Hi everyone! It’s been way too long since I last posted on Present Day Patriots. I’m being totally truthful when I say that school is consuming so much of my time I have not had enough time to write up a quality blog post. But on the eve of fall break, I’m back!
We have five days until Election Day, November 2nd. It goes without saying that we—America, itself—has a lot riding on this election alone. I cannot stress the importance of getting out there and VOTING! Don’t think that “one vote won’t make a difference”… America blindly allowed the current administration to come to power the last time; let’s not make the same mistake again and get involved in our civic responsibilities. Research your candidates, and make the best decision based on their character and dedication to doing what is right, rather than what is popular. We need to restore our political system so it fulfills the quota it was intended to fulfill upon its creation; a government by, for, and of the people.
I know I’ve missed a lot of fascinating and just plain infuriating events and stories in my long absence, but I want to share with you the most recent of my findings. Never, in any history I have ever learned have I ever heard a President declare those with opposing views as the “enemy” that must be “punished” until the current administration. In speaking of his plans for immigration reform (oh yes, the ever present fight to just completely demolish the idea of a secure border and the value of citizenship) stated;
“If Latinos sit out the election instead of saying, ‘We’re going to punish our enemies and we’re gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us,’ if they don’t see that kind of upsurge in voting in this election, then I think it’s going to be harder and that’s why I think it’s so important that people focus on voting on November 2.” http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/in-appeal-to-hispanics-obama-promises-to-push-immigration-reform/
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/new-obama-gotv-rallying-cry-lets-punish-our-enemies/
Now I’m all for exercising your right to vote, obviously! But it’s a form of “punishment” now for those with opposing views? Those of us who kind of like being a legal American citizen and want to maintain to merit to that status are labeled the enemy?
Think of me what you want, but to be honest, I don’t see opposing views as the enemy. There have got to be opposing views to some degree in our society—that’s how our government works. And if it weren’t for the current administration’s ridiculous belief in spreading the wealth and opening the border, I wouldn’t have much to write about in this blog. But are we not all Americans still? Or has our country become so polarized we cannot even identify ourselves as the UNITED States anymore? You all know how much I am NOT an Obama/Pelosi/Biden/etc. etc. fan…but I see the enemy as those who wish to KILL US and dream of their radical religion flying a flag over the White House. (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/oct/4/islamic-flag-over-the-white-house/ )
(And before my many Anonymous friends cry, “MUSLIM-HATER!” as a caveat, it’s the radical ones that used airplanes as lethal missiles to attack my country that I’m really not fond of.) My enemy is the group of monsters called Al-Qaeda…the same group behind the murder of two Somalian girls, age 18 and 15, by firing squad, in a Somalian town for trying to spy against this radical group. Those are the ones I consider the enemy, and their threat is ever-present. I can’t picture myself around a campfire singing Kumbayah with any radical left-winger, but still…those of us who are LEGALLY HERE are still AMERICANS. Isn’t that something we can still be proud of? Let’s get our priorities in order. This brings to mind a quote by Abraham Lincoln that is painfully true…
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
This goes hand in hand with another favorite quote—a quote engraved in granite outside of the National Archives in Washington, D.C: “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” Where is our VIGILANCE being directed these days?
Speaking of Abraham Lincoln, lately I have been looking for some meaningful quotes to put as my Facebook status (don’t laugh) and have come across some of his incredibly powerful words…so I’d like to share a few with you. I read some of these and was shocked of how well they can be applied to present day, and situations in my own life as well.
“I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.”
“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.”
“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.”
"It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."
This last quote is often erroneously attributed to Abraham Lincoln, but in all actuality it was written by American Presbyterian minister and speaker of the mid 1900’s, William John Henry Boetcker…
"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away men's initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves."
And I love polls (even though AP Statistics and I aren’t getting along well at the moment) so here’s an interesting one I found on Rasmussen.
“A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 65% of Likely U.S. Voters say if they had the option next week, they would vote to get rid of the entire Congress and start all over again. Only 20% would opt to keep the entire Congress instead. Fifteen percent (15%) aren’t sure.”That’s just one of the all-encompassing stats from the survey. Click on the link below to read more stats from the poll...
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/october_2010/65_favor_getting_rid_of_entire_congress_and_starting_over
On November 2nd, one of the propositions my fellow Missourians and I will vote on is Prop B, the “Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act”... I’ve been doing some reading on this and have come across arguments in its defense, and other vehemently opposed to it. Missouri has long been known as a “hot-spot” for puppy mills, and this legislation intends to combat this by limiting the number of dogs breeders can have in addition to adding strict regulations as to the care of animals by dog breeders. However I am wondering, why isn’t our current puppy mill legislation being enforced? Why more government intervention? Why more restrictions? It is feared that this will put many responsible Missouri dog breeders out of business and speculation exists that other areas of agriculture could be affected in the future. However I need to do a little more research on this to provide you with all the facts, so watch for that in the coming few days!
Well that’s all for tonight! Being the lover of the free-enterprise system that I am, I’ll leave you with an Ayn Rand quote...
“America's abundance was not created by public sacrifices to "the common good", but by the productive genius of free men who pursued their own personal interests and the making of their own private fortunes.”
