Leftward Ho!

 

We have a common adversary.

Apparently, much confusion reigns within the party of identity politics. You would think that when the collective pigeon holes each individual into distinctive blocs, they would understand the distinguishing traits each individual group possesses. Take what constitutes the Left for instance. The Left does not espouse the values inherent in those who identify as liberal. The Left does not share the values of the Democrat party. The Left looks to replace free enterprise with socialism. The Left is antithetic to the Constitution of the United States. The majority of those who belong to the party of John Kennedy and/or embrace liberalism, leftism is as far from their values as are those embraced by the extreme right. In fact, leftism has much more in common with the extreme right than anything that Democrats believe in and cherish. Unfortunately, the leadership of the Democrat party is embracing the ideals of Leftism, apparently convinced that it is a winning strategy. What exactly are the tenets of leftism?

On America – the US is an inherently, systemically racist country founded illegitimately by slave owners. Equality of opportunity needs to be replaced with equitable outcomes.

On borders – open borders with unlimited immigration, particularly to persons of color in order to increase the minority population.

On race – a return to segregation, dividing by race. Universities have established black only dormitories and graduations. Soon to return, black only and white only drinking fountains. In Critical Race Theory, persons of color are considered oppressed by a system that unfairly rewards whites.

On gender – there is an infinite number of genders and children should be able to make their own decisions on their chosen gender, including beginning medical treatments to transition to another gender, without parental notification. Men that identify as female can participate in women’s sports. What is your chosen pronoun?

On free speech – any speech considered inappropriate to the tenets of Leftism are to be considered hate speech and to be shouted down and suppressed. There is no longer a free exchange of ideas or any debate allowed on college campuses.

On capitalism and the free market – capitalism must be destroyed and replaced with socialism, which is actually a guiding principle of the Black Lives Matter movement.

On religion – all must kneel at the altar of the State. Religion is to be banned.

If you happen to embrace these ideals, you may just be a Leftist. If you do not, it is time to wake up!

If more of the members of the Democrat party realized the direction that their party is headed, they would reject it and advocate for change in their leadership. Conservatives and Republicans are not the enemy. Both Democrats/liberals and Republicans/conservatives should have the same common goal, facilitating the means to improve the lives of those they represent. Our differences have always been about the methods and direction taken to achieve those goals. One party favors more government intervention and one party prefers giving citizens the means to forge their own path. We used to end up in the same place, reaching common ground and compromising when necessary. This is becoming increasingly rare, as the parties engage in more finger pointing than actual real debate.

Another issue accelerating division in our nation is the instant gratification our evolving society affords. Social media drives opinions with censorship, misinformation and down and out falsehoods. It has become increasingly difficult to find the truth. It has become all too easy to simply consume that which upholds one’s opinion, siloed within group-think, and ignore anything that could potentially invalidate one’s chosen opinion. If we disagree, so be it. Let’s work to resolve our differences. The Left should be our shared enemy, not each other. As Democrats/liberals and Republicans/conservatives we need to unite to fight the Left, as it’s stated goal is to fundamentally transform this nation into something it was never intended to be. America has its’ warts and blemishes. Even with all of our successes, we have failed our citizens far too often. But, we are all Americans. We all share the same common ground. We need to work together to protect our country from those who would destroy it and to keep our nation as that shining beacon on a hill.

Consequential

 

No consequences, no restraint

Without boundaries or restrictions, humankind’s instincts revert to selfishness and greed. We are born, helpless and dependent upon others for our needs, self-centered to the point that we cry when hungry, wet or cold until those needs are met to our satisfaction. Without rules or laws, humankind regresses back to our childhood, and our innate selfishness. Without consequences there is no need to restrain oneself in an effort to adhere to societal norms. Without consequences it becomes everyone for themselves. Without consequences we devolve into mere animals and anarchy and lawlessness reigns.

The defund the police movement promotes exactly the type of lawlessness we have witnessed over the last two years. Police are ordered to stand down and let the masses “let off steam” by rioting, looting and burning and we are surprised by the resulting chaos. Organized looting hits our cities and the elected leaders point fingers at one another. Would anyone expect any less when unlawful actions are ignored by the authorities? Laws are meant to protect the citizenry by placing constraints on inappropriate societal behavior. Law enforcement is the mechanism to administer those laws for the protection of society. The courts are to mete out the consequences of failures to abide by those communal laws.

In many of our blue cities, there is a movement to eliminate bail and to reduce incarceration. After all, it is not fair and equitable those that are arrested and sentenced to prison do not precisely mirror the current demographics of the population. Progressive District Attorneys fail to meet their obligations to remove from society those that engage in behavior that places others in danger. Prosecutors that engage in this misguided attempt to “level the playing field” are committing malfeasance in public office. Milwaukee County DA’s office, under John Chisholm, set inappropriately low bail for career criminal Darrell Brooks, who was freed on $1,000 bail after he assaulted his girlfriend and ran her over with his SUV. Chisholm’s policy of reducing incarceration, low bail recommendations and greater latitude for offenders of color, allowed Brooks the freedom to use his SUV to mow down more than 60 people, killing 6, at the Waukesha Christmas parade.

Nature abhors a vacuum. Police are ordered to stand down during the rioting in Kenosha, WI and Kyle Rittenhouse fills that void to assist in protecting property. Law enforcement, trained in crowd control, could have ended the violence and properly protected life and property, but Mayor John Antaramain decided to let the mob rule unabated. Far too many with a “D” after their names are embracing these destructive policies. There will be none of that in Washington County. The rule of law is respected and the responsibility to uphold those laws are fulfilled. Mob rule will not be tolerated in Washington County.

Laws are enacted to protect all citizens, their property and their Constitutional rights. Ignoring the law leads to chaos, which apparently is the goal of the progressive left. You see, in order to fundamentally change our nation, it must first be destroyed, then rebuilt. What does this reformed nation look like? Nations that embraced leftism devolved into socialism and then, totalitarianism. Venezuela transformed from a nation with a vibrant economy, to the current hell-hole it is today after electing Hugo Chavez and embracing socialism in 1999. If we fail to act to prevent our downward spiral towards socialism, we will be faced with the same harsh realities that the Venezuelan people are experiencing today.

The momentum that began with the parents petitioning their School Boards to demand accountability must continue if we are to save our country as founded. The Biden administration continues its’ deliberate descent in spending this nation into oblivion, greasing the skids towards the goal of creating a socialist state and threatening our very monetary system. If the dollar fails and is replaced as the standard currency of trade, your investments will vanish overnight. It is only because of the dollar’s status that we can continue to print currency without creating hyper-inflation. We must elect representatives that will stop this insanity. The policies of the left are intentionally destructive. The policies of the left create unrelenting and unpunished crime. The policies of the left teach our children to hate each other based on the color of their skin. It is time to reject all that is the left and re-embrace the visionary aspirations of the founding fathers.

Reckless

 

Is this the beginning of OUR end?

Mainstream media leaves no doubt that they have become the mouthpiece of the democrat party and the Left. Chaos is their best friend. When Kyle Rittenhouse shot and killed two assailants and wounded another during the August 2020 riots in Kenosha, the lawless mainstream media could not contain themselves. In the United States, one is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The media inflamed the mob after the Jacob Blake shooting by the police in Kenosha, WI in August of 2020. Anti-police rhetoric, false narratives of police brutality and the incessant downplaying of “mostly peaceful protests”, emboldened the mob to engage in rioting, looting and arson. Governor Evers refused to deploy the National Guard and police were ordered to stand down. Lacking an appropriate police presence, left the rioters without tangible consequences and mayhem ensued. Mainstream media continues to encourage anarchy and destruction with their unabashed Leftist rhetoric. There is blood on their hands.

President Biden and a litany of democrats poured additional gasoline (more likely a non-oil-based accelerant) on the fire by declaring their anger at the verdict. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers had the unmitigated gall to make a statement, “No ruling today changes our reality in Wisconsin that we have to work to do toward equity, accountability, and justice that communities across our state are demanding and deserve.” Needless to say, Evers did send troops to Kenosha after the verdict was announced. Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor and US Senate candidate Mandela Barnes went further. “We have seen so many black and brown youth killed, only to be put on trial posthumously, while the innocence of Kyle Rittenhouse was virtually demanded by the judge.” This unabated anger mongering by elected officials is only meant to encourage further division and hatred. The rioting in 2020 has led to 25 deaths, over 2,000 police officers injured and $billions in property destruction. Our former divider in chief, Barack Obama issued numerous statements decrying police brutality and unfair targeting of persons of color by “white” society. This helped facilitate the rise of the Occupy movement, Antifa, Black lives matter and increased violence against police. As police are ordered to stand down and progressive District Attorneys refuse to criminally charge the rioters, the mob is further emboldened.

Kyle Rittenhouse, came to Kenosha Wisconsin to help protect property after a call to action was posted on social media, joining other citizens to augment the lack of police intervention. He armed himself with an AR-14, equipped himself with medical supplies to tend to any injured and was cleaning up graffiti. Should he have been there? Did he exhibit poor judgement by placing himself at risk? Did he really consider the consequences of his actions? Probably not. The question is, does his presence with a weapon make him guilty of a crime? If you watch any of the mainstream media, you would be led to believe that it did. This is patently false, a lie that has been proclaimed over and over. Joe Scarborough of MSNBC led the charge by accusing Rittenhouse of vigilantism, intending to target persons of color and indiscriminately firing 60 rounds, when he actually fired only 4 times, directly at what he believed were threats to his life.

Rittenhouse has been vilified by both the media and democrats without valid reason. If anyone can look at the video of the incidents and not understand that they are almost picture-perfect examples of self-defense, that person is either a liar or an idiot. Speaking of idiots, who in their right mind would attack a person armed with a long rifle shouting out that he is a friendly? Hate to say it, but sometimes culling the herd is not always a bad thing. Nick Sandman, the high schooler who was confronted by a drum beating Native American activist in Washington, DC, was also vilified by the media. He sued for defamation and the media paid out over $100 million to settle the cases. Here’s hoping that Rittenhouse follows Sandman’s lead. Let’s hope that the reckless disregard of the truth is finally put to bed or that enough people maligned and lied about, sue them into non-existence. If we fail to understand that the Left is engaged in the pursuit of destroying our Constitutional Republic and that the mainstream media and democrat party are becoming increasingly aligned with the Left, our nation will fall. Just like Tass and Pravda spread communist propaganda in the Soviet Union, our mainstream media mirrors the same tactics.

On Saturday, November 20th, 2021, Darrell Brooks, a black man, drove his vehicle through a Christmas Parade in Waukesha, WI and mowed over 50 people, including children, killing 6. Vaun Mayes, a “Black Lives Matter” activist declared the following Monday, "But it sounds possible that the revolution has started in Wisconsin. It started with this Christmas parade." This is what our nation is becoming. This is what those who want to be “woke” are supporting. This is the enemy that will destroy us from within. To my democrat friends, is this what you signed up for and support? Is this what is best for our nation? Are you paying attention to what the leadership of your party is espousing? It is long past time to wake up and smell the roses. To the “woke” left and the useful idiots that support their inane ideology, you will be remembered in history as was the Emperor Nero, who fiddled as Rome burned except that you are actually stoking the fire.

The American Ostrich

 

If we give them what they want, we will get what we deserve.

Cartoons often depict the ostrich hiding it’s head in the sand as danger approaches. Children will cover their eyes or hide when frightened. And we sometimes find ourselves turning away when faced with unpleasant circumstances, particularly when others are hurting or suffering. Ignorance is not bliss. Ignoring danger leads us to minimize the impending danger that is about to overwhelm us. If we fail to recognize the direction our nation is headed and the imminent danger it brings, we may just as well hide our collective heads in the sand. Just as the ride of Paul Revere awakened the populace to the advance of British troops, many are issuing warnings about those who would fundamentally transform our nation and redefine accepted morals, values and societal behavior. Ignore those warnings at your own risk.

There is a clear and present danger that lurks within our society. Too many in our society acquiesce to the gradual erosion of our Constitutional Republic and the enumerated rights that it grants. Their collective silence is deafening. Parents, too busy with their daily routines, fail to attend parent/teacher conferences. Curriculum is altered to mirror leftist ideology and far too many parents fail to engage, unaware of what their children are being taught. If we shirk our parental responsibilities and cede the responsibility to instill their values in their children to a government run school system, that unfortunately are more and more resembling indoctrination camps, we abdicate our roles as parents. When Terry McAuliffe the democrat running for Virginia Governor, Randi Weingarten, the President of the American Federation of Teachers, the National Association of School Boards and apparently, Merrick Garland, the Attorney General of the United States denigrate the rights of parents to challenge school boards, free speech is undermined and our nation fails.

Ever so slowly, the sleeping bear is awakening. Parents were able to see firsthand what their children were being taught while schools were shut down due to Covid-19 and broadcast virtually. And they did not like what they were seeing. Parents that had the audacity to attend school board meetings and voice their concerns are now considered “domestic terrorists” by the Department of Justice. Really? School board members are apparently triggered when parents demand a role in the education of their children? Why wouldn’t it be appropriate for those who fund education with their tax dollars and have children attending the schools that they paid for, have a say in how and what their children are taught and how their money is being spent? Loudon County, Virginia has become the flash point in the battle against Leftist ideology, such as Critical Race Theory and the embrace of "transgenderism". A very condescending and rude school board actually fanned the flames of anger and poked the “mama bears” in that district. This boiled over and led to the blue State of Virginia electing Republicans in the Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General offices and flipped the State legislature from blue to red.

Many of us in this great nation should learn a great lesson by what happened in Virginia. When the electorate is engaged, change, for the greater good, will happen. The Left only seeks to divide us based on our differences. We need to unite our nation and embrace each other in spite of our differences. We are more alike than different, created by our Father in Heaven and equal in His sight. That is how we need to treat each other, like the brothers and sisters that we are. We need to learn to love our neighbors as ourselves. We need to understand and identify evil and reject it, and right now the democrat party is knee deep in all that is wrong with the world. If the democrats refuse to release their embrace of leftism, we need to reject them. Get engaged. Run for office or support those who share your values. We cannot sit back and let someone else do the heavy lifting. If we allow evil to triumph, we will have no one to blame but ourselves. We need more mama and papa bears motivated to protect our children and our nation. Will you stand up and be counted or will you hide your head in the sand?

The Face of Tyranny

 

Time to Hold Your Government Accountable

The second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States declares, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” The express reasons that the right to bear arms “being necessary to the security of a free State”, is that it gives its’ citizens the means to protect themselves against an invading army or a tyrannical government. Our government has exceeded the authority the “We the people” have granted them. Yes, we the people, cede to government authority to act on the citizen’s behalf as enumerated by the Constitution. When the government engages in unlawful actions or arbitrarily exceeds their authority, those elected officials must be held accountable by the electorate.

This is not a call to arms. This is not advocating force against our government. This country belongs to “We the People” and we are not to be ruled by elected officials and unelected bureaucrats. The First Amendment provides the right for citizens to peacefully assemble and the right to petition Congress in order to redress their grievances to the government. The voices of reason must be heard. The majority of citizens of this nation share common values and morals. The majority of citizens of this nation reject the leftist ideology embraced by the current administration. The majority of citizens of this nation respect the rule of law and expect that their elected leaders follow the law. For far too long, our elected leaders have ignored our grievances. For far too long, they have minimized our role and inflated their own. For far too long, we have failed to speak out, simply submitting to a government that disregards the will of their citizens.

In direct contradiction of Constitution, the Biden administration refuses to protect our border. Over 1.7 million illegal immigrants have been, not only allowed to cross into the US, the government has dispersed the vast majority of them into the interior of the country. The President is obligated by Article 4 Section 4 of the Constitution to guarantee that every State has a republican form of government and that the Federal government will protect each State against invasion. Since the Border Patrol has been reassigned to process illegal immigrants, Texas Governor Gregg Abbott ordered State Troopers to protect its’ border. Rather than defend the State of Texas from the invasion of illegal immigrants, President Biden ordered the Department of Justice to sue in order to allow the immigration invasion to continue unabated.

When the Supreme Court failed to vacate the stay on the eviction moratorium issued by the CDC, President Biden admitted that the order would likely be ruled unconstitutional, but flatly stated that it will be held up in the courts for at least a month, and hopefully longer. This sitting President, who had taken an oath to uphold the Constitution, admits that he will manipulate the court system in order to keep in place, what he knows is an unconstitutional order.

President Biden threatens a vaccine mandate and that if health care and emergency service professionals decline to be vaccinated, he states that they should be terminated. If military service members refuse the vaccine, they will be court martialed and dishonorably discharged. Yet there will be no vaccine mandate for persons crossing our border illegally and then scattered throughout the country.

As of October 26, 2021, over 450 Americans remain left behind in Afghanistan after the disastrous pull out of all of our troops. This after the Biden administration has been telling the public for months that less than 100 were left behind.

President Biden, on day one of his administration, pulled the plug on the Keystone pipeline and severely restricted oil drilling on public lands. This returned the US to a net oil importer, rather than a net oil exporter, as it was under the Trump administration. Oil is now over $85 per barrel, on a trajectory to $100. The price of gasoline continues to rise, now averaging $3.36 per gallon, up almost $1 per gallon since inauguration day. President Biden’s solution? Beg OPEC to increase production of oil.

Our supply chain is collapsing, causing shortages throughout the nation and cargo ships are docked at sea, unable to unload their supplies. The administration’s spokesperson, Jen Psaki jokes that people will have to wait a few months for their treadmills. Pete Buttigieg, Transportation Secretary, quips that if you don’t get your Christmas shopping done early, you may be out of luck finding gifts. The accomplice media complains that Americans have had it too good for too long and should simply accept this new normal.

Critical Race Theory is used to indoctrinate our military, government workers and our children. The Biden administration prioritizes the reinstatement of the Iran nuclear deal and drops sanctions that open their economy so that they can escalate their support of terrorism throughout the world. China our most ardent competitor on the world stage, is embraced, ignoring the fact that they intend to overtake us economically, militarily and replace us as the world leader. Perhaps, we should learn to hate our real enemies, not each other.

As Chief of State, the President functions as the moral compass for our nation. The President is to protect our freedoms and uphold justice. President Biden and his party, the democrats, have failed on all counts. President Obama famously told a fellow democrat during the 2020 presidential primary, “Don't underestimate Joe's ability to f--k things up." We can all agree with his assessment as one pratfall after another occurs by this incompetent administration. Reckless spending continues, leading to runaway inflation. Somehow this administration is surprised, yet advise us that inflation is “transitory”. I’ve got a bridge to sell you if you believe that whopper. 2022 may well be our last chance to save our nation. If democrats maintain power in the Senate and House, the Green New Deal will become a reality, along with its’ $32 trillion price tag. Gone will be the days that we can efficiently travel and if you do not happen to possess a covid passport, you likely won’t be able to travel at all. Time to wake up before the American dream becomes a socialist nightmare. Time to put everyone with a (D) beside their name in the unemployment line by voting them out of office. Time to make democrats a true minority and render them powerless to continue to destroy our nation. If we fail in this endeavor, we may ultimately fail as a nation.

 

Idiocracy

 

Time to Wake up

An under the radar movie entitled “Idiocracy”, portrays a futuristic society that had devolved into idiots that simply repeat whatever the media reported. Luke Wilson, awakened from a cryogenic chamber after 500 years, finds himself the smartest human being on the planet. Today, we have not awakened after a centuries long slumber. We are very much awake, but far too unaware of our circumstances. Events unfolding daily will have serious consequences for the future of our nation. Unless we wake up to understand that the strategy currently being implemented, is looking to indelibly alter our societal norms, we will wake up one day to discover that our nation, as founded, will be fundamentally transformed. Civil society is more than being simply eroded. It is being abolished and punished, to be replaced with totalitarianism.

The one saving grace in this unprecedented reformation, is that those that would destroy this nation have targeted the majority. In human history totalitarians have always targeted and vilified a minority of the population, typically aristocrats and the wealthy. It is much easier to defeat an outnumbered foe. It makes no sense to attack a superior army. How could a plan that has to overcome such seemingly insurmountable odds and overwhelm the majority of the population in order to take control?

Control the narrative through the media. Accuse your enemies of having unfair advantage and advocate for equitable outcomes while ignoring equality of opportunity. Have that narrative repeated over and over again as if it is the absolute truth. Justify and bolster any and all narratives supportive of the Leftist ideology. Riots become mostly peaceful demonstrations when the rioters further the objectives. Exaggerate and overstate any pushback by your enemy and accuse them of insurrection and label concerned parents, domestic terrorists. Destroy any dissent by minimizing their access to the media and when they are interviewed, belittle and disparage their opinions.

Control the narrative through the schools. Children are impressionable. Replace education with indoctrination. Utilize divisive ideology such as Critical Race Theory to create future pliable citizens. Then they will easily accept that they are guilty of sins committed by persons simply because they look like them. Accuse innocent children of white privilege and make them feel responsible for the sin of white supremacy. Pit the children against one another and continue to drive a wedge between those who would simply become friends and playmates if not encouraged to segregate themselves by skin color.

Control a political party. This radical ideology has apparently taken the democrat party hostage. The democrat party is becoming synonymous with the Left. Their stated goal is to eliminate the free enterprise system and forcibly institute a form of “democratic” socialism. Never mind that socialism has a long track record of failure, they believe that it will finally be successful under their leadership. As they are spending the nation into a permanent recession and driving the value of our wealth into the toilet, it makes no difference to them because money talks and those in power will reap the benefits. They call out the opposition party of obstructionism, but without some brakes being applied to this runaway freight train, we would be spending ourselves into oblivion. Make certain to continue to vilify your enemy. Now that they are in control, use the IRS, CDC and DOJ to do their bidding and attack and destroy those who disagree with their methods. Open the nation’s borders in an effort to overcome the majority by building the minority population.

Control the populace using fear and intimidation. Use a pandemic to divide the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. After all, the government is just trying to keep us all safe. Vilify those who make their own choices. Take away their jobs if they fail to submit to the government’s obvious overreach. Enlist citizens and businesses to enforce unreasonable mandates and punish “free thinkers” with ostracization. Virtue signaling useful idiots are easy to control and easily convinced to do the bidding of this new totalitarianism.

It is not difficult to overcome a complacent populace. Standing on the outside, not paying attention to the steadily increasing rush to embrace socialism, will not change the trajectory. Getting involved will. Remember, the majority of our population rejects the effort to fundamentally transform our nation. If you stand by mute, we will all get what we deserve. Support candidates that reflect your and societal norms. Reject those that are morally corrupt. Make your voice heard or you just may be silenced forever.

The Woke Inquisition

 

There is still time to reverse course

Confess heretic! Confess wrong thinker! Today, woke “Inquisitors” search tirelessly for anything that can emasculate their foes. Unfortunately, for those deemed as “wrong thinkers”, any meme posted on the internet is there forever. It may take gleaning numerous pages, posted years ago, but rest assured if you have offended, you will pay. Think you can go back and delete any offensive material, think again. If it was once there, it will always remain somewhere to be found. Those of the “cancel culture” are ravenous and their thirst for blood is unquenchable. That humorous e-mail that you forwarded or posted on Facebook, will become fodder for those who revel at destroying others.

Speech or actions deemed appropriate for the times in which they occurred, are described as racist, sexist, homophobic, trans-phobic, or simply unacceptable to the Left’s ever-changing standards. Statues that honor anyone that offends the sensibilities of the left are defaced or torn down. Longstanding institutions must bow down and grovel at the altar of the “woke” Left by virtue signaling their support for all manner of depravity that so permeates the Left’s ideology. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln are now judged to be racists and must be erased from history. What’s next, book burning?

Jon Gruden sends off a litany of offensive material via e-mail, and it’s not enough to simply destroy him. The rest of the NFL are deemed equally evil and demands are made to release all e-mails in order to find others that can be destroyed. You were once young and foolish, not held responsible for your juvenile misconduct? No excuses allowed by the ever-tolerant left. MLB players Josh Hader, Trea Turner and Sean Newcombe were vilified for offensive tweets made in their teen years. Just as malevolent nations like North Korea have thousands of internet hackers searching for vulnerabilities of their enemies, the Left intends to destroy anyone with the audacity to challenge their inane ideology of hatred, division and racism.

We are to forgive others as God has forgiven us. With the left, there is no forgiveness, only retribution and revenge. “Love trumps hate” was the Left’s rallying cry during the Trump administration. This could not be further from the truth. Hate and divisiveness are the driving forces in the left’s unabated assault on our freedoms and civil society. Responsibility for your own actions? It is all about blaming someone else for one’s shortcomings and failures. Got to find a boogeyman to blame, so white supremacy and white privilege is the new strawman. Admittedly, the road to equality in the United States has been a long and arduous path. Our past sins are many and troublesome. This attempt to perpetuate the mistakes of the past is foolhardy. There was hope that Barack Obama would finally unite our nation, eliminate racism, and achieve lasting equality. Unfortunately, those hopes were shattered by divisive comments made from his bully pulpit. Our nation and our people are not perfect, nor will we ever be. We all make mistakes. We all hurt those we most love.

Those who have endured within the rise of China, the Soviet Union, Cuba, Venezuela and other nations who embraced leftist ideals can see the similarities of the path our nation is traveling. Those governments sowed division by utilizing class warfare. Our new “democratic socialism” divides by race, creating a new generation of racism and bias. This does not “level the playing field”. It is simply perpetuating our past critical mistakes. Barack Obama said in 2014, at the College Opportunity Summit, “The premise that we’re all created equal is the opening line in our American story.  And we don’t promise equal outcomes; we’ve strived to deliver equal opportunity -- the idea that success does not depend on being born into wealth or privilege, it depends on effort and merit.  You can be born into nothing and work your way into something extraordinary.”

Who can ask for more than that? The destructive ideology that is the left must be rejected. Cancel culture must be cancelled. Our history is what it is. Let us learn from it and not make the same mistakes again. Let us unite as a nation. Let us learn from the words of Jesus, “Love one another as I have loved you.” It is time to move forward and work toward the goal of providing for the common good. Who will step up and lead?

All the World’s a Stage

 

All the world’s a stage and we are merely players in it. Sounds like a perfectly worldly assessment of our roles here on earth, but is it actually accurate? The cast of characters in our play is led by the author of our story, God Himself. The hero is played by none other than Jesus Christ, the true and only Son of the Father. The villain, portrayed by the fallen angel Satan, who prods and cajoles God’s children into engaging in all manner of sinful activity. The objects of the hero’s affection are played by God’s created and beloved human beings. Plot – God’s overwhelming love for His children causes Him to send His only Son to suffer and die as a sin offering in their place to defeat death so that all of God’s children have the opportunity to be with Him throughout eternity.

Act I – Creation of all that is, starring the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

God creates the heavens and the earth and it was good. God was lonely, so he created someone to have fellowship with, a human being. God created His children with free will and in His great love for us, gave us dominion over everything on and over the earth and it was very good.

Act II – The fall of man, starring Adam, Eve and all of mankind throughout the ages.

Adam and Eve are tempted and fall for the lies of Satan. As punishment, they are evicted from the Garden of Eden. This begins a series of unfortunate events. Free will is a blessing, but humans all too frequently make into a curse. It causes man to engage in all manner of depravity. God is not pleased. God saves the righteous man Noah and his family, but brings a flood to drown out all of the evil in the world. Noah’s descendants repopulate the earth, but evil returns with a flourish. Righteous people are few and far between and prophets, inspired by God try over and over again to bring the others back to God. Some prophets are killed and some are banished. Over and over God gives His children the chance to return to Him, but Satan has much influence over society. Generations come and generations go with God’s children failing to live up to God’s standards. God invokes the final solution.  

Act III - The Lamb of God suffers, dies and rises to deliver us all from the death and punishment that we justly deserve.

Rather than relegate this rebellious generation to oblivion, God has mercy on His children. There is no way that anyone can live without sin and no way to earn salvation. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. That Word is the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who has been with God and the Holy Spirit from the beginning. Just like the calvary charging over the hill in the nick of time, God provided the final solution. Because God loved His children so much, He sent His one and only Son to stand in for all of us sinners. Rather than banish us from His presence, God did what only a perfectly loving Father could do. Jesus Christ, true human and true God, would take our place and endure a horrific death that truly was meant for each one of us. As the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one, all that Jesus endured was also experienced by the Father. Perfect love, perfect forgiveness. Then, with the entire past, present and future sin of the world on Jesus’ shoulders, the Father abandoned Him, severing Their everlasting connection, leaving Jesus to die utterly alone. But that was not the conclusion of the story. Jesus rose, defeated death, and opened the door to our salvation!

Act IV – Final Act - Judgement Day.

Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead. The Evil One will be banished to the pit of fire. A new heaven and a new earth will replace our broken world. Death will be no more. All of God’s children have the opportunity to accept that Jesus died for them and is the true Son of the living God. That is all that is asked of God’s children as a precursor to life eternal in paradise. Everyone has the opportunity to accept and believe until the final trumpet is sounded. But why wait until the last minute? Nothing else is required. Accept and believe in the one who took your place on the cross. Turn your life over to Jesus. It’s actually very simple. Jesus stands ready at your door. You only need to open it and invite Him in.

Pray this simple prayer, “Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God, that you died on the cross to rescue me from sin and death and to restore me to the Father. I choose now to turn from my sins, my self-centeredness, and every part of my life that does not please you. I choose you. I give myself to you. I receive your forgiveness and ask you to take your rightful place in my life as my Savior and Lord. Come reign in my heart, fill me with your love and your life, and help me to become a person who is truly loving—a person like you. Restore me, Jesus. Live in me. Love through me. Thank you, God. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

Settled!

 

The following are some of the left’s settled facts;

Global warming is real and if we continue to burn fossil fuels and eat meat, the planet will be unable to support life in as little as 12 years.

Even though it has failed miserably and led to millions of deaths, socialism can work in the United States because it will be called democratic socialism.

There are an infinite number of genders.

The national debt is just numbers.

The “Green New Deal” will save us all from ourselves.

Follow the epidemiological experts and obey every protocol the CDC recommends, or pay the price in rising infections and deaths.  

My body, my choice, except when it comes to mandatory vaccinations.

As the left worships at the altar of “settled science”, they fail to properly understand what it is that they support. From the Science Council; “Science is the pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence.

Scientific methodology includes the following”:

Objective observation: Debate and ask questions. Gather information. Form a hypothesis. Test the predictions. Analyze the data. Draw a conclusion. Do the results match the conclusions, if so, publish results, if not, start over.

• Evidence: Proof. That which tends to prove or disprove any conclusions
• Experiment and/or observation as benchmarks for testing hypotheses
• Induction: reasoning to establish general rules or conclusions drawn from facts or examples
• Repetition: create the same result using the same processes
• Critical analysis: careful examination and evaluation of results and methods
• Verification and testing: critical exposure to scrutiny, peer review and assessment, in other words, utilize both positive and negative opinions. 

The left tends to overlook many of the tenets of scientific research. Unfortunately, just because you want to believe something, does not make it so. Generalities, not specifics dictate the leftist’s explanations of preferred policy and avoidance of any discussion that would tend to disprove that which they truly want to believe are the hallmarks of any argument by the left. Case in point; social media giants Facebook and Twitter routinely censor any COVID-19 medical opinions that differ from the “settled science” from the CDC and Dr. Anthony “Often Wrong” Fauci.

Therapeutics that may actually assist in the recovery of COVID-19 are labeled dangerous and ineffective. Hydroxychloroquine, a drug in use for over 50 years for the treatment of malaria, is panned by mainstream media and articles and discussion of said drug is banned from social media. Ivermectin, an FDA approved anti-parasitic drug, is derided by the mainstream media as a horse medication, even though it has been used as an effective treatment for COVID-19. Many drugs specifically designed to treat one disease can positively affect other maladies. I for one take gabapentin, an anti-seizure medication that also relieves nerve pain, which enables me to function semi-normally even with severe arthritis in my neck.

Another seldom reported fact is that if there are effective therapeutics to treat a disease, any vaccine cannot be granted an emergency use authorization by the FDA. If the media lived up to their role as the “Fourth Estate” to hold the powerful accountable, perhaps following the money trail may lead to the reason that only one therapeutic, Remdesivir, at a cost of $3000 per dose, was “approved” by the FDA. The media disparages this treatment as less than effective when treating COVID-19, even though President Trump recovered quickly after taking it. Take your vaccine and like it! Ever hear any reports from the mainstream media about taking vitamin C with zinc and Vitamin D to help ward off infections? Of course not!

What began as two weeks to slow the spread morphed into a never-ending string of government overreach to “Keep us safe” while violating our Constitutional rights. Slow the spread became stop any and all infections. Mitigation efforts to keep COVID-19 infections at bay served democrats very well in the November 2020 elections. They maintained a majority in the House, albeit a narrow majority. They flipped control of the Senate and they took back the White House without even having a legitimate candidate. The Delta variant of this disease is looking ever more likely as another opportunity to skirt election laws in an effort to maintain their power. All this over a disease that 85% of those infected are asymptomatic. That 10% suffer mild symptoms. That 5% are at risk for more severe symptoms. And that 98.85% of those infected recover completely.

Me thinks that thou protest too much. Those ever-compliant useful idiots that dutifully mask up, gladly accept their vaccinations, social distance and harbor a distrust of their neighbor are playing right into the hands of those who seek to rule, not govern. The ruling class looks upon us peons as low information sheep that cannot think for ourselves as they continue to push the envelope in a never-ending crusade to keep us all in our place. Time to wake up America. The only thing that is settled is that government was created to serve its’ citizens, not the other way around. If we continue to elect those who think their role is to lord over the masses, we will have no one to blame but ourselves. It is long past time to send those "rulers" to the unemployment line and elect those that understand their role is to represent the people, that they serve at the people’s pleasure and know to place the people’s needs above their own.

Integrity

 

Do you want your vote to matter?

Integrity, noun; firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values-Incorruptibility, an unimpaired condition-Soundness, the quality or state of being complete or undivided-Completeness.

Election integrity legislation, particularly those laws proposed in red states, are under fire. To the left, these proposed laws are decried as “voter suppression” that harken back to the Jim Crow laws of the south. What do these voter integrity laws hope to accomplish and are they really discriminatory. For the sake of brevity, let’s consider the Wisconsin legislation recently vetoed by Governor Tony Evers, what was proposed in the bills and what issues were intended to be remedied by those bills.

Registered voters must submit an absentee ballot sealed in a separate envelope, signed with valid addresses by both the voter and a witness. Additionally, the application requires the voter to certify eligibility to vote in said election. Why? The Wisconsin Elections Commission issued unlawful guidelines to County Clerks, advising them to “cure” absentee ballots that were not submitted with the required signatures or addresses rather than following the law and contacting the individual voter to correct the ballot.

Indefinitely confined voters, overseas voters, and all other voters, other than military voters, will no longer automatically receive an absentee ballot. Those voters will be sent absentee ballot applications and will need to reapply for each election. Active-duty service members are exempted. Why? County Clerks in Dane and Milwaukee Counties advised voters to register as indefinitely confined, due to the covid pandemic, to circumvent the requirement to provide identification. An additional 200,000 ballots were requested by “indefinitely confined” voters, including able bodied elected State legislators, for the November 3^rd, 2020 election. Under current law, all those voters would automatically receive an absentee ballot for all future elections.

Municipal or county clerks are prohibited from sending or transmitting an absentee ballot application or an absentee ballot to a voter for purposes of voting in an election unless the voter applies for the application or ballot as provided by law. Why? Mailing absentee ballot applications and absentee ballots without a voter request, substantially increases the chances that a ballot is not sent to the appropriate voter, due to address changes.

Once the canvassing of absentee ballots begins, the municipal clerk must hourly post, at his or her office and on the Internet, a statement showing the number of absentee ballots that the clerk has mailed or transmitted to voters, the number of absentee ballots that have been returned to the clerk, the number of absentee ballots counted, and the number of absentee ballots remaining to be counted. Why? Any charges of “ballot dumping” will be eliminated as the number of outstanding absentee ballots will be known and published.

Election observers should have equal access to all parts of the election process and forbids observers from interfering with electors or election officials. Appropriate areas would be designated for election observers, no more than 3 feet away where ballots are being examined or processed. Why? Because of the ongoing Covid pandemic, rules were ignored and poll watchers were denied access by election officials in some districts.

Local governments would be prohibited from accepting funding from and/or abdicating their Statutory required election administration responsibilities by contracting with outside groups to administer their elections. Why? This would prevent municipalities from accepting funding from organizations as an incentive to run their elections according to the grantors, or to surrender the election administration, such as what occurred in Green Bay. Those funds would still be allowable, but any elections grant must go through the Wisconsin Elections Commission before being distributed per-capita to all municipalities statewide.

Employees of long-term care facilities would be prohibited from coercing a resident right to vote, and would have required them to admit Special Voting Deputies to assist in the election process, unless there is a declared federal or state health emergency. The bill would have required long-term care facilities to have employees trained like Special Voting Deputies in case the Deputies are not allowed to visit for public health reasons. Why? Public testimony at State hearings revealed that this abuse did occur.

Only family members, legal guardians, or designated people would be allowed to return a person’s absentee ballot. The bill would have prohibited anyone from being paid to return absentee ballots. Any event where a voter may return their absentee ballot in-person must comply with existing early voting requirements. Why? Chain of custody is necessary in order to assure that only legally cast ballots are counted.

When one reads the bills and understands their intent, the accusation of voter suppression rings hollow and Evers’ vetoes wholly partisan. These bills would have corrected a number of issues that plagued the 2020 Presidential election and would increase voter confidence in a fair and impartial election process.  

 

The Truth Shall set you Free

 

History is what it is and we must learn from it.

If a lie is repeated enough, does it then become the truth? Or will people ultimately overcome the obfuscation and realize the lie that it is? History needs to be taught truthfully, in all of its’ magnitude and with all of its’ blemishes, openly and honestly. Even though our nation has done more to advance society and freedom, we also need to learn from our own inadequacies and failures. That being said, we cannot dwell on those injustices and demand retribution in an effort to somehow right those wrongs. It is also essential that we make certain that those mistakes never happen again. It is essential that we never forget how so many were harmed and who was responsible for those offenses against our fellow man. It is also essential that we learn to forgive one another if we ever hope to unite society. Jesus Christ himself said, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” Apparently, there are some of us that believe they are without blemish themselves. They can look beyond their own sin and cast aspersions upon others simply based upon their skin color. Sounds an awful lot like they are becoming that which they so openly despise.

In order to teach our historical inequities, such as the horrors of slavery, the 1921 Tulsa massacre and all the evils of segregation, is it required to incorporate the tenets of Critical Race Theory and cast blame upon those that share the skin color of those who perpetrated these atrocities? Is it necessary to teach children as young as 5 years old, that race is a social construct, made specifically to oppress persons of color and they should be personally held responsible for other’s actions? Is it necessary to place all of society under a lens of racial equity when we should strive for equality of opportunity? God created all men and women as equals. History is a record of events, persons and places and the facts are what they are. We will learn nothing from history if we teach a revisionist form of that history. Omission of historical facts as well as the alteration of facts to fit a narrative only serves to prevent any restoration of real justice.

Heal, transitive verb; to restore to health. To restore to original purity or integrity. There are those who have no intention of mending fences or fixing problems. If politicians actually solved problems, there would be no need of them. There are also those who have a more malevolent goal. The left uses language that would have you believe that they bring a restorative justice by means of reconciling past wrongs and punishing those responsible. They want nothing but to destroy capitalism and transform this nation into a Marxist “Utopia”.  

Rome’s fall eerily coincides with some of the same dilemmas facing our nation today; they were beset by a severe financial crisis, government corruption was rampant, political instability reigned and there was a loss of traditional values. Rome became infatuated with itself and imploded from within. Today, wild spending on human “infrastructure” has our national debt set to rise to $30 Trillion, a level that cannot ever be repaid. Partisanship reigns in Washington DC where the party in power will do whatever it takes to remain there. Democrats openly support Black Lives Matter and Antifa as they cause political strife and instability in our cities. Democrat policies promote the abandonment of the nuclear family, replacing the father with government subsidies. Democrats support and defend abortion, or simply put, the murder of unborn children. President Biden’s open border policy is bringing in all kinds of people, including those with criminal records and those who are unvaccinated or are COVID-19 positive. Then they are released throughout the country. Wonder why there has been a spike in COVID-19 cases?

So, why is there this headlong rush to infiltrate our school’s curriculum with Marxist ideology under the cover of wokeness? If impressionable youth are indoctrinated into believing that the United States is inherently racist and all who are white are responsible for repressing persons of color, they will learn to embrace Marxism. Any debate will be moot as those who are taught and believe this divisive ideology grow into adulthood. Think our nation tilts irrevocably left today, just wait until CRT and its’ ilk permeates society. No more free enterprise. No more reaching to be all that you can be. No more of President John Kennedy’s approach to patriotism, it will be, ask what your country can do for you, and you be compelled to act as the government commands. We will sink into the abyss of Marxism, then socialism, then to the fall of our nation.

If we do not intend to follow in the footsteps of the fallen Roman Empire, we need to change our ways and change them soon. If you are looking for others to take up the mantle of leadership, you need to take a look in the mirror. Our government is littered with those whose only aim is to enrich themselves at your expense. If we do not take back our government, beginning at the local level, we will continue down this path of ruin. Don’t find yourself regretting not getting involved when our nation, as we know it, comes to an end. The old WWII poster of Uncle Sam captioned, “I want you!” has never been more pertinent than today. Good people are needed to stand in the way of leftists aiming to undermine everything that you hold dear. Now is the time. Get involved. Run for office. Make a difference, or you and your family will be the one’s steamrolled by the left.

Virtuosity

 

Our nation needs good people to step up and serve.

Virtuous, adjective; Conforming to moral and ethical principles; morally excellent; upright. Virtue is a trait that is desirable and often ascribed to one who exhibits those rare qualities that sets them apart from others. Virtuous individuals place others and their well-being ahead of their own. A virtuous individual will not only endeavor to do what is honorable, but they will refrain from acting inappropriately. Virtue signaling “wokeness” is not only disingenuous, it is the new form of hypocrisy. Just as the Pharisees in Jesus’ time prayed in public, so that all could see their great sacrifice and devotion to God, the modern “Woke” hypocrite performs acts that show that they are “down with the struggle”. Virtue signaling has become quite the artform as our culture devolves, accepting all manner of depravity as the new normal. Who will be first on the block to put up their “Black Lives Matter”, “Save the Planet”, or “Defund the Police” signs in a prominent place in their front yard? What company will answer the siren call of leftists decrying another nonsensical micro-aggression that yesterday was an accepted norm in society? What school district will kowtow to the latest new and innovative racist lie and incorporate it into their curriculum?

And yet, there are far too many that stand idly by while this, once what was the greatest nation on earth, slides uncontrollably into the abyss. Who really cares that this beacon of freedom is rotting on the vine, descending into anarchy and socialism? The clamor of pushback is far too muted. Yes, parents are beginning to step up against Critical Race Theory, but it is much too little, much too late, as this divisive ideology is already overtaking our schools. Democrats are emboldened to say and do anything that furthers their hold on power and the mainstream media covers those lies with unabashed adoration. Truth becomes what the left proclaims. Democrats, with their slim majority, work overtime to codify those lies into law. The mainstream media uses their “news” programs to amplify this new “truth.” Anyone attempting to correct their lies will be declared racist and fact checkers will shut them down from social media.

Condescension and superiority are the most glaring and pronounced traits of “wokeness”. “Look at me, I’m supporting ideology that will irrevocably change society, yet will actually render me unacceptable and irrelevant to the brave new world that I am enabling.” Children have become no more that coffee table conversation starters as parents brag about the fluidity of their child’s gender, failing to understand the irreparable harm being done to their young psyches. Sesame Street, the PBS children’s television program, decides it is appropriate to engage Drag Queens and promote gay puppets. Make sure your kindergartner pays attention when they are encouraged to experiment with homosexuality, transgenderism and any other sexual proclivity that is the next new thing to consider. Make sure your child is ready for counseling when they learn to hate themselves for their “white privilege” and to accept blame for wrongs done by persons that have no relation to them but for the color of their skin. During the Cold War, American citizens that were Soviet sympathizers, were actually reviled by the Politburo and referred to as “useful idiots”. Today’s useful idiots sympathize with leftists that want nothing more than to tear down society and rebuild it in their image, or what is better known as communism. Antifa is populated with well to do, mostly white college students that have no idea what is means to be a productive member of society. Their unbridled, yet unjustified anger rails against the economic system that affords them the ways and means to become professional anarchists.

Traditional societal norms such as promoting a good work ethic than can enable one to succeed is deemed racist. One must carefully consider whether or not to open the door for a woman in fear of being labeled sexist. Attending church or practicing one’s faith opens the practitioner to the charge of being hateful and practicing exclusivity. Pine for the days where neighbors looked out for one another, shared a mutual respect for the safety of their community and actually helped others in need and you are accused of harkening back to the days of Jim Crow and slavery. Love, unite and forgive your neighbor? The left’s love is divisiveness, retribution and to promote the hatred of your neighbor, unless he agrees with or looks like you.

The future of our nation is hanging in the balance. If the left succeeds in fundamentally transforming this great nation, there is no coming back. There is nowhere else to go where freedom reigns and everyone is free to chase their dreams. There will be nowhere to hide from the hate that the left spews and, like it or not, the vast majority of citizens in this nation are the targets of that hate. It is now more important than ever that good people sacrifice for this great nation and seek public office. There are far too many politicians that bend with the wind and forfeit their values and morals in order to appease. We need honest people that stand fast when faced with difficult decisions and choose to properly represent those they were elected to serve, no matter the pushback. The solution to what ails our society rests with you and I. if you decide to stand by and let this country fall, you will have to be the one to explain to your grandchildren how you stood idly by while their hopes and dreams were destroyed by the insanity that is the left. Will you answer the call to serve?

Through the Eyes of a Child

 

Children are not encumbered with any preconceived notions about race. Humans really are “color blind” at birth. Children see themselves as equals, potential playmates or just new brothers and sisters to share time with. To love your neighbor as yourself is the second most important commandment and children practice this without even understanding why. What we teach our children about diversity of gender, skin color or sexual orientation encourages their perception of those often, subtle differences. Bias and hatred are learned behaviors. How parents and teachers promote values and morals greatly influence that child as they grow and develop. Children listen and learn as many a parent has been embarrassed by a small child uttering some inappropriate word in public that parent may have used where those little ears could hear.

Critical race theory (CRT) is the latest effort by the left to fundamentally transform the way our children learn in public schools. This ideology purports to teach that it is important to understand our differences and the connections that we share, and to find a way to reconcile those differences. Well, sometimes you need to look deeper to fully understand how deceptive the title is. CRT teaches that all people are inherently different based on skin color alone. CRT teaches that based on one’s skin color alone, you are deemed to be either oppressed or an oppressor. CRT teaches that skin color alone, makes one inferior or superior to others. CRT convicts children of criminality based solely upon the color of their skin. This is not the intent of our Creator. This is a Marxist ideology meant to divide the masses. The only difference being that race, not class is the dividing factor. The founders of our nation never envisioned an American society that has been so divided by the color of one’s skin. They certainly never intended that this government would enact laws breeding division. And now, embedding this concept within the curricula of our public education system in order to steal the innocence of our children and instill the visages of hatred and animosity toward others.

This grievance culture is being mainstreamed into American society. Question their motives and you run the risk of being cancelled or deemed a racist. There is no forgiveness, only a burning desire to exact revenge over those alleged to have unfair advantage. Notwithstanding that so many have toiled and worked to succeed. The left does not want to earn their wages, they only want to take from others. Angry leftists have the ear of our democrat leaders and a plethora of equity of outcome legislation is proposed that will ultimately lead to the abandonment of the long-held principle that everyone has an equality of opportunity in America to succeed or to fail in trying. This society, that has so freely surrendered their cherished Constitutional rights in order to allow the government to keep them safe, is now too blind to see that the enemy has already breached the gate and is working among us, slowly abolishing what we hold dear.

Long past due is the time for good people to step up and oppose this scheme that seeks to fundamentally transform our nation into a socialist utopia. Long past due is the time for people to get involved in local politics as school board members, Town, Village, City or County Boards to counteract this dangerous movement. Long past due is the time for good people to look evil in the eye and work together to defeat it. Our great nation is at a crossroads. Are you willing to allow the left to dictate how you are to think, to speak or to lose the inalienable rights that were endowed to you by our Creator? Freedom is not free and never easy to preserve. President Ronald Reagan said it well, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” If we standby and let the left dictate how our children are to be taught, we will get what we deserve.

Cause and Effect

 

“If you comply, you won’t die!” There is a simple solution to the “systemic racism” of our policing, as so dutifully trumpeted by the press and the race mongers that always swoop in to create additional divisiveness in our society. Police have the authority to stop and demand identification in any number of situations. Police have the authority to take away your freedom when they make an arrest. Police have the authority to escalate the force necessary to effect an arrest. Resist and police will escalate. Continue to resist or fight and the chances of injury or worse, increases exponentially, for both the citizen and police. The unfortunate death of George Floyd did not have to happen this way. If Floyd had cooperated fully with police the situation never would have spiraled out of control. Follow the lawful orders of the police, allow the handcuffs to be placed on without struggling and sit in the back of the squad car peacefully. Floyd chose to do none of these, causing the chain of events that ultimately ended his life. Had he complied, he would likely still be alive, unless the cocktail of drugs he ingested caused his heart to stop.

Far too many instances of black men dying at the hands of police began when that person failed to comply and chose to resist. The default position of many in the African American community is to be confrontational, flee or simply resist. If police have the authority to stop and question or to investigate a potential crime, why would any reasonable person choose to resist? This culture of distrust of the police escalated exponentially with our first Black President, Barack Obama. A black professor in Cambridge, MA, locked out of his house, lacking any identification, decided that he should attempt to break in. Neighbors reported that someone was breaking into a neighbor’s house and police responded. Police, as they should, detained Henry Louis Gates Jr. and after he became belligerent and combative, the police ultimately arrested him, creating a stir that reached all the way to the Oval Office. Lacking the ability or desire to diffuse the incident and without considering all pertinent facts, President Obama decided to inflame the situation using racial overtones, by accusing the officer of acting stupidly, inferring that the officer should have accepted that Professor Gates was acting lawfully. In actuality, the officer acted appropriately, but of course, adding to the intrigue of racial animus, the officer just happened to be white.

President Obama made other inflammatory statements regarding race. He accused his own grandmother of racial bias, stating the she would cross the street whenever a black man approached her when she was out walking, with the inference that she believed that all black men were up to no good. When George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin after Martin attacked him and knocked him to the ground, Obama opined that if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon. As the President of the United States, Barack Obama swore an oath to the best of his ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. His rhetoric actually inflamed racial tensions, especially when he declared, “Too many young men of color feel targeted by law enforcement, guilty of walking while black, or driving while black, judged by stereotypes that fuel fear and resentment and hopelessness.” After a white Ferguson Missouri police officer Darren Wilson, shot and killed Michael Brown, after Brown attempted to disarm him, President Obama unleashed the full force of the Justice Department, led by Attorney General Eric Holder and began Federal investigations into a number of police departments in order to overcome the “systemic racism” he falsely believed was so prevalent throughout law enforcement.

President Obama, in his efforts to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, has exasperated this generation of Black Americans, actually encouraging them to distrust, fear and fail to comply with lawful orders, by obstructing, resisting and fleeing by using accusatory rhetoric at those who protect and serve. If there is anyone in authority that shoulders the most blame for many, what should be, non-confrontational police interactions or simple arrests that end in tragedy, it is Barack Obama. The preamble to the Constitution states, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

President Obama controverted justice by falsely accusing those that unappreciatively protect and serve, with unfounded and provocative rhetoric, rejected domestic tranquility by using accusatory language that encouraged divisiveness, undermined the common defense by creating an environment of distrust and racial animosity, diminished the general welfare by pushing a false narrative that our nation is indelibly flawed and irredeemable and furthermore, endangered our future liberty by engaging in reckless foreign relations by engaging with our enemies and apologizing to other nations for his baseless belief that our nation has harmed other nations by our reckless behavior and deserves to be condemned for those actions.

“If you comply, you won’t die!” Such a simple and logical concept that is unfortunately disregarded by far too many who listened to a President that had the potential to be the “Great Uniter”, but instead became the “Divider in Chief”. In the immortal words of Obama’s long-time Pastor, Jeremiah Wright, the chickens have come home to roost on the door step of the Obama’s $11.75 million estate in Martha’s Vineyard. Laws for thee, but not for me! And now, with President Biden continuing to stoke the flames of racial animosity, what could possibly go wrong? After all, when it comes to the left, the ends really do justify the means.

God's Love Wins

My wife Sandy composed this prayer for Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church for our daily devotions on John 19:38-42. With all that is happening in our world today, and particularly right here in the United States, this prayer is so very appropriate to help us not be discouraged when it seems that the devil's schemes are winning and uplift our faith that this world is not the important thing, our next life with our Savior is.

Lord,

In today's world, evil seems to be winning. Those who try to live in faith are ridiculed, criticized, and persecuted. They can lose possessions, careers are destroyed, and they are canceled from society. Evil is celebrated and Godly principles are chastised. Many people who call themselves Christian are silent when they see evil. Much like Joseph of Arimathea, people are afraid of leaders so they pray to You in secret. The intimidation of this culture has taken its toll on churches and on Your church families. How You must grieve our world right now. Lord, You stood up to the evil, past present, and future and died to defeat it. Precious Savior, thank You for destroying evil and death on that cross. The devil thought he won by having You crucified but instead, he worked into Your plan to save humanity for eternity. The devil is trying to destroy You through the evil of this world today but again he is working into Your plan. I read the end of the story, and You are victorious. So I can stand firm on my faith and believe that You are the everlasting king that I want to serve. I am not afraid of what man can do to me for You are with me. The cross cancels fear. No one can hurt my soul that has been bought with Your blood. Jesus, please, give Your family the boldness to stand in unity and proclaim the wonder of what You have done for all people.  Bring about a revival that can replace fear and intimidation with love, joy, kindness, gentleness, and compassion. Let Your people unite in love, not hate, and to serve not to destroy. Amen

Problematic

 President Ronald Reagan summed it all up in one statement, “Government is not the answer, government is the problem.’ In my former life as a police office, one technique I used to break tension was smiling and saying, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help!” This often elicited a chuckle and helped diffuse the situation, allowing everyone to relax and begin to resolve the conflict. After almost thirty years as a police officer and now finishing off my fifth term as County Supervisor, I have a pretty good handle on how government actually works, or better said, fails its’ citizens every day. Unlike a private business that sells a product to create revenue, governments create revenue by taxation and fees. Far too many of the services that governments provide are riddled with redundancies. Far too many governments use the excuse that their citizens expect local control in order to provide essential services. Far too many governments simply continue to conduct their business as they always have; They just need to raise taxes because the costs to provide those services continue to rise. These excuses make no sense whatsoever.

The “Kingdom Syndrome” permeates our government, particularly at the local level. Sharing services is a dirty word to many administrative bureaucrats that seem to think any reduction in their organization somehow lessens their authority. Those types of bureaucrats are the single greatest impediment to operating an efficient government and lowering property taxes. Governor Evers and far too many Wisconsin Counties are advocating for an end to levy caps. Ending the levy caps will enable all local and County governments to raise property taxes again. Remember what happened before levy caps and Jim Doyle was Governor? If one government has purchased costly equipment that is not used on a daily basis, why would a neighboring government need to purchase the same costly equipment if they also did not need it daily? Why couldn’t both municipalities come to an agreement to share that equipment, in some cases saving taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. This technique could be used to eliminate other redundancies in our government as well, saving taxpayer dollars or allowing tax revenue to be diverted to road repair and reconstruction.

Another argument against sharing of services, cooperating with other municipalities and consolidating essential services is that those governments would lose local control. This argument is actually illogical. Governments actually succeed when they provide essential services efficiently and timely. Governments actually succeed when those services are also provided cost effectively. Governments also succeed when they are streamlined and effective, using their resources wisely to meet the moral obligations to provide for those in need. As an example, larger organizations have more resources necessary to fulfill those obligations such as public safety, roads and infrastructure and human services. Organizations that operate with efficiency and have employees that understand and respect those that they serve is paramount to managing a successful government organization.

When “Economy of Scale” principals are applied, cost advantages are obtained by purchasing at a lower per-unit cost because those purchases are in larger quantities. Additionally, when crises occur, more resources are available to assign to more effectively resolve the problem. It is actually far more efficient for municipalities to cooperate, consolidate and collaborate in order to create those efficiencies that better serve their citizens. The only product that government provides is to serve their citizens to the best of their ability.

“We’ve always done it this way”, “Why fix it if it ain’t broke.” This type of governing is the primary reason that property taxes seldom are reduced, unlike Washington County that has continued to reduce the property tax rate. Washington County will continue to be a leader in innovation and finding new ways to better serve our citizens and continue to reduce their tax burden. The County Board will be considering, and likely passing, resolutions to oppose the lifting of property tax levy caps and opposing the additional .5% sales tax initiative at their April meeting. Wisconsin residents remain among the highest taxed in the nation and any additional taxation is unnecessary and unfair. The intent of the property tax levy caps was to force local governments to innovate and find ways to be more efficient. Lifting those caps only serves to validate those governments who refused to enact changes necessary to better serve their citizens.