Texastude

I was honored to thank a soldier

2010-05-04T09:19:00.002-05:00

I had the immense pleasure of meeting a young soldier yesterday who had been injured in Iraq. He is the son of an old friend of mine. What an honor to be able to thank him for his service and sacrifice!

We talked a while about his service, and eventually wound our way into a conversation on the country’s support of our troops. While both of us agreed that the vast majority of American’s support the troops and their efforts around the world, we both reached the rather disconcerting conclusion that there are those out there who stand on the deeds of these brave men and women in order to denigrate and dishonor their service.

He told me about a “rally” he witnessed outside of his base. This young man is based in the northwest United States. His disappointment and discouragement were evident as he relayed his story. The rally railed against our war on terror and the troops, including two young women standing on an American flag, holding a sign that read, “God bless IED’s!” Need I say more?

This symbolism has finally sunk into my mind. I had a hard time reconciling American citizens degrading our flag, and praising the death an injury caused by IED’s. It should not have been so hard for me to understand, given the tone of some in our country these days. My first thoughts were that they do have a right to speak out, and say what they wish.

The soldiers that they despise are the same that protect their right to howl. It is not the court, not the President, not the Supreme Court, or even the Constitution, these only guarantee the rights. The protection and defense of these rights are on display every day all over the world in the uniforms of our armed forces. Without these people standing guard over our liberties, none of the aforementioned would matter.

My new young friend agreed, with a note of chagrin. These soldiers, sailors and airmen all know what they are serving for. It is not as if we have not been on a war footing for nine years now. Each of them understood going in what may be in store for them. That is the most important thing for us to remember. The job is hard, lonely, dangerous and often thankless.

All the time that I was thinking on this, I was also thinking of a son serving in Iraq now. While I fear for his safety and pray for his speedy return, I am proud of him and his service. He joined the Army freely, and purposefully, with pride and passion. He is like so many of those who serve today.

So, the next time you are busily going about your day and you run across one of these fine young men and women, please slow down and say thank you. It will be appreciated more than you can fathom, and you will be helping to defend the freedoms that we all enjoy, even those that we see others taking advantage of.

I thanked him. I told him that I believe that most Americans are thankful for him and his mates. I told him that I pray for all of our soldiers. I hope that I made a difference.

America . . . today

2010-03-30T15:22:00.002-05:00

Honestly, I never thought I would see this nation take the turn it has taken in the last year. It took fifty years of liberalism to get where we were in 2008, yet the last year has seen such an accelerated pace of socialism that it makes one’s head spin. Because we sat back, as conservatives, and said to ourselves, “It’s not that bad. They can’t keep this up.” Well, they did, and so did we.

It is easy to blame the libs for what has happened to this country, but in truth we must take a look at our own failings in stepping up and putting a halt to their plans. Is it too late to turn back the tide? Probably, at least for some of the policies, but there are places for us to look for a return to our roots, the Founders vision, the true legacy and miracle of what America has been and can be again.

When the founders wrote the document that would be the basis of law in this country, there were those who wanted the federal government to reign supreme. They wished for a power that would supersede the states in law and power. Others believed that the blood shed and lives sacrificed for the birth of this country meant something. The independent states were to come together as a new nation. That is why such a fight was waged to include what became known as the Bill-of-Rights.

The tenth amendment to the Constitution was the key to keeping the so called supremacy clause in check, thereby keeping the real power in the hands of the people through their own state governments. Today’s federal government truly believes that they are supreme, that they wield all power, and any that the states may keep is ceded only through the mighty national government’s largesse.

We see in the federal government a move into the private sector that has become as quick as a fall from the roof. The $8 billion (that’s $8,000,000,000.00) “profit” that they are claiming to make from the coming sale of the stock being held in CitiGroup from the bailout last year, is at the expense of shareholders who lost value in their portfolios when Citi had to squeeze enough stock out to put up for their “loan.” When a company’s stock performance is tied to the government’s performance, we all lose.

The health care bill is already seeing fallout, even before it is implemented, with several major corporations planning to take huge write downs as they see their health costs dramatically increasing on the next years. Caterpillar, John Deere, AT&T, with many more likely to follow, have already made the announcement. The fact is nobody really knows the true long-term cost of this bill. We still do not know how much power the federal government has swept into its corner, and will not until the dust of the lawsuits settles.

Between the states already on board, and others soon to join, the suits being filed in federal court trying to salvage the states sovereignty, the several suits could cloud the outcome for years. My fear is that by the time the cases reach the summit, the Supreme Court may actually look at the ramifications of throwing out parts of the bill versus upsetting the country and its economy further. In truth, the court should throw this out regardless of what may have happened in the between time. The Constitution is more important. They are the last, best hope of the people to get this behemoth under control.

The usurpation of power by the federal government is in full swing. The justice department has decided, apparently, that a “militia” is any group of people who gather together, whether to decry the foulness of the government, or just to fire some weapons and have a good time. While I do not support most of the fringe groups who claim to have the nation’s best interest in mind as they seek to overthrow the government. We do, however, have a legitimate right to protect ourselves from the abuses that are raining down on us from Washington.

While they take the stance that American citizens are the enemy, they neglect the powers abroad who would wish us harm. The President recently returned from Afghanistan, where he preached to the same troops that he sought to demonize and undermine only a couple of years ago. There is no mention of the tremendous job that has been done in Iraq, as that country speeds towards a freedom that we can now only look back on. Oh, the irony.

Please, do not take my thoughts to mean that I am anything but a patriotic American. I am the frustrated patriotic American that is indicative of every other American who has become disenchanted, no disheartened, with the course that is being charted by those in both elected and appointed office in Washington D.C.

The late President Ronald Reagan referred to America as a shining city. He viewed us as a beacon, a light to guide the way. This nation, for over two hundred and thirty years has been an example of freedom to the world; an example of what is right, and how wrongs may be righted; an example of the strength, compassion, and vision of a people who understand the fleeting nature of freedom. Dare we extinguish that light and cast those around the globe who look to us as that bright glow of freedom?

The words of our Declaration of Independence from the tyranny of a monarchy still ring true today:

“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 . . .”

God bless this great nation, and remember to pray for all of our troops who are today standing firm in defense of America’s ideals and the freedoms that we still enjoy today.

A Healthy Dose of Healthcare for America

2010-03-24T08:04:00.002-05:00

As for the health insurance law, I pray that somehow the Constitution is enforced and the law is struck down. Were it truly an attempt to provide coverage for the “32 million” uninsured, I could at least respect the attempt.

It is not, however, an altruistic law. It is, in fact, merely an attempt to seize total control of our lives and freedoms. The fact that there is now a law mandating that each and every American be required to purchase something that he or she may not want is tantamount to tyranny. The way that it was rammed through with Congress’ full knowledge that three-quarters of the American people were against it is sickening.

When our nation was formed, certain rules were put in place to prevent the “powers” in Congress from usurping the power of the states. The tenth amendment to the Bill of Rights specifically tells us:

“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.”

For years the federal government has slowly, a little at a time, stolen more and more of our individual freedoms, and the rights of the States guaranteed under the Constitution. The Ninth Amendment to the Bill of Rights says that “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

Having just fought a bloody war against a tyranny that had grown over time into an oppressive and unbearable government, much like we are beginning to see today, and having sacrificed family, fortune and welfare to secure a free nation, the Founders forged the document that would be the envy of the free world, our Constitution. It was not without struggle or fight to create this. When it was finally adopted in convention and ratified by the states, it became our law, our guide to what is right, and the directions for future leaders to follow in order to keep our society free from governmental oppression.

Unfortunately, now, our Constitution has become a forgotten piece of history. It has been torn, trampled, sullied and flagrantly ignored by the very people it was designed to protect. Our people have given themselves over to a what-about-me attitude and a I-want-it-now mentality. Society today expects rather than respects. They want what others have, and by God they are going to get it from the government. The government, in turn has usurped all powers and have become the nanny of the nation, deciding what is best for us and most profitable to them.

Once a right has been taken away, it will not be recovered easily. In the same way, when a “right” is granted by congressional fiat, against the wishes of the governed, that too is near impossible to remove. As a nation, we have become dependant on that nanny state, and that is exactly what many in our government have been working for in the shadows for decades.

Now they tell us that everyone has a right to healthcare, even the people here illegally. The only ones they do not want covered are the unborn. Our tax dollars will help fund their destruction. They tell us that for our own good we must allow them to create an even larger bureaucracy that threatens to strangle this nation. They tell us that we must purchase what we do not want. They tell us to sit down, shut up, and take it like a good little person. They tell us that they know better than we how to live our lives.

Is the health care abomination going to destroy America? No. Will it forever change how America functions? Yes.

The America of Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Washington and the rest who fought to secure her is no more and I for one am going to miss her.

Not from my bible

2006-01-10T08:04:00.000-06:00

We complain when a television show is tilted to the left, or to the right, we wonder why some commercials are allowed to be aired. Sometimes, we even find ourselves so disgusted that we change the chanel. Our office conversations center around what a horrible show that was last night, or maybe how great a piece was. What we do not do, it seems, it carry our indignation to the next logical (or necessary) step: Do something!

I did not watch The Book of Daniel on NBC last Friday night; the previews and teases were plenty of an affront to me without subjecting myself to any further ridicule by the producers. I have found several who share my beliefs who did watch, as much as they could anyway, and have discovered that it is indeed worse than I expected.

The following is an excerpt from the release by the American Family Association:

Viewer Says We Were Wrong! Book of Daniel Is Worse Than We Reported!
The Book of Daniel was aired by NBC on Friday night. Several NBC affiliates did not carry the program including those in Beaumont, TX; Tupelo, MS; Meridian, MS, Little Rock, AR; and Terre Haute, IN. In addition, NBC lost several million dollars when advertisers pulled out. NBC ended up selling the time for pennies on the dollar. The review below before sums up the emails we received by those who watched the program.

"I watched the Book of Daniel show on NBC tonight just so I could see if it was as bad as you said. Mr. Wildmon you have it wrong - it was worse than you described. The so called pastor takes drugs, smokes, drinks, takes the Lord's name in vain. He supports homosexuality and drug use. He broke the law by giving out prescription drugs to a Bishop. Two Bishops were committing adultery. They mis-quoted the Bible. The program portrayed our Savior in a joking way. There was a corrupt Catholic priest. The maid smokes pot. The Bishop drinks, the pastor's wife is a drunk and her sister is a lesbian and the son is a homosexual. One son sleeps around. I found this program very offensive to my Christian beliefs. They were poking fun at our Savior."

WBIR in Knoxville invited ministers in to see the program. Here are some of their comments. Rev. Brian Kearns, minister of Lighthouse Christian Church: "I think it's very demeaning to Christianity. If this is their view of Christianity, it's going to be as a joke. It's an assault on the Christian faith." Rev. Tom Seay, pastor Bearden United Methodist Church: "It's just a pretty sorry piece of work." Dale Powers from the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville: "You're portraying something as normal that is just absurd." Rev. John Stuart (no church identified): "Christ is at the center of my worship. What the show has done is demean my faith. You've diminished the person I worship...you've wounded me."

These comments are typical of those who watched the first episode. Since the tone and content of the show is now known, call your NBC affiliate and ask them not to carry any more episodes of the program. Very important: Ask your local advertisers to pull their adverting from your NBC affiliate if they continue to air the program.

TAKE ACTION Click Here to print out the NEW Pass Along sheet. Copy it and pass it out at your church. [ http://www.afa.net/passalong/pdf/nbc_bookofdaniel2.pdf ]

Click Here to send a letter to the handful of advertisers who bought ads for pennies on the dollar. [ https://secure.afa.net/afa/afapetition/takeaction.asp?id=178 ] The advertisers include Combe (Just For Men products), Mazda, H&R Block, and Burlington Coat Factory.

Sincerely,
Don
Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and ChairmanAmerican Family Association
www.afa.net

It seems, sometimes, that our beliefs and values are under assault. They are. It is easy to blame the "radical left" or the "mainstream media" or even "modern culture." The real enemy here has been the enemy of our God for eons: Satan. Our job is to spread the Word and combat the evils of the enemy. If you are a Christian, you are under attack. It is time to stand and do something about what you spend your time complaining over. Start here, or choose another avenue, but do something.

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." Mark 10:27

Oh, Such Weighty Matters

2005-12-03T08:23:00.000-06:00

Let’s see, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA)wants to investigate the Philadelphia Eagles’ dealings with and suspension of their employee, Terrell Owens; Representative Joe Barton (R-Tx) wants to check into college football’s BCS format. Nothing else to do in D.C. I suppose.

I am a Texan. For that matter, Joe Barton is my representative from the Sixth Congressional District. Further, I am a conservative (some liken me to a Republican, but I wonder about the Republican/conservative link these days). While I agree that most times, the less that is being done by congress, the better. This is not one of those times, though.

Senator Specter, a Republican (?) can say that he wants to investigate the treatment of Owens, an employee of the Eagles, but he cannot find the time to begin hearings for that unimportant Supreme Court vacancy? Judge Samuel Alito waits around for a confirmation hearing that Specter appears ambivalent about. Priorities, folks. When Madison, Jefferson, Adams, and the rest of our founders drafted the Constitution, they set forth guidelines for the three branches of government to work within. They created the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of our government. I re-read the Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, and even the Declaration of Independence: I found no mention of the BCS or the NFL, no acronyms were included that I could find.

We are at war. Our troops are being belittled and berated by members of congress. Our Christian heritage and holidays are under attack. Social Security and Medicare are facing insolvency. Taxes are an out-of-control behemoth. Governments are seizing private properties from citizens for the use of other, wealthier corporate citizens. Our borders are so porous, illegals run through them quicker than water. The list of important needs confronting our nation is much too long to include all of them. Why add to them?

Does anyone really sympathize with T.O.? He will be getting paid his millions by his employer. The BCS will crown a national champion, and probably a legitimate one this year. Flaws will always be found where business is concerned by anyone wanting to find them. It is the responsibility of the business to make those corrections. There are no civil rights injustices being metered out towards Penn State football or professional athletes who violate their team’s codes of conduct. The fact is, it appears as if these men and women in D.C. are afraid of tackling our real problems.

Congress: You got your pay raise (automatic, of course). Now, go to work.

©2005, Michael A Porter, Sr., Texastude.comDecember 3, 2005

What about CHRISTmas?

2005-11-27T17:59:00.000-06:00

“The busiest shopping day of the year!”

“ Retailers worry about slow sales this Christmas.”

“What am I going to get Mom and Dad for Christmas?”

“Those Christmas lights have to be hung soon.”

“Did we get everything we needed for everyone?”

Wow. No wonder we stress at Christmas. When you consider all of the crowds, money that we spend for gifts that the people we give them to might not even care for, regardless of whether we like those people or not, the cooking and cleaning for all of the parties, even worrying about what to do with the kids while school is out for two-and-a-half weeks, we should all be breaking down by the time that Christmas day arrives.

Every Christmas season we run ourselves ragged, as a society, and worry that we have forgotten something. And to be blunt, we have. We say merry Christmas, and we send merry Christmas cards, and we wrap Christmas presents for everyone on our list (and more in some cases), but we never give to the real celebrant, do we?

The beginning of the Advent season this morning got me thinking. My church highlights a key passage every Sunday; usually it is exactly what I need at that time. This morning was no different:

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise the words of prophets, 21 but test everything; hold fast to what is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil.

23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

Again, wow! What words! Reminds me a little of what Christmas is about. What about you? Maybe if we just ponder these words, we may not be so anxious to run out and buy that “perfect” gift for someone. Maybe we will remember that that “perfect” gift has already been given; it began on the first Christmas day.

Say a prayer of thanks for whatever situation that you find yourself in, and remember those who need your prayers.

©2005, Michael A Porter, Sr., Texastude.com
November 27, 2005

ACLU Vs. America

2005-11-22T07:40:00.000-06:00

American Civil Liberties Union. The only words that even come close to what they really stand for are "Civil . . . Unions."

Gay marriage. Pro-Muslim prayer time in our public schools. No mention of Christianity in any form in our public schools (except as mentioned in the evil crusades). No parental notification (not approval) of a child's aborting another child. No spousal notification (not approval) of a wife's decision to take a child's life. These are the recent and ongoing "liberties" being protected by the ACLU and left leaning activist courts.

Have you noticed that I have yet to find a suitable list of "American" activities that are championed by these . . . people? That is because I cannot think of any. Granted, I am no constitutional scholar, in fact I am just an American guy who was taught, in school, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the real reason for each of them. Heck, I even know a little about the Magna Carta.

I am constantly awed by the fact that these people are allowed to take our childrens' rights to an education and use it as a pulpit, along with their teacher friends, to indoctrinate the young minds into a false utopian society where all will be perfect (a little more perfect, though, for those in the lead) and everyone will be the same. Sounds familiar, huh? I read that book as well (Orwell? 1984?).

To be fair, not all teachers are recruiters in their war on our moral foundation. Many are even fighting on their own. Most will lose their job, not gain tenure (a wonderful practice in its own right), or be supported in any way by those of us who agree with them. Why? Maybe because we do not really know who they are because of their fears of reprisal? Probably.

When America wakes to a fair dawn of liberal ideas in control and a complete -CLU victory, we can finally eliminate any and all mention of American values and morals, pray to any god but a Chritian Lord, slow the growth of our species by allowing same-sex-marriage, and finally get those evil parents out of the way, we will live in that oh-so-wonderful decadence that is cherished by those who faught so hard to bring us our "Civil Liberties."

May the Lord bless and keep the children in harms way.

Such Fine Leadership

2005-11-19T19:05:00.000-06:00

So, Friday our elected "leaders" showed their complete and utter contempt for us, the electorate who sent them to do our work. Not only did they make asses of themselves on the floor by accusing one another of such things as "cowardice" and being "pathetic," but they passed another pay-raise (easy enough when they do not have to vote on the measure).

Maybe if they were held accountable, these things would not happen. Oh, I forgot, we do not hold our elected "leaders" to account for their actions.

Madison and the original fathers of this nation had a vision of citizen lawmakers who would go to do their duty, elected by the citizens because they were to be trusted and, hopefully, act for the constituency, and when done return home to their real jobs as bakers, lawyers, smiths, etc. They were not intended to become professional politicians whose job becomes one of getting re-elected.

Republicans and Democrats alike have hijacked the system and taken what was the greatest experiment in history and turned it into a system akin to the ceasars of the Roman Empire.

God bless and protect this great nation. And may God bless our troops who valiantly protect us.

Eminent Domain or State Theft?

2005-06-23T18:58:00.000-05:00

In the matter of “Kelo et al v. City of New London, 04-108” the United States Supreme Court has effectively reduced the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution a wordy but meaningless sentence. The Supreme Court has ruled that private business is now in the public interest, and that individual cities may decide which people will be uprooted and robbed for the enrichment of both the city coffers and the corporate bank accounts.

By deciding that a city may, without any guidelines, decide that a “project” will be a benefit to the community, even though it is a private venture that will benefit a private business (usually given a tax abatement as well), the court has opened the door to the deprivation of a citizen’s private property without just compensation. Just compensation does not mean strictly a monetary or economic figure that is arrived at by means of what a neighbor is willing to settle for. Just compensation, as cities define the term, does not consider the desires of or the undue hardship placed upon an individual American citizen. Just compensation, it seems, means only that the city is willing to “give” an amount for a property, regardless of the investment by the homeowner of time, money, sweat and dreams, and then turn it over to another private entity for use in a venture designed to make money for that entity.

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor dissented with the comment: “Today the Court abandons this long-held, basic limitation on government power.” She continued, "Any property may now be taken for the benefit of another private party, but the fallout from this decision will not be random. . . . The beneficiaries are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms." More and more often we are faced with the ever increasing usurpation of the individual citizen’s rights to own property.

Terms such as “eminent domain” and “environmental concerns” prevent the individual from owning and utilizing his property in a manner which is consistent with legal, moral and historical use. The Fifth Amendment is the same which guarantees that no individual may “be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law” as well as the private property portion. Most disconcerting is the thought that by interpreting an entirely new definition to this part of the amendment, the way has been cleared to redefine the entire amendment. It is an insult to any American who believes that this nation is a special place, with special meaning, to say that the very documents that forged our tremendous heritage are nothing but pieces of paper with arbitrary sets of guidelines set upon them. The Constitution is systematically being rewritten to mean anything but what the framers intended. From God to property to individual thought, the constitutional protections that so many have fought for and died to defend are eroding into an indiscernible mix of anything but the original intent. The document is firm and without fluidity. It is alive because of the thoughts within it, not because it is easily changed and interpreted to mean new things. The continued assault on the original brilliance of the men who created this great nation and set forth a document by which we would continue to survive as a nation can only result in the ultimate downfall and destruction of everything that they risked all to create.

June 23, 2005
© 2005 Michael A. Porter, Sr.