College Admissions Scandal...more like EPIC PARENTING FAIL...

So wealthy people are buying their kids way into elite colleges…I can’t say I’m surprised. I suppose that the personality of those who would do anything to become famous lends to expecting the same for their kids.

Doesn’t make it any less sorry an example, and especially for those kids, some of whom were complicit. It’s pathetic that parents would teach their children that the ends justify the means; that being the center of attention is one’s main goal in life; and most of all, that their child isn’t good enough as they are. They think so little of their child that they don’t trust their abilities or strength to achieve a worthy goal. They communicate to their kids that they are only worthy when they have achieved the highest, even if they have to cheat to get there.

And they call that love...SO far off the mark!

I continue to wonder why we care about celebrities’ opinions on life.

Prepare to meet your Maker...

If I had been in Hawaii when the ballistic missile alert was issued, I would have turned to Randy and said, “I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN!”

This is precisely the kind of event I expect to happen when I venture outside my safe zone. This, or a natural disaster of some sort: earthquake, volcanic eruption, tornado.

My safe zone, when I am feeling audacious, matches the boundary of Whatcom County. I confess that sometimes it is not even that big.

For some reason, I grew up believing that stepping outside of this area was akin to inviting a disaster to occur.

And therefore, I would have been unsurprised to get such an alert. In fact, my biggest surprise has been that I have traveled a fair bit and it has NOT happened to me yet.

It’s such fun to plan a vacation with me.

I have worked hard to get over this phobia, and learned how to enjoy the journey. I try to be rational, and have made good progress…but underneath is still the conviction of throwing responsibility to the wind and taking a grave risk, pun intended.

Yes, I know that statistically it is almost certain that I will die within the confines of my safe zone, whether by terrorist attack, natural disaster, accident or old age. And irrationally, I don’t worry about that. Ha!

I finally hit on something that comforts me when I step out into the World of Risk: I want to be the kind of person that you are grateful is there when disaster strikes.

So I guess I should imagine that after I said, “I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN!”, I would have followed with, “How can I help?” Because, after all, I have the blessing of knowing where I am going if the worst happens. How can I help while I am on the way there?

Hmmm. Not a bad question for everyday…

MY OBSERVATIONS ABOUT MERYL STREEP’S SPEECH AT THE GOLDEN GLOBES

I think the general populace would do well to remember that Ms. Streep comes from The Land of Perpetual High School, where your fate is directly linked to your popularity, and your ability to act like someone you are not.

Why should we care what she says? The world she lives in is nowhere close to what reality is for the majority of Americans.

I would rather hear from the winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Truck Driving, Auto Mechanic, Grocery Store Manager, or any other number of leaders who have spent a lifetime working with real people who face real problems.

Besides, if your fate is linked to your popularity you are compelled to say what is popular in The Land of Perpetual High School. Pretty much anything an actor says is suspect, though if they are bucking the trends, I might give a listen and see what would motivate them to abandon the security of Popular Opinion in their Land.

But mostly, I don’t spend much time worrying about what People Who Are Good At Acting Like Someone They Are Not have to say.

I suggest you do the same.

I'm already sick to death of The Election...

So the Iowa caucuses are meeting tonight, and I am sick to death of hearing about the pretentious Trump and the sprawling remainder of the Republican field; Hillary, the denying deceiver; Bernie, the inane. I’m also unutterably tired of the constant extrapolation of a relatively small number of facts that the press delivers. Redundancy and repetition abound.

It seems that politics is currently the country’s favorite sport.

And it IS a sport. Strategies for victory that include subterfuge, aggressive confrontational action, misdirection, secrecy, claiming or re-claiming territory, personal attacks, strong defense against untruths and misinterpreted communications.

It seems that no one has the issues correctly identified, or the solutions reasonably expressed and understood. And with that I feel a kind of despair that anything will ever be changed. The blather will continue, ad nauseum, ad infinitum, while the people of this country lose hope, and the freedom to make their lives as good as they can be.

Assaults on every side, and we have a bunch of candidates trying to make their approval percentage jump because they have some zingers to deliver against their opponents.

Yeesh. I’m thinking my despair is justified, and my intent to turn away from the noise and do nothing, entirely reasonable, if not an act of survival.

But then I remember reading this as I plodded my way through G. K. Chesterton’s very logical book, Orthodoxy: “…I thought (and still think) sincere pessimism the unpardonable sin.”He speaks of suicide as “the ultimate and absolute evil, the refusal to take an interest in existence; the refusal to take an oath of loyalty to life.”

I can’t help but think of my apathy and despair in the same light. If I believe that God is the omnipotent Creator, full of love and care for His creation, there is no greater disrespect than my pessimistic certainty that all is lost. I am choosing to look away, to disengage and doubt what my God can do, when I should be waiting expectantly for redemption and hoping for revival.

Another great writer, Oswald Chambers, reminds me: “Our Lord trusted no man, yet He was never suspicious, never bitter. Our Lord’s confidence in God and in what His grace could do for any man, was so perfect that He despaired of no one.”

I despair of men and women on this earth, and many are unworthy of trust, but I must not forget what God’s grace can do for any one – ANY one! I need to live in hope by engaging with the fray as best I can, from my small platform, which, in this case, mostly means praying, and praying fervently…God is GOD…He is capable of things beyond my understanding. I should be asking Him about that.

Many of us who call ourselves Christians are convinced that there have never been times as bad as these. The moral fabric of our nation seems to be torn beyond mending, soon to be rent and destroyed. I don’t believe we are that far gone. Indeed, we are heading toward the loss (some already experienced) of values we hold dear, but we have no idea how unique in this world, and how extravagant, are the freedoms we enjoy. We have little understanding of how dark and dangerous previous ages have been by comparison. There is much good that our country can and will do in the world in the ages ahead. We are not finished yet with freedom, but we need to protect it at each small erosion so it will not be swept away.

We can do this – if we despair of no one, and trust God. 

Simple thoughts about complex issues...

Americans are conditioned to expect solutions – complete solutions. When a problem is presented, we want it eradicated. Less than that is considered a fail. Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades.

When faced with huge problems like the Syrian refugee crisis, we paint with a broad brush saying “Keep them out. The risk is too great.” Or “Let them in. We are compassionate people.” We’d like to choose A or B, and the problem is solved.

But it won’t be…both sides are right in their arguments. Short of a radical change of heart on the part of our administration, there is no possibility of defeating the source of this problem, and even then the complexities of the crisis do not bring a satisfactory solution for innocents in danger.

We have to do the thing that Americans are reluctant to do…fight the small battles. We cannot take a broad action, declare a clean win and then move on. We need to beat back the enemy, reclaiming ground one small parcel at a time. Expressing compassion in practical ways to those in distress will take tenacity, arduous effort, prudence and wisdom. And the progress will be painfully small and slow for our American mindset. We don’t appreciate or understand centuries of conflict between people.

While our government is capable of making broad condemnations and taking strong military action against the perpetrators of evil, (if only they would) compassion is best expressed by the people of this great nation. It is better to do the small things at hand, even if it means helping only a few and not all.

Compassionate Americans need to be asking themselves how they can help those few right now. It is a temptation to throw up our hands that the problem is too big to be solved, and absolve ourselves of action. It’s easy to hide behind the conundrum that all deserve help, but not all will receive it – so nothing should be done until all can be helped. A life saved, is a life saved. A family receiving the opportunity to live where they can use their talents to provide for themselves, is one less family caught in the crossfire of evil – territory taken back from the enemy, however small.

There are organizations and efforts now that are in need of our abundant financial resources to do this. We need to seek them out. I suggest Samaritan’s Purse, and Glenn Beck’s Nazarene Project. (Read about the Nazarene Project here: http://www.glennbeck.com/2015/09/09/the-nazarene-fund-frequently-asked-questions) I am sure they are more that are doing good work as well.

As well, I am challenged about my attitude toward the refugees that already reside in my community. How can I help them step into opportunities to experience freedom and autonomy? How can our community appreciate their identity, and encourage their education in liberty as they begin to enjoy a life without fear of danger and death? How do we live out our values to instill trust and hope in those who have suffered so much?

We are far from the danger zone; yet we are capable of simple and compassionate actions to assist those that are in the middle of the battle.

And we should.

In which I can't keep quiet about politics...

VOTE YES ON PROPOSITION 1

District Only Voting is the most Fair and Equal system available to our county.

Across our nation, states and counties are divided into districts. The premise behind these divisions is that not only should we give equal populations equal representation, but that we should recognize diversity of needs as dictated by different geographical locations, e.g. cities have different needs than do rural areas. Districts allow multiple geographical areas with diverse needs an equal voice in government.

Currently, our county government has been operating under the misguided premise that it is more fair for everyone in the county to vote on every council position, and that every councilperson should represent the entire county, striving to represent all citizens, no matter their district.

The problem with this premise is that not all citizens’ or locations HAVE the same needs or community values. Effective government recognizes this truth and, by creating districts and electing representatives that are residents of each, allows a diversity of community needs and values to be equally addressed by county government.

The creation of districts, and district-only voting ensures fair and equal representation for residents of our county. In recent elections under the county-wide system, residents of some districts were not allowed the privilege of selecting their own representative. Though residents of the district voted overwhelmingly for a candidate, the population outside of their district over-ruled their choice. They were left with a representative that they believed did not speak for their concerns and values.

There’s nothing fair about that.

An example, simply put, would be that residents of Seattle wouldn’t be happy if their government representatives were chosen by the residents of Quincy or Yakima…and vice versa.

Our federal government uses district only voting in each state, and also in our nation. If we follow the logic of the current county-wide voting, our nation should allow every state to vote on every Senator or Congressman. No one would say that is fair, and neither is it fair and equitable in a county situation.

The result of county-wide voting is to disallow fair representation for the diverse communities within the county by giving power to the majority of voters who are more likely to live in urban centers.  

If we want to see fair and equal representation for all citizens of Whatcom County, we will approve Proposition 1, district-only voting.

SuperBowl 49...It seemed sadly familiar...

What a game! What an ending!

 

I know…despite the disappointment, life is generally unchanged for almost everyone who cared about a Seahawks win…But last night, I felt a significant sadness, and heaviness. I even wondered at the strength of my reaction, and then, it came to me…

 

That crazy Snatch of Defeat from the Jaws of Victory was just too reminiscent of a bad experience we have had with football before.

 

Back in 2002, Jess was a junior in high school, playing football for Lynden Christian. He saw lots of playing time, and was called on, during the playoffs to be the PAT kicker when the senior in that position injured his knee. The Lyncs were having a great playoff run, as was Jess, and they had made it to the semi-finals in the Tacoma Dome. A tough, back and forth game against the Elma Eagles was played there. As the clock wound down to only seconds left, the Lyncs had a slim lead (19-14) and possession of the ball – but fourth down. The coaches called an unconventional play to seal the win. Our quarterback kept the ball and ran backwards to our end zone to take a safety – which would give the Eagles 2 more points, but would not allow them another possession. LC would win 19-16.

 

Except for one little thing…

 

Our quarterback executed the play but as he ran out the back of the end zone, he dropped the ball – IN the end zone. As spectators, we were all trying to figure out just what had been pulled off. The play was so unexpected! As we began to realize the game had been won…whistle blown, safety signaled, score change registered on the clock, time expired…I saw the Elma coach yelling and yelling at his boys. In response, one of the Eagles went to the ball in the end zone, picked it up, brought it to the ref and showed him that he had possession of the ball in the end zone…The ref signaled a touchdown…a WHAT????...and all the refs ran off the field, no consultations with the coaches. The scoreboard was adjusted to reflect the new score: Elma 20, LC 19.

 

It was just like last night: a moment of soaring elation followed by a gut punch that seemed inexplicable, and was completely unexpected…And a certain victory became a crushing loss.

 

And it all hinged on one little point of execution.

 

If you were feeling badly for the grown men who suffered disappointment last night, you can imagine how we were feeling for the young men of the Lyncs for whom this disappointment, and ensuing confusion about what happened, was a big event in their lives.

 

We were sad for many days…and worried about our quarterback, who had to carry more responsibility for his action than I think a kid that age should.

 

The sadness and frustration might have been somewhat mitigated if the refs had shown the grace to explain their ruling to our coaches and team. Their lack of integrity on this point left everyone feeling that there could be some injustice to the call that ended their season. And indeed, there may still be some debate about it to this day.

 

In the end, it was a marvelous opportunity for our boys and their coaches to show good character, and they did. Our quarterback handled this challenge with amazing maturity and perspective. Our coaches, though encouraged to protest, declined to do so. We would take our lumps, and not cause a kafuffle for Elma. Rules are rules, and it’s true: life is not always fair. They learned things about life, and values, and integrity that they would not have if the game was won.

 

Best of all, our entire community showed a level of caring and support for our boys that was an encouragement and a solace…for all of us, moms included.

 

Jess was awarded the WIAA Sportsmanship Award for that game, but that didn’t mollify him. To this day, he would rather have had the win…as would every kid that was on the team. They don’t just remember that day; they feel it.

 

…Just like I did last night when the Hawks won the game…except for one little thing.

 

This time, I have the benefit of the hindsight of our first experience. Some disappointments are great for a moment, but they pass. What happens is not as important as how you handle it.

 

I think we are seeing the Hawks handling this well (with the exception of a few minutes of ignominy on the field…BOYS!). I’m admiring their willingness to take the blame, to be grateful for the opportunity of playing, to compliment their opponent, to just look ahead to what they will do next. I’ve seen good character.

 

Oh, yes, people remind us that it’s only a game…Regardless, it can be used for good, in many ways.

 

Go Hawks!

Go Marshawn!

Marshawn Lays Into SuperBowl Media

I love what he had to say today. Just like I loved what he has said each media day.

 

Just because you are a great athlete with accomplishments that are viewed weekly on a nationwide stage, you are not necessarily one who wants to follow that up with a lot of talk about it. Obviously, the guy is an introvert.

 

He DOES stuff. He doesn’t talk about it. And why should he have to?

 

I get it that the NFL is big business, and as one of its employees you have certain obligations to further the business. Although Marshawn’s tactics are not satisfying the reporters, I believe that he’s creating plenty of draw and interest with it. He’s following the rules, enhancing the NFL’s bottom line, and pays the fine when he doesn’t.

 

I disagree with the reporter that asked him “Why are you being such a jerk to us?” He’s not being a jerk. He’s being true to himself, and protecting his privacy. He doesn’t care what they think, and he’s not willing to give them tidbits of info with which to create a story that they hope will bring accolades to themselves.

 

I say, GO MARSHAWN! Be yourself. Stick with what is important to you. Thanks for being a bite of reality in a media blitz that encourages navel gazing and an overabundance of redundant football strategy. You’re right – we don’t need to talk that much. Just be all about that action, boss.

 

Well, except for that crotch grab action…We could live without that, boss. 

 

It's only fair...

Today as people are congratulating the winning candidates, I want to take a moment to appreciate the people behind the scenes who make it happen.

This may or may not have something to do with the fact that I am the mom of a campaign manager, 3 times over.

Until this happened, I had very little idea of what goes into a campaign. Let me tell you, it’s a lot of blood, sweat, tears, anxiety, strategizing, communicating, organizing, mistakes and triumphs -- over a multitude of hours.

Because of the work of the managers and their team members, you get to know the candidate and what he or she believes. They are the ones who create opportunities for the candidate to communicate the vision and principles he or she espouses.

The campaign team works to determine which voters know the candidate, and which don’t, and where to target their communication. They deal with budgets and must decide how best to spend the money to communicate the message. They evaluate feedback and refine the message. They coordinate phone banks and door-belling and write the copy for the ads. They become experts on the issues that are most important to the voters, and help prepare the candidate to have an answer for every question that might come up.

They attend a plethora of forums, debates, fund-raisers, parades and wave signs on the street. For many months, the campaign is the priority activity of their lives. They make many sacrifices, not so they can be known, but so their candidate is.

Today, the winning candidates are receiving congratulations – and rightly so. But I just want to say another congratulations to all those behind the scenes, whether they work for winners or losers, for their dedication, hard work and commitment to the election process. You have lived out your conviction to promote what our country needs to be the best it can be – and I laud you for that.

I hope today that you are feeling satisfied. Undoubtedly, you are weary…I hope that you get to put your feet up for just a moment before the governing begins!

Apparently, modesty is just for girls who don't look good in bikinis...

Lately, I keep hearing things about modesty and how the church objectifies women by insisting on it. They think that pretty soon, we’ll be all turtlenecks and burqas, and HOLY COW, how oppressive is that!

I hear women saying that THEY ARE WOMEN, hear them roar, and THEY ARE SEXY and that it is their right to be sexy. For men to look at women and note, perhaps with a lustful thought or two, that they are sexy is objectification, and the result of a character flaw. Control yourself, you sex-obsessed beasts. We are curvy, and have breasts – deal with it!

(But I thought you wanted to look…sexy…which, is it not, an attempt to be especially appealing to the male of the species?)

The new standard feminists are demanding is that sexiness be included as a characteristic in the equality of value, capability, and performance of women. I think they’re saying, “We’re just the same as men, except we’re different!”

Given that God created men and women with an urge to merge, I think it is foolish for us to expect that women can dress with physical assets on display, and men will be blasé about it.

I reiterate, isn’t the purpose of dressing sexily to prove one’s hotness? The feminist clarion call, for many years, has been that we are more than sex objects; we are intelligent, capable, contributors in our society. When a woman dresses so that her cleavage is on display, isn’t she objectifying herself? Isn’t she saying, I’m smart, and capable, but be sure you don’t miss that I have big breasts too? Isn’t she saying, my physical assets are on par with my character and capabilities? Are they? What about those of us who don’t look good in bikinis? Aren’t they implying that we are inferior women because we lack the physical characteristics whose display they are defending?

Women can holler and complain about men’s objectification of the sexy, but I maintain that the woman who dresses with low-cut bodices and tight, short skirts is objectifying herself. She’s saying that her breasts and booty are equal in value to her intangible characteristics, and it’s an invitation for others to assume the same.

I’m not advocating for turtlenecks and burqas, don’t get me wrong. {Sidebar: Why do the burqa and the bikini get paired anyway? As if those of us stumping for more modesty are going to embrace the practices of a culture who treat women as chattel! There’s a lot of spectrum between the bikini and the burqa!}

Burqas are another form of objectification. That culture is saying to their women, “You are a collection of parts which, if seen, can only lead to perversion.” This requirement is not protective. It is disrespectful.

I think that, for the most part, we women know when we are dressing to expose and draw attention. We know what kind of attention we are seeking. If I am wearing something that makes it difficult for a man to look me in the eye, I am reducing my opportunity to be respected as a contributing member of society…not because of his view of me – but because of the value I put on myself.

As I said, I’m not seeking to clothe the women of America in turtlenecks and shapeless dresses. I think every culture has varying standards when it comes to modesty, and immodesty. I’m not proposing a universal uniform. There is nothing wrong with dressing attractively, or with being beautiful…Just as there is nothing wrong with being fashion-challenged, or physically outside of the current standards for being beautiful.

For myself, I wish to dress in a way that doesn’t draw attention, either by flashiness or homeliness. I enjoy my wardrobe, but I don’t want it to compete for the definition of who I am.

I just don’t understand why women, who are wholly committed to equality, now turn to demanding the right to objectify themselves.

It seems nonsensical to me.

Change, The

Apparently, I am going through The Change.

And I’m kind of anxious to see how I turn out when it’s all over. Maybe I’ll finally be energetic, optimistic, and send birthday cards on time! I wonder if I’ll stop worrying, and lose my voracious appetite, and start to like to exercise…Oh the possibilities!

However, I have to admit, that most days the evidence doesn’t support the realization of these hopeful transformations.

I’ve heard that some women display Jezebel-like behaviors as they go through The Change. Some seem to lose touch with reality, and create conflicts wherever they go. These incidents are usually reported by someone who also says, “She was never like this before!!”

I’ve always been kind of afraid of that happening to me…And I’m not sure that it has, or hasn’t – because the overwhelming feeling I have at this time is not malice, but one of being fed up. Yes – just fed up. I’m over it. Not my circus; not my monkeys. Nothing to prove and nothing to lose...I won’t be dropping everything to work on your problem.

My new mantra: I’m going through The Change, and things are gonna be different around here!

I submit that these “Jezebels” just might be women who have been stuffing it for many years and finally decide to speak their mind -- and damn the torpedoes! They say what they see, and don’t sugarcoat it anymore. They register an opinion, and don’t cede their intended plan to the perceived common good. They object, and don’t worry about feelings. They pick up and pursue goals they have left on the back burner for years.

And the people around them are surprised, bewildered, and say “She was never like this before!”

Sorry to rock your world, people…but I am like this now. And it’s not so much about what I’m doing, as it is about what I am NOT doing anymore. I’m done with measuring myself by others’ standards. I will live by my own convictions, and not always strive to be acceptable to the elusive and changing values of the world. I have gained a thing called confidence, and I don’t have time to mess around anymore. Life is for living, not for wishing…And that means accepting what is, and dealing.

And that means, dear loved ones, you have to deal with me too.

Here’s hoping you can see beyond the surprise, and not think of me as Jezebel…And here’s hoping that I retain a little tact even as I accomplish The Change.

Because, you know: total depravity and all that. It’s still a bad mix with hormones.

She's got questions...that have no answers...

I love to watch crime stories on TV. Maybe it is sick and wrong to take such interest in the abominable actions of criminals, but I justify it because I love to see the mysteries solved and justice served. That’s why I watch it! Ever since I was a 1^st grader who decided I would become a teacher so I could “punish the bad boys”, justice has been a keen interest of mine.

But one crime show that of which I have had enough is On the Case with Paula Zahn.

I’m thinking that Paula just might be a little bored with the formula they created for the show. Lately, she has been asking mostly questions that can only be answered with the word ‘very’.

With a grave look, and a serious tone, she queries, “How devastating was it to find out your mother had been murdered?”

Uh…duh! “Very!”

I think she should follow up with more hard-hitting revealing questions like:

How brutal was the brutality?

How hurtful was the hurt?

How terrifying was the terror?

How devastating was the devastation?

Uh, Paula? Everyone already knows the answers to these…

Really, if that’s all she’s going to ask, she might as well leave it to the narrator to tell the whole story.

Of course, then, they couldn’t call it “On the Case with Paula Zahn” so I guess that’s why she has to be there to ask questions.

I wonder if she was ever one of those sports sideline reporters. They ask the same kind of questions: “Are you going to make changes for the second half?”

Breaking news, girl reporter; yeah, they’re going to make changes because they are losing right now!

I wish that sometime one of those coaches would say, “I don’t know! What do you think we should do?” or “No, we’re going to keep doing the same things because we’ve had so little success with it in the first half of the game.”

Please! If you’re paid to ask questions, how about trying to ask one in which the answer is not already given!

Oh, I should have written this a couple of weeks ago...

Okay…so I keep hearing how irritated people are with all the election flyers, and especially the automated calls, and the surveys.

Some of you are so irritated that you say you won’t even vote for a candidate who employs the auto call method…

…in which case, I don’t know WHO you WILL vote for…because I think they all do it.

And why do they choose to use this irritating tactic?

I submit to you that these tactics have become necessary because of the irresponsibility of the voters. And I’m not referring to those who are ultimately irresponsible in that they don’t vote at all. No – I am referring to the many which do not know the candidates, or the issues, but feel that they SHOULD vote. They fill out their ballot by ticking the names they recognize, or simply looking for an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ to make a mark by. They are voting in ignorance.

So, in effect, the candidates must find a way to go to the voters, as the voters will not come to them.

And thus, you get the automated calls…and lots and lots of flyers.

Surveys can have a different purpose. They are used to gauge a candidate’s support, and define the demographics in which he is lacking. I suggest that when you receive a survey call, come out strongly for your candidate. You will be identified as someone who does not need to be persuaded by either candidate, and will be less likely to be called again. Help out your candidate by showing him where to spend his money, and where not to spend it.

If you do not want to talk to anyone about anything having to do with the election, hang up on the automated call, or politely interrupt the live caller and say so. You are doing the kind thing by saving their time.

A more important issue when it come to automated calls and the blanket bombing of the flyers is that too many times that votes come down to name recognition. If you have a lot of money, you can buy a lot of name recognition. So the independently wealthy, or a candidate supported by national/regional organizations can, in effect, buy a seat in local government.

This should not be so, and it is possible because people are irresponsible voters. I believe everyone who is registered should take this responsibility seriously and should vote…but if you are voting, do some research! Take the time, first, to know what you believe and support, then seek out the candidate that most closely lines up with that. Go beyond the flyers, as these are often akin to sound bites edited without context.

I can hear your weary sighs…I know you’d rather not have to mess with all the conflict, complex issues, and confusing claims…But it really matters! Every year (not just presidential years) there are people and issues that will affect your everyday life here locally. Have a say – and don’t just brush off the election process because you find it irritating. It MATTERS! You can influence your quality of life if you avail yourself of the opportunity.

“The penalty a man pays for not participating in politics is to be governed by men worse than himself.” -- Plato

It's just like that fairy tale...

…where the emperor had no clothes.

I was embarrassed yesterday as I watched Congressman Adam Smith, from our fair state of Washington, comment on the Benghazi situation. He was a guest of Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday.

Chris challenged him to respond to the newly disseminated facts that talking points about the attack were revised 12 times before they came out with the false story that a demonstration against an internet video resulted in violence and the deaths of our Ambassador to Libya, and 3 others.

Despite early video of presidential spokesman, Jay Carney, insisting that there was only one change made to the talking points about the Benghazi attack – they changed the term “consulate” to “diplomatic facility” – our honorable representative would not admit that it was a lie.

He danced round and round the evidence, obfuscating, and denying that a lie was perpetuated.

He looked absolutely stupid.

I watch this and wonder what kind of a man Rep. Smith is that he willingly supports the lie when clear evidence to the contrary is presented. Does he not have at least a modicum of personal pride and integrity that he would not shame himself? How can he justify denying the obvious? What is the payback to him for making such a fool of himself?

His behavior points to the likelihood that he is committed to some agenda (on which I will not speculate) more than he is committed to truth. What use is he if this is so? He’s willing to play the fool more than he is willing to serve his constituents. What service can he render his country if he will not deal with reality? He’d rather believe a fantasy, than make his government better, or work to defend our State Department employees from further danger.

From what I saw yesterday, I would recommend that his district throw the rascal out! You can’t trust someone who chooses to be blind to truth for whatever reason. He’s wasting the office.

I can’t fathom what he hopes to accomplish by this behavior.

The ban on shame...

Yesterday I heard Dave Ross say this: "We have to know how he {Tamerlan Tsarnaev} got radicalized because, since this is something anybody could do, we have to figure out how to make sure nobody wants to."

This could be pretty difficult because we live in a society that seems to be committed to making everyone comfortable with their choices. Let's make alternative lifestyles normal. Let's make pot legal. Let's reward the lazy with a free ride. Let's explain away evil as the result of a bad childhood ...and so on and so on...

A lot of effort has been spent making shame shameful. I don't think it's helping.

At the base of this is the rejection of absolutes...If you reject shame, you reject that there are truths that apply to everyone. How can you make something unattractive without imposing shame on the activity? How can you make sure nobody wants to bomb innocents without imposing your truth on them?

It seems that moral relativism is all well and good -- until somebody you love gets hurt. Then come the demands to impose your particular belief system on everyone.

But you can't have it both ways...There ARE absolute truths -- absolute morals, and shame is appropriate when they are flouted.

Certainly, every culture has misapplied shame, and probably always will to some extent, but we are foolish to attempt to make everyone feel good by eliminating the emotion instead of the action.

A little bit of shame could go a long way, in my opinion.

Stop talking about the Second Amendment...

I’m weary of hearing about gun control and I think that its opponents are making a fundamental mistake in their argument.

First, let it be said that I am not for more gun control laws. I don’t want our Second Amendment rights to be diminished…And I don’t own a gun.

 

But, correct as it may be, focusing the argument against gun control as a loss of our rights and our freedoms is a mistake. Consider the audience they are trying to persuade.

The right to bear arms is a right most people do not exercise. Frankly, most people don’t care if they can get a gun or not. They don’t see a loss where there is none for them. It’s someone else’s problem. More gun control laws won’t have a direct effect on most people’s lives, and when this is so, they don’t really care about the subject. The loss of rights argument is moot to them.

They do care about 20 little kids who were killed by a madman.

If gun control opponents want to gain support from the general population, I think they should be focusing on the fact that the regulations being proposed will not work. They wouldn’t have protected those kids and teachers at Sandy Hook, and they won’t stop the next madman either. This is what they should be talking about – over and over and over. It should be stated as fact that laws cannot make us safe and secure. Security from the law is dependent on people who have the will to obey it. Madmen are not usually amongst this group…

The protracted discussions on what gun laws to implement; the endless arguments; the laws that will be passed are just a monumental waste of time, and a dishonor to those who died.

We are a foolish people indeed to think that a law about how many bullets you can carry will protect us from evil. If that is our solution to the tragedy at Sandy Hook, I would be embarrassed to look into the eyes of those little angels who faced the darkness and tell them it’s all okay now.

Because it’s not…and until we resolve to meet evil from a position of strength, it won’t be.

And that’s what gun control opponents should be talking about.

Newtown, Conneticut

Newtown, Connecticut…quite far away from my corner of the world, but my heart is still heavy with the grief of the losses suffered there. Just a few years ago, I was a school secretary and would have been the first line of defense for any threat that tried to enter the front door of the elementary school.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I would have done…and how my heart would have been crushed to fail at such a mission…and how those women in Connecticut gave their all, literally, to save the kids.

And still, not all of them were saved.

So immediately, there is the rush to outrage, and blame, and demands that such tragedies be prevented…

But what if we can’t? What if it is no one’s fault? What if we cannot always stop evil?

Our immaturity causes us to demand new laws that, in reality, cannot produce the desired result. Even worse, we are satisfied with the symbolism of such laws and consider the problem addressed, resolved.

We are content to say, “Someone should stop that!” instead of, “I will not let that happen again.”

Evil is real, and present in our world. Thank God that we are not blasé about the loss of life, the terror and the tragedy…But there are countries in our world where it is an everyday occurrence…where it is never a given that everyone will come home each night. It is good for us to realize that security is not guaranteed, nor can it be. There are madmen out there from whom there is no protection. And we are fools if we think that we can quarantine evil by laws directed at the lawless.

Rather than look for someone else to secure our safety, we need to wisely consider how we will face the madman when that day comes. Perhaps it will be our day to give it all to save some…something that cannot be done unless one is certain of their purpose, and believes that ultimate security is in the hand of God.

In the meantime, perhaps we should be standing against evil by coming alongside the family of the difficult child, the mentally ill, the addicted, the out-of-control rebel. The first defense against evil is not another law, but for each of us to love our neighbor…in deed and in truth…

“Ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee…”

Favorite Excerpts & Quotes from Atlas Shrugged...

Words from Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

"So you think money is the root of all evil? Have you ever asked what is the root of money? Money is a tool of exchange, which can't exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the priniciple that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value. Money is not the tool of moochers, who claim your product by tears, or of looters who take it from you by force. Money is made possible only by the men who produce. Is that what you consider evil?"

"An honest man is one who knows that he can't consume more than he has produced."

"Money will always remain an effect and refuse to replace you as the cause. Money is the product of virtue, but it will not give you virtue and it will not redeem your vices. Money will not give you the unearned, neither in matter or in spirit."

"There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one MAKES them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws."

"A viler evil than to murder a man, is to sell him suicide as an act of virtue. A viler evil than to throw a man into a sacrificial furnace, is to demand that he leap in of his own will, and that he build the furnace besides."

"I work for nothing but my own profit -- which I make by selling a product they need to men who are willing and able to buy it. I do not produce it for their benefit at the expense of mine, and they do not buy it for my benefit at the expense of theirs; I do not sacrifice my interests to them, nor do they sacrifice theirs to me; we deal as equals by mutual consent to mutual advantage..."

"...the purpose of a military fleet is to protect from violence the citizens who paid for it, which is a proper function of government."

"There was an air of luxury about the room, but it was the luxury of expert simplicity...This was Mullingan's concept of wealth, she thought -- the wealth of selection, not of accumulation."

"Mr. Rearden," said Francisco, his voice solemnly calm, "if you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders, if you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling, but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength, and the greater his effort, the heavier the world bore down upon his shoulders -- what would you tell him to do?
          "I...don't know. What...could he do? What would you tell him?"
"To shrug."

Part II: The Sanction of the Victim

The second theme from Atlas Shrugged that has occupied my thoughts is the concept of “the sanction of the victim”.

There are many pages of dialogue explaining to the wealthy steel magnate,  character Henry Reardon, that his indifference to the increasing taxation and intrusion of his business by the government had made him complicit in the final takeover of his company. In effect, his passivity was a sanction to those who were abusing his rights.

Reardon’s friend admonishes: “By their {the government} own statement, it is they who need you and have nothing to offer you in return. By their own statement, you must support them because they cannot survive without you. Consider the obscenity of offering their impotence and their need – their need of you – as a justification for your torture. Are you willing to accept it? Do you care to purchase – at the price of your great endurance, at the price of your agony – the satisfaction of the needs of your destroyers?”

Wow! I had to ruminate over this. The inevitable question is: How am I sanctioning my own victimization? What should I be doing to avoid giving sanction to the government when they diminish my rights?

I have to admit that after all these months of consideration, I don’t have many good answers. But – I do see many regulations and government requirements in a new light, and take time to examine my response to them. I do not want to be giving the sanction of the victim. I believe, as God says, that I am subject to the governing authorities, and respect that God has put them there. However, I will not be passive or silent any more in my response to any attempt to diminish my rights as a citizen.

And that conviction to action does scare me, but I feel it very strongly, and even more so after the revelations of the 2012 election.

I think this is the most valuable concept I learned from Atlas Shrugged, though there are many more that have become part of my thinking as well. It’s a very good book, worth the many pages of reading, and the discipline of thinking through the principles therein. My only wish is that it was written with a underpinning of belief in God. Ayn Rand, the author, was an atheist, and so it makes for some curious reading when she writes of “motive power” as your moral code. A moral code based on what? Character John Galt describes that moral code “which holds that man is an end in himself and not a means to any end of others”.

I couldn’t disagree more…and I think how much greater this story would be with the inclusion of grace and redemption. Ayn Rand missed out on the beauty of that – but nonetheless, it is a book that has informed my beliefs and convictions, and has made me a better thinker.

It has also given me a vision of where our country may be going, that is, the consequences that may be ahead. While the possibilities frighten me, again I take inspiration from the Tramp’s words: “…I think it’s a sin to sit down and let your life go, without making a try for it.”

Or to let your country go…I’m more determined than ever to protect our right to freedom, and the country that is the freest in the world.

BOOK REPORT: Atlas Shrugged

It took me three months to read through Atlas Shrugged -- so many pages, so much to think through. When I got to John Galt’s 60 page monologue I almost gave up…but it was too close to the end. I couldn’t quit then!

I am glad that I persevered as I learned so much, and continue to think about it often. Every week, I see something in the news that reminds me of the world of Atlas Shrugged. We are on our way there, and the election confirmed that.

I wanted to write a book report back in June when I finished the book but couldn’t face the multitude of ideas and philosophies that I would have to describe, and the multitude of words it would take. I just felt I would need to tell it all, and how do you do that?

There is so much good in the book, but as time has passed, the message of Atlas Shrugged has distilled down to two things for me.

1) Beware the philosophy of “fairness”.

In the world of Atlas Shrugged, fairness came to mean that all would work to their ability, but would be rewarded according to their need.

The first application of this belief was higher taxation of the rich, to supply the needs of the government, who supplied the needs of the poor. Then it moved to the government trying to redistribute the resources and productions of larger corporations to smaller struggling ones, to make it “fair”. Finally, it moved to businesses themselves where “work according to ability; paid according to need” resulted in workers competing to be the least productive. Why should any one work harder than the next guy? They would all be paid the same –unless you were needy. The needy were expensive, and as productivity declined, the fulfillment of needs reduced the amount of pay available for those without needs. Babies were resented; sickly old women died the night before expensive treatment. Workers could not take the despair of this system and just disappeared.

On a larger scale, factories and businesses could not produce enough goods to stay in business, and closed. In time, people had cars but no fuel to run them. Trains ran fewer and fewer routes per day. The economy was slowly dying and the staples of living became scarce, and difficult to procure.

Of course, this anecdote is from a novel – but take a minute to think about how much “fairness” is talked about in our society. “It’s not fair that corporations make so much money. They should be forced to pay more taxes.” “The rich don’t deserve what they have.” “We should all have our medical expenses taken care of. It’s not fair that anyone should suffer from unexpected needs.” “It’s only fair that a business pay its employees at least a minimum wage.”

We are already a ways down the road of Atlas Shrugged; and the election results seem to make it clear that many Americans want to go there.

I think what the Tramp (in the novel) said to character Dagny Taggart is exactly true: “There wasn’t a man voting for {The Plan to work to ability, paid as to need} who didn’t think that under a set-up of this kind he’d muscle in on the profits of the men abler than himself. There wasn’t a man rich and smart enough but that they didn’t think that somebody was richer and smarter, and this plan would give him a share of his betters wealth and brains. But while he was thinking that he’d get unearned benefits from the men above, he forgot about the men below who’d get unearned benefits too.”

The needy can point to the greed of the rich, but often, their desire is based just as much on the greed they say they despise.

We need to be cautious about fairness, and examine more deeply and thoroughly where a call for fairness will lead. True fairness is rooted in my right to freely possess myself and my efforts. It should be based on equal opportunity, not equal outcomes. If I work harder than the next guy, is it not fair that I am rewarded more than he is?

The people of our nation are embracing, as character Danneskjold says “...the idea that need, not achievement, is the source of rights; that we don’t have to produce, only to want, that the earned does not belong to us, but the unearned does...” “…practicing charity with wealth that {we do not} own, by giving away goods which {we} have not produced, by making others pay for the luxury of {our} pity.”

Tomorrow: Part II