying up, 

by marie kondo; yes, all in lower case.

so true

so true

and this is precisely what America needs right about now -- a good detox. In a less, is more, kinda way.

Maybe starting in St. Louis.

ugh, do not, i say, do not,  meet me in St. Louis....at least not for today.

  

About last night... 

Consider also, if you will, that a look back to Labor Day weekend violence (just two weeks ago)  is deemed, by the general population and duly noted within, just like every other weekend --  St. Louis style.

Just where is the genuine community outrage... outside of the domain of cops and robbers?  To date -- 142 have been killed in St. Louis; last year, this total was nearly the same, at 135.

So just to be clear -- so far, this year, One Hundred and Forty Two people have died by homicide! in St. Louis.   Just who is robbing St. Louis of its peace?

Well, we can't just pick on the picket fences of St. Louis, now can we?   Besides, who doesn't love their ribs?  Let's move on dot org to Chi town, shall we? 

 Here are those stats.

Stunning -- from Chicago Sun-Times News:

"The seven deaths this weekend, including the killing of a 15-year-old boy Monday evening, were the latest casualties of Chicago’s gun violence that has taken the lives of at least 438 people since the start of 2017, according to data maintained by the Sun-Times."

FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY EIGHT people!  438 people have died!  Died.  Dead and buried.  Died.

Just who is robbing Chicago of its peace?

Just love how they refer to it as "gun violence."  As if the gun just did it; one day, the gun woke up and just snapped.  Guns don't kill a soul; people kill... using whatever means necessary and available -- knives, buses, trucks, cars, trains, planes, rope, neckties, hands, poison, water, and yes, sometimes guns.

The toxicity of these urban cities is through the roof -- gun violence, drugs, gangs, assaults, robberies, rape, sexual assaults.

Our living spaces affect our body 

-- marie kondo knows.

To have a conversation about police officers and African-American men meeting up in the neighborhoods of the real world, we must look at the whole picture.  America -- the one big happy family that it is -- must learn to create relationships built upon mutual respect, a healthy amount of space, and pillars of good character, that are conceivably as neat and tidy as the environments we keep, dream, or intend, whether on the micro or macro level.

Though, even if we managed to get everyone into the picture, just when does a family portrait ever tell the whole story, right?

Lighting the town on fire, or pelting a mayor's home windows with rocks, is no way to begin a sit down and find resolution; a meeting of the minds has hardly a chance to come together when the room is chock full of animosity, hate, and prevailing mistrust, with the ill begotten bad sense to start with violence.  Who does that and truly believes its a good idea?   The violent riots begun by Anarchists, Black Lives Matter, Antifa....have no place in a civil society.  None.  [Would just love to see how they all live, just sayin.']

"Cleaning involves energetic movement, 

which would naturally contribute

 to losing weight and staying fit.  

And when our space is completely clean, 

we don't have to worry about tidying, 

so we are free to focus 

on the next issue that is important 

in our lives." 

marie kondo strikes again

And while this girl has blogged extensively about the facts on police shootings, courtesy of such notable and learned people as Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute....I'm not feeling the need to go there now.  Again.  ugh.   [But feel free to read that one about the facts, on big data, from a year ago. It's really good :)]

Now, getting closer to home -- according to Mac Donald's studies, the reality is this in one of California's largest cities:

"In Los Angeles, blacks between the ages of 20 and 24 die at a rate 20 to 30 times the national mean.  Who is killing them?  Not the police, and not white civilians, but other blacks.  The astronomical black death-by-homicide rate is a function of the black crime rate.  Black males between the ages of 14 and 17 commit homicide at ten times the rate of white and Hispanics male teens combined.  Blacks of all ages commit homicide eight times the rates of whites and Hispanics combined, and at eleven times the rate of whites alone." 

"When we put our house in order, 

the air inside becomes fresh and clean."  

just more marie

indeed.

After my girl returns to school in the fall, I play this game with myself, living off of the fridge and pantry for as long as I can without grocery shopping.  It becomes highly obsessive, as all the while it makes cleaning out the pantry in order to start anew all the more challenging as the days and weeks go by; it uses every creative gene in my body to come up with things to make, taking the Food Network's Chopped challenge, complete with its cult following, to a whole 'nother level.  This girl can follow herself like nobody's business...teehee.

It's all about the process of not wasting a single, many-a-splendored thing.  And honestly, I haven't skipped a beat -- now going on six weeks!  Sometimes, I even amaze myself.  [Point of advice:  check expiration dates on canned items....and eat them up in a timely fashion before wasting food and hard spent dollars.]

So in light of this day and where we began -- my heart is crying out across the land, from my home to yours.   What a waste of human life, in all of it's potential and full expression unseen, in the every day -- year over year -- when one human being takes the life of another, and throws it away -- whether in St. Louis, or Chicago, or Los Angeles, or Baltimore, or Charlottesville, or New York City, or Boston, or San Francisco, or Seattle, or Nashville, or Miami....we could go on and on and on.  It's not just one life wasted -- for its ripple effects fan out to the one who committed the crime, the families, the entire community which continues to grieve and take the hits.

Where is the community outrage, outside of the domain of cops and robbers?  That 15 year old, above, was somebody's baby boy -- could have been mine, or yours, or the neighbors, or the kid that lives down the street in the house with the neat lawn and a rainbow of flowers.

Just who is robbing who of the peace and quiet and contentment of a life fully lived?

America's proverbial HOUSE is clearly NOT in order.  Moreover, how can there be any 'restoring of order' when the House of Chaos not only exists, it usurps all justice and power and rule of law in it's path, leaving not a single foundation -- no matter if that path is tree-lined or not?

Wonder what would happen if we just cleaned ourselves all up?

Did you happen to catch the mug shots of the Antifa protesters at Berkeley -- rioting against free speech and Ben Shapiro -- just this last week?  It's like, c'mon dudes, cut your hair already -- maybe get a hot shave once in awhile; did you leave your house with clothes on the floor, too?  Or does your mom still pick up after you?  What's in the fridge,  is it even clean?   Have you ever in your life cleaned a toilet?  On the scale of 1 to 10, how would you characterize the clutter from room to room? [Don't hate; just a bunch of good questions.]

Tidiness breeds more tidy, while untidiness breeds more untidiness --  there's just no other way to say it.  It's the same law that applies to everything in nature; apple trees bear only apples, lemon trees bear only lemons.  We are what we eat, what we think, and go in the direction our hearts and minds take us.  Why would the alt-left, black lives matter folks, of St. Louis commit harm against each other and its city?  What are they thinking?

Part of the process of tidying up by marie kondo, delves into choices we make and how to identify what is truly precious -- and become the things we keep.

The more we tidy, the more we realize that the material world is a lot less complicated once we peel away all the stuff that really doesn't matter to us; that ultimately, we can find contentment in having even fewer things around us, which in turn, becomes our saving grace, a by-product of the process that comes almost out of nowhere, perhaps out of thin air.  Poof!  All of a sudden, we find ourselves complete; suddenly we become just a girl who has everything she needs and nearly nothing show for it....go figure.... and make that with a thinner figure, to boot.  Things that once were deemed toxic -- the broken, the unworn, the unloved, the bad ju-ju of lives and loves past, are all gone.

What would happen if America cleaned herself up?  One room at a time....

Trimmed here.
Cut back there.
Lived within OUR-All American means.
Extinguished entire departments altogether -- commerce, education, energy...
Didn't "buy" anything new, especially on credit
Reduced crony capitalism with term limits!
Made it unlawful to profit off of legislation!
yadi yadi yada...you know where I'm going with this.

Perhaps holding onto the things that truly set us free, the things we love with our whole heart --

 here's some House Rules for you --

A truly Limited Government...being content with growing smaller and smaller.
Be true to the totality of Life Itself, and all that God wants us to be,  being fully aligned with the pure, limitless aspects of the "Free Exercise thereof" of our religion! (what a beautiful thing!)
Right to keep and bear arms -- lawfully and respectfully...

Ah hell, might as well just call it what it is:
to hold tight to OUR CONSTITUTION
and the Rule of Law...our sovereign borders and all.
Respect the flag
Love our neighbor as ourselves
Respect each others persons, places and things
Follow the law
Raise our children well
Conserve energy
Recycle
Say our please's and thank you's
Open the door for each other
Take turns
Give back
Say our prayers

Oh and Stop violent protests of all kinds, and use our words -- calmly, collectively, no matter the conflict!  What a concept.

It would seem, the more we answer in the affirmative to the things that truly matter, the better all the world would be -- starting at home.

Ah from the fire to the frying pan -- America is the best place to live on the planet, as long as we prioritize taking meticulously good care of her.  Generation after generation, it is all about replicating Strong Americans from Strong Americans, in the safe guarding and keeping of America.  And this will take great courage, and time.   Renovations always take longer than we think...

If we take care of her -- she will take care of us; as right conduct multiplies, our duty to God and to country go hand in hand with the privileges and equal rights under the law.  And nevermind that my self-cleaning oven -- working as we speak-- makes even the practical joys of life all the more delightful.

May God bless St. Louis -- just the place where this day had her start; and may God Bless the United States of America.  Come to think of it, Godliness and tidiness may just about be the only two things we will ever need to know and love, inside and out.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a Blog that Will Prove Self-Evident --- when you get to the very end, that is -- Thing

Dear America,

"When the cement 

that has held a nation together 

no longer exists, 

the state soon dissolves 

into anarchy."   

from Bob Beltz's adaptation

 of a remarkable read, 

Real Christianity, 

by William Wilberforce

and we're back....to the return of Wilberforce.  And what a force for good he was, indeed.

little ole' G thing has relied upon the brilliance of Wilberforce to fulfill the duties of making a point many times before, especially circa the olden days of yore; maybe mosey your way back to a day, or two, just for kicks and giggles, starting here:

11/8/10;

11/17/10;

11/29/10;

9/16/11.

[the vintage speaks for itself, considering they were all written in a day before each blog was donned a title to fit the day's scene, as in,  "IT's a (fill in the blank) Thing."]

As I was rambling through a string of happy things on November 29, 2010, this moment jumped out:

"I am happy, that when it came time to saying our prayers last night, my girl piped up and said "for Korea...both of them" -- and expanding on that with a question to me, asking if it was appropriate to pray for North Korea, too?  To which I said, "of course, and maybe more so"...distracted by some kind of Godfather flashback in my mind, "keeping your friends close, but your enemies closer." And if the good Lord willing, maybe they will change their ways, saying a little prayer couldn't hurt (good news, free will leans both ways -- bad news, free will leans both ways)."

So you're welcome; two girls prayed one night and kept North Korea at bay for nearly seven years.  teehee; guess it becomes immediate grounds to pray unceasing.

It's crazy how Christianity -- praying in general or in the particular, praying in a church or in the town square or at the foot of one's own bed at the end of the day -- has become so out of vogue in America.

Now, if you wandered back to the days of yore, citing Wilberforce, then you would know that Wilberforce was addressing a world two hundred years ago, give or take.  And the real Christianity kicker -- all of it, and pretty much everything this Brit said, is still relevant today; and perhaps even more so!

"It would seen that the best view of patriotism recognizes that society and all its numerous elements are best served when the general welfare of the greatest number of people becomes the great objective of all its people, rather than the selfish pursuit of personal peace and affluence of the individual.  A proper response to the call of Christ to love all men, even one's enemies, should produce this outcome in a truly Christian culture.  Universal love produces the highest form of patriotism.  Benevolence and philanthropy that arise from a purely secular framework usually proves deficient:  They always fall short of meeting the full needs of those they seek to benefit.  Cost is always measured against the discomfort that such benevolence might produce in the giver.  True Christian benevolence goes the extra mile.  Its objective is to meet the need even at the cost of self-sacrifice.  It is like an infection -- a good infection -- that first influences its immediate surroundings and then begins to spread outward in ever-increasing circles.... 

Christianity has no equal.  It not only teaches the highest moral and ethical code known to man, but through relationship with the Creator of the code the believer is empowered by the Holy Spirit to keep it.

True Christianity, by nature, seems to be particularly and powerfully constituted to promote the welfare and health of political communities.  Why is that?  The reality is that all other systems are rooted in human selfishness.  They are conceived in selfishness, grow in selfishness and ultimately, perish because of selfishness."

oh talk to me, WW, as we wander down this road hand in hand.

A local preacher, Dr. David Jeremiah, is beginning a new series, based upon his latest book:  A Life Beyond Amazing.  The running theme is based upon nine pillars of character that carry the trans-formative power to change our life, our world:  love, joy, peace, endurance, compassion, generosity, integrity, humility, and self-discipline.  

All of it ties into what Wilberforce refers to as the "public spirit"  and amounts to the overarching desire of creating and instilling and growing and investing in things of character, in order to multiply it...like in a seven billion fold kind of way.

But the truth is, we must start small.

We must start with the power of one -- that is, by definition, you and me, individually and collectively, rich or poor, white, black, brown, boy or girl, young and old alike.

Dr. Jeremiah uses self-discipline to anchor his entire list; and of course, this girl got to thinking....

as society has grown more and more rooted in selfishness, the values of old -- with self-discipline at the core -- have grown tired and worn, like an old pair of shoes off the beaten path and retired to the back of the closet.  The shoes that once met the day buckled up and fully equipped to march through the day of a certain understanding, a certain reverence to a Higher Power, taking heed to that which a life in faith requires of us, both in spirit and in action, are shamed to a life unseen; if they dare poke out the toe into the public eye, they are met with vitriol and mainstream madness, even labeled haters, racists, and driven back into the dark, cedar-lined walls shaking in fear or worse, in unconscionable embarrassment.

Our founders based our entire government on the righteousness of good self-discipline --  and this notion easily lends itself to everything else "self" oriented, things that this nation would be wise to cling to right about now.

Might as well be bold here and move to say that, this list, the string of selfies this girl is about to give you, carries the trans-formative power to change the world, oh yes indeed!

For Good Self-Discipline feeds into the broader sense of Good Self-Government for the benefit of the whole.  IN order to have good self-government, we must be in a word -- SELF-Conscious, fully understanding of who we are and where we came from, respective of our natural birth under God.  It's the kind of self-knowledge with the capacity to set us free, forever.

Good and decent Self-Government -- the very basis of our system of government, built into the cornerstones of our fine republic -- also relied upon self-reliance, self-sufficiency, self-will, self-improvement, self-esteem, being fully self-driven and independent!  Dependency upon big government simply did not exist in the minds of our founders in any way, shape or form!  (That would have been totally and woefully too self-defeating for words, right.)

self-taught, to one degree or another
self-respect to grow in accordance with our level of integrity...to self, to life, and the greater good
self-confidence to propel us to do good things
self-expression to bring beauty, substance, into our community and the world
self-rule to guard what goes in and what goes out, like a castle --- day in and day out -- mind, body and soul, it is a never-ending task forever after.

these are the kinds of things that determine our destiny, for one and for all.

Which surely suggests for a sharp review of something candidate Barack Obama once said to a nation, "we are five days away from fundamental transformation."  And how, now seeing the results of those eight years, and never to get them back.

What happened, right Hillary?  teehee

From the ole' G Thing, September 16, 2011:

"Our founders made America a place for religious freedom ABOVE all else.  It was the very reason we had to leave England and find a new land in order to create a new world. 

The "free exercise thereof" was divined within the framework of our founding documents, namely our Constitution, not as an insignificant gesture, or platform, banking upon the hope that no one would ever live according to one's beliefs -- it was real.  Our founders hoped we would keep our faith in something much greater than ourselves and let that Something rise above, if not truly guide us in our every day. 

This "free exercise thereof"  lawfully protected all citizens to have the right to exercise their full liberty to speak their truth.   While, to be sure, to exercise thereof is hardly stagnant; it is solidifying the real action required of us."

Our connection with the Divine Providence that set America on this path, is self-evident!

Whether in brand new shoes, or of old,  this individual relationship with the Source of All Good -- stood unshaken, above all else!  Our personal selfishness was seen in the ways we elevated this relationship above all else!  Our time set aside to pray, to read the Bible, to read spiritual works written by spiritual men and women, was time set aside in loving devotion,  no matter the demands on the day, above all else!

Is it any surprise, that as the day grows leaner, and meaner, and more and more self-centered and self-gratifying, the occasion to stop and spend even a moment with our Creator grows more and more below all else?

The more we go down the secular path, the more we wander and roam untethered to the only reality that truly matters; being completely unbalanced, we will surely fall.  Surely, the greater good is at stake!

Wilberforce wrote about it way back when in the 1800's, just as we are seeing it play out today, after a long and winding road,  in the new modern world.   Can you hear me now?  Smart phones got nothing on the Smart One, the Creator of all things large and small.  It's an equal opportunity Creator in every way -- the non-partisan, non-denominational,  non-discriminating, non-violent, and lovingly, non-negotiable Entity that It is.... Above All Else!

"Political decay can thrive under cultural Christianity, but authentic faith will bring it to a sudden halt...We are headed toward a society that incurs the multitude of evils that result from living with no religion at all."

The thing is, we will self-destruct if we continue down this path.

and that's not hate; it's just a given.

...I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

That's just the end of The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost; making it the end of the road for me, for today.  This is where I must leave you, unless you take my hand and come along with me in Spirit...and surely, I hope you do.


Make it a Good Day, G

It's Being Awash with Spirit Thing

Dear America,

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, 

speaks in our conscience, 

but shouts in our pain:  

it is his megaphone 

to rouse a deaf world."  

C.S.Lewis

just so you all know, this girl didn't just pick that quote out of thin air; it dropped into my blog in what I would call Wizard of Oz fashion -- after a good spin and taking out the wicked witch -- and thereby paving the way for another day down the yellow brick road of life with me, G!  Thanks to a post @Fox News, by Joshua Rogers, titled "What did Jesus say about natural disasters?";  the idea of just never knowing what's around the bend is where its at today.

Oh and lookout, for here's a turn now -- 

Referring to the consequences of the Trump presidency, Jennifer Lawrence made this remark..."You know, you’re watching these hurricanes now, and it’s really hard, especially while promoting this movie, not to feel Mother Nature’s rage and wrath..."  yeah, Jennifer, that's what's happening. right.  [and beware, that link right there is a funny Reddit feed...]

Equally hilarious, were her continuing comments, weaving perilously from how upsetting the polarization of the country is now, to how foolish it was for America to vote for a guy who doesn't bow to the climate change bunk science of the Left.  Wonder how she explains the umpteen typhoons, leading to landslides, taking out multiple villages of Asia, and the vicinity, every year, -- or the 8.1 earthquake in southern Mexico just in the last twelve hours?   

Do you, Jennifer, consider all of this to be part and parcel of nature's way of showing the entire world's "rage and wrath" against Trump --  be it his logical skepticism of made-up science to feed an agenda, or his natural approach to problem-solving via twitter storms, and simply, because because because because because, because of the horrible things he does?

you are an entertaining filly, aren't you.

[wanted to say horse's ass, but that wouldn't be lady like, now would it?  oops, my bad]

Next up, we will bend and sway with the decades of what I like to call reality, through the eye of a weather wizard, Joe Bastardi.  First, read this:  Is This Really the Worst Ever?  (May 2017, posted on my favorite place to plant myself for a day's delight, @The Patriot Post.

it's so good, huh.

Just love how he wraps up...

"If you are not acquainted with the past, then perhaps you think these are not the best of times, and maybe even worse than ever. But if you expand your vision and look, you will find that if you know other times, it puts it all in perspective."  

and adding,

"There is a common thread to the extremes in life and nature. The elusive mid ground is apt to be just a stopping point for wild swings. You are euphoric when your team wins, but sadness sets in when they lose. Yet somehow it all balances out given time and man’s ability to adapt and progress."

Which sums up how, when speaking of the adversities and pleasures of weather occurrences, we often speak in averages.  Take for example the Old Farmer's Almanac -- its entire purpose is wrapped up around regional averages and statistics as a way to gauge what may lie ahead and understand the full scope year over year, helping to assess plantings and harvest times and what not....surely, Dorothy's Auntie Emm knew all about it.   

Here's an earth-shattering fact to whack us off the yellow brick path:  Things are just not the same from one day to the next -- whether we are talking about the weather, emotions, finances, blessings or challenges.  But somehow or other,  it all averages out over the years...or so we hope, with great gusto, right?  right!

Sometimes weather is a whisper, a soft breeze on a Sunday afternoon with nothing to do but take it all in with glee and free abandon and perhaps an ice cream cone on the side.

Sometimes weather speaks to us deep inside, reuniting us with wonderful memories -- like snow days, blazing hot days on the beach, or that rainy night that somehow ends up (nine months later) with brand new life to show for it.  [teehee, joy to the world!]

Sometimes -- like after a fire or flood or freeze oh my  -- it feeds us with new information as to how to better protect our things, and of course, more important, our loved ones.  Our conscience tells us not to leave that dish towel so close to the stove, to fix the leaky faucet, to leave a trickle of water running through the pipes during extreme low temperatures...Our intuitions kick in just in the nick of time, calling us to listen to what common sense and common experiences and Almanacs tell us.

And just as C.S. Lewis notes at the top,

for believers, 

that thing call intuition and conscience 

is God 

speaking to us in the everyday.

This fast and furious activity, this personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, comes as natural as blinking if we are open to Its graces.  Sometimes it is a whisper and sometimes its a smack across are that God-like, child-like, shining face.

God does not plan natural disasters -- for they truly are, NATURAL disasters, generated by the perfect storm of all the ingredients coming together at once.  Natural disasters are as old as time....and have naturally occurred looooooooooooooooong before leftists began to use the term "man-made climate change" as a way to rage it's wrath against the right -- oh,  that is politically speaking, Jennifer, just in case you don't get my drift.   And by the way, those averages of polarization -- albeit off the charts --  is also nothing new, be it rain or shine.

My Science of Mind offers us another aspect to consider, when speaking of the life force that we call water.  For besides the obvious -- our bodies being of 90% water, our daily need to drink water, and how water washes us clean after a long hard day -- water, itself, is held in rather high esteem.  (doncha just love that pun there)

From my Science of Mind, by Ernest Holmes:

"The symbol of water is used to express the idea of a complete immersion in Spirit.  As water flows in and around, so we are immersed in an everlasting Spirit which flows around, in and through us.  To be immersed in water symbolizes our recognition that we are surrounded by pure Spirit.  It is the outward sign of an inner conviction."

But further, let us be forewarned like a damn good law of averages working with the Divine,  as Holmes continues in saying,

"But water alone cannot make us completely clean or whole.  We must be born of the Spirit, for 'that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.'"   

We can't take part in, let alone create within the realm of our Divine, and all that pure Divinity brings, unless we actually, and consciously, link to that which is Divine --  to GOD!

Ahh now swiftly approaching the last bend on the day, as this girl comes to a close.

All this water, all at once, is immersing us.  It is literally washing over all of us.

There are warnings in its flood waters, yes; but there is Grace in its pools.  It is calling upon us not in whispers, but in conscience running deep and wide and high and low.

Jennifer may have one thing right -- for it is a smack across the face, with rage and wrath; but when looking over the decades -- like good ole Joe Bastardi -- the lesson isn't about the one man everybody loves to hate right about now.  (...President Trump)

It could just be about the one man who saves us all when it really matters (and that's just a second nod of approval to Joshua -- Joshua Rogers, that is, of the link on the first bend)

Yes Houston is underwater, and yes, Miami is about to be; and yet, no one seems to care about how the nation is financially underwater, and on a trajectory that can only lead to bankruptcy.  We are fiscally so far away from solvency that it's no wonder the powers that be are now considering to eliminate the debt ceiling entirely!    Skies the limit, folks, skies the limit.  Happy days are here again.

Maybe Houston being underwater is showing us -- all of us -- that we have lost our way, that we have so lost our connection to Spirit as a country, that we may all be a bunch of goners;  that just maybe only one well timed flood may jog our conscience to change our ways, huh Noah.?  Leave it to the Divine to use a community of so many believers in one place, like Houston, to perhaps see us through to the other side with grace and gratitude and guts...

There are lessons learned and there are lessons not learned; and then again, there are lessons ignored altogether.

(Case in point -- When the news broke on Puerto Rico being underwater...it made me giggle.  Not that there was anything good or funny about it; but honestly?  And the kicker, Irma had nothing to do with it -- asking for bailouts and all, for quite some time now.  It's like, what else is new?)

indeed.

The thing is -- America can't even afford to slip, not even another inch.  There is no magical wizard behind the curtain that can bring us all home, unless you're speaking of THE  Way and THE Truth and THE Life -- that which our founders referred to as our Creator, that which we have known in action as the Intelligent Design back behind Divine Providence.

We have things to do to get right with Spirit, and that's just bringing you the good news.
(You're welcome.)

Make it a Good Day, G