How studying the classics has changed me (really!)

 About 9 months ago I embarked on a journey to study 'the classics' more in depth. I love this definition of a classic: any book that when you read it over again you gain more from it. That broadened and lightened up my reading immensely! A few experiences lately have made me realize the profound impact just studying more in depth for this short time has had on me.

The last few months I have been sick on and off, just flu type stuff. I have been extremely blessed to enjoy great health all my life and as small as these incidents were they had an impact on me, not least of which was a huge expansion in empathy for friends who suffer from chronic health issues and still manage to take care of their families. My first thoughts were of Corrie in The Hiding Place, at least I am in my comfortable home, not waiting in a concentration camp line or prison cell with no hope of any comfort when I am sick.

When literally the best I could do for the kids for dinner was drag out the 72 hour kits and break out the granola bars and jerky, I again thought of Corrie and her 'prison bag' she left behind. It was her type of 72 hour kit for the inevitable consequence of standing up for right and she walked away from it in hopes of sparing other lives. First instead of feeling the guilt and the self pity that I probably would have felt previously had this happened, I was grateful I had my 72 hour kits to draw on and I pondered on if I would have had the strength to walk away from something that would help and sustain me and my family in small hope that my doing so would help others avoid prison and death.

Rather than praying for God to let this pass quickly, like I would have done before, in remembrance of Betsy and the Fleas, I thanked God for this small trial and learned what I could from it and realized there could be greater meaning, seeing it as an opportunity rather than a burden. I also prayed, 'thy will be done,' remembering Corrie ' There are no 'if's' in God's kingdom... His timing is perfect. His will is our hiding pace. Lord Jesus, keep me in Your will! Don't let me go mad by poking about outside it.'

I also thought of my recent reading of Sense and Sensibility which for me this reading through could have been more aptly named 'Selfless and Selfishness'. I thought of Elinor who suffered just as Marianne, but bore it well, didn't wallow in self pity and did her best to help those around her, as opposed to Marianne who wallowed, cared little of how her behavior affected others and due to her wallowing, self pity and high drama ended up nearly dying, and the regrets she expressed after recovery about her conduct. I didn't want to be Marianne. When my children were clamoring at the bathroom door and I just wanted to shut them out and to curl up and wallow in self pity I thought of Elinor and did my best to help those around me despite my condition. I also thought of Jane Eyre: Do what's right, no matter what the personal cost. Elinor and Jane gave me strength.

Because of my reading We Hold These Truths to be Self Evident I also thought about the importance of natural law in our lives and how it governs everything, the more we fight against it the greater the consequences. What natural laws was I dismissing? Not that I am saying anyone with an illness or trial is living contrary to natural law, far from it. God gives us trials to strengthen us. But for me it was worth pondering. I had always thought the whole 'take care of yourself first so you can care for your family' to be a bit of a feminist cop out, but then I realized that since my 3rd baby was born 9 months ago I really haven't gotten a good nights sleep or really been able to eat how I know my body needs me to eat to feel my best, you know, like sit down and eat a meal without being interrupted and having to jump up and get something for somebody, or giving all the good parts away to the kid next to you. I still don't quite know what to do here, I struggle finding balance, but it was a wake up call that I needed to do better for myself somehow, someway...

The other incident that illustrated the value of a classic was when my beloved dog died very suddenly and unexpectedly. She was my best friend, my running companion, the one I could turn to who I knew would love me without requiring anything from me in the moment. She was the only thing I had that was truly MINE, you know how it is as a mom, everything you have and are is community property. Mona-girl was our family dog and adored my kids and would have fought to the death for them, but really she was MINE, her allegiance, loyalty, everything she was was devoted to me. She taught me a lot about how my relationship to God should be. I was her salvation (she came from the shelter) and I was her provider. Every need she had was met (or attempted to be met) by me and she recognized that. What gave me solace when she died? Besides my belief in God's love and mercy to ALL his creatures and His eternal plan for each and every one of his creations, it was the quote from Little Britches ' The only time to feel sorry for anything - or anybody- that dies is when they haven't completed their mission here on earth. ' I truly felt in my heart that Mona had completed her mission her on earth and a merciful God had taken her home without her ever having to experience the frailty of old-age or suffering.

I know this my sound trite to those who have experienced great hardships like chronic health issues or the loss of a child, but for me the classics strengthened me beyond myself to help me deal with these small incidences better. It makes me really want to keep reading should, heaven forbid, something much, much heavier come. I want to be prepared to be 'anti-fragile' - come out of it better, stronger and wiser than when I went into the refiners fire, thanks to MY classics.

A book that revolutionized my thinking about government: 'We Hold These Truths to be Self Evident' by Oliver DeMille

‘Most people who are concerned about America spend most of their time ranting and raving against particular parties or individuals, leaving the deep-rooted issues unquestioned, unaddressed and thereby unresolved...Those who truly want to make a difference in the world must first make a difference in themselves by disciplining themselves to look past the surface waves and into the deeper movements of the underlying tide.’ YES!! First we must make a difference in ourselves. I love this, I have always felt this way and that is why I have shied away from most political discussions and any personal involvement in politics, because how we know ‘involvement’ today does not resolve issues.

My grandpa was an incredibly patriotic career Air Force Col. and very involved in many community facets. In fact, this tribute was given at his funeral:‘He was a strong man and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country and his brethren from bondage and slavery; Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people. Yea and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights and his country and his religion even to the loss of his blood.’ (Especially high praise if you are of my faith and recognize the scripture describing Capt. Moroni.) I’ve always wanted to carry on his legacy, but I wasn’t sure how. I wanted to make a difference, but what I saw being done in the political realm was digging deeper holes and I just didn’t see any other way, so just chose not to be involved. Then I learned about natural law and how I can apply it to my life. My answer! Grandpa, I feel like here is where I can carry on your legacy, by living and teaching these laws to my children.

Do you know why the founding generation, a rag-tag band of colonists, were able to defeat the greatest military power in the world at that time? It was because they (rich and poor alike) all understood natural law. ‘In other countries, the people, more simple, and of a less brilliant caste, judge of an ill principle in government only by an actual grievance; here (in the colonies) they anticipate the evil, and judge of the pressure of the grievance by the badness of the principle. They foresee misgovernment at a distance, and snuff the approach of tyranny in every tainted breeze.’ This was true of the general populace, not just a few lawyers, politicians, zealots or whatever, almost everyone had a great education in the classics that exposed them to natural law. ‘Education makes people easy to lead, but difficult to drive, easy to govern, but impossible to enslave.’ ( Lord Brougham)

‘America’s founders ensured their freedoms because they understood them.’ Freedom and responsibility are so inseparable and intertwined. Those who have (or take) the responsibility for freedom are those who will have freedom. The problem is no one in our day is taking that responsibility – only those who have made a career in politics and arguably not even them. How do we take responsibility for our freedom? We get a world class education in the classics and natural law, like our founders did and apply that stuff. I love this: 'There is only one subject and that is TRUTH for application and improvement.' We as a populace have got to learn the truths our forefathers knew once again. As it stands freedom is deteriorating because no one has the education of leadership our founders had, the result of the current education offering is a ‘widespread specialization complemented by arrogance, pride and general ignorance.’ (A Thomas Jefferson Education, 27)

‘Government just keeps growing, and it will continue to grow as long as the prevailing viewpoint of modern government is that there is no higher power than government itself and its purpose is to fix everything possible. Sure most of don’t think of government as God, or do we? Do we think government is the most ‘powerful entity’ in the world? Maybe, maybe that’s why we think it should fix all people’s problems from health care to meal tickets to a whole bunch of foreign wars...and if we act like Washington is the most powerful entity can we really blame Washington for trying to fix lots of things ( and failing, but that’s another story). If we feel like they have the power to, can we blame them for trying? That’s just the thing, government is NOT the most powerful entity in the world or the universe and until we realize that (and act like we realize this) government will just keep growing trying to fix every problem. There are laws, scientific and revealed that are higher than any government, leading to Law 1.

Law 1: The Law of Supremacy. Natural law, not manmade law is supreme. It is the basis for all freedom and success and manmade constitutions and laws must adhere to natural law or freedom will decrease.

I believe God rules in human affairs and by putting so much credo in government are we maybe abdicating our personal responsibility to do our individual part to help and fix things?
The framers of the Constitution made mention of some of these supreme laws in the Declaration of Independence: all men are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights (that no government CAN take away.) This was giving a nod to the fact that there is a supreme power over anything those great men did to form a government. They knew this and therefore created a government that honored these natural laws, especially the law of supremacy. ‘If nations or individuals break natural law, there are inevitable natural consequences and manmade laws cannot undo such consequences.’

I can better apply this law in my own life by drawing closer to God and knowing His will is my hiding place.

Law 2: The Law of Authority. In free societies, all government power comes from the people.

We in America give lip service to this, but I wonder if we understand it. Ruling by might is pretty common, but its authority is illegitimate. The framers gave government the power to protect people from a wrong , a wrong is anything a person has no natural right to do to another – murder, wounding, striking, rape, theft, fraud, violence, breaking a contract, among others- protection from these types of wrongs is called a 'right.' If government gets its authority to protect people’s rights from the consent of the people themselves it’s legit. The purpose of government is to maintain equal liberty for all people, and we as a people have given them this authority.

I can better apply this in my own life by standing for equal liberty for every person, in other words, plain and simple I need to always do what I know I should. I need to more willingly and actively work with other people to do what natural morality requires as my duty, listen and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Law 3: The Law of Limits. Free governments only succeed when they are strong and vigorous, and freedom only lasts if their power is effectively limited.

I’ve mentioned inalienable rights (protection from a wrong) which include equal treatment, and protection of life, liberty, property and a person’s ability to pursue their own happiness. Through the law of authority we’ve given the government authority to protect these rights, but that’s pretty much where gov. intervention should end.

‘Whatever government effort is focused on anything other than protecting inalienable rights will reduce the vigor of government in protecting freedoms.’ Seems pretty common sense, opportunity-cost type stuff, but let’s think in terms of our own government. How many government programs are really about protecting inalienable rights? So if that focus, funding, whatever, is going to something else, the government’s main role of protecting our rights and freedoms is suffering.

How can I better apply this in my own life? I need to study, study, study, get a world-class education in the classics and in freedom (which is essentially the same) so I can understand where the limits for our government SHOULD be. ‘When senators, CEOS, judges and presidents have a different kind and level of education than the regular people, the system is an aristocracy.’ Pretty glaringly apparent in what’s shaping up to be the next presidential race, most of the promising candidates have had fathers or perhaps a spouse hold very high political office.

Law 4: The Law of Delegation. The people may not delegate to government any power they do not possess by natural law.

This one was the biggest ah-ha game changer for me that I had never thought through. It seems common sense, but we are so far from practicing it in today’s society. What one person can morally do is no different than what a large group of people can morally do.

So can I feel bad for my neighbor who’s run on some tough times and give him some help, food, money etc.? Absolutely, it may in fact be my moral duty (I think of my application principle for the Law of Authority) but can I mandate to all my neighbors that Joe is having some bad luck and you HAVE to give him money, food or whatever? Ummm…no! Probably wouldn’t go over really well. So why can our government do this? Bottom line, they shouldn’t. The framers never intended it. If it isn’t right for an individual to do, it can’t be right for a government.

Application to me: Think more deeply about different government issues and agendas in the realm of would it be right for me as an individual to do that?

Law 5: The Law of Force. Humans can only morally use force on other people for self-defense, and government can only morally use force on people for the collective self-defense; any other use of government power is a violation of natural law.

Government is force, plain and simple. Therefore we have to be very careful with what powers we give government. We can NOT control how the government uses the power very easily once it’s been given, so we must think in terms of force whenever we hand over power to government. If bad men in government had this power what could the force upon us? Not saying all men in government are bad, but give good men power that could be used badly and we can’t always guarantee good men will fill those positions.(In my faith I think of King Benjamin and what he did before his death – set up the rule of the judges despite the people loving him as a king and wanted to continue with kings, because not all kings could be counted on to be good. George Washington did much the same thing.) So once again Government power (force) should really be strictly limited to self-defense and collective self-defense for our nation. ‘Every manmade law is based on force and therefore must actually provide for the protection of people’s inalienable rights… When a person steals from another, it is called theft; but when the government steals from another (meaning that it takes or requires anything for any reason other than legitimate self-defense), it is often considered good policy by those who don’t understand natural law.’ ‘When government gets involved in anything beyond stopping criminals and invasions it pretty much always goes too far.’ (Kind of another aspect or level to the Law of Limits)

Application to me: Again, I think I just need to think about government issues and policies and question if they really are for self-defense (collective or individual) and remember all government policy is essentially force.

Law 6: The Law of Decline. When governments break natural law, they bring the decline of freedom and the decline of prosperity on their own nation.

When government is used to do things that an individual could not morally do (breaking the Law of Force and/or Delegation or any other natural law) this kind of law will multiply and infect the whole governmental system. ‘ It will cause the end of the nation’s world leadership, and eventually the end of it’s freedoms and prosperity – unless the trend is reversed.’ Scary and ominous for America, but if enough people know about these laws we CAN and WILL change it.

Application to me: Spread knowledge of these natural laws far and wide so enough folks will know enough to make a difference.

Law 7: The Law of Power. It is the nature of power to try to centralize, and once it is centralized to attempt to expand its control.

I loved the analogy. Picasso aimed to show the ugly that sometimes hides in well designed facades by taking beautiful things, breaking them into pieces, then rearranging them in misshapen ways. (Reminds of Isaiah 5:20: Wo unto them who shall good evil and evil good, shall call light darkness and darkness light.) Government has a long history of using such facades to hide what it is really doing.

‘People who wield power influence all of us, whether the power is used openly or in concealed ways. As a result, understanding power is vital to maintaining freedom.’ Are we as a people seeing the facade or the truth of hidden designs and actions? Picasso-like thinking: are we seeing past the misshapen design to what it really represents?
Today there can be no doubt that government power is centralizing (and has been for some time) and that it is drastically expanding. How ‘controlled’ do we really want to be?

Application to me: I can’t really think of anything right off, other than being aware of this in our government and my own natural man tendencies in my family. Do I seek to expand my control beyond what really is my duty as a mother, simply because, let’s be honest, I am a pretty central control point. I had a really interesting insight today. Flint was trying to force Liza to play school with him, she didn’t want to. I told him he couldn’t force her to do anything they didn’t want to. He replied, ‘But mom you force me to do things!’ Ouch! Then I thought natural law – yes sometimes I do force things ( much more than I should and I am now more cognizant of this and trying to do better) but my husband and I are the authority for our family (that authority came from God) and I can enforce protection of people’s rights and property… like when you hit your sibling I can use force to prevent or reconcile the issue by restraining the striking hand or exacting the extra chore consequence. Or when you are destroying property by throwing a giant tizzy fit I can use force to put an end to that and still be within natural law. Beyond protecting rights, I should NOT be using force. Interesting train of thought anyway.

Law 8: The Law of the Gaps. Freedom is found in the gaps, where governments compete for power.

Here the multiple branches of government were talked about and how important it is to have multiple branches competing against each other, because in that very competition freedom is preserved. Under this system with 10 (yes, 10, who knew?) branches of government working to keep each other in check by 1945 with just 6% of the world’s population the U.S. was creating more than half of the world’s goods and services (WOW!) – not by government planning, but mostly through voluntary free enterprise. The law of power was harnessed to allow the law of gaps to work.

The 10 branches were listed as:
1.Executive – the presidency, meant to represent the nation, mainly in preserving national security.
2. Spending Branch – The House, see natl. needs and implement solutions
3. Aristocratic Branch – The Senate, meant to keep most of the ambitious leaders in one place where they could be closely watched (very interesting I thought!) and they’d also naturally check the spending branch.
4. Judicial- Supreme Court, represents the constitution and keeps other branches from exceeding their written powers. Is that really what they are doing today?
5. The governing branches -- States. Interesting word choice – GOVERNING.
6. Participative branch – local governments, meant to keep people involved and participating in maintaining their freedoms.
7. The checking branch—juries, able to check government if it unjustly attacked the regular people. (unlawful arrests, use of excessive force, etc.)
8. Backup checking branch -- Grand juries.
9. The Federalizing Branch -- Electoral College, meant to keep all the power for deciding executive functions from being had by most populace states.
10. The overseer branch – voters, who would closely watch the entire system and keep it in line through regular elections and ongoing participation between elections.
These 10 branches of government were meant to cooperate as needed to thwart any great national security threat, but continually compete with each other on every other issue. Freedom really is found in the gaps, that’s why the framers designed so many branches, so there could be more gaps between them. As Washington centralizes and gains more power over our lives, there are fewer and fewer gaps (aka areas of opportunity). Unless this is reversed American freedom is in serious jeopardy.

Application to me: be more involved in ongoing participation between elections and work on building more sense of community with my neighbors.

Law 9: The Law of the Vital Few. Through history, real freedom depends on the leadership of a few ordinary people who do extraordinary things.

Honestly, when these laws were lined out they seem like total common sense, but I’ve gotten so caught up in the political brouhaha that is the news that I forgot to apply this common sense. This is the hope, it only takes a few of us, in the gaps, who exert leadership to preserve freedom. ‘As badly as America has gone off track, the Constitution still gives the people the FINAL say… We may rise up and use our power, simply ignore it, or we may follow the lead of the elite media.’ Interesting choice, huh?

‘Citizens stand up for freedom when they think independently, refusing to be swayed by the agendas or propaganda of media organizations or political parties. If the middle class voted in unison against elite schemes and proposals we could fix Washington quickly.' The two-party system that is so pushed by our media and the elites, is the reason we don’t do this. They’ve managed to divide the big voting block so as middle-class we essentially nullify our own power… leaving it to the elites… more pause for thought.

Here’s the solutions the author gives: 1st – take a stand for freedom and think independently. 2nd – carefully consider who you vote into the House. As the spending branch they have the most ability to slow the growth of the biggest centralizing power – the national executive. We need to elect those who will truly change things. Watch the House and get involved in watching and influencing their choices. We all still have this ability. 3rd – Spread entrepreneurship (this was hard for me to grasp at first, but I think I got it). Successful entrepreneurship engages people in important undertakings that directly benefit society. Build community. Take action to improve society without waiting for government. Inspire people to live up to their potential instead of settling for making a living which is the mediocrity that is the norm in declining nations.

‘The future of freedom depends on the few- the entrepreneurial few – who take the risk of aiming for greatness and refusing to settle for societal norms of mediocrity.’ Go out and do extraordinary things without waiting for the direction or permission of officials or governments. This ties back into law of supremacy a bit, government feels they have the power and should fix things, maybe because no one else is trying too (maybe because of gov. regulations, but maybe not). Leadership rises most often from average citizens, in contrast to elites who often impede real progress.

Application to me: Be more informed and involved in the House and know that I can make a difference if I try to fulfill my purpose in life.

Law 10: The Law of Liberty. When freedom is reduced for some, it is reduced for all.

Once again I am reminded that those who take responsibility for freedom will have it, those that don’t will lose it. I loved this: ‘ freedom is truly indivisible because taking it from some ultimately reduces the freedom of everyone.’ I also loved this: (credited to Pastor Neimoller regarding Nazi German)

First they came for the communists, And I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.
Then they came for the socialists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.

This is what happens when we willingly stand by and allow others to lose their freedoms because it is not affecting us. ‘Those who truly stand for freedom will stand up for the inalienable rights of all human beings from all walks of life because they realize that when others are free, their own freedom is safer, and when others lose their freedoms, their own freedom is always in jeopardy.’ Plus.. it’s just the right thing to do.

Who are we blatantly taking freedom from with our laws today? Unborn children, as abortion is legal, immigrants with anti-immigration laws, among others. Those were just the first to come to my mind. (Regarding immigration: If people are coming for freedom rather than freebies, which if we weren’t breaking other natural laws by handling welfare as we do, they should absolutely be free to come.)

Application to me: Right from the book, look around, find a group that is being denied rights and opportunities, and help take a stand for freedom, even if you aren’t part of this group. Personally for me an superb equal education for all is my passion and this right is being denied so many underprivileged (and not so underprivileged) and I will do my part to at least let them know that there is a way to still get a superb education wherever you are and whatever your background or resources are.

Law 11: The Law of Economy. All powers delegated to government must be entrusted to the lowest level of government that can effectively accomplish the desired goal.

I wrote a whole blog post on how Common Core is not the real issue behind or the solution to the problems in education today, based on the Law of Economy.

Basically, the Fed. Should be entrusted with the defense of the nation and it’s foreign and federal relations (and possibly help resolve disputes between the states); state governments should be entrusted with civil rights, law , police, administration and other state specific state concerns (like public lands management); the counties with their own concerns and the townships with their own concerns. Think Little House on the Prairie or Anne of Green Gables Town Hall meetings. This hales back to the Law of Power and Law of the Gaps, but if we are following the Law of Economy power is kept from centralizing and more gaps meaning more freedom is had.

‘The very definition of freedom is having the liberty to do the things you want and choose within the realm of your areas of stewardship.’ My above noted blog post delves into this.

If we just could apply this principle SO much money and time would be saved and things would be done a heap better, but we don’t because we are too busy to get involved in local government. ‘Most people don’t mean to lose freedom, but they don’t focus significant time or energy on keeping it.’

Application to me: Be more involved in local government.

Law 12: The Law of Progress. The actual level of freedom and prosperity in any society is directly equivalent to the level of free enterprise.

This is so obvious to me as one of my pet hobbies is economics. Government regulation often stands in the way of free enterprise. The more regulation, the less freedom there is to take action toward goals. Granted some things need regulation (things that affect rights, like medical malpractice etc.) but the more government regulation you have, the less opportunity average people have of working toward their goals and making progress – this is why we have a shrinking middle class today.

I loved this example: A man has one hand stuck in a fire and the other stuck in ice. Free enterprise allows the man to immediately and freely pull his hands out and warm or cool them to the degree needed. If government is dealing with the situation (because they are not following the Law of Economy) he has to go through the whole lobby, campaign process to try and get anything done and it takes way too long. His hands are burned off and frostbitten. Also the government likes to deal in statistics, so by taking the average of the temperatures, to government it would seem like everything is OK, so no change is needed, unfortunately for the poor individual.

People can decide best for themselves in their areas of stewardship (because they know themselves and those areas better than anyone else) and the less government regulates their affairs the better the decisions are and the more progress is made. This is free enterprise and for free enterprise to work the government protects inalienable rights, treats everyone equally and does nothing else.

Application to me: Be more supportive of entrepreneurial pursuits.

These are the 12 natural laws addressed in We Hold These Truths to Be Self Evident by Oliver DeMille. They really have revolutionized my understanding of government. They seem common sense, but also so ground-breaking. These were commonly understood and applied by the founding generation – these laws were the common language all framers of the Constitution and the signers of the Declaration understood and discussed in. If we want the level of freedom those great men envisioned for us we need to understand and apply these laws.

‘The future of freedom and prosperity depends on millions of us understanding natural law and the proper role of government… If we start repealing or changing one or a few such laws (that violate natural law), people will feel more freedom and want to keep going in the right direction. God’s natural laws really are that powerful.’ Not only that, these natural laws are also the laws of success for family life, business endeavors, anything. Pretty powerful.


All qoutes (unless otherwise noted) are from We Hold These Truths to be Self Evident by Oliver DeMille.

The Best Testimony of the Enabling Power of Christ, The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

So much here I want to internalize! This book is truly the greatest testimony I have heard of the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Because of Corrie and Betsie’s faith in Jesus Christ AND living how He would have them live they were able to come through the depravity, brutality and cruelty of a Nazi concentration camp with peace, purpose, mission and assurance. Because of their faith they were able to stand strong when everything was pulling them down and be unselfish, forgiving, persevere and minister to those around them.

The first thing this book made me think of is: How can I give my kids this kind of foundation and faith so (heaven, forbid) if they ever face anything like this they can have the peace of Corrie and Betsie and survive it as well as these two women did? (Betsie may have not survived physically, but spiritually she VERY much is alive and well is testified in the book.)

The answer for me was in Corrie’s father and the family culture he’d created.
• The by -the -clock, morning and evening scripture reading no matter who was there or what was going on (and it wasn’t just reading, this man obviously LOVED the scriptures and shared that love.)
• the selfless service : taking in the aunts and the foster children and sealing his life by saying to the judge who gladly would’ve let him out of prison to return home, ‘ If I go home today, tomorrow I will open my door again to any man in need who knocks.’
• Teaching in parables, using familiar situations and things the kids readily understood to teach principles: The suitcase story- God or I, as a father, will not give you anything too heavy to carry until you are able and ready. The train ticket/death analogy - 'Our wise Father in heaven knows when we're going to need things, too. Don't run out ahead of Him...you will look into your heart and find the strength you need -- just in time.'
• Teaching by example: wanted to show young Nazi youth his error not by lecture, but by showing him of their love for the Bible. Yet, although Father was kind, non judging, always gave the benefit of the doubt, taught by example and had employed people with serious flaws before, giving them the chance to change and the inspiration through his own example, when it became known that this youth was seriously in the wrong with his treatment of Christoffels, father wasn't afraid to make a stand and fired him promptly. (only person he ever fired.)
• Always addressing issues head on (Corrie refusing to go to school), never speaking half-truths even to comfort. False hope is NOT comfort . To illustrate: When Corrie’s love, Karel, announces his engagement to someone else, her father’s reply:
‘Do you know what hurts so very much? It’s love. Love is the strongest force in the world, and when it is blocked that means pain.
There are two things we can do when this happens. We can kill the love so that it stops hurting. But then of course part of us dies too. Or, Corrie, we can ask God to open up another route for that love to travel.
God loves Karel -- even more than you do – and if you ask Him, He will give you His love for this man, a love nothing can prevent, nothing destroy.
Whenever we cannot love in the old human way, Corrie, God can give us the perfect way.’ POWERFUL!

That right there , Corrie says, was secret to overcome the darkness where there was not, on a human level, anything to love at all.
That is why I feel like this is book is the greatest testimony of the enabling power of Christ’s Atonement. Give everything over to Him, ask Him to give you His perfect love and just as Christ overcame the world, so can we through Him, even if that is in a Nazi concentration camp. Because of this belief, death-beds became door-ways to heaven, rampant disease and illness became opportunities to minister and the complete despair and brutality of the whole atmosphere became a great opportunity to testify and share the beacon of hope in Christ.

I LOVED that part of this book, the comparison of their own lives to Christ’s journey through life, how when in the concentration camp they remembered how right before the glorious triumph of the resurrection Christ suffered the utmost brutality, depravity and humiliation at the hands of His captors and likened that to themselves, not in an irreverent way, but as in a Christ overcame the world and accomplished the greatest gift ever given to mankind coming out of that situation, can’t we try do the same here?

As I write I just remember more and more in this book that is so noteworthy! I also loved the emphasis on how we all have different roles to play in life and accomplishing God’s mission for us and how different modes and methods need to be applied by different people to accomplish these things. Nollie, told the truth ALWAYS and was protected ( very literally, ‘the truth will set you free'). Corrie to fulfill her mission had to be more deceptive. Both acted on the true principles taught by their father but relied step-by-step on the guidance of the Holy Ghost to help them with their specific situation and how God wanted them to handle it. (In my faith, reminds me of Nephi killing Laban.) True principles should always guide, but we need the Spirit’s direction to handle all the crazy, different situations life hands us. Plus, we should keep from judging (again Corrie’s father, a great example) because we never know what they are being called on to do to fulfill their God-given mission, it’s different for all of us.

Other noteworthy things:
• The fleas: epic!! This has happened so often in my life. My move to a tiny town a half-mile away from the Father-in-law (who I do NOT see eye-to-eye with), aka hillbilly hell, turned out to be the best thing ever for me. I only wished I would’ve handled it with Betsie’s perspective and grace. I think it’s instructive to note too, that perspective and grace came, once again, from the scripture study habit instilled in them by their father. I just need to remember this principle on a more regular basis now so I can have Betsie’s perspective.
• Pg. 214: ‘This was the great ploy of Satan in that kingdom of his: to display such blatant evil that one could almost believe one’s own secret sins didn’t matter.’
• Pg. 214: ‘ The real sin lay in thinking that any power to help and transform came from me. Of course it was not my wholeness, but Christ’s that made the difference.’
• Corrie refuses to ever indulge in any self-justification. ‘the special temptation of concentration camp life: the temptation to think only of oneself… how easy it was to give it other names.’ I wish I could say my own selfishness only surfaced in concentration camp circumstances. But, seriously, even in that depth of depravity she realized her own short comings, owned them, and sought to change with Christ's help.
• Pg 224: ‘There are no ‘ifs’ in God’s kingdom. His timing is perfect. His will is our hiding place. Lord Jesus, keep me in Your will! Don’t let me go mad by poking about outside it.’ Again and again, this faith buoyed them knowing the Lord’s will would be done, come what may and that everything had a purpose and a plan and because that purpose and plan were in God’s hands it would turn out perfectly.
• How does the immediate or urgent get in the way of the important? I thought of the story of Corrie’s friends in solitary confinement, the ants, and how whenever they surfaced she would drop washing her clothes or whatever to be with these ants, just because they were other alive beings. Such a great example for me in my life as I too often let the chores, the errands, my own selfishness get in the way of being truly present with my husband and children.

Another huge principle taught in this book, but wasn’t where I chose to focus this read was forgiveness. ‘If people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love’.

I could go on and on about this book. It was truly transformational for me. I am just scratching the surface of what I learned here. I can’t wait to read it again!

Oh yes, and another thing I thought was noteworthy is how there were always a few people trying to do good no matter what the circumstances. Corrie and Betsie themselves, but there were also tons of others: the nurse who smuggled Corrie the Bible, Rolfe, the police chief working for and with the Nazis but helping the undeground, the nurses in Ravensbruck tenderly assisting people into trucks bound for the gas chambers, the nurse who told Corrie how to secretly enter the hospital and sought her out to let her see Betsie in peace in death, the supervisor in Ravensbruck who took a personal interest in his workers and made the situation the best he could for them. So many others. Shows me that no matter what, there is always good in the world and inspires me to be part of that good.

2 Thoughts I loved

1. High Class Drones - First I giggled, then I thought. This phrase was used when describing what we potentially create when parents seek to push our children into being mini-adults, vicariously competing against the Jones to see who can be the most busy, accomplished and mature. Over-scheduling and pushing children into many extracurriculars of parent's choosing at the neglect of seeing childhood as an experience and journey in and of itself may create high-class drones. Does childhood really need tons of artificial stimulation to achieve it's true purpose of preparing well balanced successful adults achieving their individual life purpose? Over-scheduling and placing our kids in a ton of activities that, if we are honest, are often simply to help the parent feel better about their role as parent, is abdicating the beauty of childhood and also the inner genius and individuality of each child -- Molding a society of high-class drones who have lots of credentials, but little independent thinking, connection and application ability. I thought it very fitting of the family culture prevalent.

An ideal I like is in the Bible, Luke 2:52, about Christ's childhood. 'And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.' From Jesus the Christ, Talmage: 'He (Jesus) lived the simple life, at peace with His fellows, in communion with his Father, thus increasing in favor with God and man. These years of seclusion were spent in active effort, both physical and mental. Jesus was a close observer of nature and men...all these had contributed to the wisdom in which He grew, as had also the moods of the weather, the recurrence of the seasons and all the phenomena of natural change and order.' I don't see over-zealous parents structuring every moment here, but a kid learning from and enjoying his natural surroundings and relationships organically.



2. "More has NOT changed than has changed...And of course, the telephone, fax machine, email, social media and the like all did incredible things to improve our ability to reach more people....but none of them guarantee that you'll actually reach people. None of them guarantee that you will connect with people, move them and affect them. That's done through the message and content of what you are delivering..'

Darren Hardy said this in a panel discussion about the publishing industry, but I think it is so applicable to our homes and lives. Sure lots has changed even since I was in high school (my husband and I dated in an era with no texting, what?? and seriously, wer're not that old), but 'humans haven't had a software update in 200,000 years'. Are we using the tools we have at our disposal now to really reach, connect with, move and affect those people we most care about? Or are they simply adding more distraction and distance to our lives?

And that, friends, is my musings for the last few days.

Fire hose, Return to Blogging, & RCA

I feel like I have been drinking out of a firehouse lately. So much knowledge coming at me and I can’t quite reap the full benefits of savoring every drop because it’s just coming too fast. I have thought of a spill-way filling a reservoir. Water coming fast and furious, it would bowl you over and drown you if you stood under it, yet eventually it does settle into a still, quiet, beautiful lake that can then be let into irrigation ditches to water crops and provide growth. Hoping this fire hose I am feeling is more like a spillway to a reservoir. Being face-to-face with great knowledge is never bad, even if I am not gleaning the depth I hope to attain someday. I'm writing here again to hopefully better internalize some of this knowledge. No guarantees for regularness though. Life is too great to spend in front of a computer.


Onto the current topic. RCA
Not sure how common the acronym is, but it’s a throwback from my Cargill days. Anytime there was a problem or situation that happened repeatedly or cost a significant chunk of change, we did a Root Cause Analysis (RCA), an exhaustive process trying to drill down to the details of where the issue really was, hopefully ensuring that our solution and processes weren’t just Band-Aids covering a wound that would just reopen with perhaps slightly different details. Just my first thought as I wrote this…

Applying this fire hose of knowledge: I have heard lots of discussion about Common Core lately (who hasn’t?). I am not a fan. (see tangent 1) That said, I think criticizing Common Core is like hacking at leaves, generously a branch, leaving the root issue totally untouched. What is the real issue? The real issue is, we as citizens have at first willingly, then happily, passed off what should be our own personal responsibility to others. Bear with me….

Education is a big one here. No one can educate another, we can inspire, coerce, bribe and/or punish people into complying and regurgitating facts, but we can’t force another’s education. Teachers with great intentions are left with their hands tied (CC or not) when parents, and by extension students, feel that teachers or anyone, besides the kid himself, can and must ‘educate’ children. We've got to inspire our kids to love learning through our own example, then give them the freedom and tools necessary to learn anything and everything (educate) themselves (with guidance and help of course.)

Until we as a society can once again appreciate and love education enough to pursue it ourselves, in concert with and in addition to ‘ formal schooling’ using whatever resources we’ve got (books, classes, mentors, nature, anything) to help us achieve OUR OWN lifelong educational goals, we’re sunk. Any other approach will end up ‘meeting standard’, aka bare minimum requirements to get a job, and most likely not even that, as regurgitating facts is somewhat useless in today’s economy of constant flux and at-our-fingertips info. We need to show the children in our nation that a real education (in addition to, and not soley academic schooling) is the only way to be happy, live a fulfilled life, achieve our goals and better our world. Plus it’s a whole lot of fun!

We’ve done very poorly at this. 33 % of US high school gaduates will never read a book again after high school. 42% of college grads will never again read a book and 80% of US families did not buy a book this year. (Turn the Page, 9) If no one reads, besides textbooks, what are we doing to educate ourselves? Besides that, does anyone out of school remember what was in those textbooks? Can we really class that as education?

So what does abdicating personal responsibility have to do with this? Obviously we have abdicated our responsibility for our own education and along with that we have passed along other responsibilities that should and would be much better handled by ourselves in our own homes and in our own communities, or at least at a lower level than the Federal Government. The founding fathers studied and built our government on natural laws, that is: all laws that are above mankind, including scientific and revealed law. One of these laws I think is very applicable here is the Law of Economy. Issues, agendas, ‘things’ should be addressed at the lowest level possible to still be effective. Absolutely there are things that need to be centralized and handled in Washington, like national defense and things pertaining to it, but education, at least how we do it currently, is not one of those things. (See Tangent 2)

Ideally, education should be taken care of at a community level with tons of involvement from parents. (Radical as I may sound, even state level is above ideal for me.) Sure, sure Common Core is optional for states, but not really if you consider the manipulation of federal funding. And yet, again Common Core is not the issue here. The real issue is handing off responsibility for what we can and should be handling at lower levels. The 'lowest level' where we've handed off accountability where we shouldn't have is in our own lives and homes, when we expect others to take responsibility for what really should be individual's or children's parents responsibility (whether it be in education, teaching morals, accepting consequences, learning basic life skills, taking care of our health, whatever) we set the precedent for big and growing bigger government. Someone's gotta make the decisions and make things happen and if we're not doing it, someone else will. Yep, big intrusive government is simply a symptom of individuals and families handing off responsibility and accountability that is rightfully theirs. Granted it has been festering for many years, decades. Weird I know, but as citizens, the natural laws we keep or break are the same laws the government makes or breaks, and we reap the same consequences. We, the people, really do still have the power if we'll just own it. Anyway...

Centralizing stuff to Washington that should be taken care of at a lower level has been going on at a high rate for 70+ years.Common Core is nothing new, it’s just the current expression of the precedent set. Before it we had the Republican ‘No Child Left Behind’ and tons of other centralization type policies that have set the stage allowing Common Core to happen.

This is why Common Core is not the issue, take away Common Core and the problem will still not be solved, the vacuum will just be opened again for more policy of the same nature. Until we as a citizenry take responsibility for our own education and future opportunities (going way above and beyond formal schooling) and inspire our children to do the same, rather than leave those decisions up to experts in Washington or elsewhere, we’re in for a rough downhill slide. . so go read a book, a good one, a classic that generations have learned from and loved!

**And if we do that for our own education, I have a pretty good bet we’ll step up to the plate and take back our personal responsibility and accountability for a whole slew of stuff that we’ve coaxed ourselves into thinking should be Washington’s OR someone else’s issue to fix.
(back to the Law of Economy, if IT, whatever ‘it’ is, is taken care of at the lowest level possible it’s a whole lot more effective and efficient.)


Tangent 1: Several reasons I don’t like Common Core itself.
1. It moves the focus even further away from true education to standardized test passing and regurgitating knowledge in a specific, defined way. We are already pretty far down this rabbit hole, but CC definitely magnifies it.
2. Teachers who wish to inspire and individualize education to their classrooms are even more limited in how they can do this because they must teach certain things on a certain schedule and have kids pass those tests.
3. Concepts are introduced before most young learners have the maturity to really understand them (especially in math and to some extent in the reading curriculum I’ve seen) Yes, we can force feed these concepts to the point kids can regurgitate at test time, but they don’t have the understanding to really apply or build on these concepts. All of this is driven by ‘meeting average standard’ and comparing and competing our students as a whole body with other nations. (No one is an individual with gifts to give the world, we are a body in job training for a world job market and we must be competitive. . . .)
Tangent in a Tangent: At first, I was OK with having a ‘national standard’ for what requirements should be attained at certain grade levels. I have since changed my perspective on that.
(tangent within tangent within a tangent…hehehe) I used to be opposed to idealistic theories, but now I have decided unless we have idealistic goals we are forever stuck in the realism of mediocrity.
That said, I know this is idealistic, but there really should be no set standard applicable to everyone. It should all be individual standards for education based on students’ aptitudes, weaknesses, personal experiences, opportunities and personal goals and gifts. I believe God will judge and evaluate whether we ‘meet standards’ on a very individual basis taking so many things into account and I believe God has put us here on earth, to learn and grow, to ‘get an education’. I choose to shoot for formulating my child’s education in the type and patterns I believe God operates ( individualized and inspired and inspiring). Granted we are not God, but fallible human beings, and in our current system where one teacher is responsible for 25+ little yahoos (with little outside support from parents) this sounds like an impossibility, but once again if we don’t have an ideal theory to work towards, we are stuck in current realism of mediocrity.

Tangent 2: There were founding fathers who argued that education was critical to national security and should be handled at the Federal level. I totally see their point. Yes, an uneducated populace is at huge risk for foreign invasion, and at an even huger risk for control, manipulation and subjection from a few elites in their own midst, plus stagnating in their economy, but how we are approaching public education now really has nothing to do with helping our kids prevent this type of stuff in the future. It’s all about spewing back facts and figures in accordance with how the teacher wants, essentially job training for employees and mid-level management (we tell you what and how to do it and what knowledge to use, and then you do it- in a new phrase I really like, high-class drone work.) It’s all about preparing assets for the job market, which is a good and necessary thing, but when that is the sole end goal we end up with a serious lack of thinkers, leaders and statesmen and thus it is a national security risk, but a security risk that cannot be addressed by an entity that buys into and promotes this sentiment. (Common Core is an excellent example of this sentiment, but this way of thinking was status quo WAY before CC and Pres. Obama, like back to FDR times.)

So there you have it, my musings on natural law, Comomon Core and RCAs


P.S. There's lots of other natural laws that could better be applied to fix the education culture, and societal problems in general, this is just the first one that came to my mind and was easiest for me to relate to right now. A GREAT easy book on Natural Law, how we are breaking them, the repercussions of breakage and *choir of angels* solutions! (Yes, something in the law/government/(semi)political realm that is not just a diatribe on what the other side is doing wrong, but has solutions available to us regular Joes) is: 'We Hold These Truths to be Self-Evident' by Oliver DeMille. Ever wondered what that phrase you memorized really meant? Honestly I never did, until now. . . Ahhh yes, that is one of the problems of today's education culture. I digress... Great book though that really can help us.



P.P.S. Update since looking at my last post, like 2 years ago. So I ended up LOVE, LOVE, LOVING hillbilly hell. It took me awhile and I am so sad I wasted precious months there struggling and hating it. Alas, once I decided to love it, we moved back to my pretty house. My new ideal: my pretty house in the mountains of hillbilly hell or what I now more kindly refer to as Podunkville.

My sojourn into the wilderness

. . . I sure hope I'm a little quicker on the uptake than the children of Israel because I sure don't want to be here for 40 years.
It's been awhile, ironic that this is the start back of my blogging, and there are no promises that it will continue, but maybe I blog when my life isn't quite inline with what my goals are, maybe I'm filling a void here, who knows, but here's a quick update on my life since I last wrote. I moved into my dream house (WAHOO!!) I had a baby girl (awwww!!!) and THEN my husband was laid off and we moved out of my dream home to hillbilly hell.

No joke, I'm struggling out here. I think I'm usually pretty good at being an optimist and making the best of situations, but I am not doing so hot.

A few things regarding my perception of Mackay, Idaho:
-Anarchy seems to be the preferred political platform. Granted, I don't live under the illusion that our government is flawless and free of corruption, but anarchy? really? Check out what's happening to what started as the Arab Spring to see how well anarchy works out. At least those involved in the Arab Spring where young, I'm not seeing a citizen's militia formed by the disgruntled elderly population of Mackay going all that well, since truly they'd all be over 70, leading to my next point.

- As my husband pointed out, people move here to die. So not only do you have the crazy anarchist elderly, they're the people with no ambitions, hopes or motivation for the future hiding from what they see as the impending apocalypse. Not really a hotbed of opportunity where dreams can be easily promoted. I guess it's all in your perspective though, right?

-Education is seen as an unnecessary evil. Disconcerting to me since I believe education is the doorway to opportunity and I've seen it work as such in my own life

-Where I'm from I'm a relatively moderate responsible citizen. Out here I'm like PETA and Greenpeace. Maybe this is where I should admit that I'm pretty much a vegetarian. Yes my husband was raised on a cattle ranch and now works on a cattle ranch, but if I didn't think it would be cruel and unusual punishment for the rest of my family I'd be a full time vegetarian. And I admit, I recycle things and I don't think kicking your dog is right. There's kind of the mentality of use it, abuse it, get what you need at whatever cost, then leave it ( you should see the abandoned homes and junk out here!!!) This mentality seems to apply to natural resources, equipment, and pretty much everything.

-Religious views seem to be a little used and abused to promote people's own agendas, rather than to bring people to Christ. Personal favorite so far: You don't need to forgive someone until they change their behavior. Really? My version of the Christian faith that I profess ( and that the person that said this supposedly also believes in) is forgive 70 times 7, pretty much always. That incident of the supreme example, Jesus Christ, forgiving the soldiers who nailed him to the cross with his dying breath is pretty instructive and important, that's just me though. Maybe this is my cue to forgive Mackay for being hillbilly hell.

Plus there's the fact that as petty and superficial as it is I really don't like the house I live in. The carpet that is EVERYWHERE including the bathroom (which is just plain unsanitary) is the color of cheese mold, kind of a teal. It's also an incredibly inefficient use of space. It's a big house, but none of the space is usable. And the crowning glory, that no matter what I do, how much I clean this place, it smells like a nursing home. So sad! We went to our house in Idaho Falls to do yard work and after being shut up for a few weeks it smelled like fresh paint and a new house. We got back here after being gone for 2 days and walked in the door and yes, it smelled like a nursing home. Iccck!!! I usually love cleaning and organizing. I have no motivation to do that out here because I feel like no matter what I do it's still just icky and weird.

This probably isn't a fair representation of Mackay. I doubt these issues are representative of the majority of people out here ( I sincerely HOPE!!!) but it is somewhat scary that in my six weeks here they've become as glaringly apparent as they have. And this house, well I should be grateful. It's a house to live in, we still have our nice Idaho Falls house and my husband has a job and we can pay all our bills, which I think in a weird way makes it almost worse. Not only do I not like it here, but I have the serious guilt of feeling incredibly ungrateful for not liking it here. Which I should feel guilty, but I'm really struggling changing that. I feel like we've turned our backs on everything we worked for, my husband's pilot's license, our beautiful house that sits empty because I'm too picky about renters, and lots of other more personal things and are just biding our time in this dark, but pretty, abyss where people go to die.

I have met some nice seemingly normal people here, and the scenery is hands-down breathtaking, and my dog loves it and this house has a utility sink which is nice, and the people we work for are pretty amazingly good people, so there are plenty of good things. I just need to keep clinging to those things in hopes of finding more. Plus I think maybe I'm out here because I need something to make me cling to my faith and do all those things I know I should, but haven't been great at doing. Out here, serious prayer, scripture study and journal writing (even if it's only to vent) are going to be absolutely necessary for my sanity and spiritual survival. So here's to giving what I can, helping who I can and getting my feet firmly planted in faith and good works so I can survive the sojourn. If only God would provide manna from heaven to help with my aversion to cooking.

Wish me luck, because I'll need all the help I can get. How's that for an update and return to blogging? Weird, huh? I'm starting to see the beauty of online rants. It's like those in-your-head, one-sided conversations with your arch-enemy of the moment, but more satisfying and without feeling so inane. Satisfying, but potentially dangerous, definitely should not make this a habit.

Share your views

I wrote the majority of this post a week or so ago and didn't post it because I always hesitate to get involved in the political debacles and debates that become so inflamed and in the end do no good and just make people mad, but that wasn't my intent at all.

I wrote this mostly for myself to separate in my mind what I really thought and believed from the dogma and rhetoric fed to me by family, friends and the media. It was amazing to me as I really considered a few things to realize that what I really felt was actually different than what I'd been assuming were my view points. It was a rewarding endeavor and I'm going to post this in hopes that it doesn't inflame. I'm not seeking to change anyone's opinions or beliefs, nor am I seeking affirmation that my views are correct. What I'd really like is for people to REALLY consider their own opinions, listen to others' and have their minds opened to another view point rather than just clustering down in defense behind the barracks of dogma that's been fed to them. I believe you can respect and understand another without agreeing. I'd love to read similar posts from my friends regarding their views so I too can better understand where others, especially those who don't share my same views are coming from. I'm no political scientist or super informed news junky and as you'll see in several areas I'm not at a definite conclusion, yet. (Another reason I'd love to hear other view points, to help me reach a conclusion.) I'm just a layman American citizen who thinks it's important to think for yourself and this is where I'm coming from.


National Debt and the current debate:
From what I've heard I don't feel that either the Dems. or the GOP have plans that are either real or sustainable. I'm all for a small government, but slashing government expenditures to the lowest levels since Eisenhower courts serious risks, especially for an economy on an already rocky recovery road, but I don't like tax increases either. I'm still deciding if I'm OK with big, successful business and rich Americans shelling out to cover tax increases. (I don't think I'm OK with it at all actually, but am trying to grasp at a feasible solution to the problem) The capitalist in me feels like that's a punishment for success and will stunt economic growth long term too. Definitely tough choices, but I think a balanced approach between the two party's agendas will truly be the best choice which is why I'm grateful for the Gang of Six. Not that I love or agree with everything I've heard about their plan, but to me it's the better alternative to the gridlock. I also think defaulting because either party is too prideful or prejudiced to concede a little is incredibly and insanely selfish. I think defaulting carries serious short and long term economic risks.

In the end the Dems are going to have to swallow cuts to their dear entitlement programs and the GOP is going to have to deal with tax increases, the end.

Welfare (the government provided sort) in General:
I have to tell this story because it's just so absurdly, but sadly, funny to me. I was talking to someone about politics and they were professing how Republican and Conservative they were, decrying everything Pres. Obama has done and ever will do and tooting their horn for Tea-Party Republicanism. Then in the next sentence they were telling me how great government programs are, that Medicare is so much better than paying for private insurance, you can get so much free stuff through WIC and it's too bad Food Stamps have a time limit on the program. SERIOUSLY?!! That nullified any credibility they had in their previous arguments. I'm not implying every Conservative or Tea Party Republican is like this, but it's just an example of how blind our prejudices can be.

Back to the welfare question. I really have to swallow hard on this one to choke back the economist, free-market, capitalist advocate in me. In a perfect world we wouldn't need welfare. People would see the needs of their neighbors and through their own efforts, or through the efforts of religious or civic groups they would help out. Unfortunately we're not a perfect world and I do see the need for government programs to help the disadvantaged, under-privileged and those who have just been dealt a bad hand and need help getting back on their feet. BUT I do think that the majority of the programs in place today do a very poor job at all of the above. They breed dependency and are severely abused. I recognize how tough these programs would be to reform, but to me that's no excuse for letting programs that bleed a country's finances dry and don't do a whole lot of good stand as is.

Along these same lines I read a comment from a respected friend of mine the other day that said, 'charity before economics' in regards to the debt talks. Honestly, that scared me to death and, as I understood it, is illogical and unsustainable. I know as a Christian that sounds terrible that I'd be so afraid of an approach that put charity first. In an individual's life charity before economics is the best approach, but not in the running of a business or a country. A country has to have funds to provide any charitable service. With a charity before economics approach soon the hand dealing the hand-outs will be empty with nothing to give. Very unsustainable. I'm hoping I just misunderstood my friend's intent and meaning.

Gay Marriage:
I stand conservative on this one!! Gay Marriage should NOT be legalized in my view. I feel traditional families (married Mom, Dad and kids) are the bedrock of a healthy society. I think any attempt to legalize and therefore imply to society that the gay lifestyle is normal and acceptable will be severely damaging long term. BUT I have several gay friends and I honestly don't think, like many of my ultra-conservative friends, that having gay attractions is a conscience 'choice' for most gays. Acting on those attractions and living the lifestyle is a conscience choice which veers quite far from my moral compass. (Yes, to me it's morally wrong.) BUT many gay people whether they act on those inclinations or not are still wonderful, good, contributing members of society so I do support domestic partner benefits etc. and obviously I think gays should be treated as civilly and kindly as anyone else.

While we're on the subject, Don't Ask, Don't Tell:
Tough call. I don't like the idea of my husband, brother or son serving in an openly gay military environment - that's for sure! But I'm not sure Don't Ask, Don't Tell was Constitutional and although I'm not thrilled with the repeal, I understand it. I feel it was a little discriminatory. I wouldn't like it, if to serve my country I had to hide something I felt was part of who I am (as I think most gays feel). To me, it's more of a moral issue than a government/military issue which makes it tricky. Morals and government decrees don't often mix well (along the lines of separation of church and state). I'm still a little up in the air on this one. I definitely see both sides and honestly don't know that repeal will change functionality in the military a whole lot anyway.

2nd Amendment, Right to Bear Arms:
I believe an armed public is a safe public. I see the point that law-abiding, sane citizens should be able to have as a big a gun as their crazy criminal counterparts, yet America does have a significantly higher murder rate than other first-world countries with tighter gun laws so there is definitely more to this, but I'll probably always stand firm for the Second Amendment. I think often in people's zeal to defend the 2nd Amendment the 4th Amendment, which guards against unwarranted searches, seizures and suspicions, is overlooked which to me is equally as important.

Illegal Immigration:
Have you ever been to Mexico? I mean the non-touristy parts. I have so much compassion for those people and understand why they'd risk everything to cross the border. It's illegal, which is wrong, yes, but is it more wrong than staying in a town where the drug lords are demanding your sister as a prostitute? That's a true story of one of my Dad's friends who's family illegally crossed the border probably 30 years ago when he was a child and conditions in Mexico have only deteriorated. That child who came in with his family as an illegal immigrant sought citizenship and is now a very successful, contributing member of society. I support an approach that allows illegals to work toward becoming legal without immediate expulsion, but don't necessarily believe in 'free' amnesty. I in no way condone illegal behavior, but I really feel for these people and know it's a tough political question. I think it's a crying shame that the Dream Act failed.

Abortion:
I do NOT support legal abortion. Pro-choice to me is poor excuse. I think the choice to run the risk of getting pregnant was made when she slept with him so please don't take an innocent life in defense of personal choice to avoid consequence. There's always concessions though. I do support abortion in cases of rape, incest or other VERY select instances. Abortion as a form of birth control is a moral abomination to me, a moral concern that affects others through no choice or fault of their own and degrades society to an extent that I do feel the government has as much a right (and obligation) to be involved and prevent it as they do for prosecuting those that take innocent lives in other ways.

Wars:
I hate war. I hate the atrocities, the suffering, the heartbreak at home, everything about it, but do I think it's worth fighting sometimes? Yes. When Libya's president started gunning his own people down in the streets something needed to be done by any country who professed to defend freedom and human rights. Reading A Thousand Splendid Suns (by the same man who wrote The Kite Runner) made me feel a little differently about Afghanistan too. I don't like that the U.S. has become embroiled in a incredibly long, tough and seemingly unwinnable conflict, but I think there has been some good accomplished in Afghanistan by our troops and there had to be some kind of defensive mounted against terrorism. I only hope the withdrawal plan isn't too hasty to undermine that good, although I admit to wanting our troops home safe. The war in Iraq I honestly don't know enough about to form an opinion. From what I do know, it seems like a conflict over something that wasn't even there in the first place and has simply served as a fiscal drain, but again I don't know very much and I understand everything in the Middle East is far more intertwined than appears at first glance.

I do recognize that there are other human rights atrocities just as severe (if not more so) in the world as Libya and Afghanistan where the U.S. isn't involved. The resources to be used in defense of freedom and human rights are finite and battles have to picked and chosen (usually picked with economics in mind, which honestly I can't fault too heartily from a purely logical standpoint). I guess I see both sides to the war debate and need to be little more informed to take a real side.

Those are a smattering of the things I've been thinking about as the presidential field begins to solidify. I hope that I haven't incited too much riot and like I said I'd love to hear your views. Along with criticism though, I like to hear solutions. Personally I think if you're going to spend the time to criticize and nitpick everything that's wrong with one party's plan, you better spend the time to come up with a better solution. Most discussions among citizens I've seen seem to be all criticism with few solutions. It's interesting how that appears to be the same matter of course in Washington. Food for thought, our elected officials may 'represent' us as a people in many more ways than we've considered. I'd propose we curb the criticism and blame of either side in Washington and change the way we lead our own discussions and lives. Just a thought. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!