Short Story of Christmas Manger Birth from America

I speak from the dust.  Born of the great Nephite nation I speak as one who walked and died in a blessed land far from our home in the Holy Land.  I am Gorom son of Laret.  I reach across the rugged road of time to tell you the tale of the Great Bearded Prophet’s birth.  He came and healed a broken people.  He lived with us and danced with the four winds among us.  Though He came to us on a beam of light from the great sky, His legend was known far long before we touched the prints upon his feet.  His birth and even death had been prophesied even from the days of Isaiah down through the ages.

For me, the legend started when I was a boy.  I remember the faithfulness of my father and mother.  Father was a craftsman of wood in the land of Zarahemla.  They looked forward to a sign from the heavens of a Great Birth that would usher in an era of salvation among the children of the Great Father in heaven.  My earliest recollection was of a great madness in the courts of the city.  Legions of rocks and arrows darkened the sky as they were hurled at a man upon our city wall.  The power of disbelief grew strong among my people.  So much so that many of those who believed went into hiding or remained silent out of fear.  This man on the wall was Samuel the Lamanite - and he believed.  Samuel was not silent but was the mouthpiece of the One who should come.  He didn’t always understand why but he always went where he was led to preach the word of goodwill and salvation.

Great wonders came to view as the years followed.  Wonders to be unto the convincing of the disbeliever as well as a blessing to the believer.  At the same time, all these wonders served as a preparation for all creation that a great crossroad in time and space was about to manifest itself.  Many things took place that defy all reasoning.  Flocks all around tended to protect and cherish the firstlings.  Many of our sick and infirm healed quickly and returned home to their families.  Deep quiet whisperings often spoke in many hearts causing deep reflection and reverence.  These whisperings grew louder and became more frequent in the following few years after Samuel came down from that wall.  Clouds began to divert from being directly overhead of the temple grounds.  They moved as if with knowledge of a great occurrence there and didn’t want to desecrate it.  All these and many more miracles took place especially in that year of the Light.

Contention grew dangerously in that year among my people.  Disbelievers began to dictate to God, and even dared to set a date and place for the prophesied sign of the Christ birth.  If the sign pronounced by the the man on the wall, Samuel, was not achieved then all believers would die.  I remember my father, my mother, my older brother and younger siblings and myself being stripped from our home one evening by a band of lawless robbers.  We were made to kneel in submission as we meet our fate.  I remember the peace in my father’s eyes at that moment.  He was calm and I remembered the dream he told us that he had the night before.  Father told us that the Great Spirit carried him to the motherland across the sea and showed him a fair virgin, great with birth, with battalions of angels from the unseen world standing guard about her.

At that seemingly fateful hour the sun had almost set.  Darkness would normally be readying to blanket the land.  An imposing man painted black reverted his sword to the sky and eyed the stretched neck of my father.  I knelt next to my father and mother in fear yet with humble admiration of the stalwart nature of my parents.  With the executioner’s back to the setting sky I suddenly saw a piercing light in the whites of his eyes.  Obviously coming from the eastern horizon he looks on at the light which caught his attention.  His posse of seven others also looked toward the east.  Offering a brief relief from death, my family also turned the head to look with curiosity.  Samuel was right!  Not even the fiery furnace of hell could change this fact at this moment.

The blackness of hate that raped the land fell silent.  We felt the ground shake as countless unrepentant throughout the land fell helpless to their knees.  This included our captors.  Not only was the sign given, but this was an especial sign that gave off a “living” light that permeated the heart of all life.  Unless the heart was hopelessly blackened in the mires, there was no denying at that moment that the Christ was born in a land across the seas.  A great correction took place in that hour and many hearts were cleansed.

Among the faithful many saw and heard concourses of angels singing.  Others saw even their flocks on bended knee.  Many stories of multitudes of birds spreading the news to all life manifested in numbers.  There was no tree, no river, no insect and no rock that didn’t know that the Christ was born.  The earth was created.  The earth was baptized in flood.  Now, the earth sees the prospect of salvation.

This occasion gave us all pause and engaged us in continual peace for a few years.  The prophecy is fulfilled.  Scores of martyred holy men of old now cry from the dust in victory that their words are fulfilled.  As with all things memory dims and people fall into adverse ways.  Great diversities and contentions eventually raged once again in the land.  This led up to the great arrival of the Bearded White God who came to us on that beam of light.  It was He who was testified of by a bright star that night.  That is another story.

The purpose of my words here is to testify that a baby of divine nature was born across the sea.  His inauguration was undeniable even to many who disbelieved.  All things are born spiritually before they are manifested physically.  Therefore, true faith and strong foundation must first be anchored in that which is not readily seen with the eye but felt with the heart.

My story joins the throng of innumerable others that testify of Jesus Christ.  Innumerable are they that are not known among men but shall come forth at their appointed time to further heal a dying world.  His birth and the signs thereof were witnessed by millions.  Imagine the testaments yet to be known.  His death was equally felt.  Imagine the testaments yet to be known.  As one who has witnessed both I am resolute to say that Jesus is the Christ.

Care not for riches and things of want.  They cannot enter any kingdom which you will inevitably enter.  Place your time, talents and energies into that which will enter.  Mastering goodwill, charity, love, learning science, working as a team,  loving your spouse and loving God are all things that qualify you to realms exalted.  Jesus Christ was born among the most humbled of means and settings.  Though I did not see it with mine own eyes I did see the truth of it in the living light that beamed off the robber’s eyes.

I speak to you that you may know that mortality is an essential part of your ascension.  You are one, and the One who once laid in a poor manger found you worthy to die for.  I speak to you as one who felt the prints in his hands and feet over thirty years after that star shone bright.  As promised He came to visit the lost sheep that were not of the fold in the Holy Land.  His grand gesture of sacrifice is universal and is a type and example that we are to follow.  Sacrifice for our fellow man, living and dead, enable us to be a co-heir with Jesus Christ.

Samuel was a faithful servant.  Shall we be so bold as to follow in such footsteps.

New Catholic Parish Hall Dedication Brings Hope and Goodwill

My family and I were pleased to accept an invitation to attend the St. Mary’s Parish Hall Dedication.  It was an honor to support and mingle with my Catholic friends and to share the joys of my very good friend, Father Vern Smith.  Attending with the multitude was Bishop Richard Pates of the Diocese of Des Moines.  This building was long awaited and has now been realized.  Now, to sit in the triumph of St. Mary’s whose parishioners sacrificed so much to build I am humbled at the outcome.  Humbled in like manner as I am of the perseverance of our Mormon Pioneers and their pursuits in the cause of faith.

I reflect upon our own meetinghouse building expansion back in 1995.  Latter-day Saint buildings are designed and expected to be built with care and quality material.  Not long after the concrete foundation was laid we noticed cracking and buckling.  As it turns out the concrete was substandard and had to be entirely stripped from the grounds.  A new foundation had to be poured.  A new and strong foundation had to be lain in order to build a house upon it.  It was evident on this dedication day that a strong foundation both physically and spiritually was laid for the new Parish Hall at St. Mary’s.  It was an honor and privilege to attend this grand occasion.

This parish hall will serve the needs for both the Catholic community as well as the geographic community at large.  St. Mary’s opens up it’s doors to this facility to those needing the space for a variety of events such as weddings, meetings and other gatherings.  This is a wonderful gesture of outreach to the community.  It is a miracle from the heavens to sit down together as Catholics, Mormons and even other protestant faiths in love and respect yet without any ire.

Our world has taken a dangerous trend in matters of faith.  God has been removed from our schools.  Nobody want to establish a particular faith within public schools, but no one should strip the right and privilege of any individual from expressing personal prayer or some other harmless example of devotion.  When we remove He whom we are accountable to from our infrastructure and establishments then we are no longer in His favor and guidance.  Why?  It is because we have openly forgotten to acknowledge God and equally important our responsibility and accountability to Him.  This creates the world we live in today - a world of divisiveness.

I am eternally grateful that in our little community in southwest Iowa many of us have learned to put aside differences that we often use to offend our neighbor, and instead embrace one another in brotherly and sisterly love.  Not only do we celebrate our differences through goodwill but we also complement our liberties in this great land by learning to be one - out of many.  God loves a wondrous variety!  What better testing ground for a higher state of living, being and coexisting among Father’s many mansions than here in mortality striving to live one with another with all our complexities.

On behalf of the Shenandoah Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and most of all on behalf of my family I thank the parishioners of St. Mary’s for their invitation, hospitality and good hearts.  That includes during this particular time of celebration and at all other times that form and style our growing relationships.  May the new Parish Hall edifice serve to strengthen the Catholic community and the Shenandoah community as a whole.  May it stand the test of these difficult and perilous times.  May it prove that faith and goodwill are timeless ingredients to the favor of God.

May we strive to look forward with hope and peace for the benefit of our families, communities, nation, world and most of all - our very souls.

Life Lessons of Newtown, Connecticut

December 14th, 2012, will now be another day etched into the hearts and minds of Americans.  It joins a list of horrific events which have come to pass in this year.  Newtown, Connecticut, bears the weight of the death of twenty six deaths at the hands of a gunman.  Twenty children were murdered in two classrooms in an elementary school along with six teachers.  May the families be blessed with the comforting arms of God about them.

During times of death among children great confusion can build among the troubled at heart.  Many believe little children in death are lost and cannot return to the presence of the Father.  Others have each their own views of such deaths.  I will offer my views of these little ones, but it should never be forgotten that the sole responsibility for these deaths reside with the man who pulled the trigger.  It will be purported that society or media added to the mental state of the shooter.  Regardless of the reality of these allegations, the basic agency of choice has not been taken from us.  We have a choice in all things and this man chose wrong.

These children are not lost - but are alive in Christ.  Children who perish before they are accountable for their actions are not lost but are directly received into the kingdom of God.  Unaccountable children are pure before the One, and are gladly brought back into into the realms of heralding hosts in heaven.  It cannot be any other way.

We often look at what is lost in those lives.  High school graduation, marriage, fruitful careers, children of their own and even grandchildren are part of life’s joys and sorrows.  I am here to promise you that our mortality is an essential part of our ascension into boundless possibilities, and that every spirit born into this world will have the opportunity to grow and develop into their full measure of spirit.  At the dawn of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ even these young gems will come forth in the stature as they left this world to grow and be raised by worthy parents.  They will do so with wisdom and knowledge far exceeding any expectation we can venture at this time.  This very doctrine should be that glimmer of hope and joy for any grieving parent.

Prior to our birth we all lived and were reared in the presence of countless others who prepared us for the grand journey stemming from a mortal birth.  Each of us enjoyed individuality as we do here.  Each of us had our strengths and weaknesses that we would hopefully develop further on earth as part of that treasure of knowledge and experience that we retain throughout the eternities.  Be it known that there were and are those who’ve proven themselves of such valiance and worthiness in that home that their only requirement needed is to gain a body of flesh and bone.  There are those whose qualifications exceeds most of us here in life.  Are these children among the pinnacle of valiance described?  Are others whose mortal mental deficiencies and handicaps among these of the pure and undefiled?  Are those who “somehow seem” to teach us compassion, patience and love among these select spirits?  Make your own judgement but this doctrine rests the timeless questions of “why” tragedies such as this happen.  They tend to happen to teach the rest of us important lessons.

Even now with the events in Newtown, Connecticut, we can learn vast lessons.  Hold your children tight in love and understanding.  Tell them each day that you love them.  In the wake of these events let us pause and ponder silently how we can grow from this tragic event.  To remember is to hope.  To remember is to reach out even more in your daily thoughts and actions.  To remember - is to be of good cheer and honor the dead through goodwill toward men.

Doomsday, Mayan calendar, Fiscal Cliff and a Snickers Bar

Doomsday 2012, the Apocalypse, the Mayan calendar, December 21st and even the end of the world are on the minds of many as there are those who think this may take place in the month of December of 2012.  Let’s go further and then I will tell you the solution to all the problems and impending calamities of our time.  Tax hikes, abortion, gay rights, gay marriage vs. traditional marriage, health care,  entitlements, nuclear war, Iran, North Korea, Israel and the newly approved Palestinian state, education reform, school lunches, global warming, energy crisis, personal debt and the rise in heart disease are all concerns that the world inflicts itself with.  It is easy in this day and age to feel isolated as the world collapses around you.  Yet, with all the complexities of mortality why should the solutions be equally complex?  Is it possible to find happiness in the solutions before us?

I’ve discovered the source solution to the world’s problems.  It doesn’t stem from Congress nor does it derive from the beloved halls of the United Nations.  It’s not uttered from the “divine” lips of Sandra Fluke or revealed in plot in the Twilight series.  It’s not shown on your credit card bill nor on your meager pay stub.  It’s mystery is not seen to the naked eye on a ballot’s hanging chad nor in the campaign promises of any governmental position.  I found the answer to life’s turmoils in none other than a Snickers bar.  Yes, a Snickers bar!  Though I’m not privy to it an almond Snickers it came out to be.  What?  What blasphemy is this man speaking of?  I’ll tell you...

My son has a weekly paper route.  Not big, only about 75 homes or so.  I assist him in this route primarily during the school season so that he may tend to his school assignments earlier.  I thank the lucky stars above that there are no vicious dogs on this route.  At least none that are outside when I’m there.  The route starts at the same time each week.  I do my part from 2:20 to 3:00 and my son does the rest after I pick him up from school at 3:05.  It’s nothing major but allows for some exercise and a little money for my son.

Monday, the 19th of November was a particularly pleasant day to walk the papers.  The sun was out and it wasn’t cold enough to chill your innards into panic or complacency.  Toward the end of my part of the route a lady came out of her home after I delivered to her doorstep.  She mentioned that she had missed reaching me over the past couple weeks but that she wanted to thank me for the service.  She enjoyed that her paper was delivered consistently and at the same time each week.  She then handed me an almond Snickers in appreciation.  It was simple and from the heart.

What does this have to do with all the problems mentioned above?  Everything!  It’s called goodwill.  It’s called going out of your way to uplift the next person.  It’s called selfless service.  I had left her doorstep in a better mood and better outlook than when I arrived.  That’s what it’s all about!  Goodwill and positive reinforcement doesn’t have to be complex.  It was never meant to be complex - but liberating.  Kindness, though seen as cheesy by many nowadays, can liberate you from life’s obstacles.

Here is the secret to happiness:  If we are unhappy with the our own life then we simply are not reaching out enough to make happy the lives of those around us.

With this small effort we could cleanse Americans, the halls of Congress and the White House.  Sincere happiness infused into our environment through positive service allows correct discernment, making our decisions of elected officials true and good.  It lifts our daily burdens and relieves the yoke from our necks.  Just think, how many of our elected officials gained their votes from voters with contention in their hearts?  This is not a partisan question but a basic voter question.  How many voted because they hated the other guy or relished the promises of one over the other?  We hear of Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Constitutionalist and even Socialist but how little do we hear of American.  An American is in an active pursuit of happiness.  If this were so today it would decimate the need of all political parties.  It would create an environment of a true Republic that knows the value of work and the worth of the soul next to him.  It would create a government authentically of the people, by the people and for the people.

With kindness there would be no fiscal cliff or the threat thereof.  Sincere kindness invokes loyalty and true character.  If we were happy we would be inspired to rightly appoint officials who were responsible and loyal to our Constitution.  Not only would we hold them accountable but we’d make ourselves equally accountable for such faulty voting when things go awry.  An American is accountable and responsible for everything around him.

With kindness any outbreak of war would be swift, quick and with resolve.  Obviously, this sounds like an oxymoron putting war and kindness in the same sentence.  Let’s not kid ourselves though.  We are in a very violent and malicious world.  Wars do and will happen.  Starting the chain of kindness first within our homes and communities can change a nation.  Kindness, in turn, can change the world but not overnight.  When conflict arises and diplomacy fails an inspired leader elected by a positive people would act swiftly and decisively in the best interest of those whom he represents.  In this day and age there is absolutely no reason for long drawn out wars and engagements.

It may sound like a stretch to connect simple kindness with the solutions of our times but my challenge is to ponder over it and to prove the principle wrong.

As I look about us especially in the United States I see influential people, people in high positions of government, media and entertainment, who haven’t the first clue of what kindness is.  I see people who spread their influence upon the virus of hate.  I see members of entertainment posing as political monoliths through productions of hateful slanders and misinformation.  I see media giants so full of contention that they cannot see any validity beyond their own agenda.  These things canker that heart but what greater influence can there be than to offer your coat to a cold homeless man.  What benefit is there in helping a child shoot a basketball into a hoop?  What greater treasure is there than to help an elderly lady carry her groceries out to her car?  It’s the choice between what is right - and what is wrong.

I started this writing with the thought of doomsday or the Mayan calendar.  Is it not apparent that this is believed and propagated by unhappy people?  Know this that any “end of world” scenario will be put into motion very little by any God.  We create our own demise in this life.  If we choose to be prideful and look solely after our own interests then, yeah, life may come to a screeching halt sooner rather than later.  Yet, if we live our lives in pure selfless service to our neighbor there is no obstacle we can’t overcome, no breadth we can’t expand and no level of prosperity we can’t reach.  Our decisions affect the outcome of the next moment.  As a species our collective decisions affect the course of the world.  Yes, I am among the Christians who believe that Jesus Christ will return but I also believe that the conditions leading up to it are overwhelmingly in our control within the realms of our decision making skills.

It comes down to this.  When considering the doom of the abortion debate or the fiscal cliff or the outcome of the Presidential election what course of action will allow you to enhance better decision making.  That should be simple - service!  If you want to be happy and you want the people around you happy then expand your level and outreach of service.  If you want a strong and healthy nation raising a royal generation then take steps to be happy and become a service-oriented person.

Fret not over the negative campaigns going on.  Yes, our decisions as a people have catapulted us into a very rough road ahead.  If we ready our homes as havens and refuges from such storms we’ll be able to come out of this better on the other side.  To influence the world you must begin at the foundation of it.  Change yourself and influence your home and family.  Like a lit candle in a dark world your example with attract the gaze and prompt others to follow suit.

The challenge and moral of this writing is to increase your ability to serve others and dwell less on your own self interests.  My promise is that if you do this with a sincere heart you will find your own needs met and your happiness ensured.  It doesn't have to be a Snickers bar but let my little experience serve as an example or symbolic possibility of giving happiness to those around you.

Fiscal Cliff, Wealth Tax and the United States National Debt

The U.S. national debt is in a crippling stage affecting the lives of every man, woman and child in the United States - including those yet to be born and threatens an inevitable fiscal cliff.  This disturbing trend can be monitored through the Internet on various websites dedicated to monitoring the debt crisis in America.  However, this clock number is not quite accurate.  This real time national debt clock does not include those things promised to Americans.

Though the 2012 Presidential campaign is over and Barack Obama looks forward to his second term in Office the subject of entitlements rages on.  This has a huge affect on the national debt.  As attested during the 2012 campaign, the majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives and Senate, as well as the entire Administration defend the federal government backed entitlements.  It is my estimation, though, that this move is primarily targeted to maintain a voting base rather than to ensure the sincerity of the welfare of the American public.  Overwhelmingly, the Republican representatives in both houses are asking the Administration for the reform of entitlements.  Will this actually happen with the current structure of Washington?  Also, will this really happen with a President bent toward socialist ideas?

The U.S. national debt clock is inaccurate because the promised entitlements are not included.  Given a true real time figure entitlements would add in excess of $86 trillion dollars to the ascending clock.  This is more than the ingredients of a fiscal cliff.  It’s a shameful catastrophe!  It’s a catastrophe not entirely blamed on one administration though socialist initiatives do add to the problem astronomically.  No, the problem is still in Congress where the laws are made.  Politics and sticking a diaper on the American public for their votes has caused the gridlock we stand in the midst of today.  Few truly want to resolve the matter through dialogue and negotiation.  This included our beloved President of the United States regardless of his bi-partisan promises during the campaign trail.

What is the reality?  The reality is that your taxes will go up next year.  Effective cuts are no longer the focus as was promised.  Taxes and various forms thereof are in the eyesights now.  The famed “Bush” tax cuts aimed to benefit business growth may or may not lapse at the end of the year.  Nevertheless, whether this year or the next they will be allowed by the United States Congress to die.  As a venue alternative to rolling up the sleeves and cutting spending this would allow taxes to “naturally” be raised at least 3%.

Another reality is the proposed wealth tax which in this country is unconstitutional in the nicest of terms.  The wealth tax is a blanket tax on assets owned by individuals and entities.  It has nothing to do with income earned in any given year but has everything to do with the government’s perceived accumulated wealth you have.  Your business may have gone under.  You may have lost your job or you may have earned absolutely nothing in a year.  In a wealth tax that means nothing.  Your wealth will be taxed a certain percentage accordingly.  This is blatant and deliberate seizure of personal property by the federal government.  It is, therefore, unconstitutional.  This is of no concern to France where the wealth tax has long been established.

One of the problems infecting the reasoning center of the cognitive mind in today’s society is that of making things equal.  Distribution of wealth puts everyone on a level playing field.  Know this that the fiends who hide behind sheep agendas perpetuate this idea.  It is their socialist agenda to make you think that working toward the American dream is futile and should never be enjoyed by anyone.  It is their agenda to make you think that anyone who succeeds has done so dishonestly and owes the rest of the public a greater share of their earnings.  It is their agenda to make you think that inequality of wealth is what has caused our economic dilemma today.  Any organized thought process like this that inhibits you own potential is dangerous and mocks the intent of the Constitution of the United States.  With distribution of wealth and the “equality” of wealth comes the lack of desire and drive to succeed.  Instead, this mindset invokes and creates a fertile ground of national apathy and dependence on the government to wipe their butt and punish others because their not as financially sound as the next guy.

This is the course the American public has opted to take and it is obvious that the Omnipotent has designed to let us learn a few things as we wrestle in the mire we have placed ourselves in.

Most elected city officials receive very little as payment for their services.  Certainly not enough to make public service an appealing career.  I believe this is good and correct and part of the founding principles of the United States.  It helps ensure transparency and pure intent of heart to serve the people.  No, this doesn’t cover every elected official but it does cover most.  Why can we not impose this on our national elected officials?  Money is a ruthless tone of greed.  Why not make the compensation not an appealing sight?   Why not help ensure that we have people running for various offices who truly want to serve the best interest of the people?  I’m all for a true modern George Washington to come along and rally to this cause.

Yes, we need to return to the principles that the Constitution of the United States affords us as well as the inspiration provided in the Declaration of Independence.  Yet this will never be done until the hearts of the offices and those who occupy them are cleansed.  Compensation and lobbyist kickbacks must be hindered in order to have even the vision of our original principles that can stand the test of any time in any economic climate.

The fiscal cliff will happen and the U.S. national debt clock will keep rolling under the umbrella of greed and socialism.  That is where our Republic is heading.

Barack Obama & Joe Biden Wins Election 2012

History if filled with examples of societal declines.  In the United States we are on that slide.  The precious right to vote, bestowed by our Creator through our Founding Fathers, was engaged on November 6, 2012, without any intelligent reasoning on the part of the majority.  This constitutes a capstone of decline.  Yet, amidst this quagmire of insanity we must accept the outcome and inevitable truth.  We are in the pre-dawn era of Barack Obama’s second term as President of the United States.  Now that our nation will begin to feel the true tyranny of this man, the eyes are on us as individuals to get our house in order.

Mitt Romney had great support and put up a good battle.  In the end it proved not enough though it should’ve been.  He exemplified hope and a positive attitude of the future.  He had an economic plan, and no matter how loose-ended it may have been to some at least it was a plan.  Mitt Romney was clear on the strength of the nation.  Because the United States has a God-given responsibility to the world, we also must ensure liberty by the reality of our military and economic might.  He cherishes family, and extended the virtues of that institution throughout his campaign.  Romney proved pro-women since he set out to put in place a broader gender spectrum in his Massachusetts cabinet.  Romney also had no skeletons in the closet.  Now how odd is that these days in any elected official or candidate?  Mitt Romney personified a presidential attribute in the eyes of so many.  He also, with clarity, placed faith in that which makes America great - the hard work and perseverance of the average American.  Getting back to work was a hallmark of his campaign.  Mitt Romney had all the makings that America longed for, but in the end the heart and mind of the majority of voters did not listen to their reasoning.

Barack Obama had no honorable presidential characteristics throughout his campaign.  It turned nasty, deceitful and should’ve been viewed as a disgust in the eyes of any American.  Obama had no economic plan to propose to Americans.  None!  Still, he has been re-elected.  Though at the end of his first term in Office he maintained full blame of the economic calamity and recession on his predecessor - President George W. Bush.  He played on the American passivity by portraying himself as the victim of circumstance.  Obama catered to the minority groups, and fostered the virus cancer of liberal causes to spread to the hearts of Americans throughout this land.  Barack Obama lifted his name as a messiah that saved General Motors.  What you don’t hear is that union jobs were saved but salaried employees were drastically cut.  Barack Obama proved his incompetence and willful deceit throughout this Benghazi Libya coverup.  Four Americans murdered right on his television and the only person accepting responsibility is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who doesn’t give a hoot or matter anyway.  She’s just as anti-American as the rest of the Administration that claim discipleship toward Barack Obama.  There were a whole host of reasons not to vote for President Barack Obama - still, he has been re-elected.

There have always been secret designs and combinations of men whose purpose and drive is to bring down their own respective nations.  History is no different in modern times.  It’s a virus just like the destructive nature of liberalism.  It requires no thought process of reasoning, but only an obsession to make a personal difference by any means without regard to expanded consequences and loss of liberty.  Barack Obama, who the public still knows very little about, was born and bred for the status he holds today.  Not for purposes of good intention but for destruction.  It is ever apparent that his agenda is to suppress the average American, and to design plans to bring them into dependency on the government.  The fruits of his labors prove this indisputably.  Yet, the extreme liberal mind will always dispute it without the function of reasoning.  Smoke and mirror forces raised him up and opened the way to the Oval Office for him.  This fact has never been more clear.  Never in modern history has a man with such an unknown and obscure past been so able to become President of the United States.  Looking through modern history of campaigns this shouldn’t be possible.  Still, this man has been re-elected as President.

The modern architects of Obama’s re-election are the mainstream media.  They’ve gladly accepted hatred in their hearts toward conservatism and of late, Mitt Romney.  They have divided America!  Their biased support of Barack Obama has brought disgrace to journalism and marked them as deviant conspirators to sway public opinion.  Their continued initiation of Barack Obama to messiahship has festered hatred and contention in the hearts of Americans of all ages.  Obama is obviously not the answer if Black Panthers in thug military garb mans the polling booth doors.  Obama is obviously not the answer if the hearts of young groups threaten riots if Mitt Romney wins.  Obama is obviously not the answer if people like the misguided Michael Moore produce filth with retired folk in wheelchairs spouting vulgarities and threats against the physical well being of Mitt Romney.  It’s un-American and worthy of severe reprimand!

Yet, the failing public has voted.  What are we to do now?  The economy is not getting better.  There is no growth.  Businesses are busily engaging and planning placing their full-time employees on part-time status due to penalties and Obamacare.  Businesses fear to hire due to health care costs.  Businesses fear expansion and startup due to monstrous regulation and taxes.  High earners fear to expand their businesses now that they know their taxes will go up.  American pride in our example to the world has never been lower and Benghazi just exacerbates that.  Most of all, Americans have fallen into apathy and have accepted government handouts.  In turn, they’ve surrendered their prosperity in self reliance and industry to the goat of government dependence.  Here this!  The time is now to prepare your house for what’s coming.

Take this post-election day slumber as a blessing in disguise.  What else should we do with it?  We should always strive to see cheer in the world around us and to apply life’s daily lessons.  Should this not be a final motivation for people to be as the better part of the Ten Virgins who prepared for bridegroom?  Should this not provide the prodding to store up bulk food for our families for the imminent collapse of the economy which is sure to come?  Should this not render resolve in your heart to say and do that which needs to be said and done to strengthen your family relationships?  Should this not conjure a true American spirit of work that you may endure contrary to government help and interference?  Should this not humble the soul to drop the body to the knees in repentance in longing search for a God that gave us life?  Should this not strike us to seek invoking nobility within us with virtue and stalwart principles?  The answer is yes to all of these - but obviously only those who are listening will hear.

Those that hear have that jittery feeling in their hearts right now.  That uncertainty is almost a sickening feeling of freefall.  It feels as though this country has let go of the lifeline to our Constitution of the United States, and the purity of the intentions of the Declaration of Independence.  To all who feel these feelings - listen to them and act accordingly!

We can and will overcome.  So long as there are worthy and loyal Americans still dwelling in this country, we will always have the opportunity to save the established foundations of the United States.  The Constitution, though tainted and demeaned by man, shall not be utterly lost.  The question is whether the individual will be a part of that loyal constituent of the Constitution, or a part of the blinded population who will one day wake up realizing too late that their freedoms have been stripped from under them.

This 2012 Election between President Barack Obama with Joe Biden and Governor Mitt Romney with Paul Ryan should be viewed as a revelation to all Americans.  We can now know that the government cannot be counted on any longer for true and inspired guidance in social issues, economy and foreign affairs.  Once the public realizes this, they should then turn the mirror to themselves and their own lives.  Now is the time to strengthen that basic unit of society which is under attack.  Your family is the most precious possession you have.  The government cannot be trusted to change the American heart for the better.  Invoke change from within by starting with the self and the family.  Take especial courage, heal the family and let that lighted example spread to others.  I’m convinced that this is now the only way to save and restore this nation to its rightful mantle in the world.

I pray I’m wrong about President Barack Obama.  For the sake of this blessed land I truly hope so.  Yet, I’m haunted by the sickening displays of pride and condescension during the debates and the campaigns.  Yet, I’m haunted by the treasonous actions during the Benghazi Libya affair.  Yet, I’m haunted by the admitted cloud of government that Obama is wanting to expand to govern our lives.

Take this opportunity now to change your life permanently for the better.  Abhor apathy and idleness!  Make your own home an extension of the household of divinity as you envision it to be.  Take that extra uncomfortable daily step to reach out and serve your neighbor.  Manifest the perfection of miracles in your homes and communities that cheer may be brought to bear on all Americans.  Become as the ministering angels set out to guard the way of prosperity and liberty for all Americans - and beyond.

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Election 2012 Barack Obama and Mitt Romney

Election 2012 is reportedly neck and neck in the polls.  With just over ten days to go till the nation casts their vote we are now left we a damning question.  This is a silent question the answer which can save us or condemn us.  How in the world are we neck and neck in the polls?  President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney are going heavy these last few days and will continue to do so through Hurricane Sandy.  Who will save and protect this delicate nation?

All the polls whether the Times, Gallup, Reuters or other have the two candidates in a dead heat.  Given the current climate this is unconscionable and I don’t mean the farce of global warming.  We are heavily in debt well in excess of $16 trillion.  That’s $140,000 for every single American taxpayer whether you like it or not.  We have an Administration that claims no responsibility in these numbers.  Their tactic, their answer, their flaw in their upbringing is that it’s all the guy before me.  

The current unemployment is at 7.8%.  This slight downward trend is being heralded, and bears a stark resemblance to Obama’s 2008 campaign as the media pictured him as the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  2.3 million jobs were lost last month.   How can this be a good figure in comparison to the declining unemployment rate?  This is bull!  9 million people have been purposefully removed from the labor force numbers.  Gee, that skews things!  Factor them back in and the unemployment rate jumps to nearly 20%.  This has everything to do with government dependency and expansion and nothing to do with Baby Boomers retiring in vast numbers.  Deception and agendas disguised as sheep are the foundation of how the government now figures the labor force and the unemployment rate.  All this to uplift the public’s perception of the actions of their federal government.

We’ve now taken steps to allow the government to physically police the people.  The National Defense Authorization Act is renewed each year.  Fiscal Year 2012 as signed by President Barack Obama proved a very fruitful year for this bill in expanding the government overhead over the liberties of the American citizen.  Though the verbiage steers toward terrorists and supporters, given the government’s accuracy record how confident are you in Uncle Sam’s claim that any certain American citizen is a terrorist?  Let’s be clear - that’s indefinite detainment of an American citizen.

We have Libya still fresh in our minds.  Yet, is it truly in our hearts?  As the story unfolds before our eyes we are now daily reminded that the Administration, and by extension the President, knew and had repeated requests for added security leading up to September 11, 2012.  It’s been proven that these requests were denied to the extent of the assassination of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other heroic Americans.  Four Americans - denied their right to life by their own country whom they served.  Yet, where is our outrage?  Where is our demand for answers and accountability?  This has actually become the most clear conspiracy in modern history.  The facts are very new and ever transparent by the day.  

Terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy (Google Affiliate Ad)

How on God’s gem creation are the people of this country down to the wire on this imminent election?  How?  How?  I’ll tell you how.  There are forces at work that are unseen yet are so visible it’s uncanny.  Here are a few ideas that I feel are real and come into play on the hearts of this election and also the black and white decision facing this nation:

1. Four years ago this nation was swindled as the Arab arranged marriages overseas.  Vast numbers of Americans voluntarily married Barack Obama and his Messianic messages of prosperity and protection.  Strike one!  As with any marriage, we are hesitant to call for a divorce so young in the marriage.  After all, isn’t it supposed to be “in good times and bad?”  The message was meticulous and seemingly delivered as Moses.  Yet, for those who chose not to see through the anti-Constitutional rhetoric, they opted to place the ring on the finger.
2. It’s a scientific fact that most elements and laws of action will take the path of least resistance.  Barack Obama’s 2008 message was that he will carry us and make our burdens light.  He would turn the deficit around in three years and make us an educated and prosperous people.  This continues to be his message, even at the uninformed ignorance of so many Americans who cannot see the current economical and moral climate of the United States.  The choice of Barack Obama was and still is the path of least resistance.
3. This is an uncomfortable chance in publishing this but I echo the sentiments of what I hear.  I love people of all religions and nationalities.  In potential and worth I often place myself behind all others.  It cannot be refuted that some of the reason for Barack Obama being elected in 2008 was because of his color.  I know it rubs people the wrong way but if they would just scrape just under the crust of pride they would know that for many this is true.  I herald the day that a natural born African American, Asian American or other may earn the seat in the Office of President of the United States!  However, I cannot sustain someone voting on the merits that they think it’s time to have that quality in the Oval Office.  That alone is racism above the claim I just mentioned.  It’s racism right up there with the extending branches of Affirmative Action.  These feelings also apply during this election year.  People don’t want their reasons of the first election to fail without a second term in Office for their candidate.  Why - because it will make them feel better...
4. The media is another strike on the American liberty of choice.  Mega network media has forged themselves to be liberal.  Liberalism, in modern terms, denotes action out of good intentions but without regard or responsibility in the result.  Action is what drives viewership to the networks and discipleship to their cause.  Since the days of the Morgans and the Carnegies 100 years ago the media has learned to play on the public’s emotions and to subtitle them in demographics and statistics.  Dividing them and targeting them is the sure step in influencing them.  Barack Obama is a hard core liberal who relishes in government ideas to monitor equality among the people.  This is part of the Obama appeal that attracted the blind partnership of the media.  
5. Everybody loves a mystery!  Mystery invokes a participant to inherit the right of dissolution of responsibility, and at the same time reap the benefits and recognition of perceived triumphs.  We know very little even after four years of the history of Barack Obama.  The big stink in the 2008 campaign is the possibility of the unconstitutionality of Obama’s candidacy by being born outside American citizenship.  True, eventually his Hawaiian Long Form Birth Certificate was released a couple years later it has yet to be backed up by a second witness.  Many today still question his nationality as well as his college transcripts and documents.  People want and need to know by what means he ascended to where he is.  If Obama can claim that businesses don’t ever succeed without the government, then by what means and powers did he obtain great influence and recognition so quickly and obscurely?

We live in difficult times yet we must learn to recognize who we are.  We are a choice people.  This nation is established to be a moral and economical compass for the world.  It’s to prove that a free people can accomplish virtually any degree of true happiness and prosperity.  It’s to succor the poor and the needy.  It’s to advance the cause of liberty through influence and the global fruits of the free market and enterprise.  Knowing this should remind us that the easy way is most often the wrong way to pursue happiness in America.  In fact, we should know by now that heading down a wrong course of action unravels the very fabric of this nation.  

Notable people have declared that republics and free people are destroyed little by little from within.  Karl Marx outlined in a frightening way, exactly how the United States would take the path of communism and socialism that Barack Obama has gladly taken the driver’s seat for.  Why is it that people cannot see that loss of freedom is not just in the passages of history but that it’s something real, alive and threatening ourselves and families? The national polls may be close in the race for President.  Either the polls are skewed and/or there is a serious lapse of Presidential qualifications in the eyes of the public.  Many will always vote along Party lines.  That’s as degrading as the racism discussed above.  The President prides on 2% economic growth.  However, we’ve seen fluke spurts exceeding this on the positive and negative side.  There is no economic recovery taking place.  Instead, we have a planned public campaign of recovery assurance while advancing the cause of government dependence.  There has never been a more apparent time to correctly cast your vote.  

Cast your vote.  No matter how you feel your vote is being treated it is still among the last privileges left us from the Constitution of the United States.  It matters not to me who you cast your vote for.  What does matter is that your vote is not cast for the incumbant President Barack Obama.  Four more years of his policies, contrary to the Constitution and the good will of the people, and we’ll have lost all sight of our nation.    

Before I close I offer one last thought.  I’m an elected official on the City Council and there is a particular issue causing division in our community.  It revolves around a proposed contract for our City Administrator.  The public sees an appetizing unchanged salary along with a severance package equally enticing.  The work force in this area is by and large low income encompassing factory and service workers.  All hard working, noble and under-appreciated in value.  Yet, because of the virus of the doctrine of redistribution of wealth and entitlements many of our good citizens are outraged by the numbers they see.  They are outraged regardless of the fact that this man has earned his education, put fifteen years into his work, demonstrated millions of dollars in benefits to the community and been a major part of the aesthetics and beautification of our city.  All that many Americans see nowadays is how unfair life is and they see no reason to take the steps to obtain the status they desire without stripping it from those who are already there and have earned it.

Regatta America'S Cup Bedding Coordinates (Google Affiliate Ad) 

I call upon the pillars of the world, the American citizen.  Come back to the Constitution, embrace the Declaration of Independence and learn the pure intentions of our Founding Fathers.  Once you learn progress as They have intended for this nation your vote will no longer be neck and neck in the polls.  Instead, you’ll have resolution in your heart and an assurance of the bright economic and moral future of the United States of America.  
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Shenandoah Iowa City Administrator and Proposed Contract of Employment

Shenandoah City Administrator Bo Harris is in the spotlight concerning his proposed contract with the City of Shenandoah, Iowa.  Many are cautious of this news invoking distrust and also envy.  Either way you look at it, there will always be people who disapprove of a vote or a way you and/or the City Council handle a decision.  Such is the case at this time with a decision the Shenandoah City Council has made in regards to a formal contract for our current City Administrator.  The Council voted at this last meeting dated October 9th, a 4-1 in favor of the content of the contract.  The Mayor of Shenandoah has rightfully vetoed the resolution which, in turn, will bring the discussion up at least once more.  Let me briefly explain my own reasoning for voting in favor of the contract and why, as of yet, my vote shall remain the same.

First, let me address the main concerns that Shenandoah taxpayers have voiced:

1. The contract states a three year contract of just over $93,000 in annual compensation.  It is true that for this rural area of southwest Iowa that is a substantial amount to comprehend for most.  It has been stated that the amount exceeds that of neighboring cities.  This may be true, however, we must take a broader consideration of this number.  This is an average compensation for City Administrators for cities ranging from 5,000-9,000 in population in the state of Iowa.  There are jobs not in city government but rather in the school system and other areas where the salary bar is higher than this.
2. The contract states that if removed without cause from the post a severance package would be in place.  This would include a year’s pay equal to that of his normal annual compensation plus health coverage and any accrued time off.  Again, for the vast majority of jobs in southwest Iowa this may sound unheard of and unfair.  However, it really isn’t.  Executive jobs more often than not have severance packages.  Some exceed even this one.  

It is true that if terminated without cause this would put a marginal burden upon the taxpayers of the City of Shenandoah.  Yet, to my understanding this contract is fair given his tenure of service (in excess of fifteen years) and the immense benefit he has been to community improvements.  Cities across the state of Iowa are looking at their hired staff, putting in place contracts like this with the assistance of attorneys.  Keep in mind that the severance package only takes affect when and if the City Administrator is terminated without cause.  It is my duty as an elected official to safeguard the taxes of the citizens of Shenandoah, but it is also my duty to safeguard the integrity of the people by ensuring fairness and acknowledging credit where credit is due.

I view it in a different scenario.  If a doctor, who obviously earns five or six times my annual income, comes into question, I’m going to be rather envious of his earnings to.  That’s natural and human.  If I let that turn into jealousy I may suggest that the compensation is too high and that he has no right to it.  However, did he not take the initiative and gain the college education to earn such credit?  Shouldn’t his tenure of service reflect his compensation?  Given the importance of his work and track record should he not receive some type of severance package?  The answer is yes to all of this because we know it’s fair, and we know that if we were to obtain knowledge for a desired work we would also want to be rewarded for the efforts we put into it.  If we let our minds go into a frenzy over a high-valued average salary or severance package without acknowledging the work put into it, then we might as well adopt the socialist ideal of redistribution of wealth.

Especially in government you will always have enemies.  In fact, in my experience in leadership if you don’t gain enemies then you are not functioning adequately in your post.  Having people for and against you shows that you are active and tending to the needs of your work the best you can.  Every person in government is and will be scrutinized.  The media, by design, will magnify every action into something mysterious causing distrust and anger.  In this process allies and enemies are born.  Bo Harris, like all other officials, have gained his share of both.  Concentrating on the minute instances is unhealthy.  The worth of an individual must be taken into account by assessing the overall job performance and accrued value added to the city through his efforts.

The City Administrator of Shenandoah, Iowa, has been hugely instrumental in obtaining many grants which have helped improve and beautify the city.  The City of Shenandoah averages $2 million a year in grants which saves a vast amount of taxpayer dollars.  He spends many hours a week above and beyond the normal full-time hours at the will and need of the City and the Council.  Given his position he also takes his work home and pursues city business there.  Throw in there the fact that he undoubtedly often gets unsavory phone calls from disgruntled taxpayers.  Let’s not forget that as a City Administrator he is in charge of the inner workings of the city departments including the Street Department, Cemetery Department, Water Department and so on.  Which brings me to one last thing.  With this new water plant project our City Administrator has been formally named the spokesman for it which means he is involved with many aspects of the execution of this plan.  Yes, that’s part of the duty and privilege of serving as the City Administrator but to me that’s added value.  

It is my assessment that the City Administrator of Shenandoah, Iowa, does a very good job overall and has earned every bit of what’s in the contract.

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney Battle in Second Debate of 2012

President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney challenged each other in the second Presidential Debate of 2012.  This took place on Tuesday, October 16th, at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.  Both prepared well in the face of current events like the Libyan attack, the economy, education and even contraception.  What are we learning from these debates now numbering three including the Vice-Presidential debate?  Now more than ever a common thread among most Americans is that this is an epic election.  One whose outcome will take the United States in one direction - or the other.

The stakes were obvious in this second round.  It was clear that both endured several mach debates in preparation for this televised event.  Probably more so for the Democratic ticket since their demeanor has been more on the defense.  As with all campaigns the mud is now flying in full force and the victor’s throne is still up for grabs.  We are down to the wire though accusations of biased moderators abound throughout these sets of debates.  Also down to the wire despite accusations of biased media, by and large, for and in behalf of President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden - the Democratic ticket.  

In my own personal assessment I really don’t believe that the President wishes to remain in that Office for another term.  I’ve hinted to this in another blog post assessing the first debate but this second debate has reinforced this position.  Though remarks were well prepared President Barack Obama still looked tired and drawn out.  Initiative was lacking and he seemed content in offering nothing new to the table of election consideration.  Given where Barack Obama has been, from where his education came, his string of questionable mentors and by what powers he came to be where he is, it is evident that to me that he was born and bred to ascend into this Office and implement policies that are not consistent with the Constitution of the United States.  As a person I’m sure he is a good father, husband and fishing buddy, but in a place of responsibility in a country of liberty and power in the people, his mindset is dangerous and destructive.  

In this second debate the spirit of the message couldn’t have been more contrasting between the candidates.  As mentioned before Obama felt like he constantly needed to defend his actions and policies.  True, this was needed, however, had the policies proved a benefit to the nation the defense would’ve already been in place.  Governor Mitt Romney had a consistently positive message.  He also defined his place in this particular race to the Presidency.  In response to a question inquiring the difference between him and President George W. Bush, he stated that his place was to get the economy going again and to get Americans working once more.  Establishing a focused personal mission for the Office is important and channels the energy where it needs to go.  This also gives confidence in the voters as to the motives and drive of a particular candidate.

The biggest potential mishap for Romney came during the discussion about the Administration’s knowledge of the attack on the American Consulate in Libya.  The President passionately claimed that he charged the incident as a terrorist attack during his address to the nation the day after the tragedy happened.  Mitt Romney challenged this and held to the idea that it took the Administration fourteen days to even dare to use the term “terrorist attack” in relation to Libya.  Moderator Candy Crowley immediately cut Governor Romney off in defense of the President, citing that the President did indeed use the term terrorist attack in his address the day after the incident.  It was visible that this temporarily stunned Romney and there were even inappropriate cheers over it.  However, Candy Crowley after initiating her agenda on camera came out after the debate and stated that the Governor was actually correct.  A simple mistake and harmless oversight or gross negligence as an objective journalist?

Let’s move to a divisive issue affecting all of us.  Contraception as part of Obamacare was asked by a “non-committed” voter and addressed by our candidates.  I agree with Governor Mitt Romney on this straight up.  The taxpayer should have no part in being mandated to support contraception of another person.  There are lawsuits in place at this time particularly by Catholic entities challenging the Constitutionality of this law.  Organizations such as Planned Parenthood should not be funded by me or any taxpayer against their will.  Contraception and abortion is a matter of personal choice, and to make it an albatross on the backs of every American taxpayer is a disgusting exercise of false Executive power.  How can we be a truly grateful free people when we cannot even protect the promising yet-to-be born child?  How can we be a truly grateful free people when we cannot honor the freedoms of our people by helping them to make responsible personal choices in this country?  Irresponsibility should never be rewarded.

Governor Romney made a comment that I’m sure struck a sore wound in the hearts of many.  At the same time it struck a wound with the surety of truth though many would never admit to it.  He stated that a child is much more apt to achieve, progress and prosper if they have two parents, a mother and a father, in the home who are married.  That’s not verbatim but it’s along the same idea.  There was no counter remark from President Obama.  There was nothing laying out the foundation of a strong family unit, the benefits of marriage and the health of the home with two parents.  Nothing!  A President in a morally degenerated country and society lacking faith such as this should be at the forefront of the basic unit of society - the family.

These are difficult times.  These are not the Ronald Reagan years, George Bush years or even the Clinton years.  It’s even a different time from George W. Bush.  I view two major threats, each with extending branches:

1. The economy is in imminent danger of collapse due largely to uncontrolled spending and excess regulations and taxation of the free market businesses.
2. Liberties afforded us through the Constitution of the United States have been slowly sold away.  In the past few years this process has been ramped up in preparation for socialist American society.

We need a President who will honor the Constitution and discharge his duties within those boundaries.  We need a President at this time who knows business and to put that knowledge to the test on a national level to invigorate the economy.  We need to spark the fires of pride in the American heart by getting them back to work at jobs they can be proud of.  They need to be producing goods and services that they know are second to none anywhere else in the world.  It is the place of the United States to lead the world through example.  We cannot allow our good country to collapse from inside.  We must “provide new guardians” in our government as the Constitution prescribed for corrupt governments.

Mudslinging is distasteful in all campaigns, yet they seemed to have found place and necessity in public perception.  What is said about another candidate, true or not, is retained by the public mind whether they like it or not.  It’s become one of those necessary evils to degrade the other guy while trying to protect your own name.  This I afford to all parties.  Yet, coming down to the candidates Mitt Romney is the one with a true positive outlook in his abilities to create the national conditions of prosperity and economic recovery.  Barack Obama has masked the deteriorating conditions with his beefed up accomplishments.  There are no accomplishments.  Everything he mentioned in the second debate at Hofstra University as a victory has turned into a double penalty for the taxpayer.

Look at where we are today.  Look - at where we are today.  It’s almost four years into Barack Obama’s watch and he still blames previous administration policies for the current conditions.  That is not Presidential.  That is not responsible.  That is not recovery.  Recovery is not a country where a growing segment must now rely on food stamps and government programs.  Recovery is not when vast numbers opt out of the workforce because it’s far more beneficial to not work and reap rewards from the government.  Romney doesn’t degrade these people as has been reported.  He points these facts out so that we all can be aware of the problem.  When you are not striving to be independent or working toward self sufficiency from the government your confidence and industry suffers.  When that suffers your spirit and home suffers.  That inevitably affects your whole family.  Then wo be the future prosperity of the rising generation.

Don’t stand for status quo with President Barack Obama.  There is no positive promise except that the government will provide.  Thus far I believe Governor Mitt Romney exhibited Presidential character at the debates thus far over that of President Barack Obama.  In addition, Congressman Paul Ryan exhibited mature character worthy of leadership as Vice President of the United States in last week’s debate.  The Romney/Ryan ticket is the proper choice at this time for the top Office of the United States of America.

Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Israel and Voyager 1

President Barack Obama, Governor Mitt Romney, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden and a whole host of others seem so purposely in the forefront of our everyday lives.  Perhaps rightfully so, but at times it is vital and necessary to take a step back and regain a sense of perspective and clarity.  To not only look at a painting, but also to take a step to the left and then to the right for new inspiration and new thought.  It's important to take a look at human events and achievements to manifest what we are capable of.  Such is the news in the coming days which inspires this post.  

The 2012 Presidential Campaign trail is a very important historic topic of news for all of us.  It affects our economic future, energy supply and perhaps even safety.  As with all of history we've got Democrats and Republicans battling it out in an otherwise vicious manner, as fiends circling their prey filled with the lust of blood.   So ridden with corruption have campaigns become it renders difficult to discern truth from err.  The benefit of the human family seems so "old school" that the entire fabric of human family and civility is jeopardized.  Yet, we cling to hope, that essence to a bright future.

Hatred has filled the streets the world over.  We've got riots in Central America, throughout the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere.  North and South Korea are on the verge of war as with the nuclear potential between Israel and Iran.  Terrorism claims lives at the hands of those without uniforms, compassion or self identity.  People cross the United States border in droves.  Some immigrants come in the hopes of a better life.  Some have mischievous motives seeking to destroy the mind and will of the weak with drugs.  A struggle of power of epic proportions seems to be escalating on all levels of the economic and cultural ladder.

I've just read an article that made me take a step back and to the side of the human painting.  Voyager 1 may have recently left our Solar System!  So now you say, "OK, what the heck does that have to do with anything posted so far?"  Off the beaten path, I admit, but what an achievement that will hardly get much serious attention from the media.  The Solar System is estimated at 7,500,000,000 miles in diameter.  Voyager 1 was launched September 5th, 1977.  All this should give us extreme pause and humility of what is possible for us if we put aside the petty power struggle over the lives of others and work for the common good.  

Consider what the Voyager 1 spacecraft has put up with in it's 35+ year history.  Constant radiation, magnetic fields, being pummeled by hard particles and undoubtedly jostled by solar winds especially in the heliopause.  It's official mission ended in 1980 yet this remarkable machine still responds to regular commands from Earth and sends back valuable data.  The saga of Voyager 1 never ceases to amaze me!  It's times like this that blow me away how anyone can say there is no God.  

Golden Record aboard Voyager 1 and Voyager 2

What can we learn from this simple activity of taking a moment to close the eyes and reflect on humanity?  Imagine your wildest dreams of human progress.  Are those dreams really out of reach when we've got a 35 year-old spacecraft exiting our Solar System?  I appeal to your cognitive imagination, your inner seeing eye and your ability to see beyond what's right in front of your face.  Does Voyager 1 hold a deeper symbol for all of us?  Could it be a silent petition to anyone or anything out there, even God, for deliverance from the turmoil and strife down here?  I don't know, but it seems that only a remarkable achievement such as this can be upheld by such unseen silent power.

Yes, we must tend to the problems and issues of our time.  We must choose and elect a President of the United States.  Yes, nuclear armaments in the hands of nations around the world must be dealt with carefully.  Yes, we need to deal with illegal immigration.  Yes, we need to establish sustainable domestic energy.  Yes, we need to save the family as the basic unit of society.  Yes, subversive combinations of men constantly seek to destroy humankind and they must also be immobilized.  All these are problems of our time.

It is my own hope that we can gain a larger perspective of our life journey.  We are given the privilege of dreams for a reason, and I doubt it's just something intangible to occupy us when we're sleeping or just plain bored.  All things are born spiritually before they are manifested physically.  So, manifest it!  Gain those long range goals and make choices and decisions accordingly that will best benefit those goals.  Tending to short term goals will always get you in trouble, but long-term will fortify your senses and bring clarity to your outlook.  

May we be humbled by our achievement of Voyager 1, the furthest man-made object from planet Earth.