The Right Stuff...Politically InCorrect

I moved!

2007-07-23T13:30:00.000-04:00

Politically InCorrect has been moved to it's own website!

(In case you haven't noticed it redirecting you there every time). Through some script glitch, the automatic redirect stopped working. However, all of the posts on here and many more are up on the website! so be sure to check it out!

Keep Voting For Spunky!

2006-12-14T13:42:00.000-05:00

Most of you have probably seen this already but we're at the end of the "campaign" and the strongest effort is needed now:

This is the time of year for the annual Wizbang Blog Awards (think the Oscars for blogs). This year, Spunky (a.k.a. Mrs. Braun, a homeschooling mom from Michigan) has been nominated in the Best Educational blog category. She is currently trailing her two primary competitors—one a Ivy league news, gossip, and sex blog, and the other, a professor at Penn State—by 200 votes.

This wouldn't be so bad by itself—homeschoolers can accept defeat graciously—but both of these blogs, besides being exceedingly secular, are also exceedingly elitist. They seem to have a built in disdain for homeschoolers. A sampling of comments from their blogs:

The important thing is that IvyGate and I crush the homeschoolers."

"Homeschoolers suck!"

"And seriously, we do need to beat the cr*p out of those homeschool freaks."

For all these reasons, I'd like to encourage all of you to get behind SpunkyHomeschool and help vote her to victory. You are allowed to vote once a day (from every available computer) until the end of December 15th. For more information, click here. You can also visit The Rebelution blog for updates.

To vote for SpunkyHomeschool, click here.

Spunky has a tight lead, keep voting to keep her there!!!!

My Hard Thing

2006-12-06T11:38:00.000-05:00

My previous post probably left most of you wondering what the point was.

Simply put I was indirectly stating my “Hard Thing”.

My family recently joined a baptist church and upon doing that, I was thrown out of my comfort zone. Affiliating ourselves with the church is not in and of itself hard. The ramifications of that decision, however, is what has turned into my seemingly impossible “hard thing”.

For the first time four weeks ago, I found myself doing something I had been told would never happen. I was in a classroom with about one hundred youths ages 12 to 18. each week, chatter about their latest boyfriend, and last night's football game escalates to an almost intolerable level. I had been told to be there to give a different view and in a sense regenerate the culture. I wasn't ready, but I went anyway.

“But I listened when You said to go
And I set out in spite of my fears
About truth mixed with my imperfection
And the question of what to say when I got here... What should I tell them when
They're thirsty Lord
My cup is empty Lord
Come and lead me here in this place
Cuz I'm honest, yeah, but I'm unprepared
And I'm just plain afraid ”(emphasis mine)

Those verses from “What Should I Tell Them” sums up what I've been facing. The difference is they're not thirsty and my cup isn't quite empty.

The discussions held in the small groups are mere milk, yet no one yearns for more.

I offer meat as often as possible, yet my voice is constantly drowned out – often times glossed over or laughed at. My attempts at trying to show a different angle are blocked at every turn, I seemingly fail each time.

Failure – the thing that scares me more than apathy, a democrat controlled congress, and “normal” guys combined; The one thing that can make me cry every time it strikes. Yet, I seem to repeat it every Sunday morning when my attempts to speak are blocked.

Out side the small group I am drowned out by the chatter and cliques that have been formed. There's no way to jump into a conversation, they seem to speak in Greek.

My Hard thing is two-fold: 1. the constant reminder of blocked attempts and 2. trying to get through the barrier.

My hard thing cannot and will not overcome me, I need to overcome it. My hard thing cannot remain impossible, at some point a hole will be made in it's impervious structure, and it shall be overcome.

"Should I Tell Them?"

2006-12-01T16:47:00.000-05:00

"Should I tell them?"
by Shaun Groves:

Walking with you is not without hazards
Trippings this traveler's curse
Price paid for falling is more than my stumble
In a world that is watching and waiting for words

But I listened when You said to go
And I set out in spite of my fears
About truth mixed with my imperfection
And the question of what to say when I got here

And now that I'm here
Should I tell them that
You are the one who has made me
And saved me and set up a home there inside
Should I tell them that I am a perfect example
Of all You can do with a life.
What should I say to them?
What if I'm failing them?
What should I tell them tonight?

Now don't get me wrong
I'm thankful to be here
With this song to sing and a spotlight on me,
But lately I'm wondering if you are mistaken,
If you're seeing all of me there is to see.

Cause on every face I detect
The same questions I've posed to you
Like do you speak through the imperfect
Are we too dirty for your light to get through?
I want your light to get through.

What should I tell them when
They're thirsty Lord
My cup is empty Lord
Come and lead me here in this place
Cuz I'm honest, yeah, but I'm unprepared
And I'm just plain afraid

Be Thankful!

2006-11-23T12:31:00.000-05:00

Be Thankful

As Americans we have a lot to be thankful for. Some people forget the meaning of thanksgiving, and overlook the things they're thankful for. Sometimes the simplest things in life are the most overlooked, yet are the most important. So here is the list of what I'm thankful for:

Christ, for without Him, I wouldn't be here.

My Family – They have had to put up with more of my antics than anyone and love me anyway.

My friends – few and far between, most times out of State. They'll fight for me or die trying. I appreciate and thank God for each and every one of them!

The United States military and the price they have paid to give us the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave!

May we never forget this precious gift.

These are a few of the things I'm thankful for. The question is: what are YOU thankful for?

A Poem

2006-11-18T15:28:00.000-05:00

My mom forwarded this poem to me from my grandma. I have no idea who wrote it, but it's a great reminder.

~Let us Never Forget~

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the
snow. My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my
child. "What are you doing?" I asked without
fear, "Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your
sleeve, You should be at home on a cold
Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in
drifts. To the window that danced with a
warm fire's light, Then he sighed and he said
"Its really all right, I'm out here by choice. I'm
here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me, I'm
proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "that's a Christmas 'Gram
always remembers." My dad stood his watch
in the jungles of 'Nam', And now it is my turn
and so, here I am. I've not seen my own son in
more than a while, But my wife sends me
pictures, he's sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from
his bag, The red, white, and blue ... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home. I
can stand at my post through the rain and the
sleet, I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a
feast? It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

Final Election Update (10)

2006-11-08T18:09:00.000-05:00

Last night we went to bed wondering what the final out come would be in the United States Congress. This morning, we woke up with the democrats in control and new Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. The Senate has been reported to be in the democrat's hands as well. Although I believe we are still waiting for the official results.

Defense Secretary Rumsfeld has also resigned today. The Press conference that the President had today was rough as well.

This was a bad day for conservatives, however , it's not the end of the world...Yet. Just because we lost congress does not mean that we can no longer make a difference. In fact, now more than ever is the time we need to get involved. We also need to remember that the key to changing our Nation lies in 2nd Chronicles 7:14.

Election Update 9

2006-11-08T00:08:00.000-05:00

We're back with more results. The candidate I've been working for since august lost.

Corker is still in the lead in Tennessee.

Maine is still in Snowe's hands.

There are mixed reports of the Virginia race.

Maryland:
MD - U.S. Senate
69% Precincts Reporting

	Ben Cardin	Democrat	540,676 (53%)
	Michael Steele	Republican	473,048 (46%)
	Kevin Zeese	Green	16,021 (2%)
Click Here for Race Analysis and Latest Polls

South Dakota is still leaning against the refferrendum:

SD - Bans all abortions unless one is needed to prevent the death of the mother
59% Precincts Reporting

	No	-	98,182 (55%)
	Yes	-	79,444 (45%)

Kyl is still leading in Arizona:

AZ - U.S. Senate
77% Precincts Reporting

Jon Kyl (i)	Republican	402,955 (52%)
Jim Pederson	Democrat	351,190 (45%)
Richard Mack	Libertarian	25,547 (3%)

Election Update 8

2006-11-07T23:21:00.000-05:00

Senator George Allen is in the lead by a few votes!

Corker is ahead 51-48% with 82% of precincts reporting.

In Georgia, Casey Cagle became the first Republican Lt. Governor in history.

Interesting results in the Arizona US Senate race:
63% Precincts Reporting

Jon Kyl (i)	Republican	359,692 (53%)
Jim Pederson	Democrat	293,783 (43%)
Richard Mack	Libertarian	22,068 (3%)

Maryland turned around with 48% of precincts reporting:
48% Precincts Reporting

Michael Steele	Republican	348,232 (50%)
Ben Cardin	Democrat	331,924 (48%)
Kevin Zeese	Green	11,242 (2%)

The Senate race in Maine is still Snowe's.

Finally, something good may come out of California!

A - Proposition 85 - Would prohibit abortions on minors until 48 hours after a doctor notifies parents or legal guardians, except in cases of medical emergency or with parental waiver
Polls Close at 8:00PM PST (11:00PM EST) *

	Yes	-	94,643 (55%)
	No	-	77,961 (45%)

Election Update 7

2006-11-07T22:54:00.000-05:00

Georgia's Governor Sonny Perdue won re-election!

Corker is still ahead in Tennessee.

Allen still leads by 1% (or approx 30,000 votes) in Virginia.

The Maryland race is at a tie between Steele and Cardin. 34% of precincts have reported.

Olympia Snowe still has the lead in Maine.

In Pennsylvania the race is 60-40 in Casey's favor.

In South Dakota the refferrendum results are:

SD - Bans all abortions unless one is needed to prevent the death of the mother
20% Precincts Reporting

	No	-	29,543 (55%)
	Yes	-	24,657 (45%)

Also, Matt A. gave me some insight into the "checks". As far as he can tell, it was the FoxNews election prediction.

Election Update 6

2006-11-07T21:56:00.000-05:00

The Maryland results are up:

5% Precincts Reporting

	Michael Steele	Republican	28,880 (53%)
	Ben Cardin	Democrat	24,240 (45%)
	Kevin Zeese	Green	944 (2%)
Click Here for Race Analysis and Latest Polls

It has been asked several times if the check means anything, in all honesty I don't know. I do know, however, that it's still early for election night and results are subject to change.

The Maine results are now at 7% reporting. Snowe is still in the lead:

7% Precincts Reporting

	Olympia Snowe (i)	Republican	17,041 (59%)
	Jean Hay Bright	Democrat	8,904 (31%)
	William Slavick	Unenrolled	2,874 (10%)
Click Here for Race Analysis and Latest Polls

In Pennsylvania at 16is Casey is still ahead:

16% Precincts Reporting

	Bob Casey	Democrat	311,819 (63%)
	Rick Santorum (i)	Republican	184,660 (37%)
Click Here for Race Analysis and Latest Polls

With 34% of precincts reporting in Tennessee, Corker is still in the lead:

34% Precincts Reporting

	Bob Corker	Republican	478,888 (51%)
	Harold Ford	Democrat	448,219 (48%)

Virginia is still very tight with Allen ahead and 83% of precincts reporting:

83% Precincts Reporting

	George Allen (i)	Republican	938,633 (50%)
	Jim Webb	Democrat	908,054 (49%)
	Glenda Parker	Independent Grassroots	20,580 (1%)
Click Here for Race Analysis and Latest Polls

Finally, Georgia is still majorly Republican in the state races. The Attorney General's race is still tight.

(statistics from foxnews.com and 11alive.com)

Elections Update 5

2006-11-07T21:35:00.000-05:00

The results are coming in for South Dakota's refferendum:

SD - Bans all abortions unless one is needed to prevent the death of the mother
Polls Close at 8:00PM CST (9:00PM EST) *

	No	-	545 (57%)
	Yes	-	410 (43%)

Don't be discouraged, the night isn't over yet!

Elections Update 4

2006-11-07T21:16:00.000-05:00

The Virginia race is really tight with 64% of precincts reporting:

64% Precincts Reporting

George Allen (i)	Republican	717,626 (50%)
Jim Webb	Democrat	703,570 (49%)
Glenda Parker	Independent Grassroots	15,925 (1%)

Things are definately heating up! Hopefully the results will be in for the Maryland race and South Dakota abortion refferrendum shortly.

Election Update 3

2006-11-07T20:51:00.000-05:00

Tennessee:

Corker is ahead!
4% Precincts Reporting

	Bob Corker	Republican	133,878 (56%)
	Harold Ford	Democrat	103,035 (43%)

Pennsylvania:

Polls Close at 8:00PM EST *

	Bob Casey	Democrat	7,009 (61%)
	Rick Santorum (i)	Republican	4,413 (39%)

Election Update 2

2006-11-07T20:07:00.000-05:00

The results are slowly coming in...

In Georgia's State races:

Governor Perdue is off to a strong lead, and so is most of the Republican ticket. The downside is that only 11% of precincts are reporting.

In other races:

Maine seems to have declared Olympia Snow to win re-election. (see www.foxnews.com)

Pennsylvania is still tight, I've only been able to see the polls from Real Clear Politics. I don't know the official results yet.

The information of Tennessee and South Dakota are in the works.

Election Day! (Update 1)

2006-11-07T11:30:00.000-05:00

It's finally here!

Many dedicated people have spent all year campaigning for this day. The time has arrived. If you haven't already voted now is the time to do it!

Evidently on the east coast it seems to be rainy while people are headed to work and the polls. In my State it is forecasted to rain all day. The rain is a great thing for the turn-out, not so great for Floridians like me who aren't used to 50 degree weather and rain occurring simultaneously.

In other news, it looks like Maine's senate race is going well, the poll is a little old. Although, with the campaigning going on up there this week, I think it might end up being close to accurate.

There will be more election updates later on today, keep watching, and if you're old enough, GO VOTE!

A Day of Prayer and Fasting

2006-11-05T18:43:00.000-05:00

The 2006 midterm elections are almost here! As Christians we need to act, this election is crucial!
We can not skip this election day, likewise, we cannot go into this election without prayer.

I stated in part 2 of "Lessons Learned On The Trail" that prayer is vital.

Pray for America!
It is evident that God DOES hear our prayers. He also says “You have not because you ask not”. Prayer is our best weapon, so why don't we pray for America and the up coming elections? Mr. Steven Givler had a great idea about prayer and fasting for the elections on his blog. I'm planning on setting aside Monday as well. Even if the results aren't as we hoped, God does have a plan. He even tells us He will heal our land! However, we can't just say “Okay Lord, heal America”, we have to do as 2 Chronicles 7:14 says “If my people will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land”.
I think it's time we put America back in God's hands!

As Christian Americans we have a duty to pray for our nation and leaders, what more crucial time than an election year?

Voting is Amazing!

2006-11-02T19:57:00.000-05:00

How do I know voting is amazing when I'm not yet old enough to officially cast a ballot?
I know, because I was permitted to cast an official ballot this evening. Of course, my dad had to fill out the necessary paper-work since he is registered. However, when it came to cast the ballot, I was the one voting. I also learned a few things in the 10 minutes I was at the polls.

1. In my state, evidently, ID isn't necessary to cast a ballot.
don't appreciate this aspect of voting for a very good reason, anyone – illegals, terrorists, convicts, you name it - can vote. Last I checked, the right to vote was only supposed to apply to American citizens.

2. Poll workers have no idea how to judge ages.
They are very friendly, however, both times I went with my dad to the polls they asked me if I was voting. I wish I was, unfortunately, I have to wait 5 more years until there is an election I can vote in.

3. In the “write ins” you can write in anyone!
When I came to the judicial part of the ballot, it was mostly incumbent races. In that part of the ballot there was another box as well, labeled “write ins”. This is where I began to have the most fun. I voted for:
Travis Henry, Tim Sweetman, Alex King, Jake Smith, Lee C., Matt A., Michael D., Stephen H., and David Ketter.

(As a side note: I have really enjoyed working with these guys, they've been a great encouragement and great brothers in Christ. I encourage you to check out their blogs!)

I don't plan on missing any elections, and if you're old enough to vote, and registered, I urge you to go out and vote in this year's midterms! We're at a time when we can not afford to be apathetic, what happens in these elections will affect us for the coming years.

Edmund Burke was right when he stated “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”. Don't let evil triumph!

Lessons Learned On The Trail Part II

2006-10-28T18:42:00.000-04:00

Prayer Works

Lessons Learned On The Trail

From the aspect of a Teenage campaigner

Part II

Ronald Reagan once said “If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, we will be one nation gone under”. That doesn't only apply to the Nation as a whole, it applies to all Americans and in this case, even campaigns.

Affecting our every day life.

For a Christian, prayer is probably one of the most important things in our walk with God. It is also our most powerful weapon. There are many times when people have been directly affected by prayer.

Last year, a friend of mine had a brain hemorrhage, the word traveled throughout the blogsphere and emails were passed along to pray for him. He had an entire nation, and possibly people all over the world constantly praying for his health and safety. Our prayers were answered and he was healed and able to continue leading Operation Completion.

There was also a time when a missionary was about to be robbed. He had spent a night alone, out in the open after doing some work in a nearby village. The next morning, the people intending to rob him came up and told him their intent, and that the only reason they didn't follow through was because he had 26 guards surrounding him that night. When the missionary came back to the states he found out that at the time he was going to be robbed, 26 men in the church came together and prayed for him.

On The Trail

Prayer is important in every situation. Sometimes people don't think to pray for campaigns, candidates, volunteers, or leaders. These people need a lot of prayers, especially while they're on the campaign trail. The most valuable thing in a campaign, is knowing people are praying for you. Without prayers, it is very hard to keep pressing on.

Candidates need prayers for wisdom and energy. Campaigning is exhausting and there are so many ways to make mistakes. If you ask a (republican) candidate what you can do for them, most should say you can do three things: pray, donate, and volunteer. It is vital in the middle of a race to be praying for the candidates, and their team.

Every good candidate has a dedicated team and volunteers behind him. Often times, the people behind the candidate get neglected prayer-wise as well. As a volunteer on many campaigns this year, I can honestly say the only thing that has gotten me through has been prayer. The candidate has a crazy schedule and is out most of the time, while his team and volunteers are working constantly. The work never stops on a trail and the closer to election day, the longer the hours are. It is very easy to get burned out during this time, and there is no worse time to burn out than right before elections.

In Florida during a campaign for a state representative's race, I was suffering from a head cold the whole time. Working 16 hour days in the Florida heat and having a head-cold don't mix well. I sent out an email to my parents and a few friends of mine asking for prayer for energy and my health. The rest of the week was a complete “God thing”. He granted me, and the rest of the staff the energy to make it through each day.

Prayers do matter!

We learned the hard way this year, to be careful what you pray for. You might just get it.
Throughout this year, we've been praying for God's will to be done. When we pray for that, we can't be too upset when we don't get the results we hoped for. If there is one thing that can be learned about prayer it is that God hears it, but doesn't necessarily answer the way we hoped. We are still praying for God's will to be done, I believe it is, even if we don't like the results.

The campaign trail isn't the safest place to be, but God is sovereign. On the way back up from Florida, we had a lot of people praying for safety. That sounds typical, however, on the way off of an exit one of our vehicles was sideswiped by a semi. The people in the car came out without a scratch, when they should have been injured. The prayers that we prayed and that many others prayed without our knowing it were answered and we all made it back safely.

Pray for America!

It is evident that God DOES hear our prayers. He also says “You have not because you ask not”. Prayer is our best weapon, so why don't we pray for America and the up coming elections? Mr. Steven Givler had a great idea about prayer and fasting for the elections on his blog. I'm planning on setting aside Monday as well. Even if the results aren't as we hoped, God does have a plan. He even tells us He will heal our land! However, we can't just say “Okay Lord, heal America”, we have to do as 2 Chronicles 7:14 says “If my people will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land”.

I think it's time we put America back in God's hands!

Announcement! ROC opportunity

2006-10-26T00:23:00.000-04:00

Update: Thanks to everyone for the great response! The deadline for those who haven’t applied yet is 12:00pm EST, on October 27th. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

for those of you who keep tabs on ROC and would like to help out, you have a chance :)

Regenerate Our Culture is looking for young adults (teens) who have a passion for the written word, desire to help change the culture, and can commit time to proofreading a few articles each issue. You’ll get to read articles ahead of everyone else, gain experience in editing, and be part of the magazine team! If your interested, just email applications@regenerateourculture.com, tell us a little about yourself, and mention the errors you found in this post.

The spots tend to fill up quickly, so be sure to get your application in soon!

I'm Sorry, You Have A Disease Called Apathy.

2006-10-15T12:23:00.000-04:00

Apathy is a disease that most people obtain. It spreads like cancer throughout every aspect of life. One danger of this disease is that very few people realize it's a problem...until too late.
When they do find out, they are typically to apathetic to change.

There are, however, a few that have found out about their disease, and recovered. Such as Allyssa Chua. There are other's who didn't even realize they had this disease, found out, and decided to change.

These people have found the cure for their disease, and are no longer apathetic.

What is the cure?
Regenerate Our Culture has an entire issue researching the disease of apathy.
In this issue, Alex King and I co- authored an article entitled "Defeating Apathy" that you will definately want to check out. But it doesn't stop there, the rest of the issue is packed with details on apathy and how to cure it!

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke.
Don't let evil triumph!

-Kierstyn

Lessons Learned On The Trail

2006-09-30T15:29:00.000-04:00

The 2006 election is bound to be an interesting year. We had tough primaries and are now less than 40 days away from the general elections. While the results of the races may look like some of the more conservative candidates were defeated in the primaries, there was also

triumph.

Lessons Learned On The Trail
from the aspect of a "teenage campaigner"

If I were only able to name one benefit of being homeschooled, it would be the ability to learn "hands on". To someone with political aspirations, gaining some experience in campaigns is definitely the best way to learn the election process.

I have been involved with 5 campaigns since May. Only two candidates out of the five have made it out of the summer primaries. Throughout the summer I have seen many candidates run hard, but not make it. It's hard to see the candidate you believed in be eliminated in primaries; and many people have dropped out of involvement altogether because of it. These people have failed to recognize that even if our candidate didn't win the election, we didn't fail altogether.

It is amazing how God uses people and events to teach us lifelong lessons. Being involved in campaigns on a level where I've had a lot of responsibility put on my shoulders has taught me to give all of my problems to Him because there is no way I can work it out on my own.

This summer has been the most chaotic and stressful summer I've ever had. However, through it all I've learned to not give up, rely on God, and do my best even if my best doesn't seem to effect the situation.

Just learning the lesson doesn't mean anything if it isn't applied. Perseverance is one lesson that has been learned and applied and re-applied in every campaign I've worked on this year. As a result, I've become stronger and more reliable.

One thing to keep in mind as we face the general elections: Never, never, never, give up! Our effort will pay off, if not in votes, in character.

Kp

Patriotism

2006-09-10T20:38:00.000-04:00

This Speech was delivered Sept 10 2006 to 500 people in honor of Patriot's day. You can see the video here, or if you're "special" you'll get a package in the mail.

The text of the speech is below:
--------------------------------

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. —
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,
and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. ...
We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions,
do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare,
That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States,
that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved;
and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. —
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. -Declaration of Independence July 4 1776

Patriotism, a word we hear so often, yet how many of us give thought to what it really means? Of who the PATRIOTS were, are, and will be?

Patriotism is a broad topic and everyone seems to have their own ideas or definition of it.

However, before we can go into details about this vital concept called PATRIOTISM, we need to understand what it means.

#1 Webster’s Dictionary defines it as “ Love, Loyalty and zealous support for one’s country.” Pledging their Love, Fortunes and Sacred Honor.

Patrick Henry made the call to patriotism in 1775 when he said “:
Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?

Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power.
The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us.

There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable--and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.
It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter.
Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace.
The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms!

Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle?
What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!
I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

The patriots are those who love and zealously support their nation, who are willing to and have given their lives, fortunes and sacred honor for it.
Our Founders made that commitment to America in the 1700’s.
Patrick Henry in his “War is Inevitable” Speech stated “Give me liberty of give me death.”
Benjamin Franklin, when signing the Declaration stated “ We must all hang together or we will all hang separately”.

TODAY, what so many don’t seam to grasp is when those 55 men signed the Declaration they understood that if they lost the war, they and just signed away their life. Treason was punishable by torture and hanging. Yet, they were willing to DIE FOR LIBERTY.

Since then, many patriots have risen. Our soldiers from the American Revolution, the World wars, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iraq again, and many others have given and sacrificed their lives for this nation.

On September 11th 2001, Firemen, policemen, and first Responders, RAN into the burning buildings. Many were trapped or killed when the towers collapsed as they tried to rescue fellow Americans.

That same day on UNITED AIRLINES Flight 93, Todd Beamer, Jeremy Glick , Tom Burnett, Jr. and Mike Bingham also decided to sacrifice themselves.

United 93 was only an hour on its way when hijackers armed with box cutters took over the Cock Pit. These men and maybe others on the plane decided to TAKE IT BACK.
While all the passengers died, Their HEROISM saved many other lives that day!

OUR FOUNDERS, OUR SOLDIERS, OUR FIREMEN and POLICEMEN have shown how to live Patriotically, BUT like those on United 93, OUR Citizens must be PATRIOTS as well.

It would not be “going too far” to that they TRUE PATRIOTISM requires sacrifice. As Citizens we need to avidly support our nation. Defending the heritage of this great nation demonstrates patriotism. Honoring, Supporting, and encouraging our military demonstrates patriotism as well!

In order to be patriotic, we must remember, that the freedom we are fighting to preserve, DID NOT COME WITHOUT A PRICE.

That SACFRICE, however, does not have to mean dying for your Country. There are many endeavors citizens can get involved in. The people sending care packages overseas, and writing letters are being patriotic and the people bake cookies for firemen and policemen are supporting those in the field, and showing patriotism as well.

Ronald Reagan once said “We stand here on the only island of freedom that is left in the whole world. There is no place to fee to, no place to escape to.

We defend our freedom here or it is gone.

There is no place for us to run. Only make a stand, and if we fail I think we face telling our children, and our children’s children, what it is we found more precious than freedom.

Because I am sure that someday, if we fail, there will be a generation that will ASK!

We are the only Island of Freedom left in the world. It is our DUTY to support it and those who protect and defend it. We are in a WAR. Like no other, we are fighting against an ideal, not an army. We were attacked on our CONTINENT, our HOME FRONT, and now we have soldiers defending us overseas for something, THEY consider PRICELESS: FREEDOM

Will we continue to support our Nation? One of the problems with this generation, MY GENERATION, is that so many of us are selfish. Taking everything for granted, even, in most cases, our FREEDOM. WE must NOT continue this trend! We must appreciate our freedom. Appreciate the lives that it cost to get us this far and are keeping us free.

As a Christian American Citizen, I KNOW that our freedom was obtained and preserved by Patriots who gave their lives to give us liberty! The most significant display was Christ on the cross. Setting us free from the bonds of sin. Second, to Christ on that cross, is OUR AMERICAN PATRIOTS of the past and present who DAILY sacrifice their time, fortune and lives for the CAUSE of Freedom.

Darryl Worrly wrote a song not long after 9/11 entitled “Have You Forgotten?” In the Chorus he states
“_Have you forgotten how it felt that day
To see your homeland under fire And her people blown away? Have you forgotten when those towers fell? We had neighbors still inside Going through a living hell now you say we shouldn't worry 'bout Bin Laden Have you forgotten?

I've been there with the soldiers Who've gone away to war And you can bet they remember Just what they're fighting for

Have you forgotten all the people killed? Some went down like heroes in that Pennsylvania field Have you forgotten about our Pentagon? All the loved ones that we lost And those left to carry on Don't you tell me not to worry about Bin Laden Have you forgotten?

Have we forgotten? Immediately after 9/11 this country was united, there were flags on every street corner.

We all cheered from our guts when President bush came out on September 14th and stood on that rubble and stated “ I hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people that attacked these buildings are going to hear from all of us soon!”

Has America forgotten? I hope not, but it is hard to tell. Life has returned to normal while is nation is still at war. Now more than ever we need to be patriots, we need to tell America to WAKE UP! And show the World that we support our troops.

Christ died to free us for eternity and our Founders and servicemen have labored and died to keep America, that CITY ON A HILL, as Reagan called it. It is OUR DUTY to support AMERICA. Like the Founders pledged their lives, fortunes and Sacred Honor, we need to sacrifice for our nations as well. Sending letters and care packages to soldiers, volunteering in various organizations, getting involved in politics on the local, state, or federal level are different ways to get involved. Others have sacrificed and we MUST NOT FORGET!

Some Americans have forgotten, the question is, WILL WE? Or WILL WE BE THE 2nd GREATEST GENERATION?

The Case for Christians in Government

2006-08-22T18:08:00.000-04:00

The good people of this country have really let this country down. We’ve let pop culture, drive our culture in the ground.
And I’ve stood by and watched it, shook my head and wondered why
Nobody’s putting up a fight – “From Here on Out” by The Right Brothers.

This is the point we are at today. For too long Christians have just stood by and watched our nation turn further and further away from God. If we continue this trend, we will arrive at a god-less America, and the results of that are dangerous. Societal conditioning has taught us for decades that Christians do not belong in the decision making of this country because of the “separation of church and state” phrase that is so prominent today.

In addition, many Christians have stayed out of politics because of peer pressure and being told that they can’t change the outcome, so their involvement doesn’t matter. We have been indoctrinated to believe that there is no biblical basis for Christians in government. All of these allegations against Christians in government are false. We do have an important job to do in our government and we are the only people that can get it done.

When I am asked the question, “what do you want to do when you “grow up”?” I respond, “I’ll be somewhere in politics.” The reaction I receive is always priceless. I typically get one of two types of responses. The first is a shocked expression and a “well, I hope you do ok” or “great, keep it up girl!” The second is deeper and generally results in a good discussion, the response boils down to a simple question: Why can’t we just stay out?

The answer is simple. We can’t stay out because we are to be the light of the world. Our founding fathers built this land on Judeo-Christianity, and we have strayed too far from Christ. The reason our ancestors came to America was that she was and is a free, God-fearing nation.

Having established this, we have another question. Since we have strayed so far, does it even matter if we continue on this downhill journey? Does it even matter if we get involved? After all, we can’t make a difference.

Yes, it does matter. We are going down the wrong road; following pop-culture stars and Hollywood actors who have no sense of reality. We are soaking in phrases and taking them as fact because we don’t have the determination to make sure what we are being spoon-fed is right. We are being taught that there is no right and wrong and we must tolerate everyone except those that don’t agree. We are becoming a society run on emotions, not facts and logic. If we continue down this path we will crumble, not from the outside, but from within. Our freedoms will eventually be lost, and rather than a republic form of government, we will have nothing but tyranny.

If we stay apathetic and do not get involved, we will end up with tyranny, the only way to stop this is to get involved and change!

The allegation that we can have no impact on our culture is false. Samuel Adams, a founding father, and founder of the Sons of Liberty in the American Revolution once stated, “It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brushfires in people’s minds”. Throughout history it has been proven repeatedly that a handful of people have the potential to make a dynamic impact.

Now that we know that we can make an impact, we have to ask the question: Is it Biblical? Does God raise His people to be involved in the government?

There are many instances throughout the Bible where God chose His people to be involved in government, not only their government, but pagan government’s as well. The stories of Joseph, Esther, and Daniel are perfect illustrations. In all three instances God took them from their home, or “comfort zone” into a pagan environment and used them to impact the culture.

In Daniel 2:21 it states: And he changes the times and the seasons: he removes kings, and sets up kings: he gives wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

Psalms 75:7 also reads: But God [is] the judge: he puts down one, and sets up another.

In 1Corinthians 12:28 it says:
And God has set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

These verses are just a few that prove that God does govern in the affairs of men, and he does raise up leaders. Many people in the church today have put down the calling into politics and government saying that it is not “of God” to be involved in that arena.

In the Bible times the Jewish people didn’t have the right to vote and express themselves like we do today. However, you did see many of His people involved in the political system of their time. Whether it was by birth, choice, or just because God opened a door, they were involved in the government.

We have succumbed to believe that for some reason we should not be involved anymore. Yet, we have just proven this allegation wrong. Since we have the ability to be freely involved, it is our duty to. We are supposed to be a light to the world, one way to effect change, is to exercise our citizen’s rights by voting, supporting candidates, and getting involved ourselves. In the chorus of the song “From here on out” it says:

From here on out I’m gonna do my part. From here on out I’m gonna listen to my heart. It may just be one voice, but I’m gonna make it heard
And I’m not giving in or backing down, From here on out

Not only is it our job to do what we can, but if we don’t we will continue on this road downhill to tyranny. From here on out, I’m going to do my part, the question is, will you do yours?

Triumph of Evil

2006-08-01T21:33:00.000-04:00

The Triumph of Evil

A "new" look at what the problem is, and how to solve it.

By Kierstyn P

The Cause.

2006-07-26T00:37:00.000-04:00

Operation Completion.

Those two words sum up a project I have been working on for 7 months now. Operation Completion, a mesage of hope and support to our soldiers and their families. In today's world Operation Completion isn't just a statement, its a cause. A cause to say "hey, we don't care what hollywood and the press say, we support you and we thank you and we just wanted you to know that" It's a cause to reach out to the military and the relatives in the military and remind America, WE'RE IN A WAR, AND OUR SOLDIERS NEED TO KNOW WE'RE BEHIND THEM!

This kind of goes into taking our freedom for granted. I've posted numerous times about how are freedom came at a very high cost and how tend to take it for granted and assume it's free. The reality is, our freedom isn't free and the ones that paid the price are under appreciated.

The last rally took place on Saturday, the work put in to it paid off in my oppinion. I have learned so much by working on this project and drawn so much closer to God. I realized over and over again that I can not do this, and in fact, if it weren't for God the GA rally never would have happened.

I got on board with the project two months after I moved. I knew no one. I brainstormed with a friend of mine for a while until I got the go ahead to go public. Having no contacts I wasn't sure where to start. BUT GOD. I went to some Republican meetings and events and met people and spoke about Operation Completion. I handed out fliers and got the word out. I ended up with some contacts in the State House, on various campaigns and in my local government. The GenJ club east of me was helping me with phone banking a few weeks before the rally and my GenJ club and State TARS chairman came to the rally to show their support.

All this time, I had no idea on any response, no body got back to me, even with all the followups we made. I had a media lead, and I'm still not sure how that worked. None of our interveiws happened, and we didn't have a speaker system till the night before.

At 8:30 pm on Friday night, we got a call saying we could rent a speaker system for 250 bucks the next day. Which was totally a God thing since I had been calling up different places seeing if they would let us use a speaker system.

The next day was scheduled to rain, but we didn't cancel. We woke up early, got the sound system. Came back home, loaded up the van and left. Stage set-up took two hours, then Ashleigh and I decorated it. We still had a few hours to kill before it started, so we discussed logistics and waited, till 30 minutes before.

That was when the capitol police told us that the stage was in the wrong location. So we had -30 minutes to move all of the sound equipment and abandon the stage. Which we did in time,Thank God!!!

Throughout the process of planning in the 7 months time I had been brought to a point where everything was totally out of my hands, and in more than one occasion I just payed " Ok God, you've brought me this far, but I can't do anything more to make it happen, its all totally in your hands"

And it was. God is awesome, who-ever says he doesn't have any interest in today is wrong.

We only had a turnout of 75 people, but even though it was a low turnout, these people were dedicated, and came out in spite of the rain just to show support for a cause.

"All things work together for good to those that love the Lord."

His ways are not our ways, I don't know why it rained, I don't know why Reed lost, I don't know why Operation Completion only had 75 people. But I do know, that I thank God for the people dedicated enough to come out, and I thank God for our soldiers who work 24/7 365 protecting our freedom!

God bless America!!!

2006-07-19T09:59:00.000-04:00

Reed lost. :(
But OC is this week, so even if last night wasn't what I would call a victory, the rest of this week will be great! :D

My favorite campaign story of the last 2 days:

Last door of the night I walk up and this kid opens the door.

me:"Hi, is your mom here?"

"yeah, hold on" *kid runs to get her*

*his little sibling comes out*"did you come here before?"
me: "no"

little kid"ok" *runs off*

mom "hello?"

I start speel

mom: *sigh* "No, sorry we're moving. We're a military family so, we're packing up..."

me: *grin* "wow. Thank you SO much....I can't even express how grateful I am to all of you for serving and doing that..."

mom: *jaw drop...smile*

me: "Oh! something that will greatly encourage you, do you have a computer with internet access?"

Mom"yes"

me "Ok, go to www.operationcompletion.org we have REAL news from the war by someone in the Army Corps of engineers. OC is student run pro-military rallies, one is comming to GA this week. It will greatly encourage you, there ARE people that support you...*grin*"

mom: *shock/grin* "how old are you?"

me *told her*

mom *shock* "you are sharp girl, you're sharp...I'll check that out *grin*"

me: "ok, and Thank you *beam*"

Independence Day!

2006-07-04T16:08:00.000-04:00

(FYI, the OC blogroll is still going)

Happy Independence Day America!

Lat's take a minute out of the busy-ness of today to remember what we're celebrating. Let's never forget our founding and the soldiers that have served and are serving to protect this nation, in every war since the revolution.

Let us never forget!

(this was derived from lovethissite.com/oldglory)

I fly atop the world's tallest buildings.
I stand watch in

America

's halls of justice.
I stand side by side with the Maple Leaf on the worlds longest undefended border.
I fly majestically over institutions of learning.
I stand guard with power in the world.
Look up and see me.

I stand for peace, honor, truth and justice.
I stand for freedom.
I am confident.
I am arrogant.
I am proud.

When I am flown with my fellow banners,
my head is a little higher,
my colors a little truer.

I bow to no one!
I am recognized all over the world.
I am honored - I am saluted.
I am loved - I am revered.
I am respected -- and I am feared.

I have fought in every battle of every war for more then 200 years. I was flown at Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Shiloh and Appomattox. I was there at San Juan Hill, the trenches of France, in the Argonne Forest, Anzio, Rome and the beaches of Normandy, Guam. Okinawa, Korea and KheSan, Saigon

Vietnam

.
Know me,
I was there.

I led my troops, I was dirty, battle worn and tired,
but my soldiers cheered me, And I was proud.
have been burned, torn and trampled on the streets of countries I have helped set free. It does not hurt, for I am invincible.

have been soiled upon, burned, torn and trampled on the streets of my country. And when it's by those whom I've served in battle -- it hurts.
But I shall overcome -- for I am strong.
I have slipped the bonds of Earth and stood watch over the uncharted frontiers of space from my vantage point on the moon.

I have borne silent witness to all of America's finest hours.
But my finest hours are yet to come.
When I am torn into strips and used as bandages for my wounded

MY NAME IS OLD GLORY LONG MAY I WAVE.

Howard Schnauber

Our Mission, and What We're Proving

2006-06-30T23:32:00.000-04:00

Edit: This will continue to be updated as more bloggers join, but Matt has an awesome article up on his website:

From the Pulpit...: OPERATION COMPLETION!

Operation Completion is now making its way to the eastern side of the country.

I have been working with Operation Completion since January. It has been the most amazing experience. If there was one thing that sets us apart from other rallies, it is the fact that we are entirely ran by students.

Lets face it, most of society's veiw of teenagers today is as lazy, unreliable, unmotivated and irresponsible.

Not only are we showing our heroes (or at least MY heroes) that we do follow what they're doing and support them, but we are proving to society that our generation is not all in the mainstream.

We are proving that we are capable of handling GREAT responsibility, and pressing on. We are committed, dedicated, and motivated, to complete our mission and rally America to support the troops in completing theirs!

Operation Completion has had success in all 3 rallies thus far, lets keep that success going. Let us prove to America, we are able. More importantly, let us show those who have and are sacrificing themselves for OUR generation, that we and most of America support them!

Every proud American should get involved in sending out this message of hope and encouragement to the troops! We support them, let them see it!

On that note, I'm doing a blogroll, one big thing we need is to get the name and mission out. If you write a post about Operation Completion/how we need to support the troops and tell me, I'll link to the post.

Let's comlpete this mission!
Kierstyn P.

Fires update

2006-06-28T22:08:00.000-04:00

This came in earlier tonight...

---
Once again thanks for all the prayers! This morning the fire hit 60,000 acres and has slowed up some. At noon it was 62,500 acres, which is rather slow as compared to earlier in the week. Dad and I continued to get cows out of the way of the fire, gathering probably 70 this morning. The main part of the fire is off the ranch, but a TON of hotspots still flare up every day and continure burning more and more. Firefighters hope to have one of the larger ones mopped up about now, but it is starting to thunderstorm, unless the storm brings rain we could be in trouble as it is packing a LOT of wind.... *phone rings* *returns five minutes later* Well folks as I was typing the above a miracle happened. Some of the fire is most likely still burning, but my Dad was on the phone. He and his boss were out putting some salt out to keep the cows away from the fire. They decided to pray, the prayed, and it rained!!!! That rain put a lot of the fire out. Due to the amount of smoke, we cannot tell if any other fire is still out there, but the Lord has definetly moved. Thank you very much for your prayers as I have no doubt they have helped! It appears that this storm will be packing some rain which is excellent! Praise the Lord as He has brought His healing rain!

Fires

2006-06-27T21:48:00.000-04:00

Hey, I got this in a little bit ago from Matt A.

Currently the ranch I live on has a big fire on it, it has burned 50,000+ acres. It is burning a lot of good cow country which will make it hard for the ranch this fall. Currently they have no control over it as the wind takes it anywhere. My dad, his boss, the manager, me, and a few other cowboys are all working to move cows out of the way. I just got back from getting some cows and my dad said that the area I rode this morning is now on fire. Please pray we will be able to get everything out and that all would be protected.
Matt
----
Keep him in your prayers, I'll update when I know more.
*praying*
KP

Supreme Court V. America, can we win the case against Judicial Activism?

2006-06-16T22:25:00.000-04:00

“This member of the government was at first considered as the most harmless and helpless of all its organs. But it has proved that the power of declaring what the law is…by sapping and mining slyly and without alarm the foundations of the constitution, can do what force would not dare to attempt” –Thomas Jefferson 1825.

Today the majority of America is influenced in some way by the media, the latest actor, or newest band. We pay more attention to entertainment than our government. Our culture has shown a lack of interest in the future of our government and Nation, and a rising interest in the latest movies and technology.

For most, life revolves around their sphere of friends and family, and they pay little attention to the world events around them. The oblivious state of mind today is deplorable to say the least.

In spite of the general disinterest, the government still runs and is still very influential whether we realize it or not. Sadly, our courts seem to have noticed this trend, and are using it to expand their constitutional boundaries. What is and was originally the weakest of the three branches of government is believed by many to be the most powerful and influential.

This general assumption, however, is incorrect. The “untouchable” Courts of today are in fact “touchable”. Moreover, the courts are constitutionally the weakest of the three branches.

Alexander Hamilton in Federalist Paper # 78 wrote “The Judiciary, on the contrary, has no influence over either sword or purse; no direction either of the strength or wealth of society, and can take no active resolution whatever. It may truly be said to have neither force nor will, but merely judgment; and must ultimately depend on the aid of the executive arm even for the efficacy of its judgments. This simple view of the matter suggests several important consequences. It proves incontestably that the judiciary is beyond comparison THE WEAKEST OF THE THREE BRANCHES OF POWER...” (Emphasis is mine).

Also, in the constitution, the legislative branch has more authority than the Judicial Branch does.

For example, the legislative has the power to:
Tax, maintain and provide for the military, declare war, borrow money, grant letters of marquee and reprisal, provide for the calling of the militia to execute laws of the Union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions, make rules concerning captures, create post offices and roads, define laws/rules and punish lawbreakers, coin money, and punish counterfeiting.
This is an excerpt of Article 1 section 8 of the US Constitution.

Let us take it a step further and look at the executive role.

The following is an excerpt of article 2 section 2 of the constitution:

The President is the Commander in Chief of the military, and has the power to:
Grant reprieves and pardons for offences, make treaties, nominate ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges, and all other offices, and fill up all vacancies. Even though it does not look like much, making treaties, nominating officers, and just running the nation is an unimaginable workload.

The judges on the other hand, constitutionally speaking, had jurisdiction over cases involving:

Law and equity under the constitution, laws of the US, treaties, ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, admiralty and maritime jurisdiction, controversies to which the US will be a party, to citizens of a state and another state, citizens in the same state claiming lands under grants of different states, and between a state and a foreign state.
(This was an excerpt of Article 3 section 1 of the Constitution)
It is important to note however, that a large portion has been nullified by the 11th amendment:
The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State. (Ratified 2/7/1795)
So now, the role should look like this:
(The Judicial power extends to :) Laws of the US, treaties, ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, admiralty and maritime jurisdiction, citizens in the same state claiming lands under grants of different states, and controversies to which the US will be a party.
By far the Executive and Legislative branches have more duties and responsibilities than the Judicial.

Reading that should also make us realize a little more of how this Nation is supposed to operate. The court, constitutionally, has little power. However, so many times, especially in recent history the court has ignored it’s bounds and stepped outside of it’s constitutional role.

In Article 3 section 1 of the Constitution, it lays the grounds for the judge’s term.

The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts SHALL HOLD THEIR OFFICES DURING GOOD BEHAVIOR, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services a Compensation which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.
(emphasis mine)

A Biblical principle can actually be seen here, I think we all know the story of Lucifer being kicked out of heaven because he was vain and wanted to be worshipped. He originally wasn’t a threat, but then got proud. God then removed him from heaven forever. It could be said that Lucifer was not exercising “Good Behavior” and got punished…or in a sense, impeached from that “office”. God is a just God and does not tolerate lawlessness or deceit.

Today, it is increasingly obvious that “Good behavior” is not what our judges are executing. Rather, they have implemented their own ideas and agendas over the law of the constitution.

There are many cases of judicial activism that we have seen evident in recent history. Two cases in particular really got my attention; those were: Rasul V. Bush, and Griswold V. Connecticut.

The Supreme Court decision in Rasul v. Bush ruled that foreign enemy combatants had “the right to petition the federal courts to review their status as detainees” This is entirely unconstitutional. U.S. Code 28 states in part: “writs of habeas corpus may be granted by the Supreme Court, any justice thereof, the district courts and any circuit judge WITHIN THEIR RESPECTIVE JURISDICTION.” In Rasul v. Bush, Justice Scalia explained the verdict in the dissenting opinion: “…it permits an alien captured in a foreign theater of active combat to [bring a suit] against the Secretary of Defense.”

The Griswold case came as a result of Poe V. Ullman. Harlan, an attorney for the ACLU explained his strategy for getting the court to adopt the privacy rights approach. He explained “…If there is no exact counterpart to the particular case before the Court, there are others that resemble it in a general sort of way, and the principles applied in similar cases should also be applied- perhaps even EXTENDED a little bit- to the new case” (Emphasis mine). In Griswold V. Connecticut in 1965 Justice William Douglas adopted Harlan’s reasoning and the catch phrase “Right to privacy” became law. Douglas wrote that “specific guarantees in the Bill of Rights have penumbras, formed by emanations from those guarantees that help give them life and substance.

Do not feel bad if you don’t know what a penumbra and emanation is. The lawyers reading the decision did not even know. A penumbra is an astronomical term describing the partial shadow in an eclipse or the edge of a sunspot- it is another way for describing something unclear or uncertain. Emanation is a scientific term for gas made from radioactive decay, also meaning an emission.

One thing that these two cases have in common is that there are no constitutional grounds for the decision. In BOTH cases, the Constitution was distorted to fit an agenda.

These cases may seem far off and seem to have little impact on America in general. However, when we look at the cases we see the effects of it. One well-known example is Roe V. Wade. The Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion “on demand”. Since Roe V. Wade 47 MILLION children have been murdered, an entire generation has been killed since the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. The resulting effects of that decision are detrimental. We have lost 47 million voters, politicians, singers, actors, businessmen, workers, and families since the 1970s.

In these instances, and many more, the Supreme Court has stepped outside of it’s constitutional role and the justices have not exercised good behavior. In article 3 section one of the constitution it reads: “…Judges shall hold their offices during good behavior…” When we look at Federalist paper 78 we will see an explanation by Alexander Hamilton about the terms of office. He wrote: “The Courts must declare the sense of the law; and if they be disposed to exercise WILL instead of judgment, the consequence would equally be the substitution of their pleasure to that of the legislative body.” In other words, they would be subject to impeachment.

So now that we have seen the problem, not only with today’s mind or lack thereof, but with the courts as well. What can we do about it? Can we really win the case against Judicial Activism in America?

There are many options of stopping judicial activism available. Two of the most prominent I’ve seen is 1. Term limits and 2. Impeachment. Both of these are good options in my opinion. Though personally, I favor impeachment as that has partially been done before, and it is constitutional. It is constitutional because any official is subject to impeachment, including Supreme Court Justices. Also, impeachment has been partially done, though the enforcement was never carried out. If we impeach a few of the justices who are not exercising good behavior, and enforce it, I believe it will send a stronger message than setting a term limit. I believe that a term limit would be effective for activist judges, but it would also hinder the judges who have a strict interpretation of the Constitution.

Do I believe that we can win the case against Judicial activism?
Yes we can, if we work hard and elect officials who are good strong Christian leaders that will not back down in the face of the mainstream media. Many republicans in office currently are timid because they are afraid of how the media will construe them. I believe that in these upcoming elections we need to pay close attention to the candidates and ask them about what they will do to prevent judicial activism. We need to remember that with God, all things are possible and we can win the case against judicial activism, if we are willing to take a stand.

Prayer Alert

2006-06-12T13:51:00.000-04:00

We REALLY need to pray for operation completion, it is going through a hard time right now, everything is ENTIRELY in God's hands. (which, isn't a bad thing either...it's been completelty in his control since the beggining)

Currently, Micah is tied up in New York city trying to figure out how he's going to get home tonight, so if you all could just keep Micah and Operation Completion in your prayers, you have NO IDEA how much we would appreciate that! the website is www.operationcompletion.org if you want to find out more about it.

KP

National Convention and Alabama

2006-06-08T00:26:00.000-04:00

National Convention
Was AWESOME!!!!
Not only did it give me an opportunity to run a real life simulation of a campaign, but I got to meet some very awesome people. I was able to hang out with some people that I knew from blogging. I got to hang out with Alex King, who is the editor of Regenerate Our Culture ( http://www.regenerateourculture.com/ ) and has a good blog ( www.smarthomeschool.com), Michael Drye who has a brother in the USMC, and Nathan Chartrand who is from FL during the convention. Then towards the end we all went out boating with Jared Gebel, who has competed in NCFCA and his sister debated at Regionals this year, and another girl from Alabama named Sarah Blackmont. I met up with some other bloggers and some people I knew from the GA State class as well.

One of the girls in our cabin was elected VP of TeenPact, so we were all very excited about that.

I didn't make it out of Primaries, but I was the newbie, not many people knew who I was or anything and I had 16 people running against me, so I knew my chances were slim going in.

We were split into small groups in the morning and we talked about God and what he was teaching us, and in the morning and night we would have this AWESOME time of worship. I gained some experience, AWESOME friendships, but more importantly...I was able to grow closer to God there, and give up EVERYTHING that was holding me back.

It was extremely encouraging to be able to socialize with people that think the same way I do and to be able to worship God together, as well as learn.

Alabama Student Project
was a ton of fun, and a TON of hard work. If there was ONE thing I learned this week, its perseverance!

Because honestly, when you are going out into the heat walking door to door for 10 hours a day and over half aren't home, and you have more against the candidate on your list than for, you begin to question if its worth it.

But then you realize, that it IS worth it, that we're doing this for God, that we need Christians involved, and you press on and move forward. So, if anything, God REALLY taught me how to persevere and rely on Him.

Now for the Stories of the Student Project
My team really didn't have a whole lot interesting happen until Monday and Tuesday.

On Monday:
We went door to door again and had some interesting remarks.

FFirst Story:
One of the girls on my team runs up to a door knocks and runs back. I'm like "what?" and she says "there's some creepy guy in there, and he just gave me this mean look" so I respond, "ok, should we leave lit?" "no, I'm not going back there" "ok then, we should probably just skip it" so we do, and we wait for the other girl to get back before we move on (we were working duplexes). So while the other girl is at the opposite door, the guy comes out and says "what do you want?". So, I start my speel and he interrupts saying "I"m a REPUBLICAN, there's no way in the H* I would vote for that man!" so I respond, "Ok sir have a nice day" as I run up to the other girls who decided to walk a little ways ahead. My reaction to them was "a republican who cusses?" The guy turned to go back inside and then peeped his head back out and starts yelling at us "That man is MAD..." So we were almost laughing at the way the guy was acting and replied "OK sir, have a nice day" and moved on.

Second Story

We went up to this one lady's house and she was a supporter, so we were JUST about to leave and she tells us. "Now you know, tomorrow is 666, so be careful because that's the devil's number. Tell your parent's NOT to do anything or write a check tomorrow, tell them to do it tonight or postdate it, because its the devil's number" and she went on...And on..And we're like "yes ma'am" "yes ma'am" trying to find a way off the porch without being rude. Finally we did :D. But we laughed about how superstitious people could be......

Third Story

Originally traumatizing turned HILARIOUS.

We were doing out LAST area for the night, our driver dropped us off at the bottom of the hill and us girls had an easy straight shot. Our van was down the road, the guys were in the general area and we were ALMOST done with our project! So one of us goes up to this door...With a dog. A kid comes to the door and gets his dad who then comes out and says "Get off my property" so she did. Then, the dad and his dog came out and followed her up to where we were waiting, and came up close to us and said like he owned the place "There will be no canvassing for Roy Moore in this neighborhood!". By this time the person across the street let THEIR big dog out too. So we said "Yes Sir" and turn to go, and then he FOLLOWS us WITH the 2 dogs. Keep in mind, this guy is a 200-300 pound hippie, and we're 3 tiny little girls, so we are walking extremely fast up the hill with this guy yelling behind us. So I do the first thing that comes to mind, I sang the Star Spangled Banner at the top of my lungs while the other girls called for our van. While I was singing, the guy was still chasing us UP THE HILL with 2 DOGS and yelling stuff about Francis Scott Key and Tories or something, and it made NO SENSE. I was trying to drown the guy out with my screeching, but I was bursting out laughing at the same time....Once I finish that song, I switch to Battle Hymn of the Republic, by the time I switched songs, he stopped yelling, but I kept going anyway. We made it to the top of the hill and then all three of us just started singing a worship song to calm ourselves down, and then we started chuckling at the situation and how weird it was.

I got a nice pocket knife out of that ordeal too. After, we told the story in the van when we got the rest of the crew, one of the guys who brought 3 pocket knives gave me one of his. :)

The Fourth and Final Story...Tuesday Morning

Tuesday morning we went Signwaving, and this guy comes up and yells "go to h*" at 2 of our people and then circles back AGAIN. Afterwards, we were all in the Parking lot awaiting our next assignment and the SAME guy pulls up and starts yelling at us. I thought he had a gun, because he was sitting at an angle. I was the first person on the curb and if he had a gun would have been at point blank range. Thankfully, one of the guys recognized him from earlier and jumped up from where he was sitting to ask the man in the car to leave, and then some of the other people in charge followed him and told the guy to leave also. So finally the guy leaves, but not before saying "SEGREGATION, SEGREGATION NOW!!!" and we're all looking at each other trying not to laugh. He finally left and we just started laughing.

We figured that all those people were on drugs or something, because they all did something that was weird.

Anyway, Judge Moore didn't win, but it was worth it. I learned a lot from this past 2 weeks, and I wouldn't have opted out even if I knew the outcome.

KP

Leaving

2006-05-26T19:30:00.000-04:00

Yes, its time. I'm leaving tomorrow for 2 consecutive weeks to run a campaign and work on a campaign. TP-ers I'll see you tomorrow!

Everyone else, I won't have internet access as far as I know, so I'll be back in 2 weeks.

Happy Memorial day everyone! and remember...

If you can READ this...thank a teacher, if you're reading this in ENGLISH thank a vet!

Let us never forget!

KP

Updates and Judicial Activism

2006-05-21T14:05:00.000-04:00

There is a very good reason that my posts have become more sporadic rather than regular lately.
I have been EXTREMELY busy the past few weeks. I thought that after April my schedule would SLOW DOWN. However, its only sped up. So for those of you interested in what exactly has sped up so much that I haven't done a political post in................a REALLY long time it is because of the following events that just happened since the beggining of May.

1. Finals-which are OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2. Operation Completion

3. 3 Hypothetical Campaigns

4. Named ******* County Volunteer Coordinator (2nd in command) for the Reed Campaign.

5. Confirmed ******* County TARS Communications Director

6. Elected Secretary of my GenJ club

I will be absent for 2 consectuive weeks from the 27th of May to the 7th of June doing political things and I probably WON'T have internet access.

So now that you know what I'm upto, I can post something interesting.

This is an essay I wrote back in October, with the recent judicial activism displayed in GA andother places Nation-Wide, and also right after reading Mark Levin's "Men In Black" we seriously need to think about our courts.
----------------------------
Supreme Court V. America's Tide

There is an exciting time in our nation when the President gets to nominate justices to the Supreme Court. That nominee will be in office for decades, and has the potential to influence our nation dramatically. Because justices have so much influence on our nation’s course of domestic action, a lot of time, thought and prayer must go in to choosing a Supreme Court nominee. It is vital for Americans to understand why so much thought and preparation goes into this process. ²To fully understand the process we must first look at the judicial branch and how it affects our domestic society. Secondly we must look at some of the justices, how they are nominated and why it is important to nominate good ones. Finally we must look into the future and use history to reveal what type of justice should be nominated in the future and why it is important that type is nominated.

The Judicial branch was designed to uphold the Constitution, determine if laws were Constitutional, and resolve some conflicts between the states that involve the Federal Government (like laws, trade and commerce, etc...). The influential impact of the Supreme Court can be seen throughout History. The Court’s powers include moral Issues as well as law Issues. As seen in the moral issue of abortion in the Roe V. Wade unprecedented decision, The Court declared abortion Constitutional. With that ruling came a turning point in our nation, when before abortions were illegal and looked down upon, now our younger society sees them as good alternatives for themselves if they don’t want the child.

Now that we have seen a minute fraction of the influence of the judicial branch, we can look at the process of becoming a justice more in-depth. Once the President appoints his nominee to be a justice, he or she must go something called the “confirmation hearings” which is when the nominee is asked an extensive amount of questions and say things about him or her for the rest of the committee members to consider. After that the committee votes on it, if the nominee passes, he goes to the full senate for another vote. If the Senate passes he or she becomes a Justice. While it is important to pass through the voting process as quickly as you can if a justice like Rehnquist died or another Justice like Sandra Day O’Conner retired; it is vital that the President take time in considering who to nominate. One of the unique things about being Justices is that they have Life terms. So when a President nominates someone it is for his or her life, so he must be very careful who he chooses because those justices will be there for decades. As such they will have the “power” to turn the tide of our country for better, or for worse.

In the Oath of office the Justice takes he swears to uphold and protect the Untied States Constitution. There has been a turn in the tide of America and we have heard of “legislating from the bench” that is when a justice defies the oath that they have taken and has pushed his or her personal agenda over that of the United States Constitution. In the instance of Roe V. Wade, it was an unprecedented decision; which means the Courts did not sight a constitutional “right” that was actually in the constitution. More or Less they based their decision on the “It’s my body” and the “Health of the mother” talking points. Lately, phrases have been the reason for court decisions and the Constitution, which they have sworn to uphold, has not.

As we have seen throughout history, the Supreme Court has much influence in our domestic society. We have also seen how when we appoint justices they can change the tide for better or for worse. In the Instance of Roe V. wade, the tide changed for worse. However, if we appoint Justices that have what we call a “Strict interpretation of the Constitution” we can turn the tide for the better. It is vitally important to nominate this type of justice because The Constitution is one of the most important documents in American history, and more importantly, some of the standards set come from God’s Word.

The Courts are playing a very important role in our country, and they will continue to do so. Not only do they have the longest term in “office” but they have the power to turn this Country around. If we as Americans want to change for the better, wouldn’t it make more sense to elect those who will nominate people with a strict interpretation of the Constitution and who will their job and not legislate from the bench? It is for these reasons that we as Americans must think about who we are electing into office carefully; our decisions today will affect us for generations to come.

------------------------------------------
Here is an excerpt of a book report I wrote on the 16th of May. (it's on Men In Black)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After reading the biographies of some of the judges my first thought was and still is "why were they in there?” After I continued reading, it became clear "because the legislators and people didn't act". I was appalled at how the judges treated certain cases, and how they twisted the constitution to fit their activist agenda. The more I think about it, the more I realize that while we may be winning the war to preserve America on the foreign front, we are losing it our freedoms on the domestic front through Supreme Court decisions.

For instance, with eminent domain, you are losing your fourth amendment right to own property and keep it.

In Roe V. Wade, the unborn have lost the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, just because of ONE court decision.

In Feingold, your freedom of speech is regulated during elections.

The list goes on and on and on about Supreme Court decisions that directly usurp the founder's intent.

Over and over and over again in the past and recent history our U.S. Supreme Court has violated the constitution and given itself authority that it did not possess.

The sad thing is this will keep happening unless we and our legislators decide to take a stand and take back the power that we originally had. The Supreme Court has gone against the will of America and the founder's, it has instead decided to legislate from the bench and further the liberal agenda by calling the constitution a "living breathing document that changes with us". Last time I checked my constitution, which was about five minutes ago, it was the same as it was last year, and the same as it has always been. The Articles have not changed since the founding, no matter what the Men in Black think.

If there was ever a need to understand the Supreme Court and the decisions it is now; we cannot change the future unless we first understand the past. Patrick Henry once said, "The only way to judge the future is by the past", that is definitely true today. We need change in our court system, but until we know and learn what has gone on before and what we can do, our efforts will be fruitless.

The question is: what can we do about it?

The answer is debatable. Some propose term limits, some propose litmus tests, some propose re-doing the entire system completely, and others propose the “Constitutional Option”. While term limits and litmus tests may be good, the Constitutional Option is the best way to go.

What makes the Constitutional Option better? Impeachment serves as an effective deterrent and punishment for those justices who do not follow the law; the “threat” of losing one's job will usually cause one to realize that they need to get back in line and do the job they swore they would do.

We as Americans, and even more as Christians, need to be aware of our rights, and unafraid to use them. We must elect the right people into office, help them be elected, and maintain contact with them, to tell them that we care about what is going on. We must take a stand to stop judicial activism and turn America back to its roots; otherwise, in the next generation or two, our rights will be gone. I do not know about the rest of America, but I for one, want my grandkids to have the rights that have been enjoyed and exercised in centuries past.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some things to chew on.

Kierstyn P.

Sucess!!!

2006-05-15T13:59:00.000-04:00

Sacramento Success, San Antonio Next

Monday, 15 May 2006
For Immediate ReleaseMedia Contact:

info@operationcompletion.org
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
May 14, 2006Sacramento, CA – On Friday, Operation Completion held their first pro-military rally in the California state capitol. The event was highlighted by an outstanding performance from The Right Brothers who drew nearly two hundred to support the American Armed Forces and their mission of reconstruction in Iraq. Those in attendance included Blue Star Moms, a Gold Star family, veterans from five wars, active duty military, and patriotic families who turned out to support Operation Completion and the tour of rallies. The entire event was filmed by a professional crew to be produced and sent to all Californian active duty soldiers with the help of Operation Homefront. The DVD will include the full Right Brothers performance and all four speakers presentation which ranged from a discourse on the insurgent mentality to personal stories from Marine Master Sergeant (Ret.) John Ubaldi recounting the openness of the Afghani and Iraqi people to change and democracy. Sacramento's Channel 3 News asked Operation Completion's executive director, Micah Derry, if he was disappointed in the turnout for the rally. “Disappointed? By no means. This is our first rally and we had no paid media, everything was earned media, and to have this kind of turnout for a kick-off event is phenomenal.” The next rally will be in San Antonio, TX on June 3rd at Hemisphere Park starting 5pm. The Right Brothers will perform, talk show personality Adam McManus will emcee, and Operation Completion have just announced Rick Green as one of the speakers for the event. For more information on Operation Completion and the tour of rallies, email

info@operationcompletion.org
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
or visit the website at www.operationcompletion.org.

Prayer Alert

2006-05-10T00:06:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone!

Some of you know that I am working on Operation Completion with other students across the USA. This is a great opportunity to show support for our troops at home and abroad. As we lead up to the first rally taking place in Sacramento on the 12th, now more than ever prayer is needed. Keep Operation Completion and our soldiers in your prayers constantly. To quote Zell Miller:

"Never in the history of the world has any soldier sacrificed more for the freedom and liberty of total strangers than the American soldier. And, our soldiers don't just give freedom abroad, they preserve it for us here at home.

For it has been said so truthfully that it is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the agitator, who has given us the freedom to protest.

It is the soldier who salutes the flag, serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who gives that protester the freedom to abuse and burn that flag.

No one should dare to even think about being the Commander in Chief of this country if he doesn't believe with all his heart that our soldiers are liberators abroad and defenders of freedom at home."

Complete the Mission! Support our Troops! Do what you can, PRAY!

KP

The Problem With Oil?

2006-05-02T17:10:00.000-04:00

Operation Impact's 2nd podcast entitled "The problem with Oil?" is now running here.

The Problem with Oil included three "heated" issues of today. Oil, Immigration Strike, and then my take on United 93. The sound quality improved a ton since the last episode, its only going to get better!

-Impacting the Future-
Kierstyn

United 93

2006-04-29T01:33:00.000-04:00

I went to the premier of United 93 this evening. It was one of the BEST movies I have EVER seen!

Watching it, was like being brought back in time. Even though I knew the outcome of the whole thing, it seemed as though it had happened for the first time in history.

It brought back so many memories and it also showed the side of 9/11 that not many people see. How many people get an inside glimps of what went on behind the scenes at the FAA, ad all the local and state airport authorities?

I'm having a hard time expressing exactly what watching it was like, but I basically feel the same way I did right after watching the towers fall 4 years ago. The shock, awe, and anger towards those cowards that did this to us. But at the same time the American Pride that wells up inside.....the knowing that We ARE doing the right thing, and that we WILL NEVER forget, and that THE TERRORISTS WILL PAY the consquences of attacking us.

United 93 was not some movie you could go watch and not be impacted in some way or another. I left the theater in respect of those on flight 93 and a passion, to support those who have died and are fighting for us today.

Every True American should watch United 93 out of support for those who risked thier lives for others.

Let the world know, We Will Never Forget!

Kp

A Step of Faith...

2006-04-24T09:14:00.000-04:00

You know, its so amazing how God works through people to convict you of something.I've experienced that in my own life these past few weeks. Most recently and most challenging was last weekend.I was talking to a friend of mine and *somehow* we started talking about Headcoverings.

Before I go into a bunch of detail its important to know some backround:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. I used to homechurch when I was little
2. I've heard the headcovering arguments before
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

So anyway, we were talking about Headcoverings, and I always thought that:
1Cr 11:15
But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for [her] hair is given her for a covering.

meant that a woman's HAIR is her covering. BOY was I proved wrong!!! So the argument I THOUGHT I had was like wiped out in about 5 minutes when we went to the Greek definitions.

The Key Word in this verse is "covering" which means:
1) a covering thrown around, a wrapper

a) a mantle

b) a veil
(peribolaion {per-ib-ol'-ah-yon}Strong's 4018 )

So there went my whole argument....alot more transpired but thats the basics.

Needlass to say, all last week I felt convicted and curious as to why we didn't do it anymore. So Saturday, I asked my mom about it.

I said " you know how we say we believe everything in the Bible is true, and how we follow through on it?"

Mom" yes"

me " well then, how come we don't wear headcoverings anymore? I mean, isn't it a little hypocritical to say, 'yes, we believe everything in the bible is true' and follow through on that, but then when it comes to headcoverings we don't do it? I don't know but to me it just looks a little hypocritcal to like not do or believe what paul said while saying we believe everything in there"

Mom "yeah, thats true and thats actually been bugging me for the last few weeks"

Me "really?"

Mom "Yeah, I've been looking for some kindo of hat or something but haven't found one yet. Anyway the reason we don't do it anymore is because when we stopped homechuching and went to a conventional church, there was a lot of peer pressure on us not to do it, because it made them uncomfortable and we were called legalisic"

Me "thats a kinda petty reason"

Mom" yes it is, but peer pressure is hard to stand against"

Me "well its been bugging me too, since last week. I looked up all the words and stuff and it was really cool. but my argument was flawed!"

So anyway, the conversation continued and we decided we'd wear headcoverings :). However the story doesn't end there (that would be too simple and not worth writing about).

So my mom warned me, "the people we homechurch with don't wear headcoverings and we could make them very uncomfortable"

Me " Since when have we ever made people feel comfortable? we're polarizing...they either hate us or like us, its just how it is. "

I was a little worried about that, but what was so AWESOME was that through it all God gave me the strength to follow through on my decision to obey His word. Finally, we go to our homechurch today...and God was so AWESOME, nothing bad happened! in fact, I even get quite a few compliments on it. :)Anyway, thats my story.....isn't God AWESOME?

Kp

The Role of Government

2006-04-18T09:03:00.000-04:00

this article will be featured in David Ketter's Christian Homeschooling Youths Gazzette-kp

What is the biblical role of government?

I talked a lot about the role of government in my previous article concerning welfare. In that we saw how it is not the role of government to provide for the poor. Which leads us to a question, what exactly is the biblical role of government?

If we go back and read Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy we can see the original form of Government and laws that God ordained and out in place. If we continue to read on up to the point where Kings were established, we can see that in their reigns they still followed the basic principles and laws already established. Of course, most of the kings became corrupt at some point in their reigns; however that still doesn’t negate the fact that the role of government is in the Old Testament as well as New.
A few examples of the biblical role of government include:

Lev 24:22Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I [am] the LORD your God.
Deu 16:18Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.
Deu 16:19Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
Jer 22:3Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.

According to those verses, a government should have a set of laws that everyone has to obey, a just court system, and authority to punish evil.
The Hebrew word for Law in Lev. 24:22 and Judgment in Jer. 22:3 is the word mishpat {mish-pawt'} which comes from the root word shaphat {shaw-fat'}. Shaphat means:

1) to judge, govern, vindicate, punish
a) (Qal) 1) to act as law-giver or judge or governor (of God, man)
1) to rule, govern, judge
2) to decide controversy (of God, man)
3) to execute judgment
a) discriminating (of man)
b) vindicating
c) condemning and punishing
d) at theophanic advent for final judgment
(to find the blue letter bible definitions, click here )

And Mishpat means:

1) judgment, justice, ordinance

a) judgment

1) act of deciding a case

2) place, court, seat of judgment

3) process, procedure, litigation (before judges)

4) case, cause (presented for judgment)

5) sentence, decision (of judgment)

6) execution (of judgment)

7) time (of judgment)

So those definitions are talking primarily about judging and law enforcement. The question may arise, HOW does this relate to government’s role?

In Leviticus, God was laying the framework for the government system, and gave the Israelites instructions on what things to do, how to do it, and how everything will work. Even though Israel did not stay a Theocracy, those principles established, such as making laws and having judges, were still in place.

In Jeremiah, the prophet was telling the king of Israel to execute judgment and righteousness but not to harm certain types of people. That word Judgment is the same as the word law (mishpat) in Leviticus. The principles established there for executing judgment are don’t kill innocent blood, take away the goods from the oppressor (or let the oppressed go free), have compassion on the fatherless and widows, and do no wrong.

These principles are still seen active in wars today, depending on what side you’re on. I know that in America these principles are held dear to almost everyone. The last thing we want to see is innocent blood shed because it is unjust, we want to see the oppressor suffer and the oppressed go free, we can’t stand it when someone harms the orphans and helpless, and we strive to do right.

God set the basis of laws that almost everyone knows as the 10 commandments. Most societies have some of these laws as well. For instance, don’t steal, don’t murder, and don’t lie are rules that can be found almost any where in the world. Not all people follow those laws, but the governments that have them established usually punish the violators.

This brings us to Romans 13: 3-4 which states:

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to [execute] wrath upon him that doeth evil.

One thing that is very interesting is how each of the different aspects are intertwined. If you don’t have a set of laws, you cannot effectively punish evil, without a just “court system” you cannot effectively enforce laws OR punish evil. All three elements are needed in order for the system to be effective and just.
Now the question is: has America effectively put those principles into practice? Or haven't we?

Operation Impact

2006-04-15T09:56:00.000-04:00

I am proud to announce that the first ever podcast of Operation Impact was sucessfully launched and recorded last night.

We covered Immigration, Iran, Moussoui, and closed with our hopes for an 08 ticket.

It was a lot of fun to do and I hope just as much fun to listen to. Operation Impact's podcast is going to be featured on SquareTalk radio, the official podcast of Regenerate Our Culture this weekend or Monday (hopefully).

so.......a major THANK YOU to Tim Sweetman of SquareTalk radio and AgentTim Online for the opportunity for us to guest podcast on SquareTalk, we really appreciate it!

unfortunately, we didn't start podcasting till 12:30 am, so I don't have the link yet, but as soon as everything is setup (with Operation Impact and SquareTalk) I'll link to it.

That said, I'll leave you with this:

"If you want to make sure crime doesn't pay, let the government run it." (reagan)

Have a good one!
kp

Interesting Event :)

2006-04-12T17:46:00.000-04:00

I usually don't update about things I do unless its worth updating about. This time it is.

Last night I met my State Senator and 2 of my State Representatives at a meeting that my County Republican Party opened to the public.
It started off with a dinner and then the officials spoke. The first speaker was the State Senator followed by the Representatives. They spoke on what had been accomplished this legislative season before they adjourned. Turns out that in 2 years 681 Senate Bills were introduced and 1668 House Bills introduced. Thankfully, not all of them got passed or made it out of committee.

What struck me was how each official governed by a philosophy. My senator said that they voted down quite a few bills because it didn't fit with the Republcan philosphy of "limited government and tax cuts". He proceeded to show us what they had passed and didn't pass int he budget and how those items that were passed fit with priorities of the people in our district. Each of the Representatives built upon that and gave us listeners an idea on how they were furthering our agenda and the things that really matter to us.

Listening to them speak gave me a deeper appreciation and understanding of what had been done in the State government and why. You can sit and read bills/first readers all you want online but when you have an opportunity to hear your representative speak about and clarify the issues that had been presented that legislateive term, it means a whole lot more.

Not to mention that they took time out of their busy schedule to come and give you a deeper understanding of what exactly took place at the Capitol, it is much more personal and as the night went on you felt as if you had known them forever rather than a few minutes.

They opened up for questions and people asked about legislation, when my turn came I asked about Illegal Immigration. That stumped them, however they answered it quite well. They didn't shy away from the question like you normally see them do when they're on the news. Rather, they gave me an honest answer.

Interacting with my government officials last night really helped me see that they are normal people after all. Like Reagan said " I'm just a citizen temporarily in public service", that is finally how I see my electd officials. Citizens temporarily in public service, and I am thankful for that.

KP

Amature Homeland Security Policy

2006-04-03T09:56:00.000-04:00

Department of Homeland Security
Policy by the Secretary of Homeland Security: Kierstyn P. (American Patriot)

One of the highest priorities of governments is the well being of their nation. This includes homeland security, for if your homeland is not secure you are more vulnerable to attacks from the inside as well as outside. Our domestic policy is just as important as foreign. If we are weak on the outside yet strong on the inside we are put at risk. If we are strong on the outside and weak on the inside we are still at risk. For a nation to remain sovereign we need not only to be strong internationally, but we need especially to be strong in keeping the homeland secure. In order to do that I propose the following plan:

*this is just the initial plan, it is subject to updates and revisions as deemed necessary*

Border Patrol:
Construct a wall between the Mexico Border.
Design will be a replica of the Israeli wall (trenches, barbed wire, and electric fence).
The wall will go about 20 feet under ground.

Any US citizen within 20 miles of the border should have authenticated proof of citizenship.

Cost
The Cost of construction should be 9 billion
The Cost of Labor will be none since the builders will be convicts.
Efficiency
The wall will serve as a deterrent against illegal immigrants and will keep our borders secure.
If for some reason an illegal makes it across the fence, and does not stop when called upon. The border security (or minutemen) already in place will have the authority to use any means necessary to get that individual to stop.

Nuclear, radiological, counter attacks:

Raise terrorist alert standards to “extreme”.
Work with D.o.D. and S.o.S
Check with Governors to make sure their respective States are able to handle the situation.
Be sure that the Governor’s have a plan of action etc...

Biological Attacks
Set up a system (if there isn’t one already) so that mail/packages can be scanned for biological chemicals.
Estimated cost
2 billion

Airport security

Keep the “status quo” but allow profiling of suspects.
Cost: should be the same amount that is currently spent on airport security.

A Few Public Awareness Announcements.

2006-03-26T22:23:00.000-05:00

* begin public awareness announcements*

For the few of you that read my other blog you already know about the podcast. But for those of you that don't...

I'm doing a podacst with NeoFacist? and Joe. We all got on Thursday night to see if it worked, only to realize that Macs and Windows have some major compatability issues. However, around midnight we figured out a way to overcome those "technical difficulties"; all we have to do now is record (hopefully).

All that goes to say: look out for a new podcast comming soon!

Also, do you support our troops?
If you do, please check out Operation Completion. It is a series of student ran pro-military rallies, and we could really use your help! All the information is on the website, so go check it out!

*end public awareness announcements*

Welfare: the case for elimination.

2006-03-20T21:47:00.000-05:00

(note: this is being published in the Christian Homeschooling youth's gazette, and has stirred quite a controversy on my xanga.)

Welfare: the case for elimination.

One of the controversial issues of today is Welfare. This is constantly argued and debated on each side of the political spectrum and even within each party. Some people advocate eliminating it altogether, others think that it should be reduced, and yet others seem to think that it’s a good program and needs to stay.

Welfare programs were created during the great depression, to “help” the economy and poor Americans. As Reagan once said “the 10 most dangerous words in the English language are: hi, I’m from the government and I’m here to help”. That is definitely true in this case.

The Welfare system and the way it works can be summed up in this phrase: redistribution of wealth. The Redistribution of wealth has been tried and failed in many nations, even our own.

In 1620 when the pilgrims came from England on the May-Flower, we used that concept and this is what Governor Bradford had to say about it “it was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much employment...for the young men that were most able and fit for labor and service did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men’s wives and children without any recompense. The strong or man of parts, had no more in division of victuals and clothes, than he that was weak and not able to do a quarter the other could; this was thought injustice.” As we can see, the redistribution of wealth deters people from working.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 Says: While we were yet with you, we gave you this rule and charge: If anyone will not work, neither let him eat.

By providing for people no matter how much or little they work you are taking away any incentive they had to work. In the biblical illustration, the incentive to work would be food. In modern times it would still be food, but could also include going to the mall, or the movies, or parties, etc...

Margaret Thatcher once stated “"I think we've been through a period where too many people have been given to understand that if they have a problem, it's the government's job to cope with it. 'I have a problem, I'll get a grant.' 'I'm homeless, the government must house me.' They're casting their problem on society. And you know, there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look to themselves first. It's our duty to look after ourselves and then, also, to look after our neighbor. People have got the entitlements too much in mind, without the obligations. There's no such thing as entitlement, unless someone has first met an obligation."

That is so true of today’s “society”, people have the tendency to say “well, I’ll just apply for government aid” and give little or no thought as to whether or not it is the Government’s role to look after the poor.

The real question we have to face, before we can determine whether or not Welfare is wrong, should be: is this the role of government both Biblically and Constitutionally?

Let’s look first at the US Constitution. Article 1 section 8 is where all the powers of the federal government lie. It states:

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

To establish Post Offices and Post Roads;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings; And

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof. (this was taken from: http://www.usconstitution.net )

NO where in that article did it say something about providing for the poor. Oh, but Kierstyn, it mentioned the “general welfare”.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary “Welfare” means: health, happiness, or prosperity; well-being. So in other words, that first clause means that congress, or the federal government, is supposed to look after the prosperity of the nation; no where did it mention that the impoverished is the responsibility of the government.

Also, one other place in the Constitution that we need to look at is our 10^th Amendment. “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively or to the people.”

Since it was not provided for in Article 1 Section 8 of the US constitution, it overrides the 10^th amendment; which means that the welfare system in place is Un-Constitutional.

More importantly however, we need to look at the biblical aspect of this issue.

Romans 13:3-4 says:

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to [execute] wrath upon him that doeth evil.

No where in that verse does it say anything about the government helping the needy. If you read Acts 4:35 and 6:1-3, and James 1:27 you'll find no mention of THE GOVERNMENT in the provision of those in need. Rather, you will see the Church and Family stepping up and doing it. Even in the Old Testament, you never saw the government taking care of the poor people or prophets, the Family always rose to the occasion. That is how God ordained it to be.

Acts 4:35 and 6: 1-3 are just a few examples of when the church or family or community rose to the occasion. James 1:27 states: Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world. Therefore, it is OUR responsibility to take care of those in need.

The argument has been made in previous debates that I’ve had with this issue that “we as the church don’t do it now...why would we later?” The answer I have is simple, and can be applied anywhere. We don’t do it, because that responsibility has been taken away from us, un biblically and unconstitutionally by the federal government.

Let’s say that doing the dishes is your chore around the house, its your responsibility to make sure they get done and taken care of. You’ve done it ever since you can remember and are quite good and used to it. Then all of sudden your mom takes over. She has more money and sometimes gets it done faster, but as a result you become lazy and lose your incentive to take care of them.

That is how it’s been with welfare. The Family, Church, and Community used to be the ones to take care of the needy. Then the Federal government intervened and we have become lazy. That is why we haven’t been on top of helping the needy outside of natural disasters.

However, I have come to believe judging by precedent, that when given the responsibility once again, we will rise up to the challenge.

The American Society is an amazing thing. Whenever something bad happens, such as a natural disaster, the people have always risen to the challenge.

For example, with Hurricane Katrina much of the gulf coast was in ruins for quite some time. Yet, it wasn’t long after the storm before we started seeing people from all over the United States helping us with search and rescue, restoring power, and cleanup. Some States even offered housing and education scholarships to the Katrina refugees.

Much of this was done OUTSIDE of Federal intervention. When Hurricane Charley came in 2004, the Port Charlotte area was without power for a long time, however people from my community and surrounding areas went up to Charlotte County to help with cleanup efforts and handing out ice. Some people even put together gift baskets for the families with children still in shelters.

Not too long ago there was a snow storm in North Dakota, and at least one community lost power. As a result the community came together and aided one another. The State didn’t even declare a State of emergency because the people were taking care of it. All of this happened without FEMA ’s involvement.

We as Americans have always risen to meet the challenge, which is why I believe we should give the responsibility back to the American people to take care of the needy, and eliminate the welfare system completely.

Until the day that we are completely off of government aid, there are ways to take our responsibility back. Such as working at a soup kitchen, holding a fundraiser for a pregnancy resource center, visiting a nursing home and bringing in supplies to their office, even local missions are all ways we can take back our role!

I have an optimistic view of America and America’s future; I believe that it will be our generation that turns the tide for the better. I believe that my generation realize, or will realize that providing welfare is not the Government’s role Biblically or Constitutionally and that in order to effectively change for the better, we must give the responsibility back to the Church. The Church will rise to the challenge, it always has. We as the church cannot afford to become lazy, we need to take back our responsibility entirely in order to become stronger.

Terri Schiavo

2006-03-18T13:47:00.000-05:00

Today marks the one year anniversery of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube removal. That story was a huge controversy. The Right to Die phrase was used over and over by the euthenasia group that was supporting Michael Schiavo. It is interesting to note however, that Mr. Schiavo was living in Indianna with his GIRLFRIEND and 2 KIDS at the time of this, and just flew to Florida for the "event". It was and is sad to see that so many people bought into the unfounded "right to die" talking points.

God said " I have put life and death before you, Choose Life"

In the Declaration of Independence it states " We hold these triths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator certain unalienable Rights, that amoung these are LIFE, liberty, the pursuit of happiness".

Not only was this whole thing un-American, it was Murder. This group slaughtered an innocent person.
I was in Florida the whole time this was going on, and I believe that being there for that gave me some more insight and information as to what was going on. More so than other parts of the Nation.

I know that Michael Schiavo was given money to take care of Terri, but instead he spent it elsewhere. I know that the euthenasia people told Michael to move Terri to a hospice, which is where she was for 3 years. I know that, from the Affidavits and records, if the recovery money was spent on recovery Terri would have been better. I Know that Michael stopped therapy. I know that terri was respnsive. I know that she tried to talk. I know that she died a painful death.
(because when your eyes and toungue are bleeding.....its hard NOT to be in pain).
I also know that it wasn't Governor Bush's fault. Yes, he COULD have done more...but so could the US congress.

The US congress wanted Terri as a witness, which meant that she would 1. have been protected and 2. would have her feeding tube, and therefore would stay alive. However, the Judge in Fl ignored it, and ruled that the feedin tube be removed. He told Gov. Bush, that if he did anything he would be held in contempt of court.

Yet, the Judge was in contempt of congress! nothing came out of that.......no one acted. Then, Terri's tube was removed. She died a few weeks after. Euthenasia had its victory.....and we our loss. All because people didn't act.

Regenerate Our Culture.....has begun!

2006-03-15T16:52:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone,

I'm excited to announce that Regenerate our Culture has officially started!

We have articles in there from Agent Tim, SecDef, and many other homeschoolers in the blogsphere. These articles are written by some amazingly intellegent people in America! So go check it out: www.regenerateourculture.com

-A young skull not so full of mush as people want to believe,
Kierstyn

Discussion.....

2006-03-13T22:58:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone,

I would do a "real" post, BUT I have to prepare for some midterm stuff. So instead I thought some discussion on a what could be considered "hot topic" would be edifying. I will follow up with a "real" post on this topic later. However, first things first :

What do you think of Welfare?
-Is it a necessary evil? is it good? is it bad?
Why do you believe that?

(note-these answers MAY be used in an article I'm writing)

-a young skull not so full of mush as some people would like to believe,
Kierstyn P.

Regenerate our culture, and the abortion ban

2006-03-01T13:47:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone,

I wanted to introduce you to something called "Regenerate Our Culture" its mission is to change America for the better and go back to the Bible. you can find out more here. Some of these names may or may not be familiar to you, but this group of people is amazing!

Regenerate our culture's message is something that I have been saying for a long time. We need to get Christians involved and Change for the better, go back to our roots! I encourage all of you to go check out the site, its amazing! I'm not the only person with the same goals!

Also, there is a petition to ban abortion, more info can be found here: http://travis17blog.blogspot.com/

We have an opportunity to make out voice heard in more than voting! lets not waste it!!!

-Kp

Wake up America!

2006-02-24T23:38:00.000-05:00

Well there have been a few things that have just been sitting around in my mind and just bugging me to the point that I NEED to get it out!!!! So for starters.....

America you need to WAKE UP!!!! I know I said this earlier but LOOK AROUND and PAY ATTENTION! things are happening RIGHT UNDER OUR NOSES and WE are not doing ANYTHING about it!

CHURCH! WAKE UP AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE! We as Christians are NOT suposed to be inactive in the world around us! we are supposed to STAND up for what we believe, NOT SIT and watch our right to worship God be taken away!! CHRIST did not sit and let things be, he was ACTIVE HE changed the world, and we are supposed to follow Christ! HE made a difference, its time for us to make a difference too!

We as Americans...As CHRISTAINS especially need to stand up for what we believe, even if it means we get ridiculed for it!
One of the amazing things about being an American is that we have the PRIVELEDGE of VOTING and making our voices heard! yet SO many of us don't even go to the polls!

Do we as americans understand that this gift, this "right to vote" is NOT had by most nations in the world? do we understand that not everyone has the "right" to make their voice heard? This is a precious gift, but FEW use it! WHY?!

"well you know kierstyn, politics and christianity don't always intersect"
"Politics is all one corrupt organization"
" you know, its hard to be a christian and be in politics"
"well my vote won't count"
Those are some of the many general responses I get from people I meet when I answer the questions " what are you going to be when you grow up?" or "what college are you going to?" or "you're really into politics aren't you?"

and THOSE responses make me mad. because first of all, while politics and Christianity don't always intersect NOW, they CAN IF we let it.

Really, the base of ANY party is what keeps it going, and if the base is largely Christian, we are going to see more Christian candidates in politics. Christian candidates DO run for election. Take Alan keyes, -he ran in the 2000 primaries- he is a devout Christian, and very pro life, yet he didn't make it out of the primaries. Why? I would venture to say, that while Christains held the same beliefs that he did, the Christian voters did not go out to the polls in the primaries to vote for him.

"Politics is all one corrupt organization" -this comming from a "christain rapper" friend of mine while we were geting the word out about a concert. I was in the car with a bunch of other people and didn't feel like starting an argument. But look, while it CAN be corrput, and with some politicians it is, it doesn't HAVE to be! It doesn't have to be corrupt if we would stand up and make a diference!

"you know, its hard to be a Christain and be in politics" WHY? why is it hard? because its challenging, is that what makes it hard? where have we come as a society, if it a challenge is what should make someone re-think the call that God has placed on his/her life? Yes, I know it will be hard, it is hard just to be a Christain. But that doesn't stop me from being one, where have we come as a society to believe that something being hard to accomplish is not a good thing? how come eveything has to be easy? why is hard bad? Why am I and the few others like me being discouraged to do something that we know God has called us to do........JUST because its hard?
Not doing something becuase it is hard shows a lack of character. Where wouild we be today, if our founding fathers gave up the war for independence because it was hard?
WE WOULDN"T BE A NATION!!!! and get this, WAR is HARD, yet we had the GUTS to fight, and because it was hard and they perservered they had a character quality inside themselves called perserverence. Even though the task was dautning (going to war against the worlds super power, with a rag tag militia) they overcame that obstacle, and won the war.

"My vote won't count" That is one of the MOST ANNOYING things anyone can say to me. If everyone had that SAME attitude, NO ONE would vote. which means whatever guy was in office would stay there for a really really really long time. YOUR vote DOES count, when you vote it is YOUR voice being heard. YOU are contributing to the person you support being elected, and THAT matters!

You know, soemtimes the willingness of people to conform to whatever others want them to confrom to REALLY irritates me. we need to be Impervious, which means unable to penetrate, we need to take a stand for what we believe, before we lose the "right" to stand up.

/rant
Kp

Man On The Street.........Tuesday?

2006-02-07T21:01:00.000-05:00

Yes, today was man on the Street Tuesday for me. Although, I wasn't on the street, so I guess it would be "Man In The Class Tuesday".

It was an interesting Man In The Class Tuesday, the first one that I have ever hosted, and it was actually an accident. I didn't realize that's what I was doing till I got home, then I decided that I have to bring my camera next time. ;)

The question for this tuesday was "what do you think about the war?" The responses I recieved were........well, amazing in my oppinion. I only got to "poll" 3 people but the reactions were sad, to say the least. The first person I asked responded " Oh, um, hm, I don't really know". Okay, so thats kinda your typical American teen that doesn't pay a whole lot of attention and is more pre-occupied with the upcomming prom than anything.

The second person I saked responded this way " well, I thought it was necessary at the time, but now its kinda drawn out" (yes, the First person I asked agreed with this statement after it was made).
Now those type of responses are enough to get me on a rant; which I did. My response was "Well, the Iraq war started 3 years ago. When we went in March 3 years ago, it was a poverty stricken tyrannical dictatorship ran by a terrorist who gassed his own people to death. In the course of 3 years, Iraq is now getting to be a democracy, they have had elections, voted people into the parliamentary offices, and Now we are working on a constitution. In 3 years. Now, if you look at it in relation to America. it took us a LOT longer than 3 years to be free of great Britian, and we were under the articles of confederation for 8 years before we came up with a constitution. So if you put it in the Right perspective: a lot of progress has been made, and it hasn't dragged on, its just reported that way."

After hearing my rant she nodded and changed the subject......typical. I kinda felt sorry for her though, I think she watched too much CNN.

The third person I asked was well.........typical..again. "so what do you think of the war?" "what?" she asked. "the war....Iraq?" I said. "Oh" was her response. so i stood there, waiting for a further response.....and she just smiled and continued on with her previous conversation about shoes.

So I guess thats a look at your typical American Teenagers. Haha, its very sad really, but I was enjoying myself and realizing, for the millionth time, how weird I really am. Oh well, hey The few..the Proud..STAND! and I'm proud to be one of those few!
-Kp

And the State of the Union is..........

2006-01-31T22:34:00.000-05:00

The State of the Union is Strong, and together we will make it stronger!-Bush

Yes that is the state of the Union.

The President's speech was awesome! He NAILED the arguments that have been thrown at him for the past couple months, re-iterated WHY we are in Iraq, WHY we are staying the course, told us the progress we have made there, adn reminded us that freedom is NOT free, but is worth the cost. He showed us how, contrary to popular belief from talking points and so on, our economy is THRIVING!

It was an excellent speech that connected to every American, if you didn't see it, you really missed out.

-kierstyn

The Few...Stand!

2006-01-23T22:30:00.000-05:00

God brings the answers where we least expect, sometimes its just better to simply be direct and Stand while the world is laughing stand on crooked feet, stand up and be counted, Stand or you might get beat, when you're too tired to retreat just stand... ["Stand" by eLi]

One thing that we lack in this awesome country is people with the ability to stand up for their beliefs even if they get ridiculed for them. Why don't people want to stand?

As far as I can tell it all boils down to one thing, Acceptance. Acceptance is something that everyone wants, we all want to be loved and accepted by someone: either by our parents, our friends, our colleagues, teachers, pastors, even the media. The question that we are faced with is: are our beliefs worth giving up in order to maintain our acceptance?

When its put like that, the answer should be obvious. The problem is, thats easier said than done. How many people like to talk about how their beliefs, but when the time comes to defend them, they back down?

How many people say that they're going to do something, then after being pressured change their mind and don't follow through?

How come people are afraid of being ridiculed and persecuted?

Oh, and I'm not denying that its hard to go through, but why are we putting what OTHERS think about us before what our beliefs are, and wether or not our beleifs line up with God's word?

Margaret Thatcher said that " If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing."

That comming from the Iron Lady, She accomplished MANY things, primarily because SHE DIDN'T BACK DOWN.
You will find that many people in history that accomplished great things were also great leaders, they knew how to stand up for thier beliefs even in the midst of being ridiculed. They didin't care about popularity, they cared about accomplishing something that they believed was important.

Lets imagine for a minute, what would happen if our founding fathers only TALKED about their beliefs but when they were under pressure backed down?
(and they WERE under pressure, if we lost the war they would have been guilty of treason and been killed in horrifying ways)

What would have happened if George Washington went into his first battle and after that decided that this war isn't worth it?

Chances are, that we wouldn't exist as a nation today if they had backed down.

but they didn't, why?
Because they believed that the Freedom to worship God, and that every man has certain unalienable rights endowed by thier CREATOR, were so important that they were willing to DIE for these beliefs. Imagine what it must have been like for them to realize, that upon signing the declaration of independence they were going to war with the world's superpower, and all they had to combat it was a rag tag militia and a cause.

What would have happened if when Christ came down and he saw how sinful we were, decided: you know what, they're not worth scrificing and dying for, I'm leaving?

We wouldn't have the free gift of slavation today. yet he did, and HE was persecuted and sacrificed MORE than our founding fathers did, He paid the highest sacrifice of all for what He knew God had called him to do, and not backing down on that. He sacrificed his LIFE, so that WE can be free in Him!

Today we need leaders like that, people who are wiling to stand up for their beliefs in God no matter what.
There are a few people today who do, and THOSE are the people that you will be hearing about in the near future. They're the few who will stand up for what is right, and will not conform to the world.

It is the few that stand and make a difference, What we need is for Christians to act on their beliefs and CHANGE America for the better!

-Kp

Domestic Spying justified?

2006-01-17T15:51:00.000-05:00

got to hear FOX yesterady!!!! so now to the domestic spying issue.

Its been a very controversial topic recently. Here is my take on it.

I believe that Bush IS justified in using it, He has shown congress what he has seen, and he has other people supervisng his use of it. NOT to mention that unlike the Clinton administration's use, this is LEGAL!
He is using the program to intercept INTERNATIONAL phone calls comming from people affiliated with terrorist organizations overseas that are contacting US citizens. it is illegal when you tap into a domestic phone call between other citizens (your phone call to your grandma) with out a court order.

My question is now, and has been, and will be, how come when the opposite party does something illegal you never hear a peep, yet when Bush does it the media makes a scandal out of it? *shakes head*

Well there is my commentary, maybe if I find time I'll add to it!
Have a good one!
Kp

Let us never forget...:)

2006-01-13T06:58:00.000-05:00

Ok, on the subject of Freedom.*drumroll* a shorter version compared to the last entry, this may be kind of redundant...(but David, if you're reading this, this is the edited article...I'm not sure if I need to edit it any more or not)But anyway, this one isn't a speech, its an article which explains the difference in the way its formatted and written....
-------------------------------------------------------
We Stand here, on the only island of freedom that is left in the whole world. There is no place to flee to...no place to escape to. We defend our freedom here, or it is gone. There is no place for us to run. Only make a stand, and if we fail, I think we face telling our children, and our children's children, what it is we found more precious than freedom. Because I am sure that someday-if we fail- there will be a generation that will ask. Ronald Reagan.

Freedom is one of the many things that we have a tendency to take for granted in this country. We use it each and every day. Yet how many of us take the time to really think about the cost of Freedom? How much did it cost us to obtain and continues to cost us to keep? Why is our freedom valuable?
How many of us fully understand that our freedom can and is being taken away?

First and foremost, how much does freedom cost?
Freedom's cost consists mainly of 2 parts: Lives and money.
To obtain freedom (in 1775) 25,324 lives were lost. Today we can hardly imagine what that must have been like to fight England; The World's super power at the time, with a rag tag militia. That same spirit, the yearning for freedom and defense of it, is evident throughout these next wars from 1775 until October of 2005, 1,298,391 soldiers have died defending our Country and our freedom. Over one million lives lost in defense of our freedom, and our national sovereignty. The millions of American lives lost prove that people believe that freedom is worth fighting and dying for! Those numbers alone show that Freedom is valuable. Especially because soldiers are still putting their lives on the line, so that you and I can live in a country where we have the Freedom to worship any way we see fit, to stand up and be counted...or choose not to!

Freedom, while the cost can be measured in lives lost, also has a large monetary cost. The following chart from the American War Library has the numbers on how much money has been spent in wars, to gain and protect our freedom.

• American Revolution: $3.2 billion.
• War of 1812: $1 billion.
• Mexican War: $1.8 billion.
• Civil War: $50 billion Union, $21.8 billion Confederacy.
• Spanish-American War: $6.5 billion.
• World War I: $588 billion.
• World War II: $4.8 trillion.
• Korean War: $408 billion.
• Vietnam War: $584 billion.
• Persian Gulf War of 1991: $82 billion. Contributions from U.S. allies ended up covering more than 90 percent of this war's costs.
• Operation Iraqi Freedom: $159 billion, as of 10 Sept 2003.

Billions, even trillions of dollars have been spent just to ensure our freedom!

Now, we can make the logical assumption, that if Freedom costs that many lives, and that much money to obtain and to keep, than it must be important.
People don't volunteer to be put in a position where they could die, for something that they don't think is important enough to protect. Yet, over one million Soldiers have died, and those numbers don't even include the ones that were taken as Prisoners or War, Missing in Action, wounded, or still fighting!

Ronald Reagan once said that "Freedom is a fragile thing and is only one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation for it only comes once to a people. Those who have known freedom and lost it have never known it again." I thank God that we have always had a generation ready and willing to defend that freedom, and I pray that we will continue to have those brave Americans ready and willing to defend it.

Our freedom is so valuable not only because of the money spent, not only because it is less than one generation away from being lost. It is so valuable because we have always had a generation willing to pay the price.
That is what makes the following so grievous; they have protected our freedoms on the foreign front. However, our freedoms are slowly but surely being taken away on our domestic front.

While we have the US Military protecting us on the foreign front, we have groups like the ACLU trying to undermine our rights on the domestic front.
In past and recent history, the first amendment has been one issue in which certain organizations have tried to take away the freedom of religion and our freedom of speech.

The first amendment reads: Congress shall make no law Respecting Establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

So in other words, congress isn't allowed to dictate that you are only allowed to worship whatever god they deem appropriate, and you can only do so in a certain way, and in certain areas.

This Freedom however, has constantly been attacked over the last few decades. Not only by foreign threats, but by our own United States Supreme Court! This is also happening in our own public schools!

In "Syracuse, New York,(1999) Antonio Pecks' kindergarten teacher at Catherine McNamara Elementary School gave Antonio the assignment of creating a poster that would depict what could be done to save the environment. Antonio drew a picture of Jesus praying in the captioned drawing, "The only way to save the world" and "loves changes things". The teacher refused to display the picture saying that it promoted one religion over another. (Of course Anthony [Antonio] was promoting his religion over others, but it was Anthony doing the promoting, not the school.) Anthony went back to the drawing board and sketched people picking up garbage with a robed man beside them kneeling with his hands raised to heaven. The robed man was not identified as Jesus. The teacher agreed to display the second poster but on the condition that the part showing the robed man was folded over so it could not be seen. The Pecks have sued the school for religious discrimination and denial of free speech" ("Persecution" by David Limbaugh Pg. 38 paragraph 2)

There are many more instances like this in the book "Persecution" by David Limbaugh. But it doesn't end there, things like this are still happening today!

The fact that this actually happened to a KINDERGARTENER in AMERICA is amazing! Our First Amendment rights are slowly, but surely being usurped. And this is just one of many evidences of it.

You might say...well it is only the first amendment, it's not like we're going to have our right to a trial by jury taken away or the right to vote or anything like that.
Not only is the 1st amendment being taken away, our 10th amendment is constantly being overridden by the federal government. The 10 th Amendment reads: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

That means that if the rights were not granted to the federal government specifically in the constitution, or if the rights were not prohibited to the States by the Constitution then those rights belong to each of the 50 States or to the Citizens.

Constantly the government has tried to, and has overridden this amendment. I consider this amendment to be one of, if the not THE most important amendment to our Constitution because that amendment preserves the sovereignty of the States to govern themselves. Yet, the federal government is overstepping its Constitutional bounds and interfering with decisions that should be made by the states individually.

In a recent Supreme Court decision, we passed something called "Eminent Domain". Eminent Domain means that if a Developer like Wal-Mart wanted your land so they could build, they are allowed to do so WITHOUT your consent, if they can prove that it will benefit the county.

Not only does this take away you're constitutional right to own property, but ALSO overrides the 10 th amendment. It is not the federal Government's job to say that if someone comes along that wants to develop your land than you must give it to them.

What we need in this country is a generation that is willing to stand up for what we believe and fight on the domestic front as well as the foreign front. We need a generation that remembers what freedom Costs. We need a generation that has the courage and the perseverance to take a stand and make a difference. Ronald Reagan said that " Freedom is a fragile thing and is only one generation away from extinction" don't let our generation be the one that loses it by forgetting how important our freedom is, Let our generation be the one that impacts society and preserves it.

The Obtaining, Cost, and Loss, of Freedom

2006-01-10T12:29:00.000-05:00

Here in America we have been attacked almost constantly.

Attacks on our Economy and Government and the American way of life have occurred numerous times in history.

While those were the specifics of the attacks, they were mainly attacking our Freedom.

Defending our freedom is a choice we make, yet so many Americans take it for granted and seem to forget the high cost we have paid, and that while our Freedoms are being fought for and preserved on the foreign front, they are being gradually taken away on the domestic front.

Attacks on America...

The 9/11 attacks were not just mere attacks on some buildings, they were attacks on the American way of Life.

The terrorists tried to do so by instilling a fear in the American people, a fear of flying.

This in turn, affected our economy negatively.

Our economy plays a vital role in the American way of life.

We can see that throughout history.

One of the most common analogies would be the great depression. Our economy collapsed which resulted in unemployment for many of the American people, which negatively affected the American way of life.

While we didn't go into a Depression after 9/11, our economy did suffer. Not only did it suffer, it was attacked.

The World Trade Centers stood for free trade and capitalism, which is Part of the fiscal American culture.

By hitting those buildings they temporarily shut down our economy.

However, free trade and capitalism were not the only things that were attacked. Our government was too.

The investigative office was attacked, and there was believed to have been an attempted attack on our Legislative branch.

Had both gotten hit, it would have been detrimental to our society.

Both of those offices are important to the American culture.

The investigative department was a key attack because they gather intelligence to help counter terrorist attacks.

The legislative branch-had the terrorists gone unstopped-would also have been a key attack because that branch helps to keep the Executive branch in check by:

Making sure that it isn't overstepping its bounds, or by keeping pieces of legislation that shouldn't be considered, from reaching the Executive branch.

Choices

Ronald Reagan truthfully said "Freedom is a fragile thing and is only one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation for it only comes once to a people. Those who have known freedom and lost it have never known it again."

Which means, each generation has a choice to make. Do we defend our Freedom-even if it means acting unilaterally- or do we back down?

That is the question each generation has been faced with, and has answered.

We ourselves were faced with that decision most recently in the 9/11 attacks. We could have done one of two things.

We could have acted in fear (like Spain did after the Madrid bombings) and responded how the terrorists wanted us to.

While clinging on to whatever promise the terrorists made in order to satisfy us, while they proceeded to cripple the country.

However, instead of backing down like Spain, we took the initiative, and went on the offense.

The only course of action we could have taken-besides cowardice- was war.

A few days after 9/11 President Bush went to ground zero and gave the 30 second pep talk that made Americans proud.

" I hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people that attacked these buildings are going to hear from all of us soon"

That speech united a Nation –well for a little while anyway- On that day, our generation chose, once again to defend our freedom.

Our freedom is not even close to being free! Millions of American soldiers have died just so you and I can have the freedom to say what we want to.

From the American war for independence, to Afghanistan, to Iraq, our military has always remembered that freedom costs us millions of lives to obtain, and we can't let those hero's lives be lost in vain.

Our military are not the only ones who have risked their lives for others.

On September 11^th 2001, United Airlines flight 93 originally destined to San-Francisco was merely an hour on its way when Hijackers-armed with box cutters decided to take over the cockpit.

Then several strong young men decided to rush the Hijackers. The plane crashed killing those on board, but those heroes saved many other lives that day.

They sacrificed their lives, so that others could live free.

While freedom is mainly measured in lives lost, there is also a very distinct financial cost.

Trillions of dollars has been spent on defending our freedom abroad.

The fact that to THIS DAY people are STILL fighting, and there are more preparing to defend our freedom makes, this already priceless gift, even more valuable.

Though we do have people defending our freedom abroad, we have to remember that it can be taken away.

Historically, when we believed that something couldn't possibly happen, it did.

For example:

Everyone declared the titanic unsinkable, and it sunk.

After the war to end all wars-world war one- there was another.

We saw the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as our barriers which no man would cross, and Japan crossed the Pacific in World War 2, and the Terrorists crossed the Atlantic on 9/11.

Now, many Americans have the tendency to think that our freedom is something that can not be taken away.

But unless we're ready to defend it, it can.

The sad thing is, that while our freedoms ARE being preserved and fought for on our foreign front, they are slowly but surely being taken away on the domestic front.

There have been many attacks on our freedom, not only by terrorists, but by our own public schools and Supreme Court!

In the book Persecution by David Limbaugh, there was a true story in there about a kindergartener named Antonio Pecks.

He was working on a school assignment, which was to draw a picture on how we can help the environment.

The first picture he had was a picture of Jesus saying "the only way to save the world" and "love changes things".

Of course, he wasn't allowed to use THAT picture because it had Christ in it. So the teacher had him draw another one, in the second one he had a picture of people picking up trash and an unidentified figure in the middle with his arms raised to heaven.

The teacher agreed to put this picture on display ONLY IF the figure in the middle was folded over.

The family sued for religious discrimination and denial of free speech.

Not only are our 1^st amendment rights (the freedom of religion and freedom of speech) being attacked, but our 10^th amendment is constantly being usurped by the federal government.

The tenth amendment says: those rights not delegated to federal government, nor prohibited by it to the state, are reserved to the States respectively or to the people.

Recently the US Supreme Court passed something called eminent domain.

Eminent domain basically means that if a developer wanted to build on your private property they can, WITHOUT your consent, if they can prove it will benefit the county.

That particular ruling not only undermines the 10^th amendment (because that issue should be decided on a State by State basis) it also undermines your right to own property, and keep it.

This is happening right under our noses, and we don't even NOTICE IT!!!!!!!

So what, the federal government is overstepping its bounds, but that's nothing new, it does it all the time, it hasn't hurt me, why should we care?

Lets focus for a minute, on the 2^nd amendment, the right to own and bear arms.

Imagine that one day a criminal came to YOUR house.

You both are armed, he –not wanting to risk being identified, takes out his gun to shoot- you're faster and shoot in self defense.

Then YOU are the one that ends up being arrested, because the court just ruled that the 2^nd amendment is no longer constitutional.

Now lets move on the 7^th amendment, the right to a trial by jury.

Lets say, that your grandma had to go to the Dr. because she had a stroke. The Doctor knows this, but doesn't acknowledge it.

Instead of treating her for the stroke, he gives her blood thinner, which causes hemorrhages in the brain, and she ends up dying.

You and the Dr. BOTH know that blood thinner causes a hemorrhage, so you go to sue, but you can't because the dr. is federally protected.

You lost your right to a trial by jury.

I already brought up a story about our first amendment, but to really touch base. What if something similar happened to you?

Imagine that one day you go to Church, and right in the middle of the worship service, the police came and arrested your pastor because what he was preaching did not line up with what the government believed.

Now our first re-action should be, wait! That's COMMUNIST!!!!!!! That can't happen in America! We defeated communism in the cold war!

But it IS happening in America.

Slowly and steadily, Our freedoms are being taken away by Supreme Court decisions, right under the nose of the American people.

Ronald Reagan once said that "We stand here, on the only island of freedom that is left in the whole world. There is no place to flee to...no place to escape to. We defend our freedom here, or it is gone. There is no place for us to run. Only make a stand, and if we fail, I think we face telling our children, and our children's children, what it is we found more precious than freedom. Because I am sure that someday-if we fail- there will be a generation that will ask"

What we need is the next generation to rise up and fill the voids in our government, State, Local, and Federal, to change for the better.

Don't let this generation be the one that loses our freedom by forgetting. Let our generation be the one that remembers, we are the only island of freedom left in the world, if we lose it here, it is gone.

Let us never forget!

2006-01-09T08:25:00.000-05:00

One of the topics that I believe God has put on my heart to talk about recently has been freedom (Re: America's freedom). Why is it important, what makes it valuable, and why we can't forget it. Like a wake up call. Hello America! your freedom is being taken away, but you have been so caught up in Hollywood that you don't even realize it! One day you're gonna wake up and all your freedoms will be gone, and you'll be asking WHAT HAPPENED? Then you'll find that, while you were being swept away with the tide, following the crowd, talking about who your favorite actor was...that the government slowly started taking away your rights.

I'll go into more detail later.......

~Semper Fi!
Kp

2006-01-07T09:57:00.000-05:00

Well as my first post, I guess I should give all of you a fair warning (if the url wasn't a dead give away). this is a Politically INCorrect Zone. and that means that I am talking about controverial issues...and stuff that is now deemed politically incorrect by society. Such as :Freedom, Politics, Military (possibly), Oh and of Course....You can't g et much more politically incorrect than talkng about Christ, and God, and what my beleifs are...now can you?