Revisiting the Heart of our Declaration of Independence

I am re-running this because it is SO good for us as Americans to read and ponder. The author, Eric Sloane, I think truly captures the heart of the generation of patriots that created our little political experiment which has changed the world so much for the better. America's little declaration unleashed a flood of liberty that has reached to the ends of the earth. So here it is again, please read it and let me know what you think.
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Declaration of Self-Dependence (a.k.a. Declaration of Independence)
by Eric Sloane in, "The Spirits of 76" published by Ballantine in 1973. The author challenges us to consider the spirit behind the words of the Declaration of Independence. He believes that we have changed some of the meanings and are often missing the real spirit of the words. He begins... (bold words are my emphasis)

"One night, while reading about the Declaration of Independence, I dozed off wondering what it must have been like to have taken part in its writing. Suddenly I was there. With a quill pen I was writing the great words. ‘When in the course of human events.” The rest I do not recall, but I remember the title being different—Declaration of Self-Dependence.

As I think now of my dream, the title made more and more sense. The 1776 proclamation referred so much to the American revolutionists that it lacked the flavor of a personal statement. Now, two centuries later, the population and its government have become so vast and complicated that the voice of the individual is vague, weak, and less heard. Perhaps a more pertinent, personal declaration is in order, and herewith I present my declaration for today.

When in the course of human events, the material well being of a society obscures the spiritual principles upon which that society was founded, it becomes proper to review out heritage and redeclare its reason for being. Only by such recollection can a true renaissance of the original American spirit occur.

My nation was born with a declaration of independence, but to be free, I must also practice an individual independence.

The statement of 1776 had unique worth because it was the first government manifesto to totally respect the independence of the individual. Different from other national statements of purpose, it was not a declaration of domination but one of liberation.

I hold these truths to be self-evident, that within our democracy the exact principles which rule the conscience and economy of the individual must also govern the conscience and economy of the government. I hold therefore that government waste in any form is intolerable, because just as no family can for long spend more than it earns, neither can a government do so. As frugality is part of the family economy, so must thrift be important to national revenue. The practice of thrift is insurance against greed, which had no part in the original American philosophy.

I hold that respect is the root of morality and that disrespect for oneself, for others, or for the nation is contrary to the American spirit.

I believe that self-dependence produces self-respect. Therefore, helping a man to be self-dependent is an admirable pursuit. But helping a man while taking away his initiative and independence is degrading. Permanently doing for a man what he can do for himself is contrary and destructive to the American tradition. I believe in the dignity of labor and the pursuit of excellence. Therefore, I believe that striving for the most pay for the least amount of work is an immoral aim. It is a principle that cannot endure without eventual demoralization of the worker and decay of workmanship.

Just as you cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong, I believe that the wage earner cannot profit by destroying the wage payer. Both capital and labor have equal rights in the American system, and the independence of both is equally deserving of recognition. For either to strike against public welfare or violate the innocent is immoral and against the American tradition.

I believe that the moral strength of the nation is only as strong as the moral strength of its individuals. I therefore commit myself to the pursuit of labor, respect. independence, thrift, excellence, and peace. I hold that self-­dependence of the individual is a reflection of self-dependence of the nation. that the American heritage is not only something bestowed upon the individual but, equally, what the individual contributes to his country.

I consider “In God We Trust” a profound statement of national commitment. I believe that democracy without commitment to God is a departure from the original American concept. I believe that all men are endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights and that the foregoing creed renders not only independence to the nation but self-dependence for each American."

O.K. back to Politics - Aussie style!

You have GOT to read this - it is so...so...on target in so many ways! Sometimes, you just have to say it or you'll burst! Here is the link to this must read post, 10 signs that you're a Moral Idiot.
In case the link won't work, here is a quick and way too brief summary of the article (you really should go to the article!). Thanks to Jack Lacton of Kerplunk - shaken not stirred. You gotta love those Australians - way to go!

"We live in an age of cognitive dissonance, of inverted values and of true Orwellian doublethink. The Left believes in, amongst other things, gay rights, women's rights and rehabilitation for thieves while also offering moral support to radical Islam, which hangs gays, stones errant women to death and chops the hands off thieves. On the Right, we stand in bewilderment wondering why nobody has learned the lessons of the evil of socialism throughout the last century or understands the threat of totalitarianism in this one.

Given all of this topsy turvey-ness it seems to me that we need some sort of test, a guide, in order to establish whether your moral compass is tuned correctly. Therefore, I have prepared the following 10 signs that you're a Moral Idiot and hope that it helps guide you towards good, solid values in life.

1. You can't tell the difference between Israel and her enemies*. This really is the ultimate test. If you are so dozy, so hopelessly indoctrinated with University-educated ignorance that you equate a democratic (and extremely left wing!) Israel, a country that has had to defend itself from attack for all of its existence, in which a million Arabs live peacefully alongside Jews, in which Arabs have the highest standard of living (by miles) of any country in the Middle East, in which Arabs serve on the judiciary, in which Arabs stand for, and are voted into, the Knesset (their parliament) with the suicide bombing, fanatical, genocidal, death cults known as Hamas, Hezbollah or Fatah then you are definitely a Moral Idiot and there's no hope for you...
2. You believe that the United States is the greatest threat to world peace. This sign is similar to the first sign about Israel. In order to hold this view you must forget that America fought a civil war to eradicate slavery, costing a huge number of lives, proving the moral strength that underpins its values even to this day. You must forget about America's role in saving the Allies in WWII, rebuilding the Japanese and European economies afterwards and defeating socialism during the Cold War (probably something you're still not too thrilled about anyway) and then going home afterwards when it could have annexed half of Europe. You must forget about the fact that the US is the largest provider of humanitarian aid on the planet, exceeding all other nations combined and is the first and only non-Imperial superpower in history (even France still has greater imperial influence than America). You must forget that its free market approach and entrepreneurship have driven the economies of the world forward in a way unlike the collective efforts of all nations through history... In short you must believe that there is nothing exceptional about the United States at all and that its only intention is to rule the planet in spite of the fact that there is nothing in the evidence cupboard to support the argument. If you believe that the United States is the greatest threat to world peace then you're a Moral Idiot.
3. You believe that all cultures are equally valid. This particular piece of hare-brained logic has its roots in secular multiculturalism...(and) has resulted in a loss of societal values and along with that has gone the ability to differentiate good from evil and right from wrong... But, oh no, cry the cultural relativists...We must respect their culture and bend over backwards to accommodate their disgusting values even if it means allowing Muslim women to wear the profoundly demeaning mask of oppression, the burqa, when in public here, giving moral support to the obnoxious...or agreeing to replace our own symbols for fear of offending a violent and backward religion. It demeans us and cheapens our culture. Congratulations, if you believe that all cultures are equally valid then you're a Moral Idiot.
4. You believe that Iraq 2.0 is all about oil. ...Here's a fact that people don't know - 80% of the United States oil supply comes from itself, Canada and Mexico... If the United States wanted Iraq's oil then...why didn't it just buy it? Would have been much cheaper. Because they're warmongers and wanted it for free, you cry, thus demonstrating the terrific double standard you have that also supports socialist confiscation of western companies' assets such as happened in Chile and Cuba, and is going on in Venezuela today particularly with foreign owned oil companies... If you believe that Iraq 2.0 is all about oil then you're a Moral Idiot.
5. You believe that war is not the answer. The irony is that war was the answer when it was needed to protect your ongoing right to say that war is not the answer. It was the answer to defend Europe from Germany in both WWI and WWII... When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan you didn't protest against that because it was obviously OK for them to cause the death of 1.5 million people. Not a peep when the Rwandans started a war that exterminated a million or more Hutus. Must have been the answer to something, surely? ...no protests against the Iran-Iraq War with another million dead. No protests about Ethiopia or Mozambique or the 1.5 million killed in the Congolese conflict. Checks the history...nope, no protests against Cambodia and the 1.6 million dead there or the 2 million dead in the Second Sudanese Civil War. If you stay silent on totalitarian and socialist atrocities while advocating that for the good guys 'War is not the answer' then you're a Moral Idiot (and a bloody dangerous one at that).
6. You believe that Fidel Castro has been a positive influence for Cuba and a role model for the world....
7. You believe that 9/11 was an inside job. Another particular favourite of mine. In order to believe this one you must first believe that America is rotten to its core and that it will do anything in order to promote its interests, including killing 3000 of its own citizens...The key, for me, was the reaction of George W Bush when told of the attacks. He sits there looking like a stunned mullet without a clue what to do for nearly ten minutes. If it was a set up then he would have been immediately up on his feet, in front of a camera, marshalling the country and showing himself to be a man of action in time of crisis... So, despite a plethora of incontrovertible evidence you continue to be driven by ideological hatred and maintain your lunatic position. If you believe that 9/11 was an inside job then you're a Moral Idiot.
8. You believe we should sign the Kyoto Protocol. Hmmm, you say, why is there a moral aspect to this? If you disagree with me then aren't I just an idiot and not a moral idiot? Good question... If you want to hamstring the US economy (the greatest provider of humanitarian aid on the planet) and transfer money to China and Russia through carbon trading schemes (which is their net effect) while we have a here and now crisis in Africa then your values are inverted and you're a Moral Idiot.
9. You believe that socialism is still the answer. The fact is that socialism is still surprisingly popular, especially among the world's academics... And just as a point of clarification - Marx made no distinction between communism and socialism - which is why I always use the latter, more accurate term (after all, it was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). The theory is that 'we just haven't got it right yet' and we still need to do some fine tuning. Well, Stalin fine tuned 20 million of his compatriots into early graves, but even he was left for metaphorical dead by Chairman Mao whose Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution and other assorted attempts at fine tuning socialism into something workable required the digging of 40 million graves in order to bury the evidence of failure... How many million did the Vietnamese knock off with their fine tuning? The Cambodians? And what about our current favourite socialists, those crazy North Koreans? ...
10. You believe that (fill in the blank). Here's your chance!... The best entry takes this prized 10th spot!"

Told you it was a good read - and this is just the abbreviated version.

Words of Comfort & Words We'd Like to Forget

As the day dawns on this fourth year after losing our infant son Joshua, I was reminded of what it says in the Bible in John 16:33, where it says something that always brings me GREAT comfort. But as I finished the passage I realized that it also says something that I would also like to forget about if I could. But you can't have one without the other it would seem.

It says, “…these things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus says in Him we will find and have peace (that's good news that I have personally experienced!) But He also spoke with absolute certainty – in this world, you WILL have tribulation. Without even speculating on how God might use tribulation in my life - it’s just that simple. And I find that I often forget that I live in a fallen world. Frankly, it’s a wonder things don’t go more wrongly than they already do!

So the bottom line is that sooner or later, we all have to face a whirlwind. If we think otherwise, we only deceive ourselves and set ourselves up for a deep faith challenging shock when it finally does come. As human beings, we instinctively shy away from distress, pain and discomfort. And it's no mystery why we generally avoid thinking about such things – they are bummers! But I guess that is a big mistake.

Paul tells us to “work out our salvation w/ fear and trembling” in Philippians 2:12. And while I don't think we are intended to live life like some "Nervous Nellie," paranoid and trembling at every shadow, I DO think that part of this "working out our salvation" is being aware of ALL that it will mean to live a life of Faith – which according to His own words, WILL include suffering & trials.

It’s certainly something my family has learned an awful lot about in the last four or five years. And like everyone else, we were surprised when the maelstrom struck us from out of nowhere – just when we thought we were finally escaping a time of scorching trials (I had left a job in another state and moved my family to CA only to find I couldn't easily find work or a place to live - it's a long story and it was a necessary move we had to make. After over a year of looking for work, it looked like I had finally found something promising when Joshua got sick one day...). And yet, while we may have been surprised, I wouldn’t say we were entirely unprepared. AND IT MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE! It is during times of trials that our beliefs are truly put to the test. C.S. Lewis says it well in his little book A Grief Observed,
“You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. It is easy to SAY you believe a rope to be strong and sound as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn’t you then first discover how much you really trusted it?… Only a REAL risk tests the reality of a belief.”

Because we have Jesus’ warning – it WILL come – it’s just a question of enduring it with as much faith and strength of character God can rally in us. And that will only happen when our eyes are open and our minds and hearts are prepared for anything in this life – not just peace and blessing. Because when the floods hit – you don’t have much time to think – you need to already know how to swim – or in my case, at least how to dog paddle! How do I do that? By making sure my spiritual root system is deep – that my fellowship w/ God is alive and sustaining. Because when the storm strikes – it is too late to sink deeper roots – you are caught unawares with what you have.

I never truly knew my how my roots would hold until they were shaken harshly. Four yrs ago today, we lost our 8 mo. old son Joshua. He got sick on Friday and by early Sat. morn. He was gone. I won’t lie to you – that maelstrom tore off the bark and cracked many a limb in my soul. I almost curled up in the scorching sun and bowed to the ground under the fiercest winds I ever imagined. But to my surprise my faith and trust in God stood fast because of the strength of the relationship with Christ in the years that preceeded the maelstrom. There was nothing new I could have learned in the first days that followed the flood – my mind and heart were closed down w/ grief. But when the waters rise and you stumble about in shock and your heart goes numb – it is an amazing thing to see God pick you up and carry you along. In those times, only the love & presence of God brings any lasting comfort.

May you never know such a time of howling grief and numbing loss. And yet, since we all must go through something like it at least once in this life at some point, may the Grace and Peace of God strengthen and sustain you as it did me and my family. You CAN trust in Him and He WILL carry you if you let Him.

Mama Never Said There'd Be Days Like This!

My last entry was featured in a local Sacramento area blog review - ipsoSacto. Very cool. I doubt this one will make it though! I don't have anything witty or political to say. Well, O.K., I ALWAYS have something political I COULD say - being that there is so much political insanity going on here in the good ole Left Coast. But I'll likely refrain today and tomorrow. Tomorrow it will have been four years since losing our infant son to RSV and a doctor's ineptitude. Not wanting to invite a libel or slander lawsuit I'll refrain from more detail. Suffice it to say that some days it is harder to keep forgiving. I don't really completely blame the doctor - everything happened SO fast - he was only sick 20 hours or so. In the main, I decided long ago to just accept what had happened and to try not to drag anyone down into the misery and loss with me. Hurting someone else, even if it seems they might deserve it a little, doesn't really end up making you feel any better - though it may seem that way when you first think of it. The old adage, "Misery loves company," may be true to some extent, but I can tell you from personal experience it really doesn't take away your pain in any way. When you lose a child, nothing is going to make you feel any better except the Creator who made you and the passing of time. What kind of stinks though, is that while nothing can really make you feel much better, LOTS of things can make you feel worse! Not very fair is it?
Anyway, here is a picture of our Joshua. Please cherish the time you have with your loved ones. You really don't know how long you will have them in this life. Bad things CAN happen to anyone. The sooner we embrace that truth without becoming paranoid or miserable, the easier it will be to weather the storms that evetually must come into every life. And maybe, just maybe, we will have prepared ourselves a little better so that we can deal with them with more grace and be able to help other loved ones walk through it as well. Coming to terms with loss is a complicated and personal process but it is the only way to stay sane and spiritually strong in the aftermath.

The Constitution Party

Hey, I found an intriguing website for a political party called the Constitution Party. Check out their website (click on the title of this blog to go there) and read their party platform. No nonsense, easy to figure out what they believe! I find their platform pretty much totally echoes my thoughts and sentiments about a lot of issues. They are a national party, I think, but I don't know if they have any members elected to office anywhere. I wish someone with real name recognition and national respect would join them and seek a high office - governor, senator or president. I think things would improve quite a bit though the political landscape would change drastically!!!!!!