Obama Campaign Ad Victimizes Women

Scrolling through headlines on TheBlaze, I came across what is possibly one of the most ridiculous campaign ads I’ve seen since I became interested in politics four years ago. Put out by the Obama campaign, the ad features a woman named “Jenni” who “has never felt this way before” and believes “it’s a scary time to be a woman” because Mitt Romney “opposes requiring insurance coverage for contraception,” “would outlaw all abortion,” and would “overturn Roe v. Wade” (actually, the Supreme Court could only do that…). Apparently, the Republican candidate’s pro-life stance makes him “so out of touch.”

Back the campaign train up a little bit. It’s a scary time to be a woman because the candidate who may become the next President of the United States is pro-life and thinks you should pay for your own contraceptives? The Obama camp has stooped to a new and just plain laughable low in trying to reinvigorate the originally fabricated “war on women.”

I’m not sure what disgusts me more—the Obama camp’s glaring attempt to victimize all women who want insurance-provider funded sex-lives, the attempt to create a gender war that isn’t there, or the absurdity of the selfish statement that “it’s a scary time to be a woman” because of Mitt Romney’s stance on abortion.

“It’s a scary time to be a woman,” says “Jenni” of the Obama ad. I think Jenni—and the Obama campaign—need to wake up, stop victimizing all women, pay for their own contraceptives, and not expect pro-life Americans to be “cool” with funding abortion with our tax dollars. Grown American women really have no excuse to be afraid.

It’s a scary time to be an unborn child. We have a President who twice voted against a partial birth abortion ban, and who stated that he wouldn’t want his daughters to be “punished with a baby.” We have an administration that dished out several million dollars in federal funding to Planned Parenthood branches in Tennessee, New Jersey and North Carolina when those states voted to defund Planned Parenthood of federal money.

It’s a scary time to be an unborn baby girl. Especially when those federally funded Planned Parenthood branches condone and counsel on sex-selective abortion.

Liberals cry for “women’s rights!” and for “a woman’s right to choose!” constantly. But under Obamacare, pro-life women don’t get to choose whether to support abortion or not, because insurance providers including religious institutions will be forced to fund practices against religious conscience. Obama and liberal politicians have already made that choice for us.

Jenni might be right—that it’s a scary time to be a woman—but for the wrong reasons. It’s a scary time to be a woman in a society that increasingly views women as objects for sexual gratification.

It’s a scary time to be a woman when those that supposedly so strongly support “women’s health” are the same groups that profit from emotionally scarring and life-changing procedures like abortions. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen an ad for Planned Parenthood in my school newspaper, entreating college students to “have a happy sex life” thanks to Planned Parenthood’s available contraceptive options. In a sick and twisted model of business, Planned Parenthood promotes promiscuity which inevitably leads to unwanted pregnancies, resulting in millions of abortions—and profits for Planned Parenthood—a year.

“Jenni” is afraid because she may have to pay for her own birth control and be told she’s not allowed to kill her unborn child. But she doesn’t seem afraid of the actual act of abortion, nor is she afraid of the repercussions she could be subject to. The ad doesn’t mention the two lives that were lost just recently when a young woman died after an abortion procedure. Jenni should be much more afraid of being exploited by the practices of Planned Parenthood than she should be of Mitt Romney’s pro-life stance.

This ad’s depiction of Romney is quite impressive to me, and actually reaffirms my support for him. But the ad is even more so a testament to the miniscule value that the Obama administration and most liberals give life itself. The claim that “it’s a scary time to be a woman” is selfish when you think about the baby girls who never have the chance to become women because of the mother’s decision for abortion rather than life.

It’s a scary time to be a woman if you find it necessary to paint yourself as the victim of individuals and candidates who believe it’s deplorable to force insurance providers to pay for procedures against their beliefs, and who believe that life is sacred, not something to be thrown away for convenience.

I’m a woman, but not a victim. President Obama, this ad doesn’t speak for me, or any other American woman that understands the definition of personal responsibility and values life.

Also posted on TheCollegeConservative.com, Eagle Forum Collegians, RedState, and RedPill Report.

Obamacare Brings More Taxes to the Middle Class

I wrote this piece, also, for the Eagle Forum Collegians blog. Enjoy!

“If, from the more wretched parts of the old world, we look at those which are in an advanced stage of improvement, we still find the greedy hand of government thrusting itself into every corner and crevice of industry, and grasping the spoil of the multitude. Invention is continually exercised, to furnish new pretenses for revenues and taxation. It watches prosperity as its prey and permits none to escape without tribute. ” –Thomas Paine

No doubt you’ve heard, by now, that the Supreme Court ruled that Obamacare is constitutional as a tax. If you think small businesses and the average American citizen give enough hard-earned money to the government now, take a look at the new or higher taxes the American people and businesses will see within the next ten years:

View the Heritage Foundation article in full here.

The one that stood out most to me is the Flexible Spending Account Cap. Under the Obamacare law, FSA’s will be capped at $2500 (right now, it’s unlimited). As the link above states, this change is going to seriously impact many families with special needs children who use FSA’s to pay for special education. In effect, this poses the opportunity to create more dependency on government.

Without even looking at any of the specifics, though, it’s not difficult to see that Obamacare is quite simply a law that is bad for this country and the average American citizen, especially considering the current economic climate. Aside from the negative aspects of socialized medicine—fewer doctors, longer waits for care and procedures, lower quality care…all the reasons that people from countries like Canada have sought medicinal refuge in the United States because Canadian socialized medicine is so incompetent—Obamacare (or Obamatax, either one…) is a fiscal nightmare. Many of the tax hikes that we will see in the coming years are going to fall upon the middle class (ironic, because Obama pledged to not raise taxes on the middle class in 2008). When jobs are few, times are tough, and families are pinching pennies to get by, what’s the sense in draining more money from them via taxes? If families and individuals have to scrape by to give their “fair share” to the government via taxes, they’re not going to be taking their hard earned paycheck into the private sector economy—Americans won’t be buying goods or investing because with crippling taxes, there is no incentive to, and at times, no opportunity to do so.

Small businesses face daunting taxes, too, and this is undoubtedly going to cost jobs. But we can’t be too surprised, because this administration still can’t comprehend the basic free-market truth that the private sector, not the public sector, creates jobs, grows the economy, and fuels prosperity. As the Heritage Foundation article stated, “All tax increases have negative economic effects because higher taxes take resources from the productive hands of the private sector and transfer them to the wasteful hands of politicians.”

Obamacare/tax isn’t going to improve the healthcare situation in the United States—it’s going to tax us into oblivion and reduce the quality of American medical care, at the same time killing jobs and giving Americans less opportunity or prosperity.

And just for fun…

A Riot in Dearborn...

I hope you all are having a great summer so far. I've been busy blogging and with my internship, but it's going great so far. I have a new post up on TheCollegeConservative you'll want to check out... "Flirting with Radicals: Obama & The Muslim Brotherhood." I did some research on the administration's odd relationship with this radical Islamic group, and on the motives of these radical Islamists as well, and it's pretty disheartening and disturbing considering the Muslim Brotherhood just won the presidential election in Egypt, and MB members (including the new president) are already speaking words that seem almost threatening to Israel. Check it out here: http://thecollegeconservative.com/2012/06/27/flirting-with-radicals-obama-the-muslim-brotherhood/

Today I was scrolling through TheBlaze.com (love this site... ) and came across another disturbing article. At an International Arab Festival in Dearborn, Michigan, a few Christians demonstrated by holding signs with Bible verses printed on them. I'm not sure of the wisdom of choosing that venue to demonstrate, but regardless, the result is a little unnerving. An over 20 minute long video shows Muslims at the festival shouting obscenities and literally hurling rocks, bottles of water, plastic crates, and more at the Christian demonstrators who did not retaliate. The group of Muslims turns into a riot and ends up injuring a few of the Christians. The police do not intervene, and actually end up kicking the Christian demonstrators out because their holding signs and "demonstrating" itself is what they consider to be a disturbance and threat to public safety (not the riot throwing rocks and water bottles).

Watch the video, at least part of it... I have to wonder why the police didn't take more action to calm the riot down, but rather made the Christians leave. As the man videoing says in the video footage, it appears that by doing this they're rewarding riotous behavior.

I haven't seen this on any other news outlet, either. I have to wonder, also, what the reaction would have been if the situation had been flipped... if Christians had been the ones throwing rocks and bottles at a group of Muslim demonstrators. My guess is there would've been a lot more media coverage and victimization of the demonstrators if that had been the case.

Read the article and watch the video here:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/allahu-akbar-shock-video-shows-muslims-allegedly-stoning-christian-protesters-in-michigan/

Obamacare & Immigration...New Blog Posts

I've been busy blogging these last few days! I have several new posts I hope you'll check out if you haven't already. For the sake of space, I'll just provide you with a brief excerpt followed by the hyperlink to get to each new post! 


"Obama's 'Policy Change': Flawed, Political, Tyrannical"

"I love this country, and I truly love the fact that for centuries, America has been a beacon of hope for people of all races, colors, and creeds looking for the opportunity to succeed and live free. Perhaps this kind of policy would be worth consideration if our border were secured and in the influx of illegal immigrants stifled. But this latest policy change simply rewards illegal actions that will gradually diminish the opportunity for prosperity and the prospects for success in this nation.

This is no DREAM come true for anyone—legal or not—who loves America and wants a future here. The President’s disregard of Congress and the American people is deplorable. I agree wholeheartedly with Glenn Beck’s blunt analysis of Barack Obama’s actions: “This is exactly what a dictator does.”

Read more at http://thecollegeconservative.com/2012/06/19/obamas-policy-change-flawed-political-tyrannical/

"This is What a Dictator Does" 

"It’s great the President knew, at one point, how our system of checks and balances is supposed to work. But apparently, basic civics don’t apply to Barack Obama during an election year.

This is a double slap in the face to legal Americans, first and foremost in the manner in which Obama’s going about this “policy change” by simply implementing it, with no consideration as to his “appropriate role as president” as he said he understood in 2011. But secondly, this action shows blatant disregard for legal, working Americans. Unemployment is above 8%, and the President just added 800,000 new employees to the workforce when legal folks are still struggling to find the few jobs that remain. Let’s hope Breitbart reporter Mike Flynn is right when he says, “This message will not be lost on working-class voters.”

Read more at http://www.efcollegians.org/blog/2012/06/18/this-is-what-a-dictator-does/

"Religious Liberty First, Religious Liberty Always"

"It’s ironic how President Obama placed his hand upon the Holy Bible and swore an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. But for a majority of his presidency, he and many other liberal Democrats have been trampling upon the very first Amendment of the Constitution, ramming their arrogant agenda through Congress and into law against the will of the American people.

Something I find equally as ironic is the deafening silence from groups like the ACLU. Put a cross up in your yard, post the Ten Commandments in a public school, say the word “God” within earshot of their offices (I hope I’m kidding on that one), and you’ve got a huge lawsuit on your hands for “violating religious liberty.” But when the government—the President himself—signs into law a bill that will force religious institutions to violate their religious beliefs or face a fine, the ACLU literally overlooks it and says the Catholic Church is in the wrong."

Read more at http://www.efcollegians.org/blog/2012/06/19/religious-liberty-first-religious-liberty-always/

Thanks for reading, everyone! Feel free to pass these articles on to your friends, even if they don't agree with your political views. Comments are always welcome, as well :) God bless, have a great week!

Sarah

God & Self-Government

Today was a productive day at Eagle Forum. I posted a blog post about Senator Rand Paul here, if you would be so kind as to check it out! A few words about Rand Paul: in my blog post, I included a youtube video of the Senator literally demolishing a woman from the Department of Energy over whether the government should be able to tell you what kind of light bulbs to buy to put in your house. (He points out, lucidly, that an administration that is so pro "choice" when it comes to human life is staunchly NOT pro "choice" when it comes to choosing one's lightbulbs.) In other words, the government thinks you're capable of making the choice as to whether to terminate an unborn life, but when it comes to choosing light bulbs, that's a decision left up to Uncle Sam. 


I also posted a link to a video I made of Paul's CPAC speech on the EFC blog (my first time using iMovie, and I loved it! There will be many more similar videos to come on the efcollegians Youtube channel!). But, here's a quote from Senator Paul's speech that, in working on this blog post today, has stayed with me since I heard it in Chicago last weekend: 

“And when they come to retrieve from my freedom and the fruits of my labor, I will reply that no man, and no government can take my freedom. My freedom predates government. My freedom comes from my Creator, and preexists before all schemes that attempt to confine and restrict it.”

It's good to be reminded of this, especially in the politically volatile world we're living in. Government doesn't give us freedom. Our politicians don't give us freedom. Nor do either of those two entities give us "rights." Our inalienable rights and our freedom come from He who created us in the first place. There are those who seek to suppress this individual liberty granted to us by our Creator; there are those in government who truly think that they--the Ivy League "educated," the "elites"--know better than we do what's best for ourselves, our families, our homes, our futures. There are those that would have us replace our faith in God with faith in government. And there are those on the left who believe that man is not capable of governing himself. But if man is not capable of governing himself, what's to say that he has the right and the capability to govern other men? 


I believe that we are capable of individually governing ourselves without the assistance and guidance of government. This principle of self-government, though, is grounded in the fact that "man must be governed internally by the spirit of God rather than by external forces." In doing a little research on this subject, I came across this great page from the Foundation for American Christian Education. (http://www.american-heritage.org/Content/Docs/Parent/7Principles.pdf) "The principle of self-government," it says, "is God ruling internally from the heart of the individual." So in effect, I contradict myself--we are not capable of governing ourselves...unless we have God's help. Because even though we may be free politically, living in a free nation with little suppression, if we don't have God ruling internally within us guiding our actions, then we are then governed by "external forces" which will likely enslave us just as much as an intrusive government will.


In essence, then, God makes us free!

EF Collegians Blog! & George HW Bush...

Hey friends! I know this is my second post today, but this summer I have so much more time to blog compared to during the school year I figure I might as well take advantage of it. I hope you all are enjoying my posts! Don't forget to check out my other writing on TheCollegeConservative.com. And beginning today, you'll also be able to read my blog posts on the newly launched Eagle Forum Collegians blog!

As you may or may not know, I am interning at Eagle Forum this summer. So far, I LOVE IT. Eagle Forum is an organization that was started by the legendary Phyllis Schlafly to promote faith, family, and freedom and to educate Americans on those three things, doing so in various ways...one being Eagle Forum Collegians. This summer I'll be updating the blog regularly, and so will the other Eagle Forum interns. Videos of past and future Eagle Forum Collegians Summit speakers will soon be posted, as well, and other commentary on current events. Please check it out regularly and share it with your friends, especially any college students you know! 

And one more thing I wanted to talk about...today I was looking at Yahoo News and came across a story about an emotional interview with former President George H. W. Bush. He interviewed with his granddaughter, Jenna Bush Hager (a Today Show contributor) and discussed aging, and read an emotional letter he wrote to his family, reflecting on his life. You can read the article here: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/cutline/george-hw-bush-jenna-today-interview-video-151030029--finance.html (Copy and paste into search bar if link doesn't work!)

What struck me most, though, were the comments on this article. I scrolled through and was disgusted, saddened, and really disturbed to see so many comments directed at the former President, like "the sooner you die the better," "drop dead, you're Hitler," "may it be your last birthday and take your white trash family with you," etc etc. Scroll down to the bottom of the Yahoo page if you really want to read more comments like this.

I'm not perfect nor am I saying I'm better than the people who made these comments, but I have to vent. Reading all those similar comments gives me little hope for humanity. Ok, so you don't agree with what Bush Sr. did during his presidency, and/or you don't agree with his political views. But have we lowered ourselves as a people and a society that much to wish DEATH on those we disagree with? To those who wrote those comments--yes, he's a republican. But he's a HUMAN first, just like you are. Disagree, dislike his leadership and what he did as President, great! Everyone has an opinion. But can we please not lower ourselves to such hate and malice that we wish death on those with whom we disagree?

Also, sadly and ironically, I'm betting many of those people who made such comments towards Bush Sr. are dedicated supporters and fans of things like the "NO H8" campaign. So much for "no hate." It's funny how that double standard works.

Reagan's Speech @ Brandenburg Gate

Anyone know what happened on this day in history? Specifically, June 12, 1987? 

 

Ronald Reagan gave his famous speech at the Brandenburg Gate on this day, 25 years ago. This one of my favorite speeches of all time. I've always admired Reagan, but I find him even more of a role model after writing a very research-intensive paper on him and how he dealt with the Cold War for a world history class last semester. His firm leadership led this country safely through one of the most tense times in history. Enjoy this clip of his speech, or watch the entire speech here:

I hope I can someday be half the leader, half the communicator as Reagan was! 

"A lesson in irony"

Hey folks! Check out my friend Christian's blog, Operation Liberty USA... he posted his one-on-one interview with Michele Bachmann from CPAC Chicago! And "like" Operation Liberty USA on Facebook as well!

Also, my friend Julia tagged me in this post on Facebook and I couldn't help but share. It's funny, but sadly, true...

A Lesson in Irony

The Food Stamp Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is proud to be distributing the greatest amount of free meals and food stamps ever.

Meanwhile, the National Park Service, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, asks us to "Please Do Not Feed the Animals."

Their stated reason for the policy is because the animals will grow dependent on handouts and will not learn to take care of themselves.

This ends today's lesson.


I'd like to meet and shake the hand of whoever wrote that! Brilliant :) 


As I said before, I'm interning at Eagle Forum in St. Louis this summer. I'll be starting up the Eagle Forum Collegians blog soon, and I'll let you know when that's up and running! Have a great week, God bless! 


Sarah

Meeting Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann and I at CPAC Chicago!

I was so fortunate to meet Congressman Bachmann at CPAC yesterday! She's very small/short in person...but she definitely doesn't look that way when she's giving speeches!! Her CPAC speech was energetic, yet disturbing--she talked about radical Islamic groups and their goal of Sharia law in the United States. She noted President Obama's sick and twisted and disgustingly friendly relationship with radical muslim groups, and showed this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U5N34WhTng (if the link doesn't work, just copy and paste it in the search bar) ... a commercial for a radical Islamic conference taking place just a few miles away from where CPAC was held in Rosemont, IL. She delivered her message with passion and clarity--I hope I am capable of someday delivering a speech half as good as she can!

On a lighter note... special thanks to my friend Christian Scalise whom I met at CPAC for letting me tag along as he interviewed Bachmann for his publication, Operation Liberty USA. Christian interviewed Bachmann as well as Herman Cain, and both of those interviews will be on his website. Check it out here: http://www.operationlibertyusa.com/ Thanks again, Christian!

CPAC gave me a great deal of inspiration and hope--so I'll have a few new posts on TheCollegeConservative.com soon! Have a great weekend!

CPAC: Pics and Reflection!

Well...today was awesome. If you didn't read my last post, I spent today at CPAC Chicago, listening to some great contributors to the conservative movement like Michele Bachman, Rand Paul, Chris Christie, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain and Bobby Jindal. I met some new conservatives as well and I'm leaving Chicago very, very inspired and energized for the continued fight to restore American values and common sense.

I won't ramble on about each individual speaker's remarks, but I have to say that I was very impressed, especially by Chris Christie and Bobby Jindal. I've heard these two speak before but never in person. Both of them were excellent in conveying their message without reading from a teleprompter or directly from notes. Both speeches were fascinating, also, because both of them are Governors of states in which they've had to face crises, be it self-inflicted crises or not.

Governor Jindal of Louisiana faced the traumatic BP oil spill in 2010. He related this event and the Obama administration's despicable handling of it to the President and his cabinet's overall incompetency. Governor Christie of New Jersey faced a challenge not from nature but from teacher's unions. (If you don't remember hearing about that ordeal, it's a blog post in itself!)

Overall, I was impressed with all of the speakers and noticed that many of those holding positions such as governor/senator (Governor Kasich of Ohio, Governor Christie, Governor Jindal, Senator Rand Paul, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin) have all led by example in fiscal responsibility, making improvements to their states' financial situations with needed cuts and firm leadership.

I also had the privilege of meeting and getting a picture with Bobby Jindal and Michele Bachmann. It was great to finally meet such great patriots in person. Both were very friendly... and Michele Bachman now has one of my business cards :)

So finally, here are some photos from the day! I will have a photo of Michele Bachmann and I soon, as it wasn't taken on my camera. Also, if you want to see video clips of any of the speakers, let me know, becuase I videoed a little bit, if not all, of each of the speeches by Santorum, Paul, Bachmann, Jindal, cain and Christie.

Me and Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul

Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey

I'll post my photo of Bachmann and I when I get it! Thanks for reading, hope you all have a safe, blessed weekend :) 

CPAC CHICAGO! And Scott Walker...

Hey ya'll! I'm sitting in Chicago right now waiting impatiently for tomorrow when CPAC Chicago will start at 8 AM! For those of you who don't know, CPAC is a conference (there are a few held at different times of the year in different places) with conservatives speakers and panels. Tomorrow's CPAC features Chris Christie, Rick Santorum, Rand Paul, Bobby Jindal, Michele Bachmann, and many other great conservative minds from across the country! I'm especially excited because two of my fellow blogging-friends and I got media credentials, so we have special access to the media room where we will *hopefully* be able to interview/meet/get pictures with some of the people I listed above. I've also got my digital camera and a flip video camera...so I'm hoping to get some good material and lots of inspiration for blog posts. :) Here's the schedule if you're curious... http://conservative.org/cpacchicago/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/CPAC-CHI-Schedule-v6.6.pdf

Also, I can't help but comment on the vast amount of Wisconsin liberals and union thugs who are most likely weeping in defeat right now after Scott Walker's epic victory in the recall election. Talk about inspiration. America still values fiscal sanity and responsibility and they proved it by keeping in office their Governor who is making positive changes to Wisconsin. There is hope!

And one more thing! If you're in the state of Missouri, you may want to check out the Republican Senate Candidate Debate at Lindenwood on Monday night. It's being hosted by 97.1 FM Newstalk and moderated by STL Radio personalities Jamie Allman and Dana Loesch. Here's a link to reserve tickets! http://www.971talk.com/debate/

Well, thanks for reading! Check back for updates and *hopefully* photos from CPAC! Follow me on twitter for live updates, as well, as I'm going to try to live-tweet the whole thing! My twitter handle is: @sarah_hinds76

God bless, have a great weekend!

Inspiring Summer Vacation...

I just returned home today from my family vacation to Virginia... we took forever to decide just where we were going to go this year, but decided once again on a place that's come to be our "old faithful" vacation spot. We love it! We went to Chincoteague Island, hung out on the beach there for a few days, and then I got into full history-nerd mode when we got to Colonial Williamsburg.

If you've never been to Williamsburg, please...do yourself and your family a huge favor and GO! I've been there more times than I can count, and it never gets old. If you've never been there... within the town of Williamsburg is an area that has been in existence since the very early days of America. The main street, Duke of Gloucester, is lined with restored buildings according to how the town looked in the 18th century. There are a few original buildings, too (my favorite...) including the George Wythe house, most notably. This house is where George Washington spent time before the siege of Yorktown (just a short drive away, also an amazing place to visit...). Reenactors dressed in 18th century clothing take on 18th century characters and you're really taken back in time when you visit the historic area. (And aside from the historic value, the food is amazing...) :)

I'm going to show my nerdiness here, but as I was walking down that street, seeing the original buildings as well as the restored and renovated ones like the Capitol and the Governor's Palace, it was amazing to me that people who were so instrumental in getting this fledgling nation off the ground had stood in the same spot I stood over two and a half centuries ago. When you're standing in front of a house in front of which George Washington and his staff stood and resided in before winning the siege of Yorktown, those people you only read about in textbooks in school become more real than ever!

Every once in awhile, I get discouraged and depressed as to where this country is headed. I look at the principles embodied in the Declaration and the Constitution, that our Founders believed so strongly in, and then I look at the self-interest and arrogance of political leaders today, and in the apathy and entitlement of American society today, and the past and present disturbingly contrast each other. But in that time that history becomes more than just words on a page is when I become more motivated. Motivated to do my part to protect the ideals that the earliest Americans pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor for; ideas of individual liberty--not widespread entitlement--and self-government--not the mindset that a few elites know best how to govern a dependent people.

In other words, this trip to Virginia was a huge inspiration to keep on doing my part, fighting the good fight to preserve liberty, and to continue relying on God to show me how I can serve Him and others.

Obama's Budget #Fail

Yesterday Obama' sent a budget to the Senate (and mind you, the Senate is controlled by Democrats) and it was so bad it was destroyed 99-0. Not even HARRY REID or any other Democrat in the Senate would vote for it. Ouch.

From Twitter:
A Root Canal: #morepopularthanobamasbduget

 I just can't stop laughing. But it's really pathetic, actually.

 In other news, check out my latest post on TheCollegeConservative, "It's Still About the Economy." In it I debunk just a few of the Left's many distractions that are an effort to keep us from focusing on the most pressing issue we're facing this election--THE ECONOMY. Check it out, comments are welcome!

 Hope ya'll have a great week and weekend! God bless.

Back for the summer!

Hey ya'll! I haven't posted on Present Day Patriots in quite some time. A lot has happened since my last post, both out there in the crazy political world and in my personal life. I'm finished with my first year of college, and my goodness, have I learned a lot about myself and what I truly believe! I'm enjoying pointing out the liberal bias in the classroom, though, and I'm probably going to declare a major next fall or spring. I'm now a staff writer at TheCollegeConservative. TCC is a blog with a bunch of college conservatives like myself who do an amazing job at ticking off liberals with a strong Conservative voice! I encourage you to check it out and like the page on Facebook as well! Also, I'm excited that I will be interning at Eagle Forum this summer, a great organization that has been dedicated to Conservative values for decades. I'm thrilled to be a part of it. I hope you all are doing great. I am hoping to update this blog with my political musings more now that summer is just about here and school out. Thanks for reading, and check back for another update soon :)

RIP Andrew Breitbart

Yesterday, the Conservative movement lost one of it's greatest patriots, Andrew Breitbart. He reportedly died of a heart attack in the early hours of March 1st. Breitbart was, quite literally, one of the most outspoken Conservative leaders and exposed numerous scandals and stories that the mainstream media refused to mention. He was 43 years old, and leaves behind a wife and four kids.



^ Andrew Breitbart speaking at CPAC just a few weeks ago.

This was really saddening news. But whats equally as saddening--and disturbing--is many on the Left's reaction to his death. On Twitter I was really shocked by the cruel and brutal messages people were posting, literally celebrating Breitbart's death. These people really showed their true colors, and ironically, many of them are the sort of people who tell Conservatives to stop the "hate." Check out this article to see some of the "tweets" I'm talking about:
http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/liberals-celebrate-death-andrew-breitbart/403471

This is truly saddening news, and I hope more Conservatives everywhere continue the fight for truth in a world where it is silenced more and more every day. I know I will!

My thoughts are prayers are with Breitbart's family. To close, here's a quote that shows how passionate Breitbart was about his work:

"I love my job. I love fighting for what I believe in. I love having fun while doing it. I love reporting stories that the Complex refuses to report. I love fighting back, I love finding allies, and—famously—I enjoy making enemies."

George Washington's 280th Birthday

Today marks the 280th birthday of our nation's first President, George Washington! Here's one of my favorite paintings of America's first leader--we have a copy of this hanging over the fireplace in my house, and it's a good reminder of Washington's steadfast faith and reliance on Divine Providence.



I'm currently reading "Being George Washington" by Glenn Beck. I thought I knew a lot about Washington before I read this book, but I've learned so much more about the type of leader he was. We all, especially those who consider themselves political "leaders" today, could take a lesson from Washington's style of leadership. He was humble, and listened to others rather than thinking himself superior. He didn't expect gratification or praise for what he did, and reluctantly accepted the position as first President of the United States, though he would have much rather returned to Mount Vernon. There were numerous times when mutiny seemed imminent, but Washington's leadership kept his army together, and later kept our young country together when conflicts arose that could have ended the republic before it even began.

He truly served--not for personal gain or recognition, but because he felt called to do so, and he believed in the principles of freedom and liberty he and countless others had fought so hard to secure.

We could all take a lesson from Washington's humility, faith, and dedication. I'll leave you with a few of my favorite Washington quotes...

“I am sure there never was a people, who had more reason to acknowledge a divine interposition in their affairs, than those of the United States; and I should be pained to believe, that they have forgotten that agency, which was so often manifested during our revolution, or that they failed to consider the omnipotence of that God, who is alone able to protect them.”

“Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.”

“Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness. In one in which the measures of government receive their impression so immediately from the sense of the [people] as in ours, it is……essential."

“The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.”

The Freedom Sign

Hi everyone! I hope February is going well for all of you. I have a few things I wanted to blog regarding politics and society in general, but for now, I want to share with you a great site I found today. We've all seen the popular "peace sign" that was made so prevalent in the 60's. But check out "The Freedom Sign" ...



"The Freedom Sign" counters the peace sign--it stands for the "God-given right" of freedom endowed to all humankind, personal responsibility, and "success or failure based on one's own merits."

Says The Freedom Sign's website, there is no true peace without freedom: "Peace in and of itself is wonderful, but when it comes at the expense of freedom; it becomes at best submission and at worst, imprisonment."

Check out their website at www.thefreedomsign.com. It's a beautifully designed website with a clear distinction between the peace sign and the freedom sign, and what freedom really is and what it requires to allow for peace. Check it out and "like" The Freedom Sign's page on Facebook! I think I'll have to get one of their bumper stickers for my car... :)

Government and Morality

Hi everyone! School has kept me extremely busy these last few weeks, obviously, but second semester is going much better than the first. I wanted to share with you some thoughts that I’ve been mulling over the past few weeks, now that the GOP race is getting rather intense. Throughout my recent GOP-related blog posts, I’ve tried to remain factual and neutral, researching the candidates thoroughly to get an idea of who they are and what they stand for. But this blog post, and the questions I’ve come up with, don’t really have all that much to do with the candidates themselves, but their stances on social issues, and whether their resolutions to these problems will really strike the root of the problem or not.

Let me preface this by saying that I’m focusing on social issues here because I believe that the moral structure of America lays the foundation for the rest of our society, and determines much of our nation’s policy and principle.

For a moment, I want to look at Ron Paul and Rick Santorum’s stances on social issues, specifically abortion and gay marriage.

In a general sense, Ron Paul believes it is the role of government to protect liberty, for the government to remain separate from private life, and to ultimately follow the Constitution. He is ardently pro-life. As President, he would request that Congress remove these issues from the federal judiciary and return them to the states for them to decide on. An interesting quote of Dr. Paul’s: "Marriage is first and foremost a religious matter, not a government matter. Government is not moral and cannot make us moral. Law should reflect moral standards, of course, but morality comes from religion, from philosophy, from societal standards, from families, and from responsible individuals. We make a mistake when we look to government for moral leadership."

Rick Santorum is best known for his strong stance against abortion and for traditional marriage. He seems to be very focused on the Judeo-Christian foundations of our nation and the preservation of those foundations by government. He favors a federal ban on abortion, and also a Constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. He is arguably the most pro-family candidate that the GOP has seen in a number of years. He says this about marriage: “Marriage is a society’s life blood. Not everybody can or will marry, but all of us (married or not) depend on marriage in a unique way. Marriage is foundational: it creates and sustains not only children but civilization itself. This is an institution which protects our liberty.”

This is just a quick glance at the two candidates’ stances on these issues, to help you get a general idea of where they stand. You can read much more about their views on these sites:
http://ronpaulmyths.com/social-issues.php
http://www.ricksantorum.com/we-hold-these-truths

So, who is right? Ron Paul believes the federal government should not have any say in moral issues, but Rick Santorum believes the Constitution should be amended to protect the sanctity of life and of traditional marriage. I’ve heard numerous arguments against both candidates. Some of the most recent that I’ve heard have been against Ron Paul; it seems that many folks think that Ron Paul’s view of getting government out of private life will trample upon and demolish the Judeo-Christian foundations of this country. I’ve heard arguments against Rick Santorum, also; many think that the federal government and the Constitution cannot and should not be involved in maintaining our country’s founding moral and religious values.

Both, I think, are legitimate arguments worth discussing. I believe in small government and individual liberty, wholeheartedly. But I also realize the value and importance of our country’s moral and religious roots. My questions are, though, can our system of government rightly be involved in social issues? Did our Founders intend for the Constitution to address moral issues such as the ones we face today? And will either of the solutions proposed by Paul and Santorum really solve any of the problems we face/restore our country’s moral values?

One of my favorite quotes from John Adams is this: "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . . Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." The Founders believed that government cannot make people moral and religious, but our system of government—self-government, as it was intended—cannot function properly if people are not capable of conducting themselves in a moral and religious manner.

When they drafted and ratified the Constitution, I don’t know if anyone at the Constitutional Convention could have predicted the types of problems their nation would face just a few hundred years into the future. But, I feel that they would have thought it a great overreach for the federal government and the Constitution to be involved in moral issues. Yes, our Republic and its success require a moral and religious people—but as Adams said, the Republic isn’t capable of controlling “human passions unbridled by morality and religion.”

This is what I’m having a hard time understanding. Ron Paul, a Baptist who I’ve heard speak of his religion as a very private matter, is very Constitutionalist and believes it’s the responsibility of the individual to govern themselves, and that the government has no place in private life. Rick Santorum is enthusiastically in favor of maintaining our moral and religious values, but by way of Constitutional amendments and federal bans.

Can people, in their current moral and religious state (which is arguably lacking compared to the last few decades/centuries), handle the type of liberty that Ron Paul supports? Will instituting federal direction on moral and religious issues, as Santorum supports, solve the problem, or make it worse?

Undoubtedly, as I’ve said before, it’s not hard to look around and see that the moral and religious state of this country is not what it used to be. In fact, I’d wager to say it’s crumbling right before our eyes. I think the solution to this, though, is not in government that would simply make something “illegal” without reaching to the root of the problem. (Please note: I’m pro-life, and believe that marriage is defined as being between a man and a woman.) But will making a law or amendment that says “this is how it’s going to be, like it or not” really teach people why abortion is wrong, and will it make people understand that the definition of the word “marriage” is the union of a man and a woman? I personally think the issues we face in morals and religion are solved within the individual. Instead of more laws and more government intervention, teach people about the sanctity of marriage and of the sanctity of life, so that eventually, there’s no question as to what is right and what is wrong. This is a very rudimentary example, and I know this would take a great deal of time and effort and faith—but I really think that our problems would be better solved by reaching out to the hearts of people to help them understand the definition and practice of true morality and righteousness.

This is what has been on my mind these past few weeks. I hope I’ve laid out my thoughts clearly enough, and I welcome your opinions and comments on the candidates and their stances on these issues.

As always, thanks for reading ☺. And don’t forget about the GOP Primary coming up this Tuesday for all my Missouri readers! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

http://www.ricksantorum.com/we-hold-these-truths
http://2012.republican-candidates.org/Santorum/Abortion.php
http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/Profiles/Senate/Pennsylvania/Rick_Santorum/Views/Gay_Marriage/
http://ronpaulmyths.com/social-issues.php
http://www.free2pray.info/5founderquotes.html