I want the free "stuff" and have already voted for it!

From Vicki:

I was listening to Glenn Beck this morning and he mentioned people voting for the candidate who offered the free stuff. (this is paraphrasing.) He played an audio of a woman in Florida who had just been to an Obama rally. She was excited beyond belief because of all Obama wants to do for her.

Well, I'm here to admit: I've already voted and it was for the free stuff. You betcha! No, not for free gas for my car or a free mortgage or free groceries. That can be purchased today.

What I voted for was purchased 200 years ago with the courage, strength, and lives of our founding fathers. And all of that free stuff I voted for has been free to me all my life: it's the free stuff we have in our great Constitution, thanks to those who cared enough and were forward thinking enough to write a document that has transcended the generations. Many of us take it for granted, though we still care about this free stuff and do not want to have a United States that is not representative of these freedoms. God gave those founding fathers such wisdom to want a Christian nation, a democratic republic.

When you vote, think about voting for the free stuff to keep it free, because it hasn't always been that way. McCain-Palin 2008. They love our country and are eager to serve we the people.

Just ask Glenn Beck about the Constitution. He's been a we the people supporter for a long time.

Were McCain ads aired only in battleground states?

From Vicki:

I was just talking with my daughter about That One's infomercial that aired last night and asked if she noticed the "bookend" commercials for McCain. She didn't pay attention--I think they flipped off the television immediately after the infomercial. But, duh! It just hit me! Betcha McCain only ran those spots in the battleground states because his campaign doesn't have as many resources to run national spots when they don't need them.

Sometimes, when I talk it out with myself, I come to reason and conclusions.

Please continue to pray for the freedom of this country and for a responsible leader to take the helm as Commander-in-Chief in January 2009. Our votes will matter.

Did anyone see the ads for McCain tonight? I didn't.

From Vicki, who thanks the new readers who have commented on the blog!!

I just called Tom to vent a bit. I was watching Fox News at 6:00 tonight when they were talking about the Obama 30-minute infomercial to be airing on NBC, CBS, Fox, MSNBC, Univision, and another station or two at 8:00 p.m. EDT. The anchor said the McCain campaign had purchased airtime to run a 30-second commercial before and another after the infomercial; in other words, these would be "bookend" commercials---the first thing you'd see and the last thing you'd see. Good strategy.

But, I didn't see a McCain ad on the front end. And, on the back end, I flipped from NBC to CBS to Fox within a matter of seconds and they were all already into their regular programming!! I never saw a McCain ad on any of the three. Were they hidden or will the McCain campaign get a ratings report for October saying "Sorry, your ads were pre-empted on October 29 so you'll get a rebate or we'll run them later."??????

Did anyone see the McCain campaign ads this evening?

Please keep praying and passing the word around about why McCain-Palin is the better choice to lead and serve our country. Thank you.

My grandmother was an early woman voter

From Vicki:

The nineteenth amendment giving women the right to vote was ratified in 1920. My maternal grandmother married in 1923. My Mom is a genealogist and remembers this story about her parents:

Daddy thought he had the prerogative of telling Mama how to vote. She said she would vote for whom she pleased....when she went in the voting booth, he kicked the door down. I am sure that must have been quite a spectacle.... They decided after this episode that politics would not be an important factor in their lives.

How fabulous to know a story from my grandmother who was part of the early history of women's voting! She was a strong, gentle, and wise woman who grew up in the South. She worked hard all her life and never asked for a handout. She was always the one who helped everyone else, through her words and actions. I tell you, she would be appalled at politics today, and she would still exercise her right to vote the way she pleased!

Your vote is a right, responsibility, and privilege. Pray about it and use it to help maintain the United States as a Christian nation with capitalism as its economic base.

Vote November 4 for McCain-Palin.

The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World

From Vicki:

From the above link, the inscription on the base of the Statue of Liberty that has been on Bedloe's Island since 1886:

An inscription on the base of the statue says:

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me;
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

Millions who aspired to be free from Europe's "storied pomp" of governmental control, would reach to the land of the free. Later in 1924, the island became a government owned national park, coinciding with the year when immigration became greatly restricted with the Immigration Act.

---------

Why is America called the land of the free and the home of the brave? Because our founding fathers made it so with their break from England, their Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of these United States. It took brave, independent thinkers who were ready to make their own decisions without government interference. They wanted to make decisions about what was best for them!! They wanted to be a Christian nation, yet not be told by the government how and where to worship. They wanted a government of the people, for the people, and by the people. Nowhere is it stated that the government has to deliver anything to the people. The people wanted the freedom to do it themselves.

That was then. This is now. The burning question: Do we still want to be the land of the free? If so, then we need to be the home of the brave and vote responsibly to keep our United States a free nation based on Christian values and capitalism...and elected officials who serve and represent the best interests of we the people.

God show us mercy during this 2008 presidential election. Remind us of the past, the bloodshed over this very freedom, the strong men and women who stood up for their beliefs. Help us to remember our basic beliefs and why we live in this grand country. Help us to look forward to a better future for our children than what we could face on November 5 if we support someone who doesn't believe in capitalism and smaller government.

God, please help us to have the freedom and right to say the things we want on November 5 and beyond. You have given us a most remarkable country. Help us to respect what You have done for us. Keep us strong in the coming days. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This 2008 election season brings new meaning to the founding fathers' hard work to secure these for us.

Yes, I have already voted for McCain-Palin. These two are willing to lead with honor and responsibility. They are willing to serve we the people to the best of their abilities. They are earning our respect with their stance for freedom. They deserve our support and vote on November 4 if we are to be responsible with this bountiful land called these United States, created for us more than 200 years ago.

Where are We The People?

From Vicki, who feels she is the lone reader of her own blog:

I want to do something, anything, to help the McCain-Palin effort. Sometimes I feel there are so many complacent people who are angry, scared, concerned, etc., about where this United States is heading. It doesn't feel like it did even five years ago.

The mainstream media wants to decide this election for us by skewing and skewering---they want us to think it's all buttoned up and we should stay home, not exercising our right, responsibility, and privilege to cast our one vote. I've known the majority of the media was liberal for a long time; however, I have never seen such a sabotage effort against one party. Democracy? Do they not understand unbiased reporting?

It's not good to start every sentence with "I", yet this stream-of-consciousness diatribe demands it today. I wore my McCain-Palin lapel pin (a tiny little rectangle, for pete's sake) and a liberal friend said, "Wow! I can't believe you are wearing that in public!" Why not? Why should I be afraid to advertise my candidates? I've done it since I was six years old with my Goldwater-Miller button from my Dad. Is it not PC to have freedom of expression any more?

I sit here and I'm angry, scared, and concerned. I've done what I could---I voted, I promoted, but I'm just one voice. What happened to all the voices who feel the same? We are way beyond coffee klatch conversations about politics. We have one week to convince, remind, explain, etc., what is going to happen in this country if one party controls the executive and legislative and judicial branches. We have to wake people up!!

Our economy needs help. Our economy can be boosted by lower taxes, free enterprise, more entrepreneurial opportunities (successes and failures are a part of this, so deal with it), and smaller government. It's just that simple, yet mighty complex.

I do pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all. We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, need to take back our union!!

Take a minute to sing the Star-Spangled Banner. Think about the words. Think about the good fight our founding fathers fought for our freedom. If you do that and pray to our God (because we are a Christian nation), we might just have a chance to hold up our republic as it was formed. Re-form? No, re-claim.

Whew! That was a therapeutic vent! I invite reasonable and passionate comments, and do listen to other points of view.

Freedom of Speech/The Constitution

From Vicki:

In conjunction with Sheepdogs4onevote.org, I have produced some talking point handouts in PDF format. The link is in the title. Feel free to print outas many copies of these handouts as you need. Pass them on to friends in the swing states so they'll have them, also.

We have 1 vote and less than 2 weeks!!

We The People Tees

From Vicki:

I just designed a new t-shirt that's for sale at Cafe Press. The link is the title to this post. Here's the copy for the t-shirt:

If you think Socialism is a party, you're right.
We the People say NO to the invite.
Vote responsibly.
Our Founding Fathers would approve this message.

Less than two weeks until the election. Every vote will count. Take it seriously!

We need to take up our pitchforks and take back our Union!

From Vicki

A couple of months ago, Tom and I had a limited quantity of these little pitchfork lapel pins produced. One of the most conservative television and radio talk show hosts had been talking about the Constitution and how we needed to get out our pitchforks and torches and take back our country. So folks began sending him real pitchforks. We sent him the lapel pin, which he wore faithfully for a while.

Just this week, another conservative television host talked about real Americans taking up their pitchforks and heading to Washington. People realize our basic beliefs and those of our founding fathers are in serious jeopardy. It is time for We the People to take back our Union!

Your one vote is precious. Pray about it and use it wisely. It's a privilege not afforded to enough people in our world. God will use us if we'll just let him.

In case you are interested, the title is a link to our pitchfork lapel pin website. We'd love to hear what you think about it. Share your passion about our Constitution and why this document has stayed the course even if the politicians haven't. We are the most blessed country on earth! Thank you, God!

Sheepdogs4onevote

From Vicki

I was listening to talk radio yesterday afternoon and heard about a meeting to take place last night. This lady, Ann, said she received a direct message from God to do something to help our country during this upcoming election. I went to the meeting and was amazed to find about 35 people who were of like mind, worried about the future of our republic and concerned we hadn't learned from the past. The election is in two weeks. Ann plans to have caravans with signage going to the swing states of Ohio, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, etc., to carry information about voting and the candidates. Reaching young people with the message about the two platforms in an easy-to-read, quickly explained format is the key.

Ann's new web page link is listed above. She got her idea from William Bennett's speech about sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. The sheep need the sheepdogs to protect them from the predator wolves, so sheepdogs must have a vicious instinct but a compassionate one, also.

I was inspired by this lady. I had wondered what on earth I could do in the state of Tennessee to help affect the votes in those swing states. Now I know. I can help with my God-given talents to produce some interesting, to-the-point handouts about our wonderful country and how we need to protect our freedom.

As I learned in Sunday School years ago (and my Mom happened to be my teacher that year), I can't hide my talents in a drawer and expect them not to grow stagnant. They need to be used and used well.

How can we show compassion as conservatives?

From Vicki
In response to the last post, my daughter commented with the following:

How can we show compassion as conservatives? Sometimes it seems like the only way you can be understood as having a heart or caring about the welfare of others is if you believe that the government should share your money with those who are less fortunate. Why do people so easily buy into the idea that the government is the best mechanism for compassion, or the only mechanism for that matter? We can speak with our wallets without the government being involved. I believe that advocating for government policies you believe in (with regards to improving welfare here or internationally) is important, but we can also make a difference without waiting for the government to act. We can give to charities that we believe in today. People who donate to causes they support should be considered as, or more compassionate that those who merely talk about how a government institution should do that work.

October 17, 2008 6:42 AM

Joe knows what's best for Joe! plus My lesson on capitalism for my son after casting his first presidential ballot!

From Vicki

Joe knows what's best for Joe!

After the final 2008 presidential debate last night, Joe the plumber became a household phrase. As the press likes to say, he put a face to entrepreneurs wanting to own their own small businesses. Joe asked a legitimate question about being taxed at a higher rate if he owns a successful business.

It's not fair for Joe and it's not fair for anyone who aspires to do well through hard and smart work. What is the incentive if you know you will have to give the government more money? Entrepreneurs are risk-takers with capital they have raised, earned, or borrowed, and it is their personal responsibility to be successful. The government should applaud rather than penalize this good behavior. Read any preschool teachers' guidebook. That's what you'll find!

Casting your first presidential ballot should almost be a spiritual experience...and definitely a patriotic one. Our founding fathers gave us this amazing opportunity!!

My son and I participated in early voting today. Afterwards, I stressed what a privilege it is to live in a free country and have the right to vote, that we must never take it for granted. Then I asked if he knew what socialism is---he knew about communism from civics class in high school. I had just learned that a group of college students was queried for a definition of socialism and they had no clue.

Here's how I explained it to my son:

Say you work hard and make a lot of money and I sit around not wanting to work, but need to be supported somehow. The government says to you, "Gee, you have made a lot more money than you need, but look at her over there. We're going to charge you more taxes so we can help her out." It's called redistribution of wealth and is a Marxist principle.

His immediate reaction: That's not fair, that's not right!

I said, "Well, son, that is socialism. Capitalism is the opposite and gives hard workers the freedom to choose how much wealth they want to accumulate and what they want to do with it. They are free to hire more people and to give of their resources to their churches or other charities who help people who can't work. When given a choice, capitalism is always the better option."

I later asked him if he knew how freedom felt. He said he did. Then I posed, "Well, maybe that's not the question. Maybe it's 'Aren't we glad we don't know how it feels not to have freedom?'"

Footnote: When my son was around six years old and had to ride in the back seat, he endured many conversations on the way home from school, especially when he'd done something he shouldn't have. One day I asked him what was the absolute worst punishment for his transgression. Without hesitation, he said, "A long conversation in the car with you."!! I think he still feels that way; however, we do connect on politics and religion.

How has the media portrayed the candidates in 2008?

From Vicki:

I graduated from journalism school before it was called the college of communications. Journalism 101---the very first and most important rule---the media should be unbiased when reporting the news, unless it is a true opinion column or commentary. I have been so disappointed in the majority of the media for sensationalizing in the headlines to get viewership and readership, which is the main objective. Ratings and readers. It is tinged with yellow. What do you think about how objective or biased the media has been regarding the 2008 presidential campaign? Are we getting facts or opinions or just what?

How has the presidential campaign affected your view of the Constitution?

From Vicki:

Americans are basically good. We want to believe everyone is like us. Sadly, it ain't so. Our Constitution was written carefully and prayerfully by people who wanted the freedom to have a say in their government, taxes, and the general running of their country. That's our country, the United States of America. Do you think people remember this when they have the privilege of voting for president? Do you think they think about who is running and whether or not the candidates actually believe in and want to abide by our founding fathers' principles? Let us hear from you.