Bail out the Big 3: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

From Vicki:

It's been a while. Lots has happened since my last blog post. Tom and I made a quick trip to D.C. for the 9-12 march on Washington. It was incredible!

Earlier that week I had pulled a muscle in my right leg and was using crutches. Not a perfect situation for walking around D.C. And it was a beautiful weekend. Tom's brother, Pat, dropped us off at the Capitol so we didn't actually get to walk from Freedom Plaza. There was such a level of respect for people and our national capital. Most of the signs expressed the frustration of our voices not being heard by our elected representatives. Our sign received lots of double takes: Bail out the Big 3--Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

There were veterans of wars, heroes who fought for our country. Tom and I stopped to thank as many as we could. There is never enough thanks for what they have given to us.

As we were leaving the Capitol area, one of the peaceful protestors stopped to apologize for a worker who was putting discarded posters in a trash buggy. Then he handed the fellow a $10 and thanked him for his service. The only negative reaction we saw and heard was from a couple of gals who yelled out of a metro bus window: Racists! You are racists!  One of the ladies on the sidewalk calmly looked over and remarked: You really don't understand, do you?

For too many years I've taken this marvelous country for granted. I suppose it's like an historic building: you can't neglect the building blocks or it will fall into ruin. Living free takes work and we've had our wake-up call.

God Bless America. Say a prayer for our troops both here and abroad. They are following our Constitution by protecting us. It's up to us to preserve our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Please pray that Congress wakes up and takes a stand for the Constitution.

Who's Got Talent?

From Vicki:

I regularly read Lucianne.com and believe it is one of the best web sites for providing coverage on a variety of issues, both conservative and liberal. Recently, there was a must-read with the tag to the effect if you thought she looked familiar, click here. It was a video with a photo of Kate Smith, then beautiful American scenes accompanied by Kate's marvelous rendition of Irving Berlin's God Bless America to guide along this scenic video journey.

I wondered who looked familiarly akin to Kate Smith and why. So I clicked on the link for the seven-minute video of Susan Boyle's performance on Britain's got Talent. Wow! What a self-assured woman who knew she had talent, though others laughed and doubted her. Funny how outward appearance plays such a role in perceptions. But it does. And that is the shame of it all. We all have talents endowed by our Creator, some clearly visible, others deep inside that have to be drawn out, if they ever are.

After the video had been spread and promoted and viewed a zillion times on the internet, there was an article on Susan Boyle. It described her life: how she was the caretaker for her parents, especially her mother who passed away a couple of years ago. Susan's outlet was singing in church, though it took her two years to want to sing after losing her mother.

I can attest to what a stress reliever singing and playing the piano can be. And I can't thank my parents enough for their support, the piano lessons they so diligently paid for for 13 years, and the marvelous piano I've had for 30 years. If I choose to use it, this musical ability will be a salve for me for life; it will always be buried deep inside no matter. God has blessed me mightily with this gift to soothe myself.

Susan Boyle and Kate Smith sent me to my piano for 30 minutes of leisurely singing and playing after I watched their videos. I would play one song, plan to get up to do other things, then find myself going through my music for another favorite. God Bless America was the first one.

There are so many side stories to this one that I could digress all day. Here's my "tickle" note for future blog posts: Irving Berlin's piano, solos in youth choir, Mrs. Crain, Sunday School lessons, Benjamin's nap times, etc. I'll get to those eventually.

As I watched Susan Boyle, I could visualize my brother, Frank, singing opposite her in the duet, All I Ask of You, from the Phantom of the Opera. He is very talented with his smooth voice, comfortable in his own skin, self-assured when he performs. I love to accompany him when he sings. Frank, Susan Boyle, Kate Smith, Mary Costa, my cousins, and a plethora of others understand their gift and graciously share it with all of us.

I've viewed the Susan Boyle video numerous times this week and always come back to the same conclusion: the judges, audience, and backstage crew all judged her with a jaundiced eye because she did not look the part of someone with talent. Who is to say there is a look one must have to have talent?

I say Susan not only has a voice from God, but a heart from God as well. She kindly and lovingly stayed behind the scenes in caring for her parents. She has been a good daughter. Now that her mission for their wellbeing while they were living is complete, it's time for Susan to emerge and complete herself. She had a dream, just like the song from Les Miserables. Now she can live it.

God Bless America and God Bless those who find and use their talents for good. Remember our military who sacrifice so much for all of us.

Too many topics, too little time!

From Vicki:

The real reason "W" went home to Texas
Why most couldn't recognize Susan Boyle's talent
Honor flights are a feel good for all of us
Health and work ethic---don't take either for granted

I want to get to these and more when I have some good concentration time.

For now, God Bless the grass-roots movement and the tea party participants. God Bless our military, retired and active. God Bless America!

Thanks from We the People to our Military Families

From Vicki:

I haven't written since Thanksgiving mainly because there are so many things going on it has been difficult to select any specific topic.

Today I am thankful for our military families. They choose to serve without mandary requirement; they volunteer. It is so amazing to me that these Americans, like our humble founding fathers, are willing to give their lives to protect the freedoms of all of us. Many put themselves in harm's way every day for our liberty. Many leave dear families behind to stay strong and continue on while they are in harm's way. God bless them.

We are not worthy of their allegiance just because we are Americans.

We are fortunate because we are Americans.

My uncle was a 23-year retired Marine who served in WWII and the Korean War. His sacrifices were great. My grandparents, mother, and aunt gave up the most when their son and brother was serving, yet they understood we must always win the fight for freedom. I remember my uncle fondly and with great respect.

If we allow our elected representatives to misuse, overstep, and ignore our precious Constitution, we are the ones to blame. If we allow these same representatives to forget they are elected to serve, we are to blame. If we allow our government to give strength to those who want to do us harm by not providing enough support for our military, we are to blame.

We have the voice and the vote. We have to speak.

We the people are so blessed

From Vicki:

It's been a busy weekend. I've had many thoughts about blogs and will get to them soon.

Last Friday evening, Tom and I made the trek to Bristol, Virginia to meet Glenn Beck. We were among more than 600 who wanted to see up close and personal if this real Glenn Beck was the one we knew from radio and television. Yep, he was. He was there to promote and sign his latest book, The Christmas Sweater, a tear-jerking, Kleenex-box-emptying novel based on his life. My family members will enjoy this--shh! Don't want to give away anything.

Glenn gave a brief little talk and we shared a heartfelt tear fest about the change that is happening in our United States and how, if the Fairness Doctrine is put back into play (or they sneak in the back door with the localism rules for radio), he won't be there to speak out on behalf of we the people.

We have to be our voice and keep our Constitution from losing its underpinnings. I feel these being knocked out one by one with the bail outs of all troubled companies....capitalism needs to be shored up. I pray we can continue with the free enterprise that made our country the economic and democratic model for the world. I read today that people living in the EU realize how fortunate we've been and how socialistic modeling just doesn't work in the long run.

Back to the Glenn Beck tour: Tom and I were #231 and #232 because Tom made the hour drive up that morning to secure our places in line. We were in front of Glenn within about 15 minutes---he is a speedy one when it comes to signing. Right before we walked away, I impulsively reached over and gave him a big hug. [Southern people do that spontaneously. Not much about me shocks Tom anymore.] I whispered in Glenn's ear that we were the Tom and Vicki of the pitchfork lapel pin...the ones who had probably annoyed and bugged him for a while! There was an aha! moment, then he said the pins are great. I don't know where he gets his energy---I think he runs on adrenaline most of the time. He was in five cities from Tennessee to south Florida on Saturday!

It's late and I'm heading for home tomorrow for Thanksgiving with my wonderful family. Tom has learned that, while there is an overwhelming crowd, the food is always good and the people are always loving, friendly, and welcoming. After all, it's the Jessiehouse family and we're eating the best of the best recipes from the Jessiehouse, Georgia cookbook. I'll write more on that later.


By the way, if you haven't taken the time to read Old Faithful's comment to the November 20 post, please do. Thanks to him and his son for serving in our military. We are free to enjoy this Thanksgiving because of those two and many others like them.

Say thanks when you see someone in uniform. Treat them to lunch if they're in line in front of you at Mickey D's. They are God's special messengers to protect and keep this wonderful country safe. We should be ever so appreciative.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend. And, if you are in Georgia, please make sure you vote for Saxby Chambliss. I'm for the filibuster and don't feel that either party should have a filibuster-proof Senate. It limits our freedoms. We need Saxby to ensure that doesn't happen.

The many voices of we the people

From Vicki:

Sometimes I feel my voice is so weak and strained, the message being clear but not clear enough, not fresh enough, too trite and overworked. More than a few times in my life have I been told my writing isn't quite good enough---not an easy thing to hear. Yet I keep writing and creating. And I still will, though my spirit is deflated. Maybe I will learn...one of these days.

As I tried to come up with something pithy, original, different, and interesting for the topic, all that came to mind was a bunch of quotes by writers about writing. Here they are:

Writing comes more easily if you have something to say. ~Sholem Asch

To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the inner music the words make. ~Truman Capote, McCall's, November 1967

Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

One must be drenched in words, literally soaked in them, to have the right ones form themselves into the proper pattern at the right moment. ~Hart Crane

He that uses many words for the explaining any subject doth, like the cuttlefish, hide himself for the most part in his own ink. ~John Ray

Mine may be a weak voice tonight. It is still a voice for I am part of we the people with all of the generous First Amendment rights and freedoms and responsibilities. God willing, we the people will continue to speak with our loud, soft, weak, meek, polite, brusque voices. These United States have always been a melting pot of peoples with all manner of voices.

Say a prayer for our soldiers who have volunteered their lives for the express mission of keeping ours free and safe.

Congress met in D.C.for the first time 208 years ago today; Why was the Preamble of the Constitution written?

From Vicki:

On November 17, 1800, Congress met in Washington, D.C. for the first time. Commemorate the day by reading your Constitution. Oh, and I came along 154 years later on the same date! Thanks, Mom and Dad :)

The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

This is a beautifully brief, yet powerful explanation for the Constitution. It reminds me of the basic questions to be answered in any news story: who, what, when, where, and why. The founding fathers knew this document for a new country was not for the elite or by the elite. This was for the people and created by we the people, not merely for that period of time, for the future as well.

Our liberties hinge on this document. What a huge responsibility we have to protect these precious freedoms established for us in the 18th century. As a family's history is passed down from generation to generation, so we must pass our American history forward by word of mouth, writing, and living it if we are to maintain our democratic republic as was envisioned then.

I should make a list of the thoughts I have for this blog and try to get to them as they feel right. The military, inheritance, posterity, freedom, prejudice, family, and many more...Mark Twain said one of the best legacies we can leave is our writing. Of course, Mark Twain and others have a lot to say about authors' works as well! For that very reason, I don't even pretend to be an author!

Take time today to pray for our military families, especially those who will be apart during Thanksgiving next week. We have so much to be thankful for.

God Bless America!