Animal Farm

I need to re-read Animal Farm by George Orwell. It is a book about talking animals: pigs, horses, that sort of thing. But, it is not a sweet children's book. It is a brilliant cautionary tale about how the pigs on the farm convince the other animals that all of them should overthrow their cruel overlords and then become equal animals. Of course, by the end of the book, the pigs have taken over (which was their intention all along) and they tell the others that all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

The founding father's of the United States recognized the danger in allowing power to be focused in one entity, thereby they reasoned out three branches of government to check and balance each other. They also asserted and believed that the true power of the government was inherent in the voice of a free and informed electorate--the voice of the people. They feared "big government," and the propensity of human nature towards power and avarice. They set a fixed scale of responsibility with the federal government carrying little or no obligation.:

Following is the fixed scale of responsibility as seen by the founders:

The first and foremost level of responsibility is with the individual himself
the second level is the family
then the church
next the community
finally the county
and, in a disaster or emergency, the state.

Under no circumstance is the federal government to become involved in public welfare.

The founders felt it would corrupt the government and also the poor. (the poor would feel obliged to vote for the leaders who took care of them).  No Constitutional authority exists for the federal government to participate in charity or welfare.

[as stated in The 5000 year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen]

Wake up Americans. Become informed. Many of the animals in Animal Farm were content to be told what to do by the pigs. Many thought the pigs smarter. Some of the animals were lazy or thought things would always go on as they had in the past. And, sadly, most of the animals thought the pigs had their best interests at heart.

Perhaps it's time for us all to re-read Animal Farm.

At a Loss for Words

It is a sad state of affairs when a writer is at a loss for words. It usually means that the inspiration has dried up, or there are no adequate words to express either the beauty of a place or the  horror of a situation.

Recently I have been at a loss for words, and so I struggle to bring my thoughts together to finish this post. The words bumping around in my brain are harsh and filled with pain. Those words are hard to share because I want the world to be kind, lovely, and peaceful, and it is not. So, to compensate I go to my safe place of travel, and family, and puppy dogs. Is there any question why so many people right now are hooked on watching cats on Youtube? Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with watching sweet cuddly cats, but I think it's the equivalent of sticking one's head in the sand.

The world is a mess right now. And, yes yes, I know, it's been a mess for thousands of years, but I am living in this mess, and it breaks my heart. I am a student of history, so I am well aware of the depravities of Rome, the horrors of the Inquisition, and the atrocities of Communist leaders like Mao and Stalin. Please! Wake up and be aware that between 58 and 70 million Chinese perished from execution, torture, starvation, and suicide during Mao's 27 year reign. Wake up! There is evil. There is right and wrong. There is a standard, and that standard is not set by Washington DC, or you and me, or Hollywood, or some philosophical think tank.

So...here come the words. Evil is pouring in on every side and there's only one way to combat it--personal rightness. Stop being abusive, lying, cheating, being unchaste, watching pornography, taking drugs, being a drunk, being selfish, ignoring the poor and the needy. Stop taking a hand out if you don't need it. Get to work. Stop complaining. Stop being proud and thinking yourself better than your neighbor.

Light is the only way to combat darkness. If you aren't in the light you encourage darkness. If you hate the evil taking place in Syria where thousands of innocent people are suffering--where families are blown apart and children are gassed, you must ask yourself, are my actions allowing evil to increase? If my personal rightness were stronger would I be able to push back some of that darkness?

It is the one idea that gives me hope. Personal rightness is something over which I have control. It is something over which you have control. My dad used to say, "If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

If you aren't part of the light, you're part of the darkness.

Wake up!

How's that for words?

I am a Republican Mormon Woman

In order for a person not to have contempt prior to investigation one must know the facts.

1. I am a Republican. If you want to understand the reason why, you need to read the Republican platform, and the book "The 5000 Year Leap." You must also understand that I was raised by a father who had polio when he was a young boy, and despite his disabilities would never think of taking a cent from the government. As my dad saw it, here were the levels of responsibility for taking care of someone who was truly in need of help. The person should take care of themselves as far as possible, then the family should step in, next the church or local community should help, and if all those backups fail then State welfare should take a look. Never, never, never should the Federal government become the giver of welfare. Never. It causes dependency which the politicians can then manipulate for a vote.

2. I am a Mormon. If you want to understand the reason why, you should look into the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, read the Book of Mormon (at least some portion of it), get to know some good Mormon people, and browse around on the web site--mormon.org.

3. I am a woman. If you want to understand the reason why, I don't think you'll find an answer. But, you can get to know me and find out how I feel about being a woman and the responsibilities I've chosen to take on to try and make the world a better place.

Words of Wisdom for Today

Since listening to our politicians for the last many months, I think that most could use a few gems of wisdom from America's sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln.

"Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another, but let him work diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built."

"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life."

"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts."

"It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

Thanks, Honest Abe!

Education

A place where members of a republic need to be ever vigilant is in the realm of education, for what goes into the heads of our young people becomes the policy of later years. And to argue that the parents have the main sway in their children's preceptions, does not hold true into the years of high school and higher education. We know that one of the chief jobs of young people is to rebel against the "old-fashioned" teachings of Mom and Dad.

Here's an example. For several decades the concept was taught in history classes that the founding fathers of this republic were severely flawed individuals with no moral character or concern for all the people who lived or would live under the flag of the United States. I remember being taught these ideas in my high school civics and history classes. At home, I was taught that the founders were wise men of conscience who worked hard to establish a set of laws that would keep fallible leaders in check and allow for amendments which could be used to correct oversights. The battle lines were drawn, and for several years I found myself bitterly opposed to any thought my parents held about this country.

Luckily, as I matured, I learned to do my own independent reading and research, and I came to know that those who founded this country were truly remarkable individuals.

Let's not be complacent. It shouldn't matter if we have children in school or not; we should know the curriculum and what's being taught whether it be history, sex education, or science. Remember, those students will grow up to be our leaders.

Note: please study the Cultural Revolution in China, and Mao Tse-tung's thoughts on education and his use of young people as Red Guards.

Good and Evil?

A government of the people, by the people, and for the people must take into account the duel inclinations of human nature. Within each person is the pull of good and evil. When enacting laws to govern a populace, these opposites of human nature must be recognized. It should also be noted that, in a Republic, since we choose men and women to represent us, we must be vigilant in assessing their leaning.

Aristotle told of this duality in the story of the white dog and the black dog.

A man came across another man walking two dogs, each on their own leash. One dog was white and the other black. Both were straining against their ropes in an attempt to be in the lead. The one man asked the dog owner, "Which one wins?" The dog owner answered, "The one I feed the most."

We should continually ask ourselves if our laws encourage the best qualities of human nature and fairly punish the meaner propensities. So too, we should be watching our elected leaders to see which dog is in the lead.

Natural Law

Within the Declaration of Independence are these words, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Natural law means laws that govern men that are God given, not man given. As stated by Sir William Blackstone in his book Commentaries on the Laws of England: "And these [great natural rights] may be reduced to three principal or primary articles: the right of personal security; the right of personal liberty; and the right of private property; because as there is no other known method of compulsion, or of abridging man's natural free will, but by an infringement or diminution of one or other of these important rights, the preservation of these, inviolate, may justly be said to include the preservation of our civil immunities in their largest and most extensive sense."

In order to have a dialogue about government, and especially the government established for America, the principle of Natural Law must be acknowledged and approached in the discussion.