A Real American Hero

July 26, 2008 by 9 Comments

Navy Tridents

Navy Tridents

It will come as no surprise to many that the Mainstream media has let the American public down for years. They use biased and sometimes incorrect stories and facts in an attempt to steer the public’s perception of issues and events. I became enraged when I received an email that detailed the efforts of a soldier serving his time in the sandbox known as Iraq.

Navy Petty Officer Mike Monssor was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic efforts to save his fellow Navy Seals during an operation in Iraq. This honor was bestowed on Monsoor posthumously. You see Monsoor gave his life to save his fellow Navy Seals by jumping on a grenade. Monsoor paid the ultimate price to save his brothers in arms. This ladies and gentleman is a true American Hero.

At his funeral Navy Seals lined the path that the pallbearers had to take. It was a double line that the pallbearers walked between. As Monsoor’s coffin passed each Seal, the soldier slapped his trident down on the coffin, embedding the pin in wooden lid of the coffin. These soldiers were there to pay their respects for one of their own that had given up his life so that others may live.

The thing that bothers me most with this story is that I have googled Monsoor’s name and I received not one hit from a major media outlet covering this story. This is truly a story of self-sacrifice for the greater good. It is a story of selflessness. It is a story of courage. And it is a story of brotherhood. That the Mainstream media can ignore such a selfless act of heroism is truly appalling. Because of that I have felt compelled to share this story with you in the hopes that it may inspire another to act without selfish greed but with selfless courage. In closing I would like to extend my sincerest sympathy to the family of Mike Monsoor. There are no words that can heal the grief you must be feeling. Rest assured that his sacrifice has not gone unnoticed. May this GREAT AMERICAN HERO rest in peace.

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A Sad Sign of the Times

July 26, 2008 by 2 Comments

Being for the most part, a cable news junkie, a segment that played today caught my attention.

Voters in a Missouri town were asked what they were looking for in a President. I thought (mistakenly), this will be interesting- Midwest people sharing their opinions. Awesome.

The first few: “Someone who will be a ‘change’… and we need a ‘change’…. and anything different than what we have had with Bush”…. oh dear.

Then the kicker from a 40 something looking white male…”we don’t need someone with character, we need someone who will lower gas prices.”

What???? We don’t need a president with character? You are picking cheaper gas prices over character? You are from Missouri???? The only thing worse for national TV is if that person would have been from Iowa.

Then again- as our posts on the Iowa Defense Alliance have noted- there seems to be enough of a lack of character to go around.

This voter was saying he did not need a president who possesses honesty, courage, integrity or has a moral or ethical quality. Maybe the guy was having a very bad day- or maybe he wanted a person like me to have another wake up call. Get off the couch, motivate and inspire others to give a darn about educated voting decisions.

Yes, it may have been in Missouri- but still a sad sign of the times. Something else to add to our list of concerns and prompt us to care, speak out and march on.

Also- for anyone who cares to know- I would have said that I want someone who has enough character to lead America in challenging times, someone who cares what the average voters think, not what the media and the polls say, someone who can make the hard decisions, especially someone who prays to God for wisdom and guidance. If I was lucky, what I had to say would not have been edited out.

I will have to wait on my person of character. He will not be on the ballot for President this year but he inspired me to be the somebody, to do the something. He is why I am sitting at the computer typing out my thoughts instead of watching TV or reading say…. a romance book! He is why I search out RINO’s and promote candidates with….. you guessed it: CHARACTER!

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Too Many and Not Enough

July 25, 2008 by 28 Comments

With the upcoming school board elections in DSM, I have been selected by my fellow Defense Alliance bloggers to write a post about education.  Though I am the one writing this post, please be assured that I have discussed these themes with the other bloggers. What is written below does not just affect the DSM school district but every district in America.

So what is wrong with today’s education system?

Too many children coming to school with empty bellies. Not enough people that care. Too many children who are dropped of at before-school care, then go to school, then go to after-school care, then go through the drive-thru at McDonald’s for supper, then go to a myriad of extracurricular activities. Not enough quality family interaction. Too many children who come from broken and stressful home environments. Not enough families with involved moms and dads. Too many permissive parents. Not enough parents who know how to set boundaries and rules within a loving and close parent-child relationship. Too many parents more concerned about their kids being popular or the next big sports star. Not enough parents investing in their children’s EDUCATION (meaningful parent-teacher dialogue, helping with homework, teaching to think outside the box).  Too many children who see their education as an entitlement. Not enough children who are willing to work hard to obtain their education. Too many parents transferring their responsibilities to the schools. Not enough parents living up to their responsibility of teaching discipline, hard work, respect, values (think sex education), and even providing food and clothing. Too many children who lack the necessary social skills to facilitate meaningful interaction with peers and teachers. Not enough parents and teachers who know how to foster those social skills. Too many school officials and school board members who are concerned about promoting their own personal, social, and political agenda. Not enough school officials and board members who remember that they are entrusted to look out for the good of the children. Too many people of faith who look the other way at our crumbling school system. Not enough people of faith who want to be a part of the solution through becoming educators, running for local school boards, and praying.

The bottom line is that the state can throw all the money it wants into the education system, consolidate all the rural school districts, promote open enrollment, develop higher accountability standards, and pay teachers more and THE PROBLEMS WITH OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM WILL NOT GET BETTER. It will only start to get better when we address the too many’s and not enough’s mentioned above. Listen, public education has been a foundation of this country since it was born. This education system has distinguished the USA from our counterparts in the world. It is vital that we as a country address these problems if our society is to produce productive and engaged citizens.

I challenge those who are believers in Christ to engage in the public discourse surrounding public education. Run for local school board, become educators, build meaningful relationships with parents and teachers in the school district, be an example of an involved family and positive parenting, and finally pray that our nation humbles itself and looks to His Word for guidance and counsel.

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Bush Was Right

July 24, 2008 by 5 Comments

It had been predicted that oil prices would top the $150 per barrel mark this summer and extraordinary thing happened. The cost of barrel of crude has not only stopped short of the dreaded $150 mark, it has actually retreated in price. I believe that the last report I had seen had the price of oil back below $125. It is very simple to understand what has caused this cost of oil to plummet. The drop immediately followed President Bush’s announced intention to lift the ban on offshore drilling. This drop in the price of crude has really demonstrated a few things.

The first thing that it has demonstrated is that additional drilling will bring the price of oil down. Even though it will take years for that oil production to come online and add to the world oil supply, just the promise alone is enough to bring prices down.

This brings us to the second point that has been driven home by the recent price drop. The Democrats don’t have a clue about issues like this. Their answer to the energy crisis has been to reduce fuel usage and hope for the best. They have consistently opposed additional drilling on the false assumption that it would take years for any fiscal benefits could be reaped. The Democrats answer to the fuel crisis, more regulations. More government obtrusion into the markets and lives of ordinary everyday Americans like you and me.

A third point that this illustrates is that if we really want to lower the cost of oil we should open up all areas of the United States for oil exploration and drilling for the good of the US, including ANWWR. While we implement alternative energy sources for electric generation we can use the additional oil to extend the period of time that we need to develop other means of transportation fuel.

Remember this in November, who was it that helped soften the blow that is felt at the gas pump. It sure wasn’t Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, or Tom Harkin. They are all opposed to new drilling. No it was Republican George W. Bush that brought about this respite from record oil prices.

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We Want All The Issues

July 23, 2008 by 6 Comments

I was browsing through my inbox this morning when I stumbled across a letter to the editor of the Des Moines Register. It was written by former Lt. Governor Joy Corning. The title of the letter; “Republicans should rally around real GOP issues” is a tad bit misleading. I thought to myself, okay, finally a prominent Republican calling for the troops to rally behind their leadership. Instead what I found was an attack on social conservatives and the convictions that they hold. The bottom line of this letter is that social conservatives should just shut up, and do what they are told. Social conservatives are supposed to be there to gather votes, money, and volunteer for campaigns, beyond that we are just an annoyance.

As I dig into the article I am surprised even though I know that I should not be. The crux of the letter that Ms. Corning wrote is bad social conservatives, good everyone else. It seems to me that she is placing the blame for the party’s ills on the social conservatives for wanting the convictions and issues that they hold dear to them advanced. She attempts to claim that the more moderate and centrist views (aka fiscal conservatives) are the traditional Republican ideals. She wonders how fiscal conservatives be expected to endorse a party platform that they do not endorse. I have news for you Ms. Corning, it is two way street. Social conservatives have for years supported fiscal conservatives issues only to see those that they hold dear tossed aside like a piece of trash. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, they don’t like it so much, do they.

Rest assured that social conservatives aren’t going to discard fiscal conservatism. We abhor socialism just much as most other Republicans do. We hate wasteful spending and we also want lower taxes. We support a simpler and fairer tax system. We support the troops and we want victory in Iraq. Don’t worry Ms. Corning, we aren’t going to throw your issues to the side like you did ours. We will stand up and fulfill our promises.

No longer will we fall in line and do as we are told because we want all the issues.

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Harkin’s Liberal Blinders

July 23, 2008 by 2 Comments

Iowa’s own Senator Tom Harkin has felt what it is like to be in a minority recently. When the Senate overwhelmingly voted to confirm General David Petraeus as commanding officer of Central Command Senator Harkin was one of only two Senators, both Democrats by the way, to vote against this appointment. One could hope that Senator Harkin simply wishes to keep the good general in Iraq until we reach a successful conclusion. However that is not the case. Instead Harkin and West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd voted against the appointment in an effort to punish him for not saying what they wanted to hear. These two Democrats are still upset that General Petraeus didn’t use his testimony in front of the Senate to bash President Bush. Instead the general told them about actual progress in the War in Iraq, something that the hard left leaning Harkin did not want to hear. It would seem that unless you espouse the Democratic Party’s line that the War in Iraq is wrong and should be stopped immediately then in Harkin’s eyes you are an apologist.

It is becoming increasingly evident that Senator Harkin no longer has the ability to represent Iowa and has become a liability in the Senate. This becomes extremely clear when one looks at his voting record, and especially the comments that he releases afterwards. Here are some juicy quotes from an article posted by the Iowa Independent.

“Here’s one of the biggest apologists for our war in Iraq,”

“Either that’s what he believes or he’s just following the orders of Bush. You might say, ‘Well, a military person is supposed to follow orders.’ Well, not necessarily. We expect more of our officers, especially high-ranking officers, to exercise independent judgment.”

And here is some comments from an article in the Washington Post,

An aide to Mr. Harkin said he opposed both nominations “because he does not believe that either General Petraeus or General Odierno will take us in the direction we need in Iraq, namely setting a timetable for redeployment of U.S. forces.” Mr. Harkin also views General Petraeus “as an unapologetic supporter of this misguided war in Iraq, continually toeing the administration’s party line,” the aide, Jennifer Mullin, said.

It is clear that we need to affect a change in the US Senate. We need someone that doesn’t look at a commanding general and call him names if he doesn’t agree with you. We need someone that will show his respect for the troops, not someone ridicules them because they do not share his ideology. We need a man like Christopher Reed.

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JOIN THE CLUB???

July 22, 2008 by 14 Comments

The Republican State Convention certainly was an eye opener.

Before the convention was called to order, I had an instructive exchange with a lady who was registering delegates from my county. I’d heard that due to the convention’s rescheduling, many delegates had not shown up and that people who came as guests had the opportunity to become last minute delegates. I thought this might be a possibility for me, so a friend ( a delegate from another county) and I decided there would be no harm in politely inquiring.

It is unfortunate to have to report that the lady from my county was singularly unhelpful if not downright rude. She would barely look at us, answered our questions with a yes or no (mostly a no,) and would not give out any practical information. It was now past the hour and minute to which other would-be delegates had been told by their counties they must wait (in order to make certain the elected delegates were not showing up,) and yet this lady professed to know nothing about the odds of my becoming a delegate. Her manner and behavior were totally uncalled for. The last time I checked, I do not have two heads, and even if I do there was absolutely no excuse for her rudeness.

Feeling slapped in the face, I found myself a seat in the guest area, took a few minutes to recover, and then returned to the registration desk. This time our friend was checking in a delegate and was slightly more forthcoming to the extent she informed me only the County Chair could allow me to become a delegate (time was running out why hadn’t she told me this in the first place?) I went off to find him (I was unsuccessful) but not before I had been told, “I don’t even know your name” (I didn’t know hers: her name tag wasn’t visible to me.) And not before she whispered (something about my wanting to become a delegate) to the real delegate in front of her.

So what is going on? Does The Republican Party need more people to participate or not? If so, then this kind of behavior is scarcely the way to attract them.

The feeling I got from this experience at the convention is that, at least in my county, Republicans are a club and that you are either in or you are out. Moreover, that decision is not based on reasonable criteria but on the whim of a person (or people) intoxicated with some kind of weird power. Besides which, there are no reasonable criteria to shut anybody out of the election process or the delegate process. On the contrary, the rules that exist are set up to provide a pathway, and my county surrogate chose not to make that pathway available to me. I am a U.S. citizen and a registered Republican in my county: I can’t by rights be shut out, but in effect I was.

So who is the big loser here?

Well, of course I lost because I wasn’t able to be a delegate and so was unable to vote for a couple of candidates and more than a dozen platform amendments. And I was unable to learn the ropes of being a delegate which might stand me in good stead in the future.

But ultimately Lee County Republicans could turn out to be losers, too… Judging by the fliers they’ve sent, they would appreciate donations from me. However, for now I plan to donate money directly to the candidates of my choice so that “The Club” won’t be able to grab a handful on the way by.

I understand that politics is not for the faint of heart. But I also understand that civility and adhering to the rules count for a whole lot. I’m hoping what I experienced was simply an isolated incident caused by the proverbial bad apple. Time will tell….but in any event, I had hoped Republicans would have higher standards of behavior than some of what I observed at the state convention.

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Thinking For A Change

July 22, 2008 by 3 Comments

One of my favorite books, “Thinking For A Change”, by John C. Maxwell, has this short but powerful paragraph:

“Mark Twain said, “We should be careful to get out of an experience all the wisdom that is in it- not like the cat that sits down on a hot stove lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove lid again- and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore.” An experience becomes valuable when it informs or equips us to meet new experiences. Reflecting thinking helps to do that.”

“Thinking For A Change” is a great book about the importance of reflective thinking, which I am about to do here. I share my ‘wisdom’ from the caucus to present day.

When I attended the Iowa Republican Caucus on that cold January night, shoved into a crowded room, I thought I had scoped out 9 Huckabee supporters- when the votes were counted there were 49. After the heart and soul I had given to supporting and promoting Huckabee, I was so excited! And naive. Not only did the following states not see the wisdom in giving victory to Mike Huckabee, but the news media continued their steady drum beat of negative Huckabee news and Christian leaders shunned him for candidates with far less character and moral values. On a sad, sad day for me and surely for others, Mike Huckabee dropped out of the campaign for the Republican nomination for President of the United States.

So, not wanting to be the “cat” that Mark Twain describes, I have done a lot of reflective thinking- and along with that, some focused thinking as well.

It is my choice to search out other grass roots type people (this term never meant anything to me pre-Huckabee), to be informed on a variety of candidates, both local and state-wide, care about the issues that are important to me, pay less attention to the national media, and to the polls. And now, after my first Iowa Republican Convention experience, be even more comitted than ever to let the fighting, name calling, so called ‘leaders’ of my party go about their merry way with more bashing, fighting, and being off track.

I am only one average person. I have bills to pay (but thankfully I can and will work), a family to love and one that loves me, AND now I am nurturing a new interest in politics. I am learning from the experiences I have had, delighting in the networking that is so valuable, and becoming an informed American voter.

To anyone who happens upon the words from my heart that are shared here: step up, be informed, join us in the Iowa Brigade. One by one we are making a difference. While I can’t do much of anything about bias in the media, leaders who let their own agendas dictate who they support, and all the Iowans who “blog” and make mean-spirited comments everywhere they can, WE can shed a bright light on great candidates and quietly but diligently work for the good of Iowans and for America.

More from Mr. Maxwell: “Reflective thinking is like the crock-pot of the mind. It encourages your thoughts to simmer until they’re done.”

Reflect.. think…simmer… and when you are ready, join with us for some ACTION!

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Check these candidates out!

July 22, 2008 by 7 Comments

This post is going to piggyback off commoniowan’s post below. Instead of talking about what needs to change in the GOP, we need to start DOING! We need to start identifying candidates that reflect our values, that will be solid leaders, and then we need to work to ensure that these candidates are elected to office.

In recent weeks, I have been fortunate enough to meet two great candidates who understand the issues facing Iowans and who understand that social conservatism and economic conservatism really go hand-in-hand. Both are young, have great ideas, and are working tirelessly to get elected. These candidates are Jarret Heil (Senate District 22) and Ryan Rhodes (House District 45).

Jarret has impressed me with his passion and committment to the people of Iowa and a good understanding of the underlying issues that shape public policy. We had a good conversation about  how big government fails low-income families and that the issues low-income families face are best solved locally, through economic development and really just “loving your neighbor as yourself.” As a person interested in the issues that low-income families face, I can honestly say that Jarret “gets it”. It was very refreshing to talk to a politician about these issues in an open and frank manner. Jarret will also be strong supporter of the rights of the unborn and traditional marriage and understands these issues are the crux of the moral dilemma facing our nation . Additionally, he has used networking sites such as Facebook to his advantage by using these sites to recruit volunteers and supporters and then communicate with them about campaign events etc. It is absolutely fabulous to see his network of young volunteers/supporters.

Ryan has impressed me with his passion and enthusiasm. If you live in his district, chances are you’ll get an in-person visit from him or one of his volunteers. He really cares about the issues that affect Iowans and has a vision for bringing change to Iowa politics. As with Jarret, Ryan understands that social and economic issues are intertwined and has good understanding of the issues that underlay public policy. He understands a wide-array of policy issues, but most importantly Ryan will stand up for the rights of the unborn and traditional marriage. It is refreshing to see his strong stance on these issues especially in a culture that is increasingly hostile to his viewpoint. Ryan is also mobilizing the youth vote by focusing on college students and finding new ways of networking with voters from from a variety of backgrounds.

You can visit their sites below:

http://rhodes2change.iowafcr.org/

http://www.heilforsenate.com

As the election nears, I will continue to blog about these candidates as well as post opposition research about their challenger (trust me it will be good). In the meantime, please look at their websites, sign-up to volunteer, tell your friends about them, and/or send some $$$$$$$$$$$$.

This is off-track, but as I write this I’m watching TV (it’s called multi-tasking). I must say that the number and content of reality TV is, as my friend Tami would say, OOC (out-of-control). And we wonder why the children in our society have issues.

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The Republican Challenge

July 22, 2008 by 7 Comments

I have been hearing conservative voices far and wide saying that Republicans of all breeds should put their division aside and get behind the chosen candidates. You know what I wholeheartedly agree. The problem is that it seems that these voices seem to be all talk. They do not seem to be willing to back this up with action. Instead these voices seem to be intent on covering the recent power change in the Republican Party of Iowa and the soap opera going on behind the scenes. This just gives the Democrats ammunition to use against us in the run up to the general election. I will be the first to say that we have been no better; however there is one clear difference. We have begun promoting our candidates and showing why our guys and gals are better than the Demomcrats. This is not to say that we have been the only ones to do so, but if you were to look around they are few and far between.

The party needs to come to the realization that the donations quite possibly will not be there this year. We don’t have a rockstar of a presidential candidate. Because of this conservatives across the spectrum need to devise strategies that will help us win in November that does not rely on massive amounts of campaign contributions. This will not be easy, but then again there is the old saying that nothing worth having comes easy. The Democrats will raise more money than us this year. The sooner we realize this, the sooner we can change our strategy to reflect this truth. Our party needs to run a grassroots campaign that exploits the fact that the Democrats have more money.

I know that a lot of people don’t like Mike Huckabee, however we can take lessons from his campaign. He ran his Iowa campaign on a shoestring budget, he was outspent by a large margin, and yet he was able to win the Iowa caucus handily. Surely we can use his campaign as a guide in how to campaign with little funds.

We have to stop this incessant and childish finger pointing, it serves no useful purpose. It only serves to give the Democrats an edge. They will say that if we can’t get along with each other just how do we plan to run the government. And you know what, they would be right. If we can’t get along with each other we don’t deserve to win.

And so I put this challenge forth to all Republicans. I challenge you to put aside your petty differences so that we can find a way to take back our government. I know I for one plan on doing everything that I can to elect Republicans in November.

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