Peace...

In the past week, the name calling has begun on the Progressive Liberal left. If you didn't agree with them ramming health care down our throats, you are seen as "unpatriotic," "a fool," "ignorant," and my favorite "a terrorist." Seriously, a terrorist? Even the Majority Whip of the House of Representatives (Jim Clyburn, SC) has said so in a recent interview on MSNBC Wednesday, March 24.



The last time I looked, I am not a "terrorist" because I speak against my government. It's called my First Amendment right. I am not inciting fear and using violence to obtain a goal. I believe it was in 2003 when then Senator Hillary Clinton was openly telling Americans to speak out against the government and the decisions President George W. Bush's administration had done. It was your "patriotic duty" to do so. Hello, why is it now that is "unpatriotic" for me to speak against the actions of this Congress or even President? You can't have it both ways.



Yet, I am alarmed by the increasing number of those in Congress who have claimed to have receive death threats over the past week. I am begging and urging my fellow Americans to not to stoop to their level. The Progressives want you to become violent. That fuels their cause and allows for the government to take away more of our rights. DO NOT BECOME VIOLENT! There are other means to have your voice heard, but threatening violence or committing an act of violence is not acceptable. Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. both led revolutions with not violence but with PEACE. It doesn't mean waving the white flag of surrender but do not use violence to fight. The first and most important step is simple, but sometimes the hardest: pray. Yes, pray for our government leaders and our nation. Pray for forgiveness. Pray for direction. Pray for wisdom and guidance. Just pray.

Glenn Beck had a wonderful monologue on his radio show, Wednesday, March 24, that I encourage to either take the time and read the transcript or listen to the audio. Click here for Glenn Beck's Monologue

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "an eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind."

The Next Day...

The morning of September 11, 2001 will be one of the horrible days I will always remember where I was, what I was doing, what I was wearing. I will remember how it was a wonderful fall morning. The sky so bright and blue with not a cloud in sight. I was teaching in my class of freshmen for High School 101. As with most days, at the end of the class period, I allowed the students to use that time as study time. I recall turning on the TV in my classroom to CNN and hearing the anchor just say “A plane has hit the World Trade Center” and as we were all mesmerized by the images that began to stream in to CNN we watched in horror the second plane hit the second tower. In my gut, I knew it was not a freak accident. I knew it was an attack on my beloved nation. Every year I do a special 9-11 lesson, a lesson I wished I didn’t have to do. It is important for me to impress on my students why we cannot forget the events of that tragic day, but to remember the founding principles and values that make our nation great and unique.

About a year ago, I had begun watching Glenn Beck on Fox News. Some days I agree with him, some days I don’t. That is my right as an American. But in that particular show, I realized how much Mr. Beck loves our nation, which is something that is still evident to this day. He began to unveil his new plan for America called the 9-12 project by taking a look at 9 core principles and 12 values that are essential to our nation. I encourage you to take a moment and visit the site (www.the912project.com). I believe it was the start of this project that led to last Spring’s Tea Parties to the Americans asking boldly questions to their elected officials at town hall meetings across the nation. I agree with Mr. Beck with his plan. America needs to reexamine its past, its roots, its founding in order for us to find where we want to go as a nation.

The 9 Principles
1. America Is Good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
God “The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” from George Washington’s first Inaugural address.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
Honesty “I hope that I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider to be the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” George Washington
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
Marriage/Family “It is in the love of one’s family only that heartfelt happiness is known. By a law of our nature, we cannot be happy without the endearing connections of a family.” Thomas Jefferson
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
Justice “I deem one of the essential principles of our government… equal and exact justice to all men of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political.” Thomas Jefferson
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
Life, Liberty, & The Pursuit of Happiness “Everyone has a natural right to choose that vocation in life which he thinks most likely to give him comfortable subsistence.” Thomas Jefferson
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
Charity “It is not everyone who asketh that deserveth charity; all however, are worth of the inquiry or the deserving may suffer.” George Washington
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
On your right to disagree “In a free and republican government, you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude; every man will speak as he thinks, or more properly without thinking.” George Washington
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
Who works for whom? “I consider the people who constitute a society or a nation as the source of all authority in that nation.” Thomas Jefferson

The 12 Values
* Honesty
* Reverence
* Hope
* Thrift
* Humility
* Charity
* Sincerity
* Moderation
* Hard Work
* Courage
* Personal Responsibility
* Gratitude

Take a moment and see if you agree with this 9 principles and 12 values. I know I do. I hope I can instill these into the students I teach and to others I encounter in my daily life.

Dear Congress

Dear Congress,

As an American citizen, I am again alarmed and outraged by what I have seen of my US Congress in the past several months. Congress has seemed to have forgotten who you represent, WE THE PEOPLE! You are not there to represent yourselves or your special interests or your agendas, but WE THE PEOPLE! I would recommend re-reading Article One of the greatest document in our nation: the United States of America Constitution. Go to the National Archives at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue in DC and allow the original Constitution re-inspire you to represent WE THE PEOPLE.

As a US History and Government teacher, it is hard for me to fathom that my representatives are not truly doing their job: REPRESENTING THE PEOPLE! I instruct my students every year that the main job and function of the US Congress is to pass legislation that represents WE THE PEOPLE! Yet, in the past several months, with the passing of the Economic Stimulus, Cap and Trade, and now the Healthcare Reform, I am seeing my US Congress not fulfilling their duties to pass legislation that represents WE THE PEOPLE! It is even harder to impress on my students the importance of doing their assignments and tasks, when they turn on the news or log on to the internet and see the leaders of this great nation not fulfilling their duties. Or thinking I am going to forgive an assignment because they forgot about it, hoping I will “bail them out.” Is it really that hard for those elected into office to read a piece of legislation? Is it that hard to ask for representatives in Congress to simply listen to their constituents and put aside their personal agendas? Is it really that hard to hold each other accountable for ones’ actions? I don’t think so.

How does the US Government plan on paying for these extra expenditures? Our President reassured the American people several times during his campaign to the White House and then again February 24th in a joint session of Congress, “If your family earns less than $250,000 a year -- a quarter million dollars a year -- you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: Not one single dime.” Yet who is going to pay for these programs: Small business owners are not to hire people or have the incentive to make more profits. If the cap and trade tax gets passed in the Senate, then those tax increases will be offset to the average American citizen. So, yes, my dear Congress, the average American will be paying more to cover these new taxes and programs. Between the economic stimulus bill and the cap and trade legislation, the average American, who makes less than the $250,000 will be forced to cover these programs. This is killing the system that has made the United States a superpower in the world. Our Founding Fathers were inspired by the father of modern-day capitalism, Adam Smith. Not the socialist ideas of Karl Marx. Let WE THE PEOPLE pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and rebuild our nation back to its greatness.

In these tough economic times, it is hard to fathom that the U.S. Congress wants to pass legislation to INCREASE our taxes. Corporations will just pass this added tax on to us, WE THE PEOPLE, an expense that America cannot afford. A vote to increase our taxes would be a mistake Congress, a huge mistake. Ask yourself, is this something that our Founding Fathers would have approved? I think you know the answer that question, and it is NO! They led a revolution away from a government entrenched in tyranny and high taxes. Many Americans are fed up with the direction our government is headed. Why do you think tens of thousands of Americans took to the streets in April of 2009 in protest? Or why many of you faced strong opposition at your town hall meetings? It was not because WE THE PEOPLE are “unhappy” with President Obama, but WE THE PEOPLE are unhappy about the current tax situation and a fight for our freedoms. It is all common sense, Congress.

We are unhappy because our nation is falling apart. Our nation that once was a beacon and a “shining city on a hill” for the rest of the world is no more. We are tired of legislation being passed with little consideration of WE THE PEOPLE. We are tired of legislation being passed unread. We are tired of legislation that is being rushed to push reform, like the Healthcare Reform bill, when it took the First Family SIX MONTHS to select a dog. Yes, the American healthcare system needs reform, but not the reform that is being pushed upon us by both you and the President. Why not start with tort reform and cap the malpractice suits, which would lower the healthcare costs? Why not assist our physicians in doing what they have been trained to do: treat WE THE PEOPLE?

In the past several months, I do not recognize the nation I love and treasure. I am scared of what has become of it. If I want to live in a “socialistic” nation, I would move to Cuba, the UK, or France. But I love my nation, and I will defend my freedoms in which many fought with valor for me to have. Please do not let future generations not know the wonderful privilege of what it means to be a citizen of the greatest nation on Earth: United States of America. Remember the constituents, who voted you into office, and represent us, WE THE PEOPLE!

Sincerely,
A tired, yet concerned American

It all started...

...what made me wake up one day and say "JK, it's time to start a blog!" It's a simple and selfish reason: a love of my nation. I am a conservative teacher. Yes, you did read that correctly. We really do exist. Notice I did not "label" myself as a Democrat or Republican but a "conservative." As an American history and government teacher, I am inspired by what our Founding Fathers set into motion on that balmy July day in 1776. Yet, for the past few years I am dishearten to see my beloved nation no longer being as President Ronald Reagan so affectionately called "a shining city on a hill." When did we stop being a government "of the people, by the people, for the people" to a government of "I know what is better for you than you." I am not 100% sure when WE THE PEOPLE gave our government that power. Maybe that is something we can explore in this little blog at a later time.

I had been toying around with the idea of doing a blog for quite sometime, but it seemed like something always stopped me. That is until Sunday, March 21, 2010...a historic day for so many reasons, but for me, it will be the day our nation stopped being a democratic republic and took a leap toward socialism without regret. A day in which our leaders said "heck with the Constitution and the will of the people. We are the Federal government, and we will do as we please." And this history teacher could remain quiet no longer. I love my nation too much to stand by quietly and watch it take this leap. I am pulling on the reigns and hoping maybe you will too in helping me turn this nation back to becoming "a shining city on a hill" once again.