Ron Paul has had the poorest showing in the bible belt states, even though he is a pro-life Christian! Here's an interesting piece by a Christian talk show host about why.
And here's another article about how many Christians are considering supporting the Constitution Party because they are so unhappy with McCain's probable nomination. Ahem - what about Mr. Constitution himself, Ron Paul?!? I suppose they don't approve of his unwillingness to force his morality on others (at home or abroad) using the force of government.
And finally - a bit from Anthony Gregory (who is pro-life and anti-state) in reference to some people's criticism of Ron Paul's stance on the Federal govt's role re: abortion:
"Ron Paul thinks the first step the president should take in his official capacity on abortion is to admit he has no say on it, no jurisdiction — it should not be up to the emperor of the "free world" to eradicate sins even as egregious as Ron views abortion. And yet he does speak out against it — which is an appropriate and completely non-invasive way for politicians to try to influence popular opinion and, thus, change society. And he's indeed the only candidate proposing a way to actually circumvent Roe v. Wade -- through simple Constitutional congressional action -- rather than holding it out as carrot to keep the religious right supporting his campaign. If conservatives were really pro-life, and pro-Constitution, his would be the only candidacy they could back. Of course, they aren't."
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Blatant, pt. 3
From a USA Today article:
"Giuliani's departure leaves former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee as McCain's only GOP rivals...."
It's not news; it's propaganda.
"Giuliani's departure leaves former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee as McCain's only GOP rivals...."
It's not news; it's propaganda.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Why can't we all just get along?
...like my cute pets do?
Queueing up patiently for milk.
Daily late-afternoon cuddle.
Bubba shares his bed.
Queueing up patiently for milk.
Daily late-afternoon cuddle.
Bubba shares his bed.
Nationalized Healthcare
Here's an AP story from last year:
"Rare identical quadruplets born in Montana
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Identical quadruplet girls born to Canadian couple in Great Falls, Montana
Babies, all in good condition, weighed between 2.15 and 2.6 pounds
Doctor: Chances of giving birth to identical quadruplets about one in 13 million
Girls born in Montana because Calgary hospitals were at capacity"
The BBC adds: "Health officials said they checked every other neonatal intensive care unit in Canada but none had space."
So, not only are there incredibly long waits for MRIs, hip replacements, and such - you have to wait to have your babies, too! But babies are notoriously stubborn about waiting for the bureaucrats to accommodate them.
I think a lot of people think that if the US nationalizes health care, the system will be pretty much just like it is now, only free! Are people really that naive? And think of our neighbors to the north - if the US ends up getting nationalized health care, too, where will the Canadians get their urgent care from?
"Rare identical quadruplets born in Montana
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Identical quadruplet girls born to Canadian couple in Great Falls, Montana
Babies, all in good condition, weighed between 2.15 and 2.6 pounds
Doctor: Chances of giving birth to identical quadruplets about one in 13 million
Girls born in Montana because Calgary hospitals were at capacity"
The BBC adds: "Health officials said they checked every other neonatal intensive care unit in Canada but none had space."
So, not only are there incredibly long waits for MRIs, hip replacements, and such - you have to wait to have your babies, too! But babies are notoriously stubborn about waiting for the bureaucrats to accommodate them.
I think a lot of people think that if the US nationalizes health care, the system will be pretty much just like it is now, only free! Are people really that naive? And think of our neighbors to the north - if the US ends up getting nationalized health care, too, where will the Canadians get their urgent care from?
Another Casualty of the War on Drugs
It doesn't often come up in conversation, but a lot of people are surprised that I am against the "War on Drugs" and in favor of decriminalization. One of the reasons is that the Drug War's victims tend to be poor minorities - there is a disproportionate number of minorities in prison for drug-related offenses. Here is a terrible story of the tactics used in the Drug War and a woman who was "collateral damage."
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Free Market?
From an excellent article by Jeffrey Tucker of the Mises institute, "How Free is the 'Free Market'?"
begin quote:
The argument goes like this:
Until now we've lived in a world of laissez-faire capitalism, with government and policy intellectuals convinced that the market should rule no matter what. Recent events, however, have underscored the limitations of this dog-eat-dog system, and reveal that simplistic ideology is no match for a complex world. Therefore, government, responding to public demand that something be done, has cautiously decided to reign in greed, force us all to grow up, and see the need for a mixed economy.
All three claims are wrong. We live in the 100th year of a heavily regulated economy; and even 50 years before that, the government was strongly involved in regulating trade.
The planning apparatus established for World War I set wages and prices, monopolized monetary policy in the Federal Reserve, presumed first ownership over all earnings through the income tax, presumed to know how vertically and horizontally integrated businesses ought to be, and prohibited the creation of intergenerational dynasties through the death tax.
That planning apparatus did not disappear but lay dormant temporarily, awaiting FDR, who turned that machinery to all-around planning during the 1930s, the upshot of which was to delay recovery from the 1929 crash until after the war.
Just how draconian the intervention is ebbs and flows from decade to decade, but the reality of the long-term trend is undeniable: more taxes, more regulation, more bureaucracies, more regimentation, more public ownership, and ever less autonomy for private decision-making. The federal budget is nearly $3 trillion per year, which is three times what it was in Reagan's second term. Just since Bush has been in office, federal intervention in every area of our lives has exploded, from the nationalization of airline security to the heavy regulation of the medical sector to the centralized control of education.
With "free markets" like this, who needs socialism?
-end quote
read the whole article here
begin quote:
The argument goes like this:
Until now we've lived in a world of laissez-faire capitalism, with government and policy intellectuals convinced that the market should rule no matter what. Recent events, however, have underscored the limitations of this dog-eat-dog system, and reveal that simplistic ideology is no match for a complex world. Therefore, government, responding to public demand that something be done, has cautiously decided to reign in greed, force us all to grow up, and see the need for a mixed economy.
All three claims are wrong. We live in the 100th year of a heavily regulated economy; and even 50 years before that, the government was strongly involved in regulating trade.
The planning apparatus established for World War I set wages and prices, monopolized monetary policy in the Federal Reserve, presumed first ownership over all earnings through the income tax, presumed to know how vertically and horizontally integrated businesses ought to be, and prohibited the creation of intergenerational dynasties through the death tax.
That planning apparatus did not disappear but lay dormant temporarily, awaiting FDR, who turned that machinery to all-around planning during the 1930s, the upshot of which was to delay recovery from the 1929 crash until after the war.
Just how draconian the intervention is ebbs and flows from decade to decade, but the reality of the long-term trend is undeniable: more taxes, more regulation, more bureaucracies, more regimentation, more public ownership, and ever less autonomy for private decision-making. The federal budget is nearly $3 trillion per year, which is three times what it was in Reagan's second term. Just since Bush has been in office, federal intervention in every area of our lives has exploded, from the nationalization of airline security to the heavy regulation of the medical sector to the centralized control of education.
With "free markets" like this, who needs socialism?
-end quote
read the whole article here
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Blatant, pt. 2
Sunday, Jan. 20
from an AP report on Yahoo news:
"GOP presidential race turns to Florida
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 33 minutes ago
MIAMI - The Republican presidential race turned to Florida on Sunday, ever more chaotic and contentious as four candidates began a 10-day sprint to win the state and momentum heading into the de facto national primary next month.
A fifth candidate, Fred Thompson, weighed the future of his bid after a disappointing third-place finish in South Carolina."
If you keep on reading the article, you'll see no mention of the "sixth" candidate. Apparently coming in 2nd in NV and getting more votes than the "fifth candidate" or even the "fourth" one in other primaries isn't enough to get you a mention.
It's like being in one of those creepy futuristic movies where the government and media collude to hide or distort events from the public. Thank goodness we don't live in a place like that! I'm sure this (like all of the other recent examples from various media outlets) is just some random oversight.
from an AP report on Yahoo news:
"GOP presidential race turns to Florida
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 33 minutes ago
MIAMI - The Republican presidential race turned to Florida on Sunday, ever more chaotic and contentious as four candidates began a 10-day sprint to win the state and momentum heading into the de facto national primary next month.
A fifth candidate, Fred Thompson, weighed the future of his bid after a disappointing third-place finish in South Carolina."
If you keep on reading the article, you'll see no mention of the "sixth" candidate. Apparently coming in 2nd in NV and getting more votes than the "fifth candidate" or even the "fourth" one in other primaries isn't enough to get you a mention.
It's like being in one of those creepy futuristic movies where the government and media collude to hide or distort events from the public. Thank goodness we don't live in a place like that! I'm sure this (like all of the other recent examples from various media outlets) is just some random oversight.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Blatant
There were 6 candidates at the SC debate, but only 5 are mentioned in this AP article. Who is left out? Ron Paul. Even though he got more votes than Rudy in Iowa and more than Fred in NH. The unspoken message by the reporter: Ron Paul is so marginal that he's not worth mentioning. Augh!
Here are the total votes cast so far (in Iowa and NH):
1. Romney 103,755 30%
2. McCain 102,361 29%
3. Huckabee 66,876 19%
4. Paul 29,648 9%
5. Giuliani 24,151 7%
6. Thompson 18,712 5%
Here are the total votes cast so far (in Iowa and NH):
1. Romney 103,755 30%
2. McCain 102,361 29%
3. Huckabee 66,876 19%
4. Paul 29,648 9%
5. Giuliani 24,151 7%
6. Thompson 18,712 5%
Happy Birthday to NCLB!
Wow, you're already 6 years old! I remember when you were just a gleam in President Bush's eye. And aren't you special?! Not many 6 year olds cost their "parents" 24 billion dollars per year.
Says Neal McCluskey of the libertarian Cato Institute's Center for Educational Freedom:
"Six years of No Child Left Behind, and what do we have to show for it? Stagnant reading achievement, slowed math improvements, declining academic performance versus competitor nations, and narrowed curricula, all for the bargain price of about $24 billion per year, or a 40 percent increase over fiscal year 2001."
Cato education expert Andrew Coulson adds:
"It's the NCLB's birthday, and you can cry if you want to. And if you have kids in school, or about to enter school, you might want to."
"[W]hat do you get for the law that's done nothing? Barely a month ago, two separate sets of international test results were released, allowing us to see how U.S. academic performance has changed since NCLB was enacted. ... The tests were PIRLS (Program on International Reading Literacy Survey) and PISA (Program on International Student Assessment)."
"Across grades and across subjects, student achievement has either stagnated or declined -- and that's despite the infusion of tens of billions of dollars of new spending in each of the past six years."
"Mainstream lawmakers outside D.C. acknowledge the unconstitutionality of NCLB, pointing out the Constitution does not authorize federal involvement in education. In 2005, a task force of the bi-partisan National Conference of State Legislatures declared: "The task force does not believe that NCLB is constitutional."
"But as we know, in the Alice In Wonderland world of DC, failure is rewarded with... more money and more power. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers are proposing "reforms" for NCLB that would increase federal power and lavish even more money on this failed, doomed, unconstitutional and idiotic boondoggle."
Says Neal McCluskey of the libertarian Cato Institute's Center for Educational Freedom:
"Six years of No Child Left Behind, and what do we have to show for it? Stagnant reading achievement, slowed math improvements, declining academic performance versus competitor nations, and narrowed curricula, all for the bargain price of about $24 billion per year, or a 40 percent increase over fiscal year 2001."
Cato education expert Andrew Coulson adds:
"It's the NCLB's birthday, and you can cry if you want to. And if you have kids in school, or about to enter school, you might want to."
"[W]hat do you get for the law that's done nothing? Barely a month ago, two separate sets of international test results were released, allowing us to see how U.S. academic performance has changed since NCLB was enacted. ... The tests were PIRLS (Program on International Reading Literacy Survey) and PISA (Program on International Student Assessment)."
"Across grades and across subjects, student achievement has either stagnated or declined -- and that's despite the infusion of tens of billions of dollars of new spending in each of the past six years."
"Mainstream lawmakers outside D.C. acknowledge the unconstitutionality of NCLB, pointing out the Constitution does not authorize federal involvement in education. In 2005, a task force of the bi-partisan National Conference of State Legislatures declared: "The task force does not believe that NCLB is constitutional."
"But as we know, in the Alice In Wonderland world of DC, failure is rewarded with... more money and more power. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers are proposing "reforms" for NCLB that would increase federal power and lavish even more money on this failed, doomed, unconstitutional and idiotic boondoggle."
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
My, how NH has changed
In 1996, NH republican voters chose Pat Buchanan in the primary. What an independent bunch of of voters willing to look outside the establishment and return to more fiscally conservative government! So I thought surely Ron Paul would fare well here, especially after getting 10% in Iowa, where the voters tend to be much more conventional. Well, despite our best efforts
Ron Paul only got about 8 or 9% of the vote. Wow. What surprise! And one situation has come to light that gives me a sinking feeling - some people in Sutton, a town next to ours, noticed that it was reported that there were 0 votes for Ron Paul, even though they knew they had voted for him. Apparently the town made a mistake in reporting their numbers to the state. That one was easy to catch - but what if there are more "mistakes" like that? It's a depressing scenario.
Here's a new article I read today that describes a lot of the characteristics that I have noted about Dr. Paul, both in watching him in appearances and in conversing with him during lunch (scroll down for that)!
Ron Paul only got about 8 or 9% of the vote. Wow. What surprise! And one situation has come to light that gives me a sinking feeling - some people in Sutton, a town next to ours, noticed that it was reported that there were 0 votes for Ron Paul, even though they knew they had voted for him. Apparently the town made a mistake in reporting their numbers to the state. That one was easy to catch - but what if there are more "mistakes" like that? It's a depressing scenario.
Here's a new article I read today that describes a lot of the characteristics that I have noted about Dr. Paul, both in watching him in appearances and in conversing with him during lunch (scroll down for that)!
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Catnip Duet
Lovey and Jazzy play with their new catnip toys, ignoring Bubba's whining and Scott's - um - percussive noises until it's finally too much.
Talk about commitment
If you've looked through my blog you know I'm an enthusiastic Ron Paul supporter, and I feel like I've made good efforts to spread the word - letters to editor, talking to friends, this blog, etc. Well, I'm a real lightweight. A guy knocked on my door today and handed me a piece of Ron Paul literature - and he's from Colorado! He drove all the way out here to help promote Ron Paul for the primary here next week. Wow.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Snowy Pre-feasts of 2007
Here's a pic taken of our church during Holy Week, April 2007
And here's one of our backyard taken a few days before Christmas, 2007. (Click pic for larger view - you can see the big fat snowflakes falling.)
Yes, we did actually have a few months without snow in between those two times.
And here's one of our backyard taken a few days before Christmas, 2007. (Click pic for larger view - you can see the big fat snowflakes falling.)
Yes, we did actually have a few months without snow in between those two times.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Blessed are...
When we come to know our own hearts, our own sins and failings, we will recognize that most arguments and disagreements come from us - our own self-esteem, our pride, our irritability, our carelessness, our willfulness, and our mistrust of others. Once we see this, we will learn to be lenient towards others, to forgive their weaknesses, and to be gentle and patient with everyone.
St. John of Kronstadt
"Ten Homilies on the Beatitudes" (Fourth Homily)
St. John of Kronstadt
"Ten Homilies on the Beatitudes" (Fourth Homily)
Friday, December 14, 2007
Oh, how they've changed
Guess which political party said the following (hint: not Libertarian):
“Freedom of education, being an essential of civil and religious liberty . . . must not be interfered with under any pretext whatever,” the party’s national platform declared. “We are opposed to state interference with parental rights and rights of conscience in the education of children as an infringement of the fundamental . . . doctrine that the largest individual liberty consistent with the rights of others ensures the highest type of American citizenship and the best government.”
Give up?
"That ringing endorsement of parental supremacy in education was adopted by the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1892, which just goes to show what was possible before the Democratic Party was taken hostage by the teachers unions. (Wondrous to relate, the platform also warned that “the tendency to centralize all power at the federal capital has become a menace,” blasted barriers to free trade as “robbery of the great majority of the American people for the benefit of the few,” and pledged “relentless opposition to the Republican policy of profligate expenditure.”)"
Read the rest of this great article discussing the separation of school and state here.
“Freedom of education, being an essential of civil and religious liberty . . . must not be interfered with under any pretext whatever,” the party’s national platform declared. “We are opposed to state interference with parental rights and rights of conscience in the education of children as an infringement of the fundamental . . . doctrine that the largest individual liberty consistent with the rights of others ensures the highest type of American citizenship and the best government.”
Give up?
"That ringing endorsement of parental supremacy in education was adopted by the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1892, which just goes to show what was possible before the Democratic Party was taken hostage by the teachers unions. (Wondrous to relate, the platform also warned that “the tendency to centralize all power at the federal capital has become a menace,” blasted barriers to free trade as “robbery of the great majority of the American people for the benefit of the few,” and pledged “relentless opposition to the Republican policy of profligate expenditure.”)"
Read the rest of this great article discussing the separation of school and state here.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Let your light so shine...
I so often want to share my faith with people, but don't really know how. Part of my problem is how turned off I was by the type of Christian evangelism that I experienced growing up and going to college in the South. Cheesy tracts left anonymously in public places, sermons delivered on the street corner, or well-meaning Bob Jones students proselytizing to Clemson students outside the Main Street bars on a Friday night - not effective.
Here's a nice way to look at it:
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). That is, just as people are scandalized by the indifference of some of us and direct the edge of their tongue against our Lord, so [Christ is saying] when you practice virtue and people see you, they do not stop at praise of you; instead, when they see your good deeds shining and lighting up your face, they are moved to praise of your Father in heaven. When this happens in their case, we in our turn are amply rewarded, and over and above their praise the Lord bestows on us countless good things: "Those giving glory to me I myself will glorify" (I Samuel 2:30).
St. John Chrysostom
"Daily Readings from the Writings of St. John"
Here's a nice way to look at it:
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). That is, just as people are scandalized by the indifference of some of us and direct the edge of their tongue against our Lord, so [Christ is saying] when you practice virtue and people see you, they do not stop at praise of you; instead, when they see your good deeds shining and lighting up your face, they are moved to praise of your Father in heaven. When this happens in their case, we in our turn are amply rewarded, and over and above their praise the Lord bestows on us countless good things: "Those giving glory to me I myself will glorify" (I Samuel 2:30).
St. John Chrysostom
"Daily Readings from the Writings of St. John"
No Cult Here
Yesterday I heard the late 80's song "Cult of Personality" on the radio, which describes the dangers of being so taken with a leader that you just simply accept anything they say without question. Being an enthusiastic supporter of Ron Paul, I thought about the "Ron Paul Revolution" as compared to the scenario described in the song. There's a huge difference. The "Revolution" is not really about Ron Paul - it's about the idea of Liberty. He just happens to be an eloquent messenger who is at the right place and time to help deliver the message. I had the pleasure of spending an hour or so in his company the other day (see below) and can say that he is a very likable man who can express his ideas intelligently and clearly. But he doesn't have that forceful charisma that you see in a lot of other political leaders, or that some people expect to see in a presidential candidate. That's what is so exciting about the Ron Paul Revolution. Since it's more about his message of Liberty rather than him as a person, the Revolution can continue beyond this particular election, regardless of its outcome.
Here's a great quote from Anthony Gregory over at LewRockwell.com from an article discussing the appeal of this unlikely hero to a huge number of young people:
"The people of my generation, those a little younger or a little older, have been longing for an escape from politics as usual for a long time. Ron Paul offers the out. He is a cultural conservative and political radical. He is a Republican peacenik, a straight-laced Christian who wants true tolerance for all Americans, an honest and humble man offering an honest and humble foreign policy. He might not follow the latest fads, but he follows the Constitution and champions individual rights. His revolution is one of liberty, not the libertine conservatism that misses the point entirely."
Here's a great quote from Anthony Gregory over at LewRockwell.com from an article discussing the appeal of this unlikely hero to a huge number of young people:
"The people of my generation, those a little younger or a little older, have been longing for an escape from politics as usual for a long time. Ron Paul offers the out. He is a cultural conservative and political radical. He is a Republican peacenik, a straight-laced Christian who wants true tolerance for all Americans, an honest and humble man offering an honest and humble foreign policy. He might not follow the latest fads, but he follows the Constitution and champions individual rights. His revolution is one of liberty, not the libertine conservatism that misses the point entirely."
Monday, December 3, 2007
Lunch with Ron Paul
Okay - back to the Ron Paul theme. My husband and I, along with our priest Father Andrew, were invited to meet with Dr. Paul and a few other guests for a lunch today. All my husband and I could say afterwards was "That was so cool!" 'Cuz it was! There wasn't a prepared speech or formal presentation - we just sat around eating lunch and having interesting conversations. It blew my mind to speak to someone who is such a kindred spirit and realize that he is a long-time Congressman who is running for President. I wish I could be more eloquent, but... it was so cool!
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Fine Living
Okay - I have to show that there is more to my life than my support for Ron Paul (scroll down and you'll see what I mean)! My hubby and I finally went on a little vacation together recently (the first time since we had kids!) - we spent 2 nights at the Mt. Washington Hotel - an amazing, elegant Grand Hotel (built in 1902) nestled in some of the most impressive of the White Mountains. I don't have any good shots of the outside (you can see that at their website), but here are a couple of the lobby. I could get used to fine living and dining! It was one the best dining experiences I've ever had. Yummmmm.
Video of our Field Trip
I just found this video on You Tube that shows Ron Paul shaking our hands during his visit to Concord last week (see my post below). You see us at about 25 seconds in. The audio in the later part isn't great - there are other videos that are better for hearing him talk.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Field Trip to the State House
The kids and I went to the NH State House today and met Dr. Ron Paul, shook his hand, watched him sign some papers, then talk to reporters and others who had questions. Here he is during that last part. Crowded and hot, but exciting to be there!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Great Quote!
"Parental control of child rearing, especially education, is one of the bulwarks of liberty. No nation can remain free when the state has greater influence over the knowledge and values transmitted to children than the family."
-Intro of the Family Education Freedom Act by Ron Paul, Jan. 31, 2001
-Intro of the Family Education Freedom Act by Ron Paul, Jan. 31, 2001
Friday, October 12, 2007
Ron Paul for President
Just when I was ready to completely withdraw from the political process, after years of disappointment with politicians from both sides...
↑ Click the play button above to watch.
Dr. Paul is an exciting candidate because he understands that the best chance we have for prosperity and peace is to have a very limited central government. We've tried the large, powerful federal government model for generations now - does anyone really think it's working?
↑ Click the play button above to watch.
Dr. Paul is an exciting candidate because he understands that the best chance we have for prosperity and peace is to have a very limited central government. We've tried the large, powerful federal government model for generations now - does anyone really think it's working?
Friday, September 7, 2007
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