Political Reflections From the Corners of My Mind

Life has a funny way of changing course on you.  One moment you think you are heading towards the east, then you encounter a cerebral shift and are headed west.  They call them the winds of change, and they ever blow as you travel this life's journey.  So has been the case with me.

A year ago, I was seriously thinking about an eventual career in politics.  I had recently been elected Precinct Committeeman and Vice Chairman for my district, in the Canyon County Republican Party.  I was given tasks such as creating a facebook page for the Central Committee, and notifying the newspapers of upcoming events.  I think at one time I was given the title "Chairman of Public Relations"...  It was kind of an odd duck fit, since really I knew very little of what I was doing, and didn't ask for the positions.  They just all sort of... happened.  I was liked by people both of the establishment and non-establishment persuasion.  Things were progressing well, for someone who was an absolute novice with future political aspirations. 

Then as I was staring in at the pitcher one evening, he threw me a curveball.  The freaky thing is, I was expecting a fastball.  In laymen's terms, life took one of it's unusual twists.

I had done some minor P.R. work for a man who was running for office; I didn't know him, but after talking a bit with him, felt confident he would stand for my values.  He had a specific promise- that he would vote against the State Insurance Exchange.  It was his big selling point, especially since his opponent was campaigning for it.  I bought his schpeel; I wrote letters to the editor for him, I got others to do the same.  I monitored public forums, making sure he got a positive spin.  I put my name with his... and then, when he was elected, he went back on his promise and voted for said State Exchange.  Umm, yeah, I still have your election literature that says... oh, never mind...

I was... quite frustrated.  But, I am a forgiving person...  So when another legislator drafted an amendment that would offer protections to religious employers, I approached him, asking him to at least support it.  He promised that he would support life and religious liberty, and that I needn't worry- all would be well.  I believed him.  The very next day he went out and voted against it.

I should note that this man was a conservative republican.  As were many other elected officials here in this state who, despite public outcry, voted for what they thought best as opposed to the will of the people.  This was a huge awakening moment for me...  As I realized that all men in politics, regardless of ideology or party affiliation, are the same.  With few exception, they clock in to the state house, they vote for what will best build their kingdom, and the people are left wondering what happened to their knight in shining armor that was supposed to be "The One".

It was in this moment in life that I came to the astonishing conclusion that very little done on the battlefield of politics is relevant to the end game.  The system is rigged for failure; it is only a matter of time until this train crashes head on into the wall it is racing toward. And we, the general public, are left with the all important question: Do we carry on with this quest? Or do we divert to something that will have lasting impact?

Everyone must answer that question for themselves; for me, the answer is to refocus and to redeem the time.  I have set aside my political aspirations. I have stepped out of any future election races.  Lasting change can only be won on one battleground: the heart.  As I pointed out to a dear friend of mine, even if all you want were to come to fruition, even if you got the leaders and the laws the way you want- if the heart of the people remains as is, in four years your efforts will vanish like a vapor. 

At the end of the day, I do not believe in stressing over the possibilities of what may or may not happen anyway.  This country may be in a bad place, but I also know how things are going to end.  Instead of stressing, perhaps we as Christians should be living in joy over the knowledge that light WILL overcome the darkness.  Time is short, and perhaps we Christians have spent too much time going crazy over a pagan society being run by a pagan president and the choices they make.  Remember, we are not of this world.  Our primary concern is not restoring the kingdom of America- but building the kingdom of God. 

Changing a law lasts only a moment; changing a heart lasts for eternity.

America Again

I HAVE TO BE HONEST...

Gov. Rick Perry was my first choice for the republican nominee for president in 2012.  That guy, in my humble opinion, is a rock star governor not afraid to live his faith.  But... sadly he was defeated rather quickly and quite handily.  SO... My second choice was Michelle Bauchman.  I love that woman; she is not afraid to say what needs to be said when it should be said...  Sadly, she was also defeated rather quikly.  Well, you know what they say- the third time's a charm, so I went with Sen. Rick Santorum...  only to be disappointed at his lack of finishing big.  well, I guess he did come in second...

One thing is for certain, my very last choice was Mitt Romney.  A guy who came across as a moderate establishment candidate.  A guy who was carrying an awful big chain around his neck with bling attached to it that plainly read "Romneycare" in the gold glittery letters.  A guy who was the poster child for the evil "one percent" that the left was going nutso about.  Yeah... that guy.  I hate to say, but I was more excited to bob for dead fish in a barrel than to vote for Romney.

I was firm in my convictions, refusing to acknowledge him as a viable candidate.  When it became clear that he would be our nominee I entered a state of political depression, preparing my mind for another Obama victory.  Visions of the end of America floated through my head.  I was beginning to accept the premise of doom.

You see, I understand that the America I grew up with, the America that I had known and loved since I was a small child, is in critical condition.  She is laying in the ICU room for nations, on life support.  The prognosis is dim.  Hope is not lost- but those with any logic know it might as well be.  Her light is fading from her eyes, and her torch is but an ember.  She has been beaten down by an administration that promised hope and change, and instead gave us no hope and a beating with chains.  That once great Lady Liberty, crippled at the hands of her leader.  Her people made to believe that American exceptionalism was a demonic plague.  Her people assured that to believe in America as the last great hope, that city on a hill for all other nations to look to, was nothing more than a corrupt dream worthy of being abandoned on the trash heap of unfairness.  No, we were told, it is time to look beyond what was and accept a new reality- that America needs to be brought to her knees, brought to a place where all the other nations can see eye to eye with her.  Eye to eye, that is, as she looks up- at them.

That America, that once was great, that was the beacon of hope to all the world, had had it's beacon of hope extinguished by a leader who promised hope.  Oh, how I look back to my youth, back to the America I grew up in, longing for her to pull through, to stand back up lifting high the notion that ALL men are created equal, that ALL men have the right to life and liberty, that ALL men can be free to pursue their dreams and reach as far as they are able, that ALL men through hard work, blood, sweat and tears can one day reach their dreams- and more importantly, that they can impact their neighborhood, their city, their state, their country, their world- that we are more than just a number, a nameless peasant...

I WANT that America back.

I WANT a better future for my children and grandchildren.

But I don't see that.  I don't see anything but Lady Liberty taking her last dying breath under this administration.

That is where I was.  That is what I saw.  I had no faith in the possibility of a victory for conservatism. 

But then...  I watched something unfold.  It was called hope.  Not a glittery hope, not honey-like words spoken from the lips of a seducer in chief.  No, there was something else here.  It was hope spoken from a man once held in sway by the liberal left.  It was hope spoken from a woman reflecting on being that little girl refused hamburgers at the local gathering because of her skin color, later elevated to Secretary of State.  It was hope spoken from a man whose family immigrated from communist Cuba, whose father and mother poured sweat- not for their dreams, but for the dreams of their son.  It was hope spoken from a man who assured us that it is ok- no, not just ok but the right thing to do to believe in America again!

The reminder that WE are the employers, and that this president has been no more effective than an empty chair flooded through my mind- and I pray yours.  The reminder that THIS president, who PROMISED to slow the rise of the waters and to heal the lands SADLY FORGOT the millions of Americans without work, without food, losing homes, losing dreams, losing the very hope that they were promised.  Most importantly, we were reminded that IT IS NEVER too late to HOPE for TRUE HOPE.  It is never too late for Lady Liberty to rise up again.  It is NEVER TOO LATE for OUR America to stand up and once again be that beacon of hope, that symbol of liberty that shines forth from sea to shining sea!

YES!  America can be restored!  There IS hope!  Where there is truth, there is hope! Where there is faith, there can be victory!  Where there are people who are willing to stand and fight for her, there is liberty! 

My friends, NOW is our time.  They had their time, those who would see America weak and defeated.  But NOW is OUR time to rise!  NOW is our time to say, that we are TIRED of more people out of work, we are TIRED of more people hurting, we are TIRED of more debt, we are TIRED of the right to life being trampled, we are TIRED of the right to liberty being stolen, and we are TIRED of a government that has gone TOO FAR!

Four years ago, God gace us the exact leader we asked for.  But now it is time that we recognize our wrongs.  Now is the time we get down on our knees, and go to Almighty God, admitting that we were wrong.  Now is the time that we seek His help once again, then rise to our feet, and claim the idea of America, the idea of freedom, the idea of liberty that burns in our minds, our hearts, our souls again!!!  LET US go forth from this day forward and fire those responsible for trashing our Constitution, fire those who have attempted to enslave us to their socialist views, and TAKE AMERICA BACK FROM THEIR HANDS AND BACK IN THE HANDS OF THEIR EMPLOYERS- WE! THE! PEOPLE!!!!

What do you say?  Are you willing to stand?  Are you willing to be a voice of reason in this time of insanity?  Because my friends, the time is now, you are the voice that will restore hope, and your voice was never more needed than NOW!!!

To Hope Or not To Hope; That Is The Question

I am sure that you know by now that I was as surprised as you that Obamacare was not overturned last week.  I think that we all were expecting to see the Supreme Court rule differently than it did.  How could 9 people, sworn to uphold the Constitution, charged with ensuring that Congress never strayed from her, the people’s supposed last defense against overreaching government, look socialism in all it’s wickedness dead in the face and turn aside to allow it to devour the American people?  Without a doubt it will impact America more than any other decision that we have seen perhaps since Roe V. Wade.  And to think that the one justice that we all believed would be on our side, that would surely rule with wisdom and cast this monstrosity aside, the one sure man we could count on-  cast his lot with the liberal justices, leaving his name and reputation to be compared to the likes of Judas Iscariot in the mind of many conservatives.

Upon initially hearing of this I was at first distraught, angry, and heartbroken all at the same time.  My emotions were raging, a swirl of thoughts going through my brain like a hurricane.  How could this be, I thought?  Anyone with a mild understanding of the Constitution could see that this law stood for everything the founders of our Country did not!  When the patriots began the Revolutionary War, it was to overthrow the yoke of tyranny placed around their necks by Britain.  The government that had become a slavemaster, mandating what could and could not be bought, taxing without relief, ruling with an iron fist- THAT government had to go.  So they fought, they spent their gold until there was none left to spend, they sacrificed, they shed their blood, and many even died for the belief that government is of the people, by the people, and for the people.  They gave their all to overcome.  And now we find ourselves 236 years later, our Supreme Court upholding law that represents the very nature of the beast that they had slain…  Despite the will of the people.

After all our prayers…  After all our rallies…  After all our letters and phone calls, all our pleading, all our raised voices in anger, all for naught.

 Upon first glance, it is easy to feel defeated.  It is easy to hang our heads and go home.  It is easy to surrender.  It is easy to lose all hope.  The demon of socialism, it seems, has finally wrestled liberty from our grip; we have lost too much ground; there is no coming back from this abyss that our foot has slipped into.  The Government has the power now, and there is no returning back from this grave.

Yes, it is easy to give in to those feelings.  It is easy to talk about no hope; to talk about no chance. But the reality is that we have NOT yet sacrificed for this cause of righteousness.  Rather, we have been seeking after our own gain.  We have been seeking our own treasure.  We have given lip service to the ideals we profess, but we have not yet issued one drop of blood- or even sweat- for that which we claim to hold so dear.  And while we have been busy seeking after the American dream, the enemy has enclosed around us a socialized nightmare!  Because of this, we are left in shatters, with so many of us talking about giving in to the nightmare- for there is no light left…

 But brothers and sisters, I implore you to listen!  Listen to what the enemy will NOT tell you; that despite them, despite what they have done, despite what they will no doubt continue to attempt, there is ONE GLARING FACT that CANNOT be ignored:  LIBERTY WILL NOT DIE UNTIL THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN HER GIVE UP!!!

We can be downcast, but I ask what will that gain us?  We can be downtrodden, but what will that gain us?  We can buy the lie that all hope is lost, BUT WHAT WILL THAT GAIN US?  I say, NO!  NOW is NOT the time to hang our heads in defeat!  Now is NOT the time to accept loss!!  Now is NOT the time to surrender hope, but rather to cling to it!  We must clench our fist tightly, grit our teeth, and renew our resolve!  If we fold now, then we are no better than the tyrannists that wish to rule over us!  They may have won this battle, but we must remember that they will NOT win this war!

But there is only one way.  There is only one path to victory.  There is only one hope.  We MUST put our personal desires aside.  We must put our pride down.  We must put our differences aside and unite together in this fight.  And we must repent.  Repent for being more concerned with personal achievement than defending liberty.  Repent for allowing ourselves to be comfortable with the socialist demons that have crept in amongst us.  Repent for turning our backs on the ideals that founded this Country.  Repent for the murders of the innocent, the greed, the debauchery, the self-worship that have offended the very God who inspired our forefathers to form this great nation known as the United States!

We have a decision to make, my friends.  Now is the time that we must decide whether or not we will lay down and give up in defeat, or if we will stand on our convictions, stand for what is right, stand our ground and never give up hope.  What will you choose?  As for me and my house, we will choose the Lord… And we will choose hope!