Lori's Say On The Matter

Overruled: Docudrama exposing dangers to parental rights

2011-11-18T06:11:00.000-08:00

Overruled is a 35 minute docudrama that examines real cases in American courts in which parental rights were denied to parents.

Can you imagine having your child taken from your custody simply because you make them attend church 3 times a week? One judge in America did just that. He ordered that their child (who had already been taken from their custody) not be returned to the home unless the parents agreed to only take him to church once a week! A JUDGE decided how much church was too much church! An AMERICAN judge had the power to make that decision!

And parents of kids in school, did you know that you are checking your parental rights at the school door? Want your child opted out of sex education that might conflict with your personal views? A parent in this video was arrested for trying to opt his child out and the school never consented to do so!

Or what about medical information for your child? Do you know that you must sign for permission for medical treatment for your child and even must pay for that treatment but unless the child gives you permission you do not have the right to see the results of tests from that treatment!? Parents in this movie were denied access to the results of a drug test given to their son because of the new HIPPA laws we now have in place.

These are REAL cases that have happened in US courts. In the country where we thought we had the right to raise our children according to our own values, how could this be possible?

Here is the trailer to the Overruled Docudrama (in case you don't have time to watch the full movie now) and below that is the full version of Overruled. Please, make sure you make the time to watch the entire movie when you have a chance. Then please share it with everyone you know! This information needs to get out! We need to fight for our rights before they are long gone! Also, be sure to "like" the videos (if you agree of course) or comment below them.

Official Overruled Trailer

Overruled 35 Minute Docudrama

Visit Overruled Movie or Parentalrights.org to learn more of how you can help to protect parental rights.

ParentalRights.org Promotional Video

2011-07-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

Below is a new promotional video for the Parental Rights Amendment. Please forward the link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L6xEBkMnTE - to as many people as you can, any way you can. Post it to Facebook, tweet it on Twitter, blog about it, leave a comment on a blog you frequent and include the link, or simply email it to all of your friends. But please help us spread the word.

The R-Word

2011-03-02T10:45:00.000-08:00

03.02.11 is the national day to bring awareness for ending the R-word. The campaign is called Spread the Word to End the Word. When we use the R-word in ways it was not intended we end up hurting innocent people. If you ever feel the need to say the word retard, or retarded, as a slam against someone or something, stop and think; you are hurting people just like my Gess. You are hurting people who work harder, and longer to accomplish things we take for granted. You are hurting people who strive and never give up. You hurting who people who offer you a hand of friendship. I know that hurting these people was probably never your intent. It probably never crossed your mind that it hurts people who don't deserve it. Well, it does. And now that you thought about it, why not stop using the word in that way? Instead let's give people with intellectual disabilities the RESPECT they deserve. That's an R word I think everyone should learn.

Parents of 50 Million U.S. Children Soon to Lose Parental Rights

2010-08-26T13:29:00.001-07:00

Parents of 50 Million U.S. Children Soon to Lose Parental Rights

If your children attend public school, you are among those parents whose rights will end the moment your child enters the school. That’s because in 2005 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found in Fields v. Palmdale School District “that the Meyer-Pierce right [of parents to direct the upbringing of their children] does not exist beyond the threshold of the school door.”

You read that right. Parental Rights “[do] not exist beyond the threshold of the school door.”

“We conclude that the parents are possessed of no constitutional right to prevent the public schools from providing information on the subject [of sexuality] to their students in any forum or manner they select” (emphasis added).

Of course, most parents contend they don’t have a choice in where their children are schooled. Either economic constraints or personal circumstances leave them with no practical alternative to the local public school. And that leaves no parental rights at all.

Please act to reverse this assault by big government courts against parental rights. Sign the petition and get more information at ParentalRights.org.

Then, please pass this on. Every parent of a public school student needs to know the extent to which the courts have robbed them of their rights. Add this message to your Facebook account, or it on virtually any other social network.

Looking Ahead

This is the first of several court cases we plan to review for you in the coming weeks. The courts’ disregard for the traditional formative role of parents in a child’s life needs to be brought to light. And while the Parental Rights Amendment will not give parents any greater power to control the school’s choice of curriculum, it will protect their right to pull their individual child out of any program of an outrageous or offensive nature, like the program in the Palmdale case. (To read more from this case, click here.)

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Communications Director

UN's Latest Efforts to Attack Moral Foundations of Families

2010-08-18T09:11:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share this email from Michael Farris.

Dear Supporter of Parental Rights,

Last week, I asked for your participation in building our network of parental rights supporters so that we can make a push to pass the Parental Rights Amendment in the next Congress. If you meant to pass on last week’s information, but forgot to do it, it is not too late. We really need your help.

But, it is very obvious that a great number of you did participate with great success because we had our all time record for new petition signers in one week. Over 10,000 new people signed up to support the parental rights cause because of your efforts last week.

And like we promised last week, we are going to continue to supply you with good information that you can use to help promote our mutual cause within your circle of influence.

During the last week, a well-respected leader in the pro-family movement, Terrence McKeegan, Vice President and Senior Counsel for C-FAM, shared with me his research about the UN’s latest efforts to attack the moral foundation of families and children. In the last week a major youth conference was held in Mexico which was aimed at creating a new declaration for youth to be enacted by the UN General Assembly in connection with the “International Year for Youth.”

One of the things called for in the proposed resolution is full access for all youth to “universal access to reproductive health.” These words are loaded with hidden meanings. However, McKeegan has unmasked these hidden meanings by gathering copies of UN brochures that it distributed at its youth conference in March, 2010. Click here to look at the actual sections from these brochures. The content of this material is shocking. It is not pornographic, but the behavior that it is encouraging is lewdness and immorality personified. I would strongly suggest that only parents look at this material. Here are just a few examples:

· Young people living with HIV have the right to sexual pleasure
· Some people have sex when they have been drinking alcohol or using drugs. This is your choice.
· There is no right or wrong way to have sex. Just have fun, explore and be yourself.
· Sexual and reproductive rights are recognized around the world as human rights.

Now you know the kinds of ideas that are offered when the UN calls for “safe sex education and awareness-raising activities among adolescents” (UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, 2006, Concluding Observations, Lebanon).

There is already a political movement in the United States to offer these egregious forms of sex education without parental knowledge or review. But, if the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is adopted in the US, then the debate is over—we would be required to implement the kind of adolescent “health” education dictated by the UN.

We must preserve our families. We must preserve common sense and morality. We must preserve American self-government.

If you have already joined our efforts to stop the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child thanks so much. Would you continue to share this information with your friends as we build toward the next session of Congress? If you have not joined with us, Click here and do so today.

Thanks so much.

Michael Farris, J.D.
President
Parentalrights.org

DS Awareness posters mocked on the web

2010-03-12T07:10:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately the poster contest has been suspended again. This time it had nothing to do with counting errors or problems on their end. No, this time it was due to the malicious behavior of people who think ridiculing persons with special needs is a fun thing to do. There are sites on the internet now that have stolen the posters from the gallery and have modified them to mock the very point we were trying to make. My heart breaks. Not only for our loved ones who are being attacked, but for people in this world who can find no joy or honor in their own life without having to first tear someone else down.

Man honors intelligence as a god. That is why he mocks those whose brain functions differently from their own. They believe that different can not be good, or else they can not be "better." They take all their supposed intellect and measure it with a mere number, forgetting that the to be wise one must take the knowledge he has learned and put it to good use. Instead they take that number and wear it as a badge of honor and ridicule those who have a score much lower than their own. However, true wisdom and intelligence are demonstrated, not by the number of our IQ score, but in a "good life, by deeds done in... humility...the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." (James 3:13-18)

James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom . 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such "wisdom " does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
NIV

My daughter has many of those qualities which means that she is wiser than the so-called "intellects" who would waste their valuable time manipulating images of persons with special needs to mock them. If they would only take the time to get to know them they would be shocked to find out how truly smart these people are. To anyone who may have done this to my daughter, know that we will pray for you and hope that one day your heart truly will be changed. Not just in ways that will make you see what a blessing each human life is, but in a way that will grant you the gift of eternal life. Forgiveness can be found in Jesus Christ, we hope that someday you will seek it.

Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
NIV

Gesserine in DS Awareness Poster Contest

2010-03-08T11:23:00.000-08:00

The National Down Syndrome Congress is having a poster contest for their "We're More Alike Than Different" campaign. We have entered Gesserine in the contest with a picture I had taken for this blog. (Poster Submission #133)We chose this picture, not just because it is cute, but because we feel it really speaks to the heart of the message.
Do you know that people are actually amazed that Gesserine is able to read? These people are not mean spirited or bigoted, they simply do not know anything about Down Syndrome. I can't stand in judgment on them for that. I was clueless as to what it was before Gesserine was born myself.
Now I know that while a diagnosis of Down Syndrome does mean that a child will have some difficulty and struggles in life, the diagnosis itself is NOT enough to tell us what those struggles will be. Some children with DS will struggle to read, others, like Gess, will excel at it. Some will struggle with physical skills, while others will earn medals for various sports. Some will have health issues and need serious surgery while other children will live a rather healthy life. Boy, this sounds an awful lot like ALL of us! We all have areas that we will struggle with, the important thing is to realize that a label of Down Syndrome does not tell us what those struggles will be. It simply means that they have an extra chromosome. What that person can or can not do should be left up to them to discover. Realize that we ARE more alike than we are different, and we should embrace our differences, rather than ridicule them.
So this is the poster we have submitted for the contest. If you like our submission we would like your vote. The contest originally had some issues and was closed, but it is now open again starting from scratch. Please note that all votes prior to March 5 2010 do NOT count. I would appreciate you voting again if you have the time. Below is the information from their website on how and when to vote. If you have trouble getting to the proper links here, click on the Headquarters link and go directly from their site. Thank you for considering Gesserine (poster #133) as you vote.

More Alike Campaign Headquarters

When we announced the start of voting, we received an unexpectedly large response. Due to the challenges that occurred while we uploaded over 150 new posters, we had to close the original voting process.

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.
We also learned that some people voted for the same poster more than once on their ballot. This time, please vote for a separate poster for each of your three choices. We will discard the duplicate votes on any ballot where more than one vote appears for the same poster.

The link below will now open a new ballot starting March 5, 2010. Voting will continue through April 1.

Thank you,
The NDSC

As you review the gallery, please note the number of the three posters you like best and then return here to vote for your favorites.

To view the gallery, please click here.

The NDSC will produce the three posters which receive the greatest number of votes between now and April 1, 2010 and will make them part of the More Alike campaign by mid-summer, just in time for the NDSC national Convention.

To cast your vote for your three favorite posters, please click here and then follow the simple ballot instructions.

Scott Brown Wins Senate Seat!!

2010-01-20T06:02:00.001-08:00

I was so excited to hear that Scott Brown won the special election in Massachusetts and will hopefully be able to put a stop to the health care bill! It is obvious the country does not want the type of reform Washington is trying to give us, and Massachusetts sent that message loud and clear last night! The filibuster proof senate is gone and hopefully the next election cycle will see more of the same kind of change. We need more candidates like Brown, not simply a Republican in a different party, but a strong conservative, not ashamed to stand up for the people and for what is right!

I hope this is the end of the health care bill that faces us today. I hope this is the end of massive spending and regulation in Washington too. Those in power better start listening to the people if they want to keep their power. Reading the headlines in the paper this morning will hopefully bring them back to reality!

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

2010-01-18T09:03:00.000-08:00

Started Yet Another Blog!

2010-01-08T16:53:00.000-08:00

I decided to start yet another blog. This one will be all about my weightloss and health. It is title Lori's Say on Weightloss, Exercise and Health. I will probably post on it more than I ever do on this one. Most of the time I figure who cares about what I think on the topics I post here, but I am thinking that a lot more people are interested in the topic of health and weight loss. So, for those who do follow me here, feel free to join me there if it's something that interests you!

Weight Loss Progress

2010-01-01T20:36:00.000-08:00

Even with the crazy year, miscarriage and all that, I still ended up losing weight. I still have 20 pounds to go, but I certainly made progress. Here are my before and after photos.

New Year's Eve 2008

New Year's Eve 2009

Daily Bible Reading

2009-12-31T07:03:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the new year and that seems to be a time for resolutions and fresh starts. One thing that I like to try to do is read through my bible in a year. I don't always succeed, but sometimes I do. Being on the go and on my computer a lot I found it helpful to have my daily bible reading sent straight to my email. There is a great site called Bibleplan.org that will help you do just that. It has many options to choose from. There are several ways to read through the entire bible in a year. You can also choose to read from just the Old Testament, New Testament, NT Psalms and Proverbs, Words of Jesus, and many others. If you sign up today you will start having your email arrive each morning. Start your day, and your year by reading through the Word of God so that we may thoroughly equipped for our journey.

2 Timothy 3:16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Go Tell It On the Mountain

2009-12-22T10:37:00.000-08:00

This is the song that Gess sang with the Children's Choir at church on Sunday. No, it was not actually this version, but she loves Tenth Avenue North. She plays their song, By Your Side over and over again!

Joy To The World

2009-12-22T10:34:00.000-08:00

My Weight Loss and Workout Plan

2009-12-10T06:00:00.001-08:00

I have finally gotten motivated to get back to losing weight again. I had been doing pretty good before I got pregnant over the summer. Unfortunately I had a miscarriage in September and it took me some time to adjust. I gained 15 pounds in the few months I was pregnant taking my goal back up to 40 pounds to lose. I have since lost those 15 pounds and am hopefully going to keep going until I reach my goal this time!

As far as eating goes all I am doing is counting calories and trying to be sure that those calories are fairly healthy and well spent. I am down to 1400 calories per day. I got the Biggest Loser Complete Calorie Counter book and it suggests that you eat 7 calories per pound of current body weight until you reach your target weight. (For those over 300 pounds, use 300 as the measure to figure calorie use and those under 150 should use 150 to figure calorie usage.) However, using this calculation I should be at 1300 but I am only adjusting my calories when I stop seeing much movement at my weigh ins so I will stick with 1400 for awhile. I actually just left 1500 this week.

Of course every weight loss goal needs to include exercise. I had stopped all exercise over the summer because I really felt horrible while I was pregnant. So it was really tough to get moving again. My treadmill was sitting there and I could not get up the motivation to use it. So I decided to look for a video of something fresh and new that might help get me started. I kept finding these videos that had all these modern dance moves. I am sorry, but I am a very conservative Christian 42 year old mom. I don't really have the Hip Hop moves...know what I mean?? Besides seeing these women looking almost anorexic doing them isn't really encouraging to me either. I wanted something like the old Richard Simmons videos that used real people who had really lost LOTS of weight by doing this. That's when I found the Biggest Loser: The Workout video.

I had seen the previews for the show but never really had an interest in it but I figured I would give the video a try. I have to tell you I am loving it! It's so great and not "cheesy" at all. In fact my husband even started doing with me! The movements are simple movements, you don't "dance" or anything. You do some punching, kick-boxing, jump roping moves and it really has a great balance between working both the upper and lower body. It also is great because it doesn't work on just burning calories and fat, it also works on sculpting your body. By focusing on the abs, the arms, and various other trouble spots you reshape your body as well as simply get lighter! I have been doing this a month and can really see and feel the difference!

The trainer on the video is one of the trainers on the TV show, Bob Harper. He is really motivating and encouraging, and not geeky at all. The rest of the people are actual contestants from the show. Each has lost anywhere from 60-115 pounds EACH! They share the story of two of them and give a little info about each of them which is also motivating. They also really seem to still struggle doing the exercises in the video. It's real people struggling just like you, but they reached their goals which means I can too. None of these moves makes me feel silly or stupid, a 42 year old, 22 year old or 65 year old would do this just fine. One of the things I love the most is that he always gives you an option as to whether or not you move onto the next step. If you are already out of breath lifting a knee, keep doing that instead of going on to the kick. Even just stepping side to side while he does more difficult moves keeps you moving and burns fat. Anyone can do this! (There is a lot of bending at the knee, so people with serious knee issues might be the only ones who struggle, but again, if they skip those parts and instead do things they can do it can work. I have some knee issues myself but after they explained how to do bends WITHOUT putting pressure on my knees I was able to do everyone of them!)

Anyway, here is the only trailer of the video I could find. I do not know anything about the store advertising the video, so don't use this as an endorsement for the store, it's just for the video. I originally got mine through Netflix to try it but when we found out how much we liked it we bought a copy from Walmart.com for under $9. Here is but a small sample of what I have been up to this past month. I am currently exercising 5 days a week for a total of at least 3 hours per week. Having gone from no exercise to begin with, I am pleased with those numbers.

Insurance does NOT ration care, but the government will

2009-12-06T12:08:00.001-08:00

I have been in a few discussions about the health care bill and people often try to argue that health insurance is already rationing care. That is not true. People who think that do not understand the role of a health insurance company and what rationing of care truly means.

Right now care is not rationed at all. While there may be what seems like rationing with insurance, it isn't actually rationed "care" it is rationed "coverage". The care is still available to you it is just not paid for by your insurance company. You are still able to get the treatment if you pay for it yourself. I know that to some who are poor that might as well be rationed care, but there is an important difference here.

There are ways to get help without insurance. Most hospitals have their own assistance programs for families who do not qualify for government assistance or have insurance. I am applying for that right now with one hospital. My insurance company does not pay for any genetic testing and having a daughter with DS that was something very important to me when I was pregnant again. At least I could still get the testing done, even if I have to pay for it myself, which is what I am having to do. Even though it wasn't covered it was not rationed care because I still got the care, I just had to pay out of pocket.

A government run health insurance company will not allow for that to happen anymore. If they won't cover a test you are just screwed and can't get it even if you are willing to pay for it. The hospitals will not be allowed to file it outside of your coverage. The care will simply be unavailable to you. That is what we call "rationing" of care because the care will only be given to those they deem worthy. The care is not rationed with insurance it just isn't paid for by them, but you still have the freedom to try to get it. If the government runs it you lose that very basic freedom to get the care you so disparately need on your own.

Health insurance is something we purchase to help us with the cost of health care, it is not what gives us our health care. They do get to make choices about what they will cover, but they do NOT get to make choices about what you can pay for on your own. We need to treat health insurance the same way we do other insurances and realize it is there to simply help us with costs, it is NOT the end all solution to our health care needs.

This is why the Republican plan of opening up insurance across state lines will help our health care costs tremendously. If there are around 2000 health insurance companies in this country but only 4 or 5 can function in your state, then you don't have much choice and very little competition to choose from. But if we could pick and choose our insurance from among all 2000 companies we would suddenly start finding companies that WILL pay for the services that meet our needs. The companies will be forced to offer more competitive rates and services that are sometimes not covered.

Choice and competition is the solution to the problem. A government run solution stifles both choice and competition and therefore will make matters worse, not better. Do not buy into the lie that they simply want to compete with private health insurance. What they really want to do is shut them down. Don't take my word for it, take theirs.

Get your mammogram today!

2009-11-19T06:13:00.001-08:00

Toss out your pink ribbons ladies. The government now seems to think that breast cancer awareness has gone too far! For years we have heard that we need to get mammograms starting at age 40. Oh, but now they worry that false positives might cause us a little stress or worse yet have us get some medical attention that is not necessary. So, that seems more important to them than the fact that this simple test can, and has, actually saved lives? And that's not all. They are saying that self-exams have not proven to save anyone's lives so they want you to stop doing those too!

Of course this is what happens when you trust the government to run your everyday life. They look at the cost analysis rather than at the human being who is getting the screening. They are not seeing you, they are seeing your money and nothing else. If you have a lot of it, they want it all. If you have a little, they want their share. If you do not have any money, they will give you some of the crumbs left from the money they confiscated from others, but they certainly do not want you doing things like getting screened for cancer and living very long. They can't afford you!

Dr. Lichtenfeld, who was speaking on behalf of the American Cancer Society, said that they are still recommending mammograms starting at age 40. He said, "The bottom line is the mammogram is the best test we have right now."

Believe me, this is only a sample of what we have to look forward to if the federal government takes over our health care system. ANY government option, whether states can supposedly opt out or not, will lead to cost analysis care rather than patient centered treatment. Let's keep healthcare where it belongs, between us and our own family doctor. Call your Senator today and tell them to kill this crazy bill, start from scratch, and implement plans that empower the people, not the government.

Women unite! Stand up and get your mammograms today!

Wordless Wednesday - Veteran's Day 2009

2009-11-11T06:36:00.001-08:00

Mike Farris and Chuck Norris on Huckabee

2009-11-10T13:58:00.001-08:00

Michael Farris and Chuck Norris talk to Huckabee about how parental rights are under attack. From the current health care bill in the Congress to cases before the Supreme Court, we need to be aware of how these rights are under attack.

Mike Farris to appear on Huckabee Sat November 7 at 8pm EST

2009-11-06T17:52:00.000-08:00

I have been alerted that Mike Farris of parentalrights.org will appear tomorrow, Saturday November 7 at 8:00pm on the Huckabee Show which airs on the Fox News Channel. He will be discussing two cases that are currently before the Supreme Court in which briefs have been submitted by Amnesty International and other organizations that urge the court to apply the UNCRC to these cases even though this treaty has not yet been ratified in this country. The way the court rules in this case could greatly impact the parental rights we hold so dear. Please tune into Huckabee this weekend to see what Mike Farris has to say on the issue. If you miss it on Saturday I believe it re-airs sometime on Sunday. Check the Fox News channel listing in your area for more details.

To learn more about the impending case read the article below:

Supreme Court to Bind Florida to International Law?

Just two days prior to the U.S. Supreme Court hearings on life sentences for youth, Michael Farris, J.D., will appear on Fox News Channel’s Huckabee’s Opinion to discuss the issue.
[more]

Gess' 8th Birthday!

2009-10-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

Gess is now 8 years old! I am so excited because this means she can finally get in a car without a booster seat! I am also glad because each year reminds me just how far we have come and just how blessed we truly are. I knew nothing about Down Syndrome when Gess was born. We have been through open heart surgery, feeding issues and Gtube placement surgery, ear tubes, vision problems and constant patching, reflux issues, various therapies like OT, PT and Speech. With all of that I can only say that our lives are the better for it all. Regardless of the trials and hardships we have faced, the blessing that Gess has brought to our lives and the lessons we have learned about prejudices, fear and the sanctity of all human life are more than worth any cost we could have paid. We actually do not see these things as hardships, merely challenges to overcome. And overcome them we do! Each new milestone, each new lesson learned, each new discovery made, brings an abundant joy that we would have never known otherwise. We count them all as joy. The Lord has used the life of my little girl to teach many others the joy of His love. May he continue to bless and use her life in that way for many, many years to come!

James 1:2 Consider it pure joy , my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
NIV

Gess and I on her Birthday!

She put the decorations on all by herself!! She also helped bake the cake.

8 Candles...get ready and blow! (No it took several tries, she did not blow them all out at once!)

Opening her presents. The CD Player was funny, she read that it was a Boombox. I asked "Do you know what that is?" She said, "A box!" as though that was cool enough! She now has a CD Player in her room and loves it!

We cheated and got her a costume for her birthday. We don't really do Halloween but they are wearing costumes to gymnastics this week. She picked this one out and we got her a kit to go with it. She loves playing Doctor, maybe it's because she spent the last 8 years visiting them so often. She still loves going to them though, so that at least is good!

Parental Rights Amendment - Video Contest Winner

2009-10-21T06:40:00.000-07:00

Recently Parentalrights.org held a video contest for people who wanted to make videos promoting parental rights. Here is their winner in the adult category. You can find the entire list of winners and runner ups at the Parental Rights Proclaim Video Contest Winners page. Feel free to use these videos on your own blog to help support and promote the parental rights amendment.

I fear there are real threats to my ability, not only to homeschool my children, but to simply raise my children according to my own belief system. If you too feel that parental rights are at stake I encourage you to visit parentalrights.org and support the parental rights amendment. Together we can keep the government from interfering with the most basic of relationships, the foundation of every society, the family.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

11 years ago this week.

More School for kids?

2009-09-28T06:21:00.000-07:00

More School: Obama would curtail summer vacation reads a headline from yesterday's Associated Press.

Obama just can not seem to leave kids alone. After addressing our school kids nation wide (and offering a curriculum to go along with that speech to encourage children to find ways to help him), he now wants them to be in school more hours per day and shorten the summer break. I have several issues with his proposal, the first one being that it is not one for him to make.

The federal board of education just needs to go away. Schools should be run on the state and local level and the president has no authority, or right, to suggest what those schools should do. Each school district should be able to decide what schedule works best for their students. For instance, one of the arguments for longer school days is to help children in poor neighborhoods who get little involvement with their parents over the summer and even suffer with hunger which causes them to fall behind. Then let the schools in districts that are poorer implement scheduling that would meet those needs. It is not fair to propose a lengthy and unnecessary schedule on children who are not suffering and have parents who actually want to spend time with their kids. Because some parents do not want to or can not be there for their children does not mean that those who do should have that time taken away.

Most communities that have a higher rate of participation among parents find ways to reach those in the community whose parents can not be home when school is out. I even volunteer for one. It is an afterschool (and summer) program for children. They come to our center and we help them with homework, feed them a snack, allow them some computer and play time and we teach some Bible too. This is all paid for by donations from those who want such a center to exist! See, higher taxes are not needed to help the poor! The school also offers a "Get Fit" program for after school which as you can tell, not only gives them somewhere to be, but helps them to stay active and exercise (although I am sure we pay for that, it was still a decision made on the local level). We are already taking care of the people in our community Obama, we do need a mandate from you to accomplish those goals.

Aside from the lack of authority to make such a proposal, the decision to have more school to get better results is a faulty one. They need to stick with the above arguments because that is what it really is all about. It is about providing government funded daycare, it is not about the actual education. Parents who work until 6pm need their kids taken care of and they really do not want to have to pay for that service. Again, kids who have parents at home waiting to see their children should not loose that precious time with their family simply because others do not have it.

The arguments that suggest our kids will actually learn more from such a system are really weak. The AP article says:

Obama and Duncan say kids in the United States need more school because kids in other nations have more school.
"Young people in other countries are going to school 25, 30 percent longer than our students here," Duncan told the AP. "I want to just level the playing field."
While it is true that kids in many other countries have more school days, it's not true they all spend more time in school.
Kids in the U.S. spend more hours in school (1,146 instructional hours per year) than do kids in the Asian countries that persistently outscore the U.S. on math and science tests — Singapore (903), Taiwan (1,050), Japan (1,005) and Hong Kong (1,013). That is despite the fact that Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong have longer school years (190 to 201 days) than does the U.S. (180 days).

Yeah, they go to school less and do better. Imagine that! What schools need to do is better utilize the time they have with the kids rather than simply suggesting they get them more often. Using the same failing technique for a longer period of time is not suddenly going to bring about success. You think we have kids dropping out of school now, wait until they are stuck there for 11 hours instead of 8! No, we need to drop the nonsense and get back to the basics. If you need 10 more minutes a day for math, which is a good thing I am sure, take it from somewhere else! Get rid of programs that promote an agenda, such as teaching our kids that homosexuality is normal, or that the earth is going to explode and it's all our fault! Music and art are nice but some of that time can be cut for the basics. I do not know how many times my son came home and said they watched a movie in music today. An actual film, not a movie about how music was made. Let me think about it, which is more important? Watching Grease, or doing math? Watching Grease isn't making our kids smarter, even if it is a musical! In fact, it promotes immorality!

And what about the teachers? We have a lack of good teachers now. Are we going to try to hire more people that are not qualified or are we going to force the teachers we already have to work longer days? And who is going to pay for this? WE ARE! The tax payers are footing the bill to implement extending a program that is already failing!

But see, it is important to this administration to get a hold of our kids and get them fast. Pretty soon all our kids will be chanting "mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack Hussein Obama." Notice how he did not come out and criticize the school for that or make any comments about the song? To take lyrics from Jesus Loves the Little Children and insert the name of Obama and have other lyrics that say Obama is number one and then teach those lyrics to public school children is unfathomable in a free country! If we keep this up I fear we will not be free for very much longer. (For those who do not know what I am talking about read the article below. That should send chills down the spine of any freedom loving American no matter what party you belong to!)

School students taught to sing praises to Obama.

Grades do not go up by spending more time doing the same thing. They improve by finding better ways of teaching the children. Now that I homeschool I can see it is not how much time we spend doing an activity but whether or not my child is engaged in it. Let's let the local school boards look at the needs in their communities and address those issues. As long as we keep gearing our school programs towards those who are weak, our schools will never be strong.

Families are important and family time is essential. I personally believe that 8 hours a day is already too long, especially at the lower grade levels. Believe me, I know I felt burn out in my fifth and sixth hour classes! Instead, why not give tax breaks to families with the money you would have spent having longer days at school? This way parents can afford to spend more time with their kids! Studies have shown that kids who spend time with their parents do better in school. So why on earth do you want to take away one of the things that help them do well!? That makes no sense! Instead, improve on that aspect and find ways to let kids have more time with their family. If the problem is that parents will not invest time in their kids over the summer or that kids are starving when not eating at school, address the root of the problem, those parents and leave the rest of us alone!

Sorry, I get worked up when the government starts acting like it is the end all solution to all of our problems when, as Reagan often reminded us, it is usually the cause! These proposals would harm not only future scores in school, it would harm the family unit and turn us into even more of a nanny state. Just like with health care Obama thinks the solution for a few is a mandate to the whole. NO! You do NOT need to change MY healthcare plan in order to help someone else who is uninsured. Help them and leave me alone! It is the same thing here. Leave the parents and kids who are doing well in school alone! Help those who are struggling, but do it without screwing up the ones who are not.

Beauty

2009-09-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

My husband and I had an interesting conversation last night. I am blessed with a man who thinks I am beautiful and too often tells me so. I, however, do not see what he does. Is that because I, like most of society, have a warped sense of beauty? I don't really think that I do, for I often find beauty in those that society does not and do not see the beauty in those who are supposed to be so. However, when it comes to myself, I have such a hard time seeing anything good! I am trying to see myself as a child of God though and not criticize myself too much, for what He made is perfect. Now, what I do with it is not always so! Anyway, with that conversation in mind I wanted to share this video I saw awhile back which really reveals that what society is pumping to us as beautiful is actually a lie. It is not real beauty. In reality it is nothing more than a photo-shopped, edited, piece of art.

Glenn Beck: Why is he so hated by the libs?

2009-09-19T16:00:00.001-07:00

I have started to get emails and see videos attacking Glenn Beck. Of course these generally originate from a bloviating liberals who only wished people would listen to them as much as people listen to Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham etc. They think that if they can just get a word or two through we will see the light, share their point of view and they will finally win us over. What they do not understand is that it is not the persuasiveness of these conservatives that makes us agree with them. No, it is the fact that we already agree with them that makes us want to listen. Certainly the successful hosts are much better at expressing those views, but the views are generally already shared to begin with. We are not the lemmings they make us out to be.

So we must then understand that when liberals start ratcheting up their attacks on Glenn Beck, it is simply because they are threatened by him. They see that he is making a difference and they hate that. Glenn Beck is not making a difference by advancing his ideology. No, that ideology is already shared among a great many Americans. Glenn is making a difference because he is getting those who already share those same opinions to actually act upon them, (such as they did by going to town hall meetings or attending the 9-12 march in Washington). Liberals are frightened because Glenn Beck made a big deal out of Van Jones, a self avowed communist and 9-11 Truther, being given a Czar position by Obama. Glenn Beck exposed these facts to those of us who do not think such a person should have power in our government and because of that Van Jones was forced to resign. They hate that Glenn's growing popularity means that millions of like-minded citizens all across America will start getting information that they do not want us to have. And that is exactly what is happening. Here is a clip of some of the difference Glenn Beck is making. This is why they liberals hate him and it is why more and more conservatives are starting to just love the guy, myself included.

Playing Catch Up

2009-09-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

Life has thrown me some challenges this last month, but I am coping and doing well. The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful family for which I am extremely grateful. I am now in the process of trying to catch up on blogs and other correspondence. I may not get to read all of your old posts, but hope to at least keep up with any new ones! I haven't forgotten you all!

May we never forget

2009-09-11T08:42:00.001-07:00

Sad news

2009-09-05T04:32:00.000-07:00

I lost the baby this week. Miscarriages are so hard. This was my fourth and for the first time we know what happened so we know it wasn't anything we did wrong. It was another random genetic event called trisomy 13 which is a rare condition that few babies even survive. Anyway, I just wanted to update you all. I know it's hard to know what to say and you don't have to say anything. While I had a rough week I am actually doing really well. I am thankful for a loving God that gives me the peace and strength to move on. He blessed me with an amazing family and I am thankful for them so much. My husband has been amazing and I have been thoroughly pampered by him, my mother and my children. I know, having been through this before that there will still be times I mourn, but I am at peace.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-26T08:28:00.001-07:00

Vaccine Trials on Kids?

2009-08-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

They started trials of the new H1N1 Vaccine on children last week. Everyone is anticipating this vaccine, I understand that but I was just amazed that this testing is reported as if it is standard procedure to test vaccines on children. I wonder is why no one seems to be asking, is it safe to test a vaccine on children? I was outraged when I heard the report and thought at some point they would ask the question about the children's safety. That question was never asked.

Personally I am not sold on the necessity of all vaccines. They seem to have a shot for everything and we have personally opted out of yearly flu shots several years ago. I am not totally anti-vaccine, but I am not convinced that all the vaccines they offer are necessary. I believe that it should be up to the parents to decide whether or not their children get vaccines and doctors need to honor a parent's decision. There are risks with each vaccine and often the risks are not fully known, especially when it is a new vaccine such as the one they are testing on innocent children right now.

Again, I do believe that it should be up to the parent to decide if a child gets a vaccine, but I think it is wrong of the company to offer tests on persons under the age of 18! I can not believe there is not more outrage over the fact that they are "testing" this thing on children. Why are we not looking out for our kids any longer? I do not blame the parents, I know they have bought into the hype that they are doing something great for their kids and by participating their kids will be safe from a pandemic that will kill millions of persons around the world. However is that claim even true?

Look at the history, they told us this before and look at what happened. There was no pandemic of the swine flu and only one death, but many of the people who got the shot ended up paralyzed and suffering from Guillain-Barre syndrome for the rest of their life.

Aleternative Health Care Reform Bill

2009-08-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

The Republicans are being called the party of "no" and are said to be holding up health care reform. That is wrong on two accounts. One is that Republican's cannot be holding up health care reform because the Democrats have the majority in both the House and Senate. If they wanted to pass this bill they could do so now, IF their entire party was actually for it. The fact of the matter is that it is moderate Democrats who are holding up the current bill because they know their constituents are opposed to this plan.

Secondly the Republicans are not simply saying "no" to health care reform, they are saying "no" to a complete over-hall of a health care system. However, they are not simply saying "no," they are offering alternative plans that the Democrats are refusing to consider or even listen to. They have a better idea, it's just that no one is listening. My next few posts will be sharing some aspects of that plan and with you.

Here is an outline of the Republican plan. My next few posts will be about different aspects of the plan such as "Making Health Care Affordable for All Americans" by lowering the cots of health care, "Making Health Care More Available & Accessible for All Americans" and "Promoting Healthy Living and Quality Care for All Americans Now and Tomorrow." The following is taken from the GOP Health Care Solutions Group, click on it to read the entire article.

House GOP Solutions Group Outlines Health Care Plan to Increase Affordability, Accessibility, Availability
Commonsense Health Care Reform to Lower Costs and Increase Access and Quality at a Price Our Country Can Afford
6.17.2009

Republicans believe there are a number of potential areas for common ground to work with President Obama to improve health care for all Americans. Republicans are promoting commonsense reforms that make health care more affordable, reduce the number of uninsured Americans, and increase quality at a price our country can afford---while making sure that Americans who like their health care coverage can keep it.

The House Republican Health Care Solutions Group has been working for months on a plan, listening to the American people, talking to doctors and patients, collecting input, and studying and debating ideas. This process has resulted in the broad outline of a health care reform plan that the solutions group hopes will receive bipartisan support.

The health care reforms outlined are designed to:

1. Make quality health care coverage affordable and accessible for every American, regardless of pre-existing health conditions.

2. Protect Americans from being forced into a new government-run health care plan that would: a) eliminate the health care coverage that more than 100 million Americans currently receive through their job; b) limit your choice of doctors and medical treatment options; and c) result in the federal government taking control of your health care.

3. Let Americans who like their health care coverage keep it, and give all Americans the freedom to choose the health plan that best meets their needs.

4. Ensure that medical decisions are made by patients and their doctors, not government bureaucrats.

5. Improve Americans’ lives through effective prevention, wellness, and disease management programs, while developing new treatments and cures for life-threatening diseases.

It is true that a government option would force many Americans out of their current coverage. Obama keeps insisting that you can keep your insurance if you like it with his plan, but he knows that is not true. If your company needs to save money (and with the economy as it is now, which company does not) they will go with the government option instead of a private insurance. If they do that you are forced to give up your current plan, even if you want to keep it. So while in "theory" you can keep your plan, in practice you are forced out of it.

Choice and competition are essential to quality health care. True competition requires an even playing field. While most company's are forced to make a profit or else get out of the business, the government option will never have to do so. Therefore they can stay in business (by spending our tax dollars) even if they offer a lower quality of care and services. After they have put private insurance completely out of business, there is no choice left and therefore nothing to make them strive to improve your care. Even if they wanted to provide the highest quality of care, since they will be on tighter budget they will not be able to afford to do so. This leads to longer lines and rationing of care, it is simply inevitable. It also leads to a lack of qualified doctors because there will be no incentive to spend the time and money to go into a field that can no longer fairly reimburse such a commitment.

Obama and Pelosi should be working with everyone, including Republicans to find reform that all Americans can get behind and actually want. We all want reform, no one denies that we need that, but we want that reform to actually improve our current system while providing greater access to services. This is something that the Obama plan does not do and is why the majority of Americans oppose his plan. It's not that we are partisan or racist or even mean. We simply want the best health care possible, and the Obama plan is not it. Let's work together to find one that is.

Everything the Government Runs is Bankrupt!

2009-08-20T06:52:00.000-07:00

My Town Hall Meeting With Lynn Jenkins

2009-08-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

You must remember I live in a small Kansas town with a large rural population. Our town hall had an attendance of about 100 people, which was considered a large turnout for our area. We are also represented in the House by Lynn Jenkins who is a Republican and on the right side of the recent current health care debate, so there was nothing really volatile even though there were members in the audience who do support the Obama plan.

She covered topics like Cap and Trade which she said was dead on arrival in the Senate. She laid out her alternative plan which consists of an all of the above approach. The debt was a big part of the discussion and the reason she said she ran for Congress in the first place. This is Jenkin's first term after ousting democrat Nancy Boyda in the last election. Boyda was a one term democrat who had unseated an unpopular Republican who had held the office probably a bit too long.

Of course health care was also discussed in great detail. She handed out an outline of the Republican's alternative plan which I will share in pieces over the next few days and explain why I think it is much better way to reform the problems our current system faces. There certainly is no reason to over-hall the entire system when 80+% of Americans are happy with what they have. Let us work on issues of concern such as pre-existing conditions, waste and abuse, and finding ways to help those who are uninsured but want coverage be able to access it. Tax credits and health savings account are a couple of ways to reach that goal.

My health care question was my concern over the democrats possibly using the nuclear option to ram this bill down our throat, and to that she simply encouraged us to keep making our voices heard. Not only that, but encourage our friends and family in other areas to voice their concerns to their legislators as well.

My other question was on the Parental Rights Amendment and whether she was willing to sponsor it. She said she was unfamiliar with that piece of legislation but took my information and is supposed to get back with me on that. I have written to her about it in the past and got a vague non-answer at that time, so I am anxiously awaiting this response to see if she will state where she stands on it.

All in all it was a good meeting. I knew going in that Lynn Jenkins was on the right side of the issues and I have contacted her office several times via email on a number of them already. We are in a part of the country that is solidly conservative so I knew this town hall (which was originally labeled a "meet and greet") would not be as charged as many of the other town halls have been. It was still the first such meeting on this level of government that I have attended and I did enjoy being engaged in the process.

There was one constituent who offered a great solution to our growing indebtedness to China. Since China owns so much of our debt he feared that they might call it in one day. If they do, he suggested we offer them California, to which another person piped in "Arnold and all." Everyone seemed to find that a great idea, or at least a rather amusing one.

Moving along

2009-08-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

As I have already mentioned I am expecting and due in March. I am starting to get past the icky feeling and am enjoying food again. Hopefully I won't enjoy it too much, as I was trying to lose weight, eat healthier and exercise more before I got pregnant! I go for my 1st Trimester Prenatal Screening on September 1st.

Gess and I started school last week and it is going well. You can see her school progress at my Special Connection Homeschool Blog which is all about homeschooling my daughter who has Down Syndrome. She is really loving school and we are off to a good start.

We had a great weekend gaming and doing some karaoke with our friends. I had morning sickness so bad in July I have not really enjoyed visiting with anyone for some time. It is good to be feeling better, though I still easily tire.

We also had a great time at church on Sunday and are so glad that our church voted to call our new pastor. We have been without a full time pastor for a year and I am really excited to have a godly man ready to come and lead us in service. He has already encouraged me to get back into the Word more, even that has lapsed over the last month or so as I was really dragging and feeling so poorly!

That pretty much sums up my life. Maybe now that I am feeling better I will post more personal stuff again. However, I always have had an opinion on things political and religious, and with my hormones flaring up be assured I will continue to speak my mind. There is so much going on these days I can't let it all rest, though I was pleased to see that the public option may be dropped from the current bill! American voices ARE being heard!!

Anyway, here is Gess reading on her first day of school! She is such a great reader!

The Signs of Organization

2009-08-12T09:50:00.001-07:00

They claim that the health care opponents are "AstroTurf" and organized "mobs." Well, let's see which side of the argument looks more organized.

I am so tired of the double standard. If you protest the war against a Republican administration, no one talks about how "organized" the protest was. If you protest the health care plan of Democrats you are "Un-American." If you exercise your free speech and speak out against Obama he says you need to "get out of the way" and "don't do a lot of talking" about it. The hypocrisy is clear.

It's not about who is more organized, it's about listening to the Americans you are supposed to be representing. Getting enough votes to become President does not mean that everyone who cast that vote understood or approve of what you are doing with their health care.

I'm not a mobster, I'm a mother, who is very concerned about the quality of her families health. If they want to call me a mobster I will adopt a "mob" name. Call me Lori the Liberator if you will, but listen to me and the voices of every American who shows up at town hall meetings. Don't just let them in, listen and understand that the majority of people are against the current bills in place. Let's scrap this mess and start over with real reforms that will make a true difference and IMPROVE the quality of our care.

Judge Napolitano's Verdict on Fishy White House Request

2009-08-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

Why I Love My Current Health Care!

2009-08-06T09:00:00.001-07:00

I spent yesterday afternoon on the phone with both my doctor's office and the insurance company. I guess at this point I have to mention that I am expecting an addition to our family! I am early on at only 9 weeks and 2 days according to the sonogram I had yesterday.

As many of you know, I have a beautiful daughter who has Down Syndrome. I am also 42 and therefore my risk of having a child with DS is higher on both accounts. The hardest part of having my daughter was the shock of learning that she not only had DS but a heart defect. This was accompanied by the trauma of them taking her away from me to fly her two hours away to a facility equipped to handle her care. So this time, we want to be as prepared as possible. If there might be complications we plan on having my baby in a larger city already prepared to handle such care. We do not want to have to rush out in a panic once again.

While we do want to be prepared, we are still unwilling to take any test that could cause a miscarriage. I have had 3 miscarriages in the past and I am not willing to take that risk, no matter how small, with my new child. So, when I was discussing our options for prenatal testing with my physician we came upon a test that both me, my husband and my doctor were comfortable with. It is a non-invasive 1st Trimester screening that will use both blood tests and a sonogram (nickel fold) test. This test boasts an 85-90% accuracy rating. Unfortunately it is not available at very many facilities and the one that my doctor is familiar with and usually sends people to is not in my insurance provider's network.

So, this is why I spent most of yesterday on the phone, seeing how much would be covered and what we could do to make this test available for me. I found out that my insurance would have paid 60% for an out of network procedure, so that was somewhat comforting, though my cost would be significantly higher. At the end of the day we did find one other facility in Kansas City that provides the test and as it turns out they are within my network so it will be covered by my insurance!

Now, back to why I love my health care. First, this decision for the test was made by me (and my husband of course, his input is invaluable to me). It was a family decision. My doctor was able to give us the information we needed and explored all of our options, but we made the decision. Now, the insurance company, which we pay for, did get a say in what they would cover and in doing so impacted our decision as to where the procedure was done, but the choice was still OURS!

I do not want some government official to counsel me in my health care decisions. That is MY choice based upon information from my DOCTOR. I do not want to be informed that a procedure is not covered by my insurance and therefore simply unavailable. I do not want my options to stop at the door of a health insurance company whether it is privately or publicly owned. I want options, I want choices, and I want the decision to be totally and absolutely mine. I do not think there is any other option in a FREE society.

Let's get reform that will expand options and choices and empower individuals to make good health care decisions that are best for them. Let us run away from anything that involves more government control. It's OUR health, let US care for it!

VBS 2009

2009-08-03T06:46:00.001-07:00

What's Up With This Beer Fest?

2009-07-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

Maybe I am alone in this but does anyone else think that President Obama's solution of "having a beer" to settle our differences may not be the best example to be setting for our children? Bringing people together who have differences is a good idea, but why does it have to be over a drink? Is having a brew the best way to settle our differences?

I have seen the table where the President will drink his beer and have heard what brands of beer they will be drinking. Yeah! Let's have our teenagers go out and be just like President Obama. Get the kids you fight with at the playground and go get drunk together instead!

I guess I am old fashioned and prudish (yes, I have been known to be so) but I do not think that this presidential at all. I do not care if an adult chooses to drink and my husband loves to have a good beer now and then. However he will not use his freedom to drink a beer to cause another person, especially a young person, to stumble. If he had a position of power, he would not be using it to talk about his drinking habits or using them in anyway to distract people from his own silly mistakes.

President Obama called a cop stupid. That is what all this about. However, no one is talking about that. Who cares? They are too busy reporting on the BEER! President Obama will be drinking a Bud Light with the officer (who will be having a Blue Moon) and so everything is alright. You can call anyone a name, as long as you buy them a beer afterwards. The beer is NOT to say you are sorry. Nope! You do not even have to apologize first. The beer will make them forget that you ever did anything wrong in the first place.

I love the lessons we are teaching our kids!!! Apparently, I am the only one who cares. The media is eating this up and they are trying to make the beer choice all political. Does Obama really like Bud Light or is he just trying to seem like an "average" guy? But no one is suggesting this is a bad example for our kids. I guess I am just over-reacting. Maybe Obama will say it is stupid for me to feel this way. Oh well, it is still a free country, for now, so I am still free to feel this way, even if I am all alone.

Well, I have spoken my mind so I will jump down from my soap box and stop ranting now.

"cheers"

Petition To Keep Gitmo Detainees Out of the US

2009-07-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, if President Obama closes Gitmo, Fort Leavenworth Kansas is one of the sites that have been mentioned as a possible placement for the Gitmo detainees. Our Senator Pat Roberts has started a petition to keep Gitmo open so that we can keep the prisoners there out of AMERICAN communities like ours. If you agree that these terrorists need to remain OFF of our soil, please sign the petition at http://roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=IssueStatements.Gitmo.

Here is the information about the petition from Pat Roberts' website:

In 2005, Senator Roberts visited the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as the then Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He witnessed interrogations and the humane treatment of detainees.
Senator Roberts has been outspoken on the dangers of relocating terrorists held at Guantanamo to American communities such as Leavenworth, Kansas.
According to the Department of Defense, one in seven freed detainees has returned to terrorism or to fight against our men and women in uniform on the battlefeild.
If you would like to join U.S. Senator Pat Roberts in opposing the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and the transfer of terrorists to American communities such as Leavenworth, Kansas, due to the unnecessary risks it presents to all Americans, please enter your information below to sign the online petition.

Follow this link to sign the petition and be sure to pass this along to others who might be willing to do the same.

http://roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=IssueStatements.Gitmo

All About Me

2009-07-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

Scrapingirl posted this and I learned a little bit more about her, so I thought I would do the same and share it here. Since I generally hate talking about myself I figure I can handle this because each response only takes one word.

Here’s how it works: USE ONLY ONE WORD!
It’s not as easy as you might think. Copy and change my answers to suit you and pass it on. It’s really hard to use only one-word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse

2. Your hair? frustrating

3. Your mother? hyper

4. Your father? missed

5. Your favorite food? chocolate

6. Your dream last night? dunno

7. Your favorite drink? soda

8. Your dream/goal? writer

9. What room are you in? computer

10. Your hobby? blogging

11. Your fear? future

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here

13. Where were you last night? here

14. Something that you aren’t? mean

15. Muffins? sometimes

16. Wish list item? Wii

17. Where did you grow up? Ohio

18. Last thing you did? Eat

19. What are you wearing? clothes

20. Your TV? off

21. Your pets? no

22. Friends? few

23. Your life? God's

24. Your mood? contemplative

25. Missing someone? yes

26. Vehicle? Neon

27. Something you’re not wearing? socks

28. Your favorite store? Book

29. Your favorite color? pink

30. When was the last time you laughed? today

31. Last time you cried? awhile

32. Your best friend? Husband

33. One place that I go to over and over? Wal-Mart

34. One person who emails me regularly? Roberta

35. Favorite place to eat? Schlotzsky's

OK, now it's your turn.

Health Care Bill Takes Effect 2013 - So What's the Rush?

2009-07-22T06:22:00.001-07:00

Obama is saying that health care reform is "urgent." In fact he says there is "urgency for both the House and Senate to finish their critical work on health reform before the August recess." Again, why the rush to do this in a few short weeks?

Did you know that the Associated Press reported that if this bill passes the uninsured will not even be covered until 2013? In fact the article goes on to say:

"In fact, a timeline of the 1,000-page health care bill crafted by House Democrats shows it would take the better part of a decade — from 2010-2018 — to get all the components of the far-reaching proposal up and running."

So again, I ask you. What's the rush? Why must we finish this by the August recess when it's critical components will not even take effect until after the next Presidential election?

Don't fall for the hype, there is no need to rush. Let's stop this rush and let's get it right!

Stop the Rush to Reforming Health Care!

2009-07-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

Our health care system needs some changes, no one disagrees with that. However, rushing into it is not necessary. In fact it is imperative that it is done right, not that it is done quickly. There is a reason the current administration is rushing into it. They have an agenda that they don't really want you to know or understand. They need to get this done while people are still ignorant of the facts. Well, it's time we educate ourselves and step in and say enough is enough.

While most people want reform, the fact is that most people are satisfied with their quality of care, their personal doctors and their health insurance plan. I know I am. Obama is saying if that is the case you can keep your plan. But is that true?

Do you want to lose your "choice" a decade from now? And if that is the real goal of this legislation let us demand that they stop the LIES and tell us what the bill really entails. We must NOT buy into the urgency. Let us read the bill, see the plan, and have an open and HONEST debate about it. Let's get health care right rather than just give it up. That certainly is NOT the solution. Contact your Representatives today and tell them to vote against the Obama health care plan and stop the rush to get something done by August. Encourage them to take the time to get it right.

That's a silly picture

2009-07-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

On my homeschooling blog I did an article about Gesserine's Strabismus Surgery in which I shared a little about her history with glasses. Well I had to share Gesserine's reaction to seeing one of the photos there. Gess has had her plastic glasses for so long that she apparently does not remember her old glasses. We were on my blog page and she noticed this picture from my last blog.

She started laughing and said, "That's a silly picture, Gesserine in mommy's glasses!" I found it pretty exceptional that she assumed them to be mine. She just kept going on about how silly that was. It cracked me up so I had to share.

Here is a photo of the glasses she wears now, she has been wearing them for a few years now. They are totally indestructible. You can twist them, bend them, do what you want, they won't break. They come in blue, pink and white and are an excellent solution for those who have children who seem to constantly, lose and/or break their glasses. Doesn't she look cute in them??

Oppose The Hate Crime Amendment

2009-07-17T05:46:00.000-07:00

Apparently Congress is using the Military again, this time to try and push a piece of legislation that is supposed to protect people from hate crimes. They are trying to pass it as an amendment to the Defense Reauthorization bill that funds the United States Armed Forces forcing those who oppose it to vote against funding the troops. Will our government ever STOP playing politics and just do their jobs? I do not know what is wrong with me, but I believe that bills to fund the troops should be about, oh I don't know, let's say funding the troops! Instead they play politics and try to get their agenda passed by making it difficult to vote against because no one wants to vote no to supporting the troops.

The controversy comes into play because this hate crime bill includes "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" which would now make these federally protected classes. This comes in spite of the fact that the APA has concluded that while there has been much research no findings have emerged to prove that homosexuality is genetic or caused by another such factor and have therefore dropped the use of the "gay gene" theory.

What is even more disturbing is that granting class privileges to these groups opens the door up to taking away the freedom of religious and other groups who might speak out against these groups. If a pastor preaches about homosexuality and one of his parishioners commits a crime against a person who practices it, could the pastor be held liable too? Quite possibly.

The fact is that most states already have some form of hate crime legislation and those that do not are able to convict persons based upon other laws. We need LESS federal government control, not more. Besides, FBI statistics reveal that hate crimes are diminishing, they are not on the rise. There really is no reason to sneak this bill through this way, but such is the way of politics.

It is possible that the Senate will vote on this amendment as early as today. I don't know about you but I will emailing my Senators to tell them to oppose this amendment. Let's stop playing politics with our troops. It's not about whether or not we should be kind to persons who make different choices. No true conservative or Christian believes that it should be legal to physically harm ANY other human being. It's about whether or not we remain free to be able to follow our religios and own moral belief system and can say without fear that homosexuality is immoral and wrong. No one is trying to keep them from saying otherwise, so why are they trying to silence us?

Anyone who wants to contact their Senators should go to Senate.gov. In the top hand corner click on your state and you will find the contact information there. Tell them to vote no to the hate crime amendment to the Defense Reauthorization bill.

Prenatal Testing for Down Syndrome

2009-07-14T06:52:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how sad I get when I read a post on a message board or blog from a mother who is frightened that their prenatal test might reveal their child has Down Syndrome. I do not fault the mother because she is only reacting to the information and the context from which it was given. I do, however, get angry with the doctors and our medical system that offers a test and a "choice" to terminate if that test is positive without giving any other real information. Is there any other reason ever given for the test? It seems to me that testing is for one reason and one reason alone, to encourage women abort a certain segment of society that some have deemed unfit for life. Do the doctors share with these parents the positive side Down Syndrome? Do they tell them how well persons who have DS function, how much they can accomplish and how much joy they can bring to those around them? Unfortunately the answer to that is usually, NO.

Of course, this was actually the plan from the beginning. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was recently quoted making a statement about why abortion was legalized. She boldly proclaimed the truth, that abortion was made legal in order to control population "and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of." Abortion was intended to terminate populations of persons that we don't want too many of?! What kind of country do we live in? Well one where abortion is legal and that says a lot in and of itself, but we were told that it was made legal to "protect the life of the mother." That is always the argument they use, but Justice Ginsburg let the truth slip out. If she had made this statement and suggested we were trying to encourage abortions of certain races this would bring strong outrage from the general public, as it should. However, the fact of that matter is that abortion has been used for just that purpose. That is the only reason we test all of these women to see if their baby has Down Syndrome. We want to terminate that segment of society. You know what, that was Hitler's goal once too.

Who are we to encourage anyone to abort any child? They call it "choice" yet it's not. With choice we are supposed to be given options with information about the positive and negative aspects of each "choice." But that isn't done with a Down syndrome diagnosis. A mother is given a test and asked if she wants to abort. She is given NO information encouraging the "choice" of life. Shame on the doctors and professionals who encourage this practice, and shame on our country for not seeing anything wrong with it. Folks there is something seriously wrong when a United States Supreme Court justice admits abortion was made legal to control the "growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of" and no one seems to bat an eye. Look around you. About 90% of women who get a postive diagnosis for Down Syndrome abort their child, that certainly seems to prove what Justice Ginsburg said was true. How terribly, terribly sad.

Here is celebrating the life of my daughter, who belongs to a segment of society that is not celebrated near enough. The world would be a duller place without her.

.

Thoughts on Sarah Palin

2009-07-09T06:18:00.000-07:00

There has been much speculation as to why Sarah Palin quit and I wanted to share my own thoughts on the issue. I can only speculate based upon what Sarah herself has said and I probably should not even do that, but I do have some things I think that people should consider. I am tired of hearing people call her a a quitter and how what she did was bad for women. As a mother, let me tell you, it's nice to see a politician that lets their family come first. We love when they talk about the importance of family but for some reason when they actually act upon it, we shun them. What a double standard.

Sarah Palin is a tough woman and I do not doubt that she can take whatever the media, or anyone else throws at her. The question no one seems to be asking is that just because Sarah can take it, does that mean her kids can (and should) be able to take it too? The way her oldest daughter was treated was bad enough, but as a parent of a child with special needs, it is awfully tough to watch your precious child become the butt of jokes and I do believe that was just a bit too much. When things like that happen it is especially hard on the siblings. I believe the attack on her children is unprecedented in American politics, and if she were a man no one would be talking about the kids, let alone making fun of them. Well let me just say this. A good mother takes care of her children, but a great mother sacrifices for them. Maybe Sarah just said enough is enough and maybe, just maybe, she is willing to risk her career for the sake of her kids. I don't think that makes her weak, I think it makes her strong. If this is the case, then Sarah is NOT a quitter, nor is she weak. She is a mother in the true sense of the word. However, in our self-centered, self-serving society, people don't understand what it means to sacrifice. Well shame on them.

I could have it all wrong and Sarah could still be planning on a job in politics, but still, maybe even then she is hoping to give her kids a break from the constant onslaught of attacks. Remember they are not just watching their mother be attacked but their baby brother as well. Parents of special needs understand the special challenges their other kids face. I know one parent who had her child come home and cry because someone said they were "retarded just like their brother." Sometimes it's not even the kids that break their heart as they listen to adults say inappropriate things about the little brother or sister they love. Think about how hard that must be then multiply that by seeing it take place on a national scale. To have your loved one ridiculed and scorned in national outlets, can really take it's toll. Sometimes, regardless of whether it is worth the fight or not, you realize sometimes it is better to just protect the kids. It's really a shame that this happened, but it's even more of a shame that there is not more outrage over the treatment of the CHILDREN of Sarah Palin, particularly when one of them has special needs.

We have elected the first President of color and that is certainly a hostoric moment in our history we do not want to forget. It just saddens me that while we celebrate the acceptance of all persons of color, at the same time we are showing our disdain and lack of acceptance of those who are different in other ways. We should celebrate the accomplishments that those with special needs achieve, but instead we still think it's OK to make fun of them. Maybe our country hasn't grown as much as we would like to think it has.

Of course there are other matters that probably caused Sarah to step down. The fact that because of the attacks against her she isn't able to do her job and is instead having to go into great debt to defend her innocence is another important one. This really is interfering with her job and I admire her admission of that. The people elected her to govern, not to spend her time and resources defending herself against things she did not even do. Not one of the allegations have panned out, it's just a waste of her time, energy and unfortunately the state's money.

I think you will find that these are reasons why Sarah Palin is still very popular among conservatives. Because we understand that the career, no matter how great, is not always the most important thing. To see someone give up power and put family first, well that IS unheard of, but maybe it shouldn't be! I am hopeful that somehow Sarah will use her talents in the future to continue to educate the country about special needs issues. Hopefully the next time a politician has a child with Down Syndrome, or some other special need, people will learn how to report it without revealing their ignorance and maybe, just maybe, that child won't be subjected to the cruelty that precious little Trig has had to suffer. May God bless Sarah Palin, her husband and every precious child in her family, in whatever their future holds.

Gess on the 4th of July

2009-07-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

We got back from St. Louis the day before the 4th, but we both came down with a cold. We still managed to enjoy the festivities so I thought I would share some of those photos below. Hopefully I will catch up on reading all of your blogs next week!

Busy busy week

2009-06-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

Well today I start my whirlwind of a week. I had Sunday School and Church this morning, a committee meeting after church, a Down Syndrome support meeting at 6 and church again at 7 with a series that I refuse to miss! And that's all just today!

Monday is Day Camp from 10-4 meaning I leave at 8:30 and get home after 5. Tuesday is gymnastics in the morning and a dinner with friends at night. This dinner has already been re-scheduled twice so I am not moving that! On Wednesday I leave for St. Louis to take my mom to my sister for a week. I head home on Thursday stopping off to see a really good friend for the afternoon. I am thinking Friday I will just veg before the 4th on Saturday! We have a church thing in the afternoon and possibly another thing that evening plus getting some fireworks to set off at home. Yippee!

If you don't hear much from it's just because I don't have the time. The next week slows down so I will try to catch up on reading blogs then...though I am already behind on that already!

In case I don't get a chance before then, have a great 4th of July everyone!

Call NOW To Stop UN Children's Treaty

2009-06-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

I received this email from the HSLDA, it's important that those of us who are opposed to this treaty act now.

Call Now to Stop
UN Children’s Treaty

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,

Monday in a Harlem middle school, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice told a group of 120 students that administration officials are actively discussing “when and how it might be possible to join” (that is, ratify) the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). As before, she also communicated what a disgrace it is that the U.S. would stand with only Somalia against such a widely accepted treaty.

This is the first direct public statement by the Obama administration that it will seek ratification of the UN CRC.

In my 30 years of political involvement, I have learned to recognize this as what is called a “trial balloon.” Like in World War I trench warfare, our opponents have “sent up a balloon” to see if it will draw fire. If things remain quiet, they will proceed with their plans to push for ratification of the CRC in the U.S. Senate. To discourage them from doing so, we need to make sure that our voices are heard with unmistakable clarity. We must let the Obama administration know that we oppose this anti-family, anti-American treaty.

Action

Here’s what we need you all to do:

1. Call the White House comments line at 202-456-1111. Tell them you heard the administration wants to ratify the CRC, and you strongly oppose this giving away of U.S. sovereignty to the UN. Also, keep in mind that this treaty gives the government jurisdiction to override any decision made by any parent if the government thinks that a better decision can be made—even if there is no proof of any harm.

2. Call the Ambassador Susan Rice’s office at the United Nations. Tell her that you want her to represent the United States to the world rather than trying to get the United States to go along with international law initiated by the UN. Her office number is 212-415-4000.

3. Contact your senators and urge them to oppose ratification of this treaty. (Find your senators’ contact information by using HSLDA’s Legislative Toolbox.) Ask them also to defeat it once and for all by cosponsoring SJRes 16—the Parental Rights Amendment.

It is very important that we speak up right now. Please call before you close this email!

Michael Farris
HSLDA Chairman

Wordless Wednesday - Remembering Dad

2009-06-24T06:33:00.001-07:00

Me and My Dad
(who I missed so much this Father's Day)

Gess and My Dad

Darrell "Shifty" Powers

2009-06-23T06:25:00.000-07:00

I just learned that last week on June 17, Darrell "Shifty" Powers, a veteran who served with Easy Company as a paratrooper and sharpshooter during WWII, passed away at the age of 86. Fans of the movie Band of Brothers, or the book by Stephen Ambrose of the same name, may know who Shifty is. Those who know me know that I am huge fan of the movie and book and have watched it several times. I am a history buff and particularly love anything regarding World War II.

It was sad to read of the passing of this great man, but it was encouraging to hear how his "fame" from the movie really made his later years so special. Unfortunately his health kept him from going to Iraq to visit the troops last September. How sad that he didn't get that one last wish. Still, may this remind us to honor all those, who like Shifty, served and do serve our country well. They don't do it for the honor or the glory, for they certainly seldom get much of that. They do it because it's the right the thing to do.

Read the article Veteran a part of Band of Brothers at Roanoke.com

We have a moral obligation

2009-06-19T06:11:00.000-07:00

I was watching Hannity last night and during his Great American Panel segment they were talking about spanking because of the incident that happened on a reality show called Jon and Kate plus 8. I have not seen the show but apparently they caught this woman on tape spanking her child. This brings the debate about whether or not we should be allowed to spank our children back to the forefront. In Hannity's Great American Panel on June 18, 2009 one of his guests was strongly opposed to spanking. I can not recall her name and I had no luck finding it on google this morning either. Anyway, she made this comment: "We have a moral obligation" followed by something like 'to not teach our children that violence is an option' or 'to not hurt our children.' I forget what exact response followed those words but her point was that "we have a moral obligation" to keep parents from spanking their children. I have a problem with this.

First of all, any moral obligation in regards to spanking is limited to what she does with her own children. She does not have any obligation, moral or otherwise, to tell other parents how to raise their child. Every parent has the right to discipline their children according to their own beliefs and moral principles. The Bible tells us that there is a place for corporal punishment and that it can be beneficial. As Christians we have a right to practice our faith. Of course, parents must use it in a responsible and loving way, but it can be done correctly and no one has a right to keep a parent from using it.

However, many people today want to outlaw spanking and impose their "moral" principles upon all parents. That is why we need to pass the Parental Rights Amendment. The UNCRC has already been signed, and if it becomes ratified spanking will automatically become illegal in all 50 states. Why? Because the committee on the UNCRC has already determined that they consider spanking to be abuse. No matter how you feel about this issue, an international committee should not have a right to interfere with or override our own laws. Visit my blog Support Parental Rights or visit Parentalrights.org to learn more about the risks to parental rights and how this amendment will keep people like this panelist from being able to turn their personal ideology into law.

Liberals today seem to feel that it is their obligation, and right, to force their "moral" standards upon everyone else. Remember, this comes from those who scream at conservatives for trying to "legislate morality" on issues like abortion and gay marriage. I wrote about this in my blog The High Cost of Legislating Liberal Morality. Miss panelist, whatever your name is (and if anyone remembers, please tell me) let me be make this clear. Since we live in America, your moral obligation in regards to disciplining children stops at your own front door. You have no moral obligation, or right, to tell other parents what they can or can not do. I certainly respect your opinion and your right to not spank your child, but since we live in a free country, you are supposed to respect my rights too. This is yet another example of how tolerance in this nation seems to work. We are supposed to tolerate their immorality while we are forced to refrain from doing what we consider moral and right. That is not how it works in America, or at least it shouldn't be.

Important Information Every Special Needs Parent Should Know

2009-06-17T12:50:00.001-07:00

I went to a Special Needs Planning Workshop for Down Syndrome put on by the Special Needs Planning Center in Kansas City. There are not very many centers that specialize in special needs financial planning and trusts so that in itself was refreshing to see. The Special Needs Planning Center is there to help you protect your child's future by making sure you do so correctly. The founders are also parents of children with special needs so they understand how important proper planning is. Their number one priority is to make sure that all children are protected. Because of that goal, they share a lot of basic information in their workshop that every parent needs to know, like how SSI works, why is important that your adult child receives it and why it is imperative that you do not do anything to jeopardize that essential asset.

SSI Requirements and Restrictions

*The actual requirements and regulations is different in all 50 states so be sure to check your individual state laws. I live in Kansas and this information will therefore reflect their state laws.

Why is it important for your child to receive Disability Benefits (SSI)? Because at the age of 18 our children become emancipated. The age can vary some if the child is still in school, but at the point that your child is completed with their education and is no longer a "full time student" your insurance company will no longer cover their medical expenses. (The definition of "full time" varies from company to company so be sure to know how yours defines it) Children with special needs will not be able to receive medical insurance from anywhere else since they have a pre-existing condition. The diagnosis of Down Syndrome it is an automatic denial, no matter how healthy your particular child has been. Even if you were able to find a company willing to insure them, the premiums would be so high that they would not be able to afford the coverage. Since it is imperative that they have not only the medical coverage but also access to services for housing and other assistance that they will need we need in their adult life we need to make sure they qualify for SSI (which comes with Medicaid) when they are adults.

In order to receive SSI (Supplemental Security Income) the person must not have many assets. In Kansas they can have up to $2000 in assets and in Missouri it is only $1,000. Anything above that denies them access to coverage. So all of these childhood savings account that parents have to help their children with their future would actually harm a child with special needs because that money could keep them from getting medical services, housing and other essential needs.

At this point the speaker strongly suggested that you make sure every family member knows this. Tell everyone in your family to not leave anything to your child in a will. Leaving them $5,000 or 500,000 will actually be harming them, not helping them. Of course, that is what many families do. They leave their money to the grandchild, nephew, etc that they think needs it the most and who needs it more than their relative with a special needs? Unfortunately the way our "system" works means doing what makes the most sense is actually the worst thing you can to do. That is where trusts come in and there are many ways that you can leave assets and money to be used in the care for your child, but you can not simply leave it to them in their name. You must make a special needs trust and you must find someone who actually knows how to do that! A lawyer that they recommend does 120 of these trusts a year (if memory serves me correctly). He recommends you hire an attorney that has done at least 60 of them before trusting them with your assets and money. It is not only important that you seek these protections, it is more important that it is done right.

If anyone lives in or near, or somewhat near Kansas City I highly recommend them going the Special Needs Planning Center. What they do is help get all of your plans ready for the lawyer. This saves you time and money with and assures you that your plans are done correctly. They do not charge for this part of the service. They only make money if you choose to let them handle the financial aspect of your plans and their record and investments are solid. As parents of special needs children they know that money needs to be there for your children. We will talk about trusts more later.

So Back to SSI. Your child can be a part time college student if they want to take some community college classes and can have a job and make up to $900 a month and still receive beneifts. If they make more than that, they will again lose SSI. While I had dreamed of my daughter actually becoming more self sufficient, the facts are that it would be harmful to leave her unprotected anytime she were between jobs. He mentioned one gentlemen who made pretty good money because a very large company hired him, gave him benefits and the works. He made too much money to receive services and was because of that they were not worried about his future. However, the company he worked for had structured his job around his speicific ability and when they had had to downsize, his job has was replaced by a machine. Now this man has a 10 year work history and is therefore going to have trouble receiving benefits for his future. His Cobra will run out after 18 months and he will be left with no health insurance. While I would love my daughter to have the opportunity to support herself fully like this young man did, I now realize that may not be the best route to take. Who will be looking out for her when she can no longer work and mom and dad are no longer alive to look out for her? We need to start thinking about these things now.

They recommended signing your child up for SSI as soon as your child turns 18. If you wait a whole lot longer than that you start getting questions as to why. Did you think they could work? Did you think they could support themselves? They sometimes make it more difficult for you if you wait too long. At the very least, you should file for it when they are no longer a full time student.

In Kansas there is also another benefit that he recommends that you have. It is called an HCBS Waiver or sometimes referred to as the Waiver Program. Call and get your child on the waiting list for this if you do not already have it. If they do not get this before they turn 18 they will not get it at all. This waiver allows them to receive life skills services and other benefits that will get them out of the home as an adult. It also encourages an organization to place your child because they are getting extra funds. If you have one bed open and two applicants they are going to the want the one that has the waiver.

We had personally opted out of the program because we have to sign a document making the case manager my daughter's advocate. I have a huge problem allowing anyone other than my husband or myself be my daughter's advocate. They would come into our home once a month for an interview to "check on her." I did not like that. I found out that they are only advocates for her benefits and nothing else. I also found out that if I do not want home visits, I do not have to have them. I called this morning to get back on the waiting list. The application is in the mail. I hope I am not too late.

This is a really hard decision for us because we believe in self-sufficiency with as little governmental intervention as possible. We celebrated when we lost SSI due to our income, because we wanted to provide for ourselves. Unfortunately since the "system" does nothing for persons with special needs who are not in that "system" I have to get my daughter in that "system" whether I like it or not. If she is incapable of providing for herself due to no fault of her own, what are we to do? I am not a socialist by any means, but if a society is going to provide for someone, it should be for those who are incapable of doings so themselves. No one fits that description better than those who have special needs.

Wills

The speaker made one particular statement that I love.

"If you don't have a transition plan for your child the government has one for you."

How true that is!! And what a scary thought! The government does very little right and even less well. I certainly want my daughter's future protected, especially after I am gone. We need wills! Remember though, a child with special needs can not have assets so for us a will is not about what we leave them, simply about who they will go to. We need to use trusts for the rest of it.

The most important thing you need to have down in your will is who your child goes to. You need to have someone in place that will take care of your child's needs and knows your wishes for your child's future. He also offered another important piece of advice.

Does your child have any idiosyncrasies? Our children have special needs and there are certain things they like done in certain ways, certain physicians we want them to see, certain ones we do not want them to see. Certain therapies, programs, and activities they are involved in. You know all of this and sometimes even your spouse knows it too. What happens when we pass away? They recommend that you keep a written blueprint to give the next guardian. Update it regularly as things change. I think that is a great idea and I will be working on mine this week! Be sure to let the future guardian know about the plan and where it will be kept if something comes up and they need it. This brings us to guardianship.

Guardianship or Power of Attorney

When your child turns 18 they are emancipated and become their own person. They make their own decisions on all things, parents are no longer responsible. At this point you will want to determine whether you want to file for guardianship or simply be their power of attorney. The difference is simple, yet vital.

Power of Attorney helps them make decisions.
Guardianship allows you to make decisions for them.

Which one you need will depend upon how well your child is doing at 18. Sometimes a person may still need a guardianship at 18 but by 30 or 35 may be more capable of taking on some of the decision making process. You can give up guardianship later if that happens and you can even have limited guardianship where your child can make their own medical decisions but you still have guardianship over their finances, etc. There are 2 very important questions that he recommend you ask yourself when determining whether or not you need guardianship.

1. Can they make good financial decisions?
2. Can they make good medical decisions while under duress?

If they can not make good decisions in these areas then he recommends getting guardianship. It will also protect against other issues. He shared some horror stories about the possibility of predators. Unfortunately that is a real concern. A man befriends a special needs young woman, tells her he loves her and then one day takes her away across state lines, marries her and then basically spends her monthly check while giving her very little to live on an no real care. What people will do for $600 is frightening! Anyway, one family hired an investigator and when they found their daughter they snatched her back. The fact that they had guardianship over their daughter kept them out of jail for doing that. If they had only a power of attorney there would have been nothing they could do! I never even dreamed I would have these sorts of things to worry about. That's some scary stuff! (Guardianship will allow you to make every decision for your child except whether or not they marry and have children.)

In your will you will pass on guardianship of your adult child just like you would custody of a minor child, so your child can still be protected when you are gone.

Trusts

Then he went into special needs trust. You can put anything a trust.
Property
Investments
Retirement funds
Life Insurance

When your child is on SSI they are only allowed $36 a month spending money! The amount may vary from state to state but the point is, your child is going to live a boring life if someone is not looking out for them. Not only will it be boring but it will become inactive and because of that weight gain and other medical problems can set in.

There are creative ways the trust can be used to insure you child has a decent quality of life. One family has left funds to make sure that their child gets 4 season tickets to the Kansas City Chiefs every year. This allows their child to see every Chiefs game. It allows him to take friends so he has social interaction. But it also helps to assure he gets good care but every case worker will want to be nice to the man who has to share a chiefs ticket with their sponsor!

Some people leave their house to be used by an organization that will turn it into a community living home that their child can remain in. The trust gets to approve who lives with their son and can pull the home back out if the organization is not offering good services. This is really beneficial for children with autism and other special needs that have trouble adjusting to change. You can assure that your child will always live in your home if you own it!

There is so much more, but those are the highlights of what I learned in an hour and a half. Again I recommend talking to someone who knows about special needs trust to put these plans into action. For that I believe that the Special Needs Planning Center is a great place to start. The fact that I would trust them with my daughter's future is saying a lot!

Civil War Days

2009-06-16T10:31:00.001-07:00

We went to the Humboldt Civil War Days this last weekend. It was a lot of fun. They had several re-enactments and shared many historical facts about that era. My husband enjoyed the gun demonstration while I was off with Gess on a carriage ride.

I would have enjoyed more of the demonstrations and re-enactments myself, but Gess is not at a point where she is able to enjoy things by standing or sitting still for very long (especially when there is so much to see and do). She had the honor of meeting President Abraham Lincoln which thrilled me because he is one of the 4 presidents she has learned about!

She also had the opportunity to make a corn husk doll. It came with a tag that gave it's history. It reads:

Classic Cornhusk Dolls

Cornhusk dolls were very common in the early days of America. The dolls were usually made in the fall from the husks pulled off the dried ears of corn during husking time. Cornhusk dolls were originally made by Native Americans, who then taught the colonists how to make them. The cornhusk dolls' history continued in the westward expansion of the United States in the 1800's. Few pioneer children could afford store-bought dolls, but any child could make his or her own cornhusk doll.

I found some links on how to make a corn husk doll, but they seem to go into more detail. We stopped with the skirt, cut it so it would stand and that's about it. Michigan Kids - Make a Corn Husk Doll looks like it has easy to follow graphical instructions if you want to try to make your own.

My boy's first car!

2009-06-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

My son got his first set of wheels last week. It is all bought and paid for, no financing for him! You can tell by the body it doesn't look like much, but it sure runs sweet and the engine is in great condition! I think he was a bright young man buying it with cash rather than financing, especially in today's economy. Still, my husband and I have only financed a vehicle once and we do not plan on doing that again. Our cars may not be the prettiest (though I think my red Dodge Neon is kind of sweet) but we don't have the burden of the debt! So I congratulate my son on his first car and I am sure he will be "thrilled" that I have posted this on my blog!!

The Nomination of Sonia Sotomayor

2009-06-12T06:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am behind in giving my thoughts on all the news. I have been busy raising my family and enjoying life. I just had to give my two cents about the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor. I think this video is proof enough that she is not qualified to sit on the bench. Judges do NOT make law. It is not a joke. The constitution grants that power to the congress and if a judge does not understand that or thinks the constitution is something to laugh at, then in my mind, they are unqualified to sit on the Supreme Court.

Then there is all this talk about her life experiences and how they make her a better judge. Sorry, the role of a judge is to make sure the law is being upheld. No matter what kind of life experience you have, it can not change whether a law is being honored or violated. The only time life experiences might matter is in the sentencing process, and that is fine. However, the Supreme Court has no role in sentencing a criminal, they simply need to determine did a law, official or sentence violate the constitution. That is a cut and dry issue. Life experiences can not, nor should not, change that. So while her experiences are interesting to learn about, they do not qualify her to be a justice on the Supreme Court, nor do they make her smarter than a white man. This leads me to the other reason I believe she is not qualified.

No racist should be serving this country on any bench, particularly the highest court of the land. To suggest that a person will make a better or worse decision simply because of their race or sex is a racist and bigoted thing to say.

I know she will be nominated anyway. We knew that this election would impact the bench and I certainly hope it will wake people up. We need to change the make up of our congress to stop nominations like this from happening in the future and to stop all this out of control spending, but that is a topic for another day.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-10T06:31:00.001-07:00

Last Night's Storm

Down Syndrome Gene Might Help Fight Cancer!

2009-06-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

I was visiting the blog of Bill and Ria (who are also parents of a child with Down Syndrome) and their post this morning absolutely amazed me! The title was Down Syndrome Gene Could Fight Cancer and that really caught my attention. Here is how the blog began.

The Boston Globe published A Medical Puzzle Yields Cancer Clue - Downs Gene Starves Growth of Tumors on June 1, 2009. The news article reports this amazing groundbreaking discovery saying:

"...their discovery could provide a beacon to scientists developing treatments and preventive medications designed to be broadly effective against cancer, wherever it resides in the body."

"The scientists discovered that the extra chromosome carried by people with Down syndrome - which causes the condition's distinctive features - harbors a gene responsible for starving tumors of the blood they need to survive and flourish."

"...these individuals with Downs potentially hold a secret that might lead to quite substantial and revolutionary new treatments for cancer."

They go on to give their thoughts about the article, especially since their life has been touched by both cancer and Down Syndrome. I encourage you to read the entire blog.

I am still trying to wrap my head around this incredible news. It is amazing to me that a gene which causes the distinct genetic traits and medical conditions associated with Down Syndrome could one day help treat cancer!

My first thought was one of hope, thinking that maybe people would stop choosing to abort babies that are diagnosed with DS. But the more I think about it the more I doubt it. One thing you have to recognize is that it is only through their life that this discovery has been made. We would never have known that people who have Down Syndrome rarely have life-threatening tumors if we had no people with Down Syndrome. It has only been through trying to improve the life of persons with DS that has enabled us to learn, not only about how their gene might affect cancer, but just how significant and full their life can be. If we had not valued this precious life to begin with, we would never have known what all they have to offer us, including this latest research!

My daughter, like the son of Bill of Ria, has already touched so many lives. She seems to make a difference no matter where she goes. But that is what awareness is really all about. It isn't the particular child that makes the difference, it is the exposure of people to Down Syndrome that makes them aware that the diagnosis itself does not tell the whole story. While it does mean there will be some struggles, it certainly does not tell us how much the person will accomplish with their life. A person with Down Syndrome, like any other person, starts their life as an open book and only they can fill the pages of what they will do, accomplish and enjoy while they are here.

This certainly gives us so much to think about! Thanks Bill and Ria, for sharing this article!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-03T07:11:00.001-07:00

After the show

Dance Recital

2009-06-01T15:41:00.001-07:00

This was Gess' first year of dance and she had a really awesome year. It was an opportunity for her to grow in many ways. She got to be in a class in which mom was no where around, she got to be around a bunch of girls not far off in age and she got to learn to follow instructions as a group. Then of course there are the things she learned specifically for dance like certain exercises and dance steps. As with most things, you are always amazed to see just how far a child can come in one year and this is no exception.

I have to say that she had an excellent dance studio and her teachers were absolutely amazing! They were patient, gentle and caring but you can tell they also expected her to perform for them and that she did. She has learned more than just some dance steps. She learned a complete routine! (Actually she learned 2) Since she always watches those around her it might appear as though she needs that cue to help, but I have seen her do it alone at home and believe me, she knows her stuff!

I was really dreading recital week because there were so many routines it lasts over 3 hours long. I didn't think that Gess would have the patience to wait her turn, but boy was I wrong! She was amazing all week long. We had three days of rehearsal and two days of recital and she loved every minute of it! She liked watching the others as much as she liked dancing herself. In fact on Saturday she stayed in her seat for the entire thing (except for when she had to dance!) The only thing she would not do was the finale. That's where all 170 dancers get on stage and dance together. That simply was too much for Gess. She probably would have eventually tried it if she had several weeks to practice with them all. It just takes her time to adjust to large crowds and new settings. Anyway, even though she didn't get on stage with the rest of the dancers, she did the number in her chair and seemed to have just as much fun.

So below are some pictures from the recital and a video of her doing her routine here at home. My video didn't turn out well on my camera and I wouldn't post it anyway because there are other children in it with her of whom I don't have permission to post on the internet! This weekend my daughter (like many other special children around the world do everyday) showed us that while we all have some differences we are alike in so many ways. She certainly has a love for dance!!

Her Studio Photo

Right after she received her first year student pin.

The Dance!

The Video!

The Home Stretch

2009-05-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

Well we have finished up school for the most part, we will have some summer days of review to keep things fresh in her mind and we will be introducing telling time. We will also be working on reading by participating in the Library summer reading program. For each book she reads I will have questions for her to answer to test her reading comprehension. That is something she was just starting to get good at so I will add that in over the summer. It also helps her practice writing as well.

We are having a nice holiday weekend and Gess is especially excited about going to the pool tomorrow. ThenTuesday the work begins. We have three nights of rehearsal for her recital and I hear those can last up to 4 hours or more! The recital itself will be at least 3 hours long and she will not be in it until at over half way through! I am not sure how this week is going to roll. Not to mention the rehearsals are in the evening from 4 to 8 pm. I am trying to figure out how dinner works in all this. Do we eat really early at 3 or starve and wait until 8? Geesh, I didn't know it would be so much work to see one little girl do one little dance. Friday is a dark day, not rehearsals or recital so we are getting our hair done that day and that night we have friends arrive! The recital is Saturday night at 6:00pm and again on Sunday at 2:00. Then it will all finally be over!!

So if you don't hear from me next week, you will know why! I will try to catch up on reading blogs when I get back from all that. Until then, have a relaxing and wonderful holiday weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-20T10:19:00.001-07:00

AWANA Award Night

I miss Colmes

2009-05-18T21:41:00.000-07:00

I miss the days of Hannity and Colmes. I have tried and tried and I just do not care for the new format of the Hannity show. While I disagreed with Colmes most of the time the format was much better having a balance between the two views. There was something I just enjoyed more. I do not really understand why I don't like it. I listen to Hannity on the radio all the time and love it. But when he does it solo on TV it just isn't that interesting to me.

I think it may just be the format. I tired of O'Reilly after about a year and I have the same issues with Glenn Beck. I always like him on the radio but can't get into him on TV. Rush tried and quit the TV thing a long time ago, maybe that should tell them something. So, when I have nothing else to do and Hannity is on I will attempt to watch it but I never make it through the whole thing anymore. For news, the only show I watch on TV is Special Report and even that is not the same without Brit, but Bret is doing a great job too.

So, I am sorry Hannity, I really miss Colmes. If you can't bring him back get someone else to take his place, though that might be tough to do.

My Daughter's Heart

2009-05-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

We had an appointment with my daughter's cardiologist yesterday and got an excellent report! My daughter had heart surgery when she was only 2 months old, but now her heart is as good as new! It's been that way since the surgery, but over time there is a chance that it won't stay that way. So far we have been blessed and my daughter's heart is so good that the doctor said we can treat her like a "normal" child as far as her heart is concerned. No special directives or instructions! I was so excited that I really started reminiscing over all that we had been through over the years. You can read all about that on my other blog Special Connection Homeschool if you so choose.

For the short version here is my little girl back in 2002 the day before she had open heart surgery. My little girl had a bad heart, one that was so weak she didn't have the strength to eat on her own or even cry. Yep that is right, my daughter didn't cry for the first few months of her life. Not when hungry, wet, tired or even sick. The tube on her face was to feed her because even though she did take a bottle back then, she never ate enough to gain weight and grow. We had to feed her through a tube.

But do not let that story make you sad. Here is Gess at her checkup yesterday.

Thanks to the advances made in modern medicine I now have a little girl with a heart that works "normally!" So normal my daughter takes ballet, loves to "swim in the pool" and will be taking gymnastics this summer. She can cry, eat, yell, laugh, smile, hug and love you like no other. As the lady at Children's Mercy told her when she looked at her heart on the screen, "That's your heart, its where you keep all your love." It certainly does a great job of that too!

So with that I want to say: Thank you Dr. Lofland, Thank you Dr. Rajan, Thank you nurses, staff and support. Without them I can't imagine where we would be today! But most of all, Thank you Lord for giving these men and women the wisdom, patience and know how to make my daughter well!

I have to add another side note of thanks as well. I am thankful that I live in the country with the best heath care in the world! I am thankful that my daughter was not put on a waiting list for her procedure and got the operation done early enough to keep her from having further developmental delays. I am thankful for a doctor who was paid enough money to make it worth his while to live in one state while working in another (to read the article about him read check out my past blog Gesserine's Heart Surgery.) If his pay had been regulated that certainly would have limited his options. My point is this, my daughter is getting the best of care thanks to our current health care system. Sure we need some reform, but not the kind of massive reforms that the current administration would like to have. A move towards government run services or with too many governemental regulations would be harmful to my daughter, not helpful. But that is probably a topic for another blog some other day.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

John and Abigail Adams

2009-05-09T18:22:00.000-07:00

I am a history buff, and especially love studying American history. Because of that I recently watched the HBO miniseries John Adams. I found the movie exceptional. It actually won several awards and I feel it was deserving of them all. It follows the life of the John Adams from just before the American Revolution began through his role in the birth of this new nation up to the end of his presidency.

It was fascinating to watch the events of his life unfold and I especially loved the relationship he had with his wife Abigail. Yesterday at the library I got the PBS Documentary from their American Experience series called John and Abigail Adams. It too is really interesting and reveals that the HBO miniseries of John Adams was very accurate.

Because of the role John played in shaping our nation, he and Abigail spent half of their married life living apart. John was either gone to Boston as part of the Continental Congress or off to Europe trying to gain overseas support for our cause. Whatever the reason, this couple that loved each other dearly, wrote many letters over the course of the years. Those letters, that have been preserved and are on record for us today, were the basis for much of the material in both of these movies. In fact, all the statements made by John and Abigail during the reenactments of the PBS documentary are their own words recorded in these letters. Many of those thoughts and statements ended up in the HBO miniseries as well.

Next I plan on reading the letters themselves. I found two books I plan on getting some day, one is The Letters of John and Abigail Adams. I want to read these letters for myself! I love reading diaries from history, like the one by Anne Frank. To know that the person who actually went through that event is recording his own words makes reading it so much more interesting. This book should be quite the read. The other book I plan to get is The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams. I believe the title is pretty well self-explanatory.

If you have not seen the HBO Miniseries John Adams, you should. It is very entertaining, yet educational. The sacrifices that this family made so that our great nation could be born gives us a personal and powerful reminder of the high cost and great worth of the freedom that we hold so dear.

End of the year whirlwind

2009-05-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

I guess I didn't realize how frantic this time of year can get for homeschoolers. Last year in Kindergarten it was pretty laid back and easy going, but this year I have Gess enrolled in lots of extra-curricular activities as well. Her Awana award night was this week as well as pictures for Ballet. Well, at least Awana is behind us but recital time is approaching and the last week of May will be spent in dress rehearsals followed by a recital weekend with shows on both Saturday and Sunday.

I had my last homeschool Mom's Night out and I only have two more weeks of volunteerting at Cherry Street Youth Center. I have been so swamped this year that I even missed most of the ladies Bible studies at church. Mornings are just school time and with ballet on the same day doing school in the afternoon that day didn't really work well. Well, with all this coming to an end you would think summer would be better. I am thinking not.

We have decided to enroll Gess in gymnastics this summer which will go for 8 weeks through June and July. She will also have a check up on her eyes in KC in July and should have surgery in August (for Stribismus). Then there is the library summer reading program, Vacation Bible School and Church camp. We also plan on seeing some friends at the lake in June and doing a luncheon with a friend in St. Louis in July. (We plan on getting school pics done then too...better late than never right?) Oh and we can't forget our annual Down Syndrome Golf tournament!

So yeah, I was waiting for summer so things would slow down, but now that I think of it, I can't wait until fall! Of course it will be something else then. As I always say though, yes we are busy, but at least its the good kind of busy! Well, I am off, no time to sit here and blog anymore today...have a great weekend!

What's wrong with Mother's Day?

2009-05-07T12:45:00.001-07:00

I knew parental rights were under attack, but I guess I was not up to speed on the fact that having a holiday called Mother's Day is a bad thing because it introduces "sex-role stereotypes" and encourages "traditional women's roles." Well I suppose it is true. The UN has what they call the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and they have criticized one nation for having a Mother's Day and a Mother's Award! How terrible of them to honor the sacrifice that mothers make that not only impacts their family but the community and nation in which their reside.

What we have here is another attempt of a "international" panel of supposed "experts" sitting in judgment on the world. They are trying to legislate their own view of morality upon the entire world. It is sad that they would find it immoral to honor mothers.

Here in America we still have a day to honor mothers and will hopefully do so whether the UN likes it or not. This Sunday make sure to honor you mother and feel free to use the phrase Happy Mother's Day when doing so!

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Saving Motherhood

This Sunday we celebrate Mother’s Day in the United States. If you are a mother, we thank you and salute you for the invaluable work you do in fulfilling that vital role in the life of your children, and the heritage of our nation!

Sadly, the United Nations would hold such a sentiment to be discriminatory against women. In 2000, the United Nations CEDAW Committee (named for the Convention to End All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, or CEDAW) criticized the nation of Belarus for “the reintroduction of such [sex-role stereotype] symbols as a Mother’s Day and a Mothers’ Award, which it sees as encouraging women’s traditional roles.” [See paragraph 361 on page 37 of the UN document here.]

For our part, ParentalRights.org is proud to encourage women in the role of mother, as we are proud of loving fathers for the part they play. The fact is, the role of parents in directing the upbringing and education of their children is a precious and fundamental right. It should not be looked down on, nor stolen, by international governing bodies such as the CEDAW Committee, nor the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), like CEDAW, is an international treaty attempting to dictate domestic policy. Like CEDAW, it has set up a panel of UN “experts” to “advise” nations who are not in compliance with the treaty, setting international law policy which activist judges then incorporate into national law.

Unlike CEDAW, however, the UNCRC does not oppose Mother’s Day. Rather, it constitutes an attack on Motherhood itself, replacing fundamental parental rights with bureaucratic oversight at a federal and international level. Perhaps if we ratified both treaties we could just replace Mother’s Day with Social Worker’s Day, and the UN would be pleased.

The only permanent solution to prevent U.S. ratification of the UNCRC is the Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which includes the provision that “No treaty may be adopted nor shall any source of international law be employed to supersede, modify, interpret, or apply to [fundamental parental rights].” This would finally end the threat of UNCRC ratification in the United States. While that alone may not preserve Mother’s Day, it can at least save Motherhood from international interference.

Please, as you value your own parents and your rights as parents to raise your own children, take a moment to forward this email to every mother you know – or even everyone who has a mother – and be sure to wish them “Happy Mother’s Day!” To sign the petition or to learn more about the dangers of the UNCRC or the need for the Parental Rights Amendment, visit us on the web at parentalrights.org.

2009 Friend's Survey

2009-05-06T07:05:00.000-07:00

2009 Friend Survey
Welcome to the 2009 edition of getting to know your Friends.

I got this from Sandy's blog One Day at a Time

1. What's your full name?
Lori Anne Sevedge

2. When is your birthday?
June 14, 1967

3. Significant Other?
I prefer the traditional word "spouse" and yes, his name is Vince.

4. What is your favorite TV show?
Little House on the Prairie

5. What do you usually have for breakfast?
Lunch...(hehe I dont' eat breakfast)

6. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Madagascar 2

7. Favorite Food?
Steak

8. What food do you dislike?
Beets

9. What kind of car do you drive?
Dodge Neon

10. Favorite sandwich?
Roast beef

11. What characteristic(s) do you despise?
Lies and deception

12. Favorite item of clothing?
Comfy exercise pants

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Ireland

14. Favorite brand of clothing?
Does Thrift Store and/or Garage Sale count?

15. Where would you retire to?
A mission field somewhere

16. What was your most recent memorable birthday?
Last year when we had a family reunion around then

17. Favorite sport to watch?
Football - Go Chiefs!

18. What is your favorite CD at moment?
David Cook

19. Person you expect will add this to their blog?
Not sure

20. Pearls or Diamonds?
Nah

21. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Night! I am so not a morning person!

22. What is your shoe size?
9.5

23. Pets?
Nope

24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us?
It's a month of firsts for my little girl. This month Gess will be getting her 1st book award at Awana and have her first dance recital!

25. What did you want to be when you were little?
A teacher

26. How are you today?
Busy

27. What is your favorite candy?
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

28. What is your favorite flower?
A rose

29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
May 30th: Gess' ballet recital

30. What time did you get up this morning?
8:00 a.m.

31. What are you listening to right now?
Special Report on Fox News

32. What was the last thing you ate?
A Weight Watcher Cookie

33. Do you wish on stars?
No

34. Favorite pastime?
Cookouts

35. How is the weather right now?
Warm and somewhat sunny...it's about time!

36. The first person you spoke to on the phone today?
My Mom

37. Favorite soft drink?
Root Beer

38. Favorite restaurant?
Olive Garden

39. Real hair color?
Brown...mixed with some gray

40. What was your favorite toy as a child?
I really don't know...

41. Summer or winter?
Summer

42. Hugs or kisses?
Yes

43. Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate of course!

44. Coffee or tea?
Nope

45. Friend you have had the longest and how long?
Vince - My husband for 10 years my best friend for 12

46. When was the last time you cried?
January

47. What is under your bed?
Pillows

48. What did you do last night?
Had dinner with my family

49. What are you afraid of?
My daughter getting lost and/or wandering off

50. Salty or sweet?
Sweet!

51. How many keys on your key ring?
4

52. How many years at your current job?
25 (housewife and mother)

53. Favorite day of the week?
Saturday

54. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Red

55. How many towns have you lived in?
6

56. Furthest place you've been?
Mexico

57. Do you make friends easily?
Not really

58. How many people will respond by adding it to their blog or commenting?
As many who wish to

It was just a matter of time...

2009-05-05T07:44:00.001-07:00

The P.A.T.R.I.O.T Act had good intentions and there are some good provisions in it, but it really does go too far and that puts us all at risk. The Constitution guarantees us certain rights, one of those are due process. Let us look at the Bill of Rights and see exactly what protections are supposed to be in place for an American citizen.

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district where in the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence

A bill like the P.A.T.R.I.O.T Act was supposed to protect us from terror, but for some U.S. citizens it has caused it. WorldNetDaily reports how a homeschool teen has been jailed for 2 months and his mother has been given very little access and almost no information about what is going on. You can see the news report here:

Is this an innocent teen who is being held without his right to due process, or is he a terrorist that deserves such punishment? The problem with this question is that it can never be answered without giving him the due process our Constitution is supposed to guarantee him!

Believe me, I am a strong conservative and I believe that terrorism needs to be punished and we do need tools in place to give us the opportunity to stop the act before it happens. But as a conservative I also hold the Constitution in the highest regard and no matter how much we need to protect the US against terrorism, a law can never, ever supersede the rights guaranteed within it. Men fought and died to give us this document and these are some of the very things they worked so hard to protect us against. They knew and understood that without the due process of law man can never be free. That is exactly why they left us the Bill of Rights and yet we seem to have no problem when the government is ready to trample upon it.

Now do not get me wrong, I do not believe that terrorists on foreign soil or even upon our own soil should be given the same rights that our citizens have. The Constitution governs Americans and those who reside within this country and abide by it's law. It was not, however, written to protect prisoners of war. I believe those at Gitmo should remain there, and should not be given refuge or protection on our soil and with our domestic laws. Yes, they too should have some due process by having tribunals either convicting them or freeing them, but that is not what I am talking about here.

I am referring to how the P.A.T.R.I.O.T Act has been allowed to take the away the rights of tax paying citizens of the United States. Even if they are a terrorist, an American citizen should not be punished for terrorism until they have been convicted of the allegation in a court of law by a jury of their peers. Nothing short of that will do because this is America and the highest law of our land demands it.

These are things that have been concerning me for some time. We are so afraid of another terrorist attack we are ready to give up our rights and freedoms to protect ourselves. While that may protect us from terrorism from foreigners it will not protect us from being terrorized by our own government. I knew it was only a matter of time before we would start hearing of citizens being treated at "terrorists" and stripped of their constitutional rights. I am even certain this is not the first or only case in which this has happened. My point is that it IS happening and we need to stop it before its too late.

Blogs Promoting Parental Rights

2009-05-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

Trying to find more supporters of the Parental Rights Amendment. I placed this on my Parental Rights blog but would like to post it here as well. Please let me know if there are any blogs I can add to the list. Thanks!

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Post from Support Parental Rights Blog

If you have a blog or know of a blog that is promoting the Parental Rights Amendment please comment here and leave me the URL so I can share those blogs with others. In order to be considered promoting Parental Rights they must either link to ParentalRights.org, Parentsrights.us, or this Support Parental Rights Blog. They may link to these sites by using icons, graphics or even plain text. The link can be on a side bar of the blog or in an actual blog about the issue. No matter how they are promoting Parental Rights we want to know so that we can place them among those listed as supporters on this blog.

If you would like to promote the Parental Rights Amendment ParentalRights.org has some great resources for you to use.

Print Materials
Blog Graphics
Video
Audio and Radio

Let us do all that we can to spread the word and protect the right of parents to raise their children according to their own beliefs and values.

I don't get it

2009-05-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was so funny, I typed that rant about weight loss right before I went to TOPS to weigh in and when I got there I lost 4 pounds! I am sure that will catch up with me next week as I did not do well at all, but then again the week I gained 5 I do not think that seemed right either.

Anyway, just an update. Still for 2 weeks I am up 1 pound. Today I start back on track, and the treadmill. Have a great weekend!

Can someone answer this question?

2009-04-30T14:16:00.001-07:00

How come you have to work so hard to lose 1 pound but one bad week can gain you 5?

I have been working so hard. I have been eating the right foods, tabulating every morsel I digest into my body and making myself exercise several times a week. I do that each and every week and some weeks I am lucky to lose 1 pound, yet if I do none of the above I don't gain simply 1 pound or 2 but 5? I mean, I knew Red Lobster was good, especially the cheesecake I had for dessert but I really did not think I was that bad. Now I am off to meet the scales after another bad week. I am so not looking forward to it.

Here is to tomorrow and the 5 weeks I will spend taking off what I put back on in one measly week. See girls, it just isn't worth it to cave in, even for "special occasions."

Blog Spotlight: Momma Young's @ Home

2009-04-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

I thought I would take some time highlight some of my favorite blogs. I will pick a different blog from time to time and share a little bit about them and why they are special to me. I could find no better place to start than by highlighting the one blog I have been following the longest, Momma Young's @ Home. I met Momma Young at BlogCatalog. I had this blog for about 3 or more years and really never did anything with it. I just did not know how to go about finding and connecting with other bloggers, so it seemed rather pointless to me. Finally I found BlogCatalog and made a user there to start networking.

Momma Young was one of the first friends I found. She turned out to be a great friend who was very helpful to a new blogger like myself. She showed me how to do some things at BlogCatalog and she has also taught me some tricks about blogging in general.

Momma Young is one of those precious ladies who has chosen to stay at home and care for her children. Her blog is great for tips and suggestions on how to do just that. You can find tips about how to save time and money doing housework and grocery shopping or find some great recipes to make your family some delicious meals. You will also find some simple and encouraging tidbits about life, the kids or whatever else is on her mind. Momma Young's @ Home is still one of my favorite blogs to visit. You should get to know her by following the badge she made blow. You will love her!

I bought it on Ebay...or did I?

2009-04-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Last night as I was sitting watching television my husband looks up from his computer and asks me, "did you purchase something on Ebay?" I think for a moment and answer, "not that I am a aware of." He checks again and asks, "you didn't purchase a Jumpstart Advanced Preschool game" and we both get nervous at that point realizing what probably happened. "No, I would not have purchased the preschool game, Gess played with that years ago, and she is way too advanced for that now." We both start trying to figure out exactly how this all went down when he tells me, "Well we are currently the high bidder and the maximum we are willing to pay is $68.00!!" The current bid was only $5.51 with 17 minutes left to go and we were really hoping that no one took the bid any higher.

So here is the deal, my daughter has been using the computer for several years and she is really good at it. She used to have her own user, well she still does, but when I reinstalled this last time I just let her use mine whenever she wanted. After all, she did not seem to get into files and things she was not supposed to anymore. Well, she has learned to spell this year and she types pretty good too. Because of all that she has gotten rather good at surfing the net. This has been a problem from time to time for instance when she gets to Youtube to see a Madagascar video and ends up clicking videos that are not so grand. Still, all in all, it's been pretty safe. Besides Madagascar (which she can accurately spell) she also likes to go to JumpStart.com and play Jump Start world (we are subscribers). We do not have a link to it saved anywhere because she is good at getting there herself. Well it appears that by typing Jump Start into the browser she also managed to find her way to Ebay which was selling the game.

As I went over to my computer and looked at my history, sure enough, Gess had been there and bid on the game. I save all my usernames and passwords on my local machine and I even get annoyed if a site does not remembered them, so logging into our Ebay account was easy enough for her. How or why she typed in $68 I will never understand though. But she obviously clicked through all the right steps and behold, we were the new high bidders on Ebay! We eventually won the bid and did our duty and paid for my daughter's purchase and our very cheap mistake!

We are grateful for a few things, one is that we did not have to spend more than $6 to learn this lesson and two that the seller had great feedback and even offered free shipping for the product! We were also grateful that this is actually an excellent video game. While Gess used to have the game and is way too advanced to bother with it now, we will be glad to find someone else who can use it knowing they are getting a really good product.

The Jump Start games from Knowledge Adventure are, in my opinion, the best educational games out there. Gess had a Jumpstart Preschool game that really helped teach her to use the computer as well as learn her colors, numbers, and letters. She got Jump Start Kindergarten a few years back and we got her Jump Start World for her 6th birthday. She completed that and now she is part of the Jump Start World community that has games for even higher levels. The only problem with Jump Start World is that only works on Windows, which is what she was using when all this happened. However, all the other Jump Start games install great on Linux and we are hopeful to find a fix for Jump Start World on Linux someday soon.

Anyway, we learned our lesson. Do not save your passwords if you let your child on your user, no matter how good you think they may be with it! I guess I will be spending today making my daughter her own user on both Windows and Linux. Like I said though, we are counting our blessings. It could have been a lot more expensive and we could have ended up buying something a lot worse!

Book Review: Forbid Them Not by Micheal Farris

2009-04-19T07:44:00.000-07:00

Forbid Them Not: A Novel by Michael Farris

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
While the book is fiction, all the law in the book is factual and it could actually happen. It is written under the premise that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is ratified and the UN board of directors begins trying to bring lawsuits against parents in the US that they feel are in violation of the treaty. They sue parents for spanking, teaching their children that Jesus is the only way to heaven and homeschooling. The book follows their lawsuits all the way to the Supreme Court.

It is always enjoyable to read books by Christian authors because the characters are often Christians and display true Christian principles. Having a man actually resist the temptation to sleep with a woman outside of marriage is certainly refreshing. While the characters are not perfect and make mistakes, they are interesting and intriguing and are true to life.

At the end of the book is the text to the actual UN Convention on the Rights of the Child so you can see for yourself some of the aspects that are mentioned in the book. I did not want to put the book down and could not wait to see how it ended but I am fearful that someday I may be reading about this sort of thing in the news, rather than in a fictional novel. Michael Farris is also the founder of ParentalRights.org and there you can find information about how to protect parental rights and keep things like this from actually happening. You can also follow the happening of the Parental Rights Amendment by visiting my newest blog Support Parental Rights.

View all my reviews.

What a weekend!

2009-04-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

We had a really great time at the MPE Homeschool Convention and I will hopefully have lots of information and ideas to share in the following week or so. There was so much information to process that it will take me that long to put it all into words. Some of the homeschool specific information will be shared on my Special Connection Homeschool Blog, and some of my thoughts on issues regarding faith, religion, freedom and politics will end up here. I am also starting a blog specifically designated towards parental rights since that seems to take up so much of my empahsis here. Believe me, after this weekend I have even more to say on that topic! So check out my new blog Support Parental Rights.

Michael Farris was the Keynote speaker and he was awesome. His sessions on parental rights and religious liberty were very inspiring. I also found his talk on the spiritual power of the homeschooling mother to be a great inspiration and encouragement as well. He has books on both topics that I have purchased and may someday review.

Anyway, for the moment, I am just tired and want to relax and continue to soak it all in. I just wanted to share that we are home and safe and that we had a wonderful time. I encourage all homeschooling families to attend such events. It certainly is encouraging to be surrounded by like-minded individuals and have so many invaluable resources located all in one place!

Hoekstra on O'Reilly and What He Didn't Say

2009-04-15T12:07:00.000-07:00

Here is Hoekstra on the O'Reilly factor. He talks a little bit about the Parental Rights Amendment but I feel he missed a huge opportunity to explain why this is so essential. Yes, 193 countries have signed on to the UN Treaty on the Rights of the Child, but there is a big difference between those 193 countries and the United States of America. When those countries sign treaties they do not become binding on those countries until they enact laws that make it the law of their land. For the most part their signature is simply a gesture that expresses their agreement with the goals of the amendment, but it does not hand over their sovereignty to the UN.

In the case of the United States it would be totally different because article six of the US Constitution has what is referred to as the supremacy clause and states that any treaty we sign becomes the supreme law of the land. It reads as follows (bold and italics are mine):

"This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding."

So, if the Unites States signs this treaty it would get the same status as the constitution itself and it would take precedent over any law in our land that did not meet the standards set by an international board of directors! That is why the United States has failed to ratify this treaty and it is why we never should.

There are good parts to this treaty but US law already addresses those issues with our current laws. We do not allow people to trade children, enslave them or abuse them. We do not NEED this treaty to help us protect the children of this country. The United States is far better at treating children than most of the countries who have signed this treaty but refuse to actually follow it. Again, they have the capacity to ignore the treaty because in their system of government treaties do not become the supreme law of their land.

While there are some good aspects to the treaty there are parts of it that are not necessarily looking out for the best interest of children. After all, it is adults who are on the panel in the UN that get to decide what they believe is in the best interest of children. The goal of some of the articles in this document is to control what children are allowed to be taught and how children are to be raised and disciplined. It is NOT the job of an international board OR the United States government to determine what is and is best for MY child, or your child or any child. Parents, not the government, should be making decisions regarding the way their children are raised. If we give that up to the US government, to the UN, or to anyone else then we have given up our freedom, and I am not ready or willing to do that. The Parental Rights Amendment will guarantee that international law will NEVER supersede the rights of law abiding Americans to raise their children.

Hoekstra to Discuss Parents' Rights on The O'Reilly Factor TONIGHT!

2009-04-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

I got this in my email this evening:

Hoekstra to Discuss Parents' Rights on The O'Reilly Factor

Dear Parents’ Rights Supporters:

U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra will be appearing on The O’Reilly Factor on Fox News tonight at 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Mr. O’Reilly will interview Hoekstra regarding the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and the need for the Parents’ Rights Constitutional Amendment.

This will be a great opportunity to gain exposure for the Parents' Rights Amendment at the national level. Video of the interview will be posted later on the Parents' Rights website.

www.parentsrights.us

He is not here, He is risen!

2009-04-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

If you ever been to Sunday School you have most likely heard that verse. It is so well known among Christians that we seldom really feel the depth of what all it has to say. This verse IS the gospel, the good news, that explains to us all how to receive eternal life.

No matter what some people try to say, the words are true. God loved the whole world, each and every person on it. Man was created by God and mankind is offered redemption by him. God is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9) and wants all to have eternal life (1 Tim. 2:4).

God showed this love by sending His Son. That is what many Christians are celebrating today. The fact that Christ, who lived a sinless and perfect life, was sacrificed and sentenced to a death which he did not deserve to pay the penalty for sinners like us so that we can have a life that we do not deserve.

Isaiah 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

So to pay for our sins Christ was nailed to a tree and crucified. What a beautiful and sad story, at least if you end it there. Too often many of us do. If asked why they are saved they will answer quite readily because Jesus died on the cross. But that is only half of the story!

Luke 24:1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen!

Jesus did not remain dead, but instead he was resurrected. As Paul reminds the Corinthians, if Christ was not raised from the dead then our faith is futile and we are still dead in our sins. It was his resurrection that allowed us to receive the ability to be raised again as well and live eternally with Him.

1 Cor 15:16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins...
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead... 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

Because Jesus was not in that tomb, because he was not there but had risen, we too will be raised again when we meet death. Those who believe in Him, who place their faith in Jesus Christ will also be raised and given everlasting life. But that is only given to those "who believeth in him." Those who do not believe will perish and spend eternity apart from God in everlasting punishment. The question you must answer this day is, "do you believe?"

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

What a wonderful day

2009-04-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

This was a really lovely day, and to think it is only Friday, not Saturday! My hubby took the day off and we got to visit with a dear friend whom we had not seen in well over a year. We also got to meet his new wife who was just lovely. That certainly was a great start to a great day!

We mostly relaxed in the afternoon and then we had dinner with some families at church. We got a sitter even though the rest brought their children. Gess is just so all over the place in a new house and I really needed, and wanted, to get to enjoy the evening. We got to know a few other couples rather well and had a really great time. We even played a couple of fun games that were really hilarious while giving us a chance to get to know one another better.

All in all it was great day, and the great part is that the weekend is only just beginning!

Reasons to Support the Parental Rights Amendment

2009-04-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

There is so much I could say about the Parental Rights Amendment, but I will let the words of Michael Farris say it for you. Be sure to follow that up by seeing the video by Congressman Hoekstra the day the Amendment was introduced. This is why I feel it is important and imperative to pass the Parental Rights Amendment.

*********************************************

Statement of Michael Farris

President of ParentalRights.org

March 31, 2009
On behalf of ParentalRights.org
and the rapidly growing number of allied organizations, I want to thank
Senator Jim DeMint, Congressman Pete Hoekstra, and my own Congressman
Frank Wolf for their leadership on this important issue.
There
are two basic reasons that the Constitution has been amended throughout
our history. Sometimes the need is to preserve our law and traditions
from potential threats and erosion of our rights. The Bill of Rights
serves as the chief example of amendments designed to preserve the
existing rights of the people.
At other times, it is
absolutely necessary to change the existing law. The 13th, 14th, and
15th Amendments were clearly necessary to end the evils of slavery and
establish the principle of equal protection for all Americans.
The
Parental Rights Amendment follows the pattern of the Bill of Rights—the
goal of this Amendment is to preserve our existing law and traditions
against judicial erosion and the ever-growing threat of international
law.
Sections 1 and 2 of this Amendment do nothing more
than restate the time-honored doctrines of the Supreme Court on
parental rights. We are simply changing parental rights from an implied
right based on judicial opinions to an express right based upon actual
constitutional text.
Section 1 faithfully employs the words and phrasing of the Supreme Court’s decision of Pierce v. Society of Sisters,
268 U.S. 510 (1925), to declare that the liberty of parents to direct
the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right.
Section 2 carefully follows the words of the Court in Wisconsin v. Yoder,
406 U.S. 205 (1972), to declare that parental rights, while very
important, have limits. The government may intervene when the interest
is of the highest order and not otherwise served. This section is a
correct statement of current law. Today, when the government has proper
evidence of child abuse or neglect, it may and should prosecute a
parent who is responsible for such behavior.
Section 2 ensures that this principle remains intact. Parental rights are fundamental, but they are not absolute.
Section
3 preserves the current principle that only American laws govern the
relationship between parents and children in this country. The use of
international law is a rapidly growing trend in our judicial
system. One federal district judge in New York has on two separate
occasions ruled that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
already binds the United States under the doctrine of customary
international law. An Ohio court ruled on an obviously flawed premise
that this treaty had already been ratified by the Senate, and therefore
ordered parents to stop smoking because it harmed the health of their
children.
Section 3 makes it clear that the only law
which can be used in American courts regarding American families is the
law made in America by our legislatures or the people themselves. The
use of international law for domestic purposes is utterly contrary to
the idea that this nation is a self-governing Republic.
This
section is necessary especially in the context of international
law. Under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, international
legal obligations are of superior rank to national law—even if that law
is from the national constitution. However, there is an exception.
Article 46 of the VCLT says that when the national constitution makes
an exception concerning the power to enter treaties, then the national
law still triumphs even in the face of an inconsistent treaty
obligation.
Section 3 makes it unconstitutional for this
nation to enter into a treaty that gives away our sovereignty on the
subject of American parents and American children.
This
should be a bi-partisan issue. President Obama recently declared, “In
the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother
or father.” Every member of Congress who agrees with the President on
this principle should be in favor of this Amendment.
Every member of Congress who believes that Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510 (1925), was correctly decided should be in favor of Section 1.
Every member of Congress who believes that Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972), was correctly decided should be in favor of Section 2.
And
every member of Congress who believes that only American legislators
should make public policy for American families should be in favor of
Section 3.
On this last point, a post-election Zogby poll
(sponsored by WorldNetDaily) makes it clear that virtually every sector
of the American public agrees with this last proposition.
When
asked if they wanted American judges to use American law alone or to
also consider international law in making decisions, by an overwhelming
margin, the American public rejected the idea of using international
law for these purposes.
The majority of Republican voters reject international law.
So do the majority of Democratic voters.
Those who voted for McCain reject international law.
A majority of those who voted for Obama reject it as well.
Union members reject international law.
NRA members reject international law.
Every region of the nation rejects international law.
Every age group rejects international law.
Every racial group rejects international law.
This
is a bipartisan issue in America among voters, and I truly hope and
believe that it will become a bipartisan issue on the Hill. The gap
between the values of Capitol Hill and the values of the American
people has grown too large on too many issues. This is the very best
place to show the American public that we all can work together for
shared values.

Both political parties say they are for family values. And this will demonstrate meaningful support for the family.
This
Amendment preserves two essential values: the value that good families,
not government, have the right to make decisions for children; and that
America, not the UN or any other nation, gets to make our public policy
to govern the critical relationship between parents and children

Spread The Word To End The R-Word

2009-03-31T07:08:00.000-07:00

Today is a national campaign targeted at ending the derogatory use of the word "retarded." If you know me you know that I am 1) for the right of free speech and 2) do not buy into political correctness. Still, you would also know that I am one who always tries to show respect. When I challenge a person, I challenge their ideas, their teachings, and their comments, not their physical appearance, skin color, or any other personal trait. Even then, I still respect their right to disagree. Respect is something that people with disabilities and special challenges never seem to get, and they are the one group of people who deserve it more than anyone else.

People with special needs like my daughter who has Down Syndrome work extra hard to accomplish the most simple tasks of life. Instead of cheering and applauding their accomplishments we use words that are supposed to simply describe their delays, such as retarded, and use it to insult others. This group of people would do almost anything to earn our respect and instead of giving it to them, we use them as the butt of our jokes. We find humor in their difficulties and feel a false sense of superiority and security because we are not like them.

The next time you think of using the R word, or hear someone else use it, think of all the people who are hurt by the comment. They may not be standing around you, but they are out there, working extra hard to be a productive citizen of society. They don't want you to do it for them and they don't want your sympathy. All they want is a little respect and a little dignity. For just once, they would like to live in a world that understands that a person who has a cognitive disability has probably done more in their life to earn respect and admiration than we will ever do in our lifetime. They deserve our love and acceptance, not our ridicule. So join with us in our campaign to end the use of the R-word as a way of making fun of others. Instead let us educate others about the accomplishments of a segment of society that is so little understood.

Supporting the Parental Rights Amendment

2009-03-25T10:08:00.001-07:00

I have to share with you all something that I am very passionate about, and that is parental rights. I feel that parents are losing their rights in this country and I believe that an amendment to the Constitution is the only way to protect it. I do believe that the Constitution is something that we should not mess with very often, but to me this is one area I believe it is worth it. Well, Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, plans to introduce the Parental Rights Amendment in the House on March 31. There are currently 56 Cosponsors of the amendment. To see the list of sponsors click here. If you agree with this amendment please see if your representative is a sponsor and if so send them a note of thanks. If not, send your representative and ask them to do so. If you are unsure about how you feel or if you simply want more information visit parentalrights.org. The information below is taken from their website. The draft of the amendment is also below.

The only solution to the attack on the child-parent relationship is the Parental Rights Amendment -- securing the rights of parents to raise their children.

Only a constitutional amendment will ensure that the courts of our nation protect the fundamental right of parents to raise their children. And only a constitutional amendment will override international law that seeks to undermine the parental role. As the only complete solution to the danger confronting the child-parent relationship, the Parental Rights Amendment will place current Supreme Court doctrine protecting parental rights into the explicit text of the Constitution. Only the Parental Rights Amendment completely eliminates all threats to the child-parent relationship. It is the only comprehensive response to the attack on parental rights across our nation.

Below is the draft text for the Parental Rights Amendment.
View the annotated version here.

DRAFT PARENTAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT
FOR THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION

SECTION 1
The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right.

SECTION 2
Neither the United States nor any state shall infringe upon this right without demonstrating that its governmental interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served.

SECTION 3
No treaty may be adopted nor shall any source of international law be employed to supersede, modify, interpret, or apply to the rights guaranteed by this article.

QUICK FACTS ON AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION

Only a constitutional amendment will ensure that parental rights will be honored in the United States, and protected from the threat of international law.
Only 33 amendments have ever been passed by Congress, and of these, only 27 have been ratified by the states.
Passing an amendment takes supporters at every level of government – in Congress, in committees, and in the states. Every American can play a vital role in this process by signing the petition and involving others in this campaign.

A constitutional amendment will ensure that judges who are currently denying parental rights will be obligated to recognize them. It will ensure that judges who are presently refusing to recognize parental rights because of their lack of explicit protection within the Constitution will instead safeguard parental rights.

The founders of this country created a nation ruled by laws, not men. Placing parental rights into the text of the Constitution ensures that law will defend the American family. A constitutional amendment will shield the child-parent relationship from government intrusion, regardless of who sits on the Supreme Court.

Not only does an amendment adequately address the threat posed by judges who refuse to recognize parental rights, but it also meets head-on the threat against the child-parent relationship posed by international law.

HOW AN AMENDMENT PROTECTS THE FAMILY FROM INTERNATIONAL LAW

As a legally binding international treaty, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is capable of permanently altering the role of the parent within the American family. If ratified, the UNCRC becomes the law of the land, unable to be held in check by state or national legislation. The only way to protect the rights of parents from the destructive policies contained in the UNCRC is through an amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Presently, except in cases where a parent has been proven to be "unfit," American law presumes that the parent is acting in the best interests of the child, and defers to that parent's decision. The UNCRC, in contrast, supplants this traditional presumption in favor of parents with a new presumption in favor of the state.

The Senators who originally opposed the ratification of the UNCRC when it was originally signed by President Clinton in 1995 believed that the Convention marked a significant departure from the American concept of the relationship between state and child, and was incompatible with the right of parents to raise their children.

The only way to protect the vital role of parents from this cataclysmic shift is through amending the U.S. Constitution to reflect current Supreme Court doctrine which preserves the right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children.

That's why the Parental Rights Amendment is so important. If passed, the Parental Rights Amendment will protect and preserve the vital child-parent relationship for generations to come.

WHY NOW?

The judges on the Supreme Court will change over time, but the law will not. If the U.S. Constitution is amended to secure parental rights, the vital child-parent relationship will be effectively shielded from intrusion by the government.

Amending the constitution is an enormous task—requiring time, resources, vision, dedication, and hardworking people who will make it happen. But it is not impossible.

Timing is everything. Parental rights are in an uncertain state within the federal courts, and danger is on the way. In only a matter of time, international law could erase the rights that most American parents take for granted. That’s why time is of the essence. We can’t afford to wait until parental rights are gone before seeking to defend them—now is the time to take action.

You can play a vital role in the process of amending the Constitution by joining with ParentalRights.org in the fight to protect children and parents. If you believe that the vital role of parents in the lives of their children should be protected and preserved, then we need your participation in the campaign to pass the Parental Rights Amendment!

Sign the petition now to protect children by empowering parents, and recruit your friends to join the fight.

President Obama makes fun of the Special Olympics

2009-03-20T07:32:00.001-07:00

It is simply outrageous, that our President would think that having a low bowling score was like the "Special Olympics or something." It's bad enough when you have to hear that kind of talk among some of the mindless idiots you come across on Myspace or gaming boards. There are people who are so pitiful they need to criticize others to feel good about themselves, but when a person becomes the President of the United States they certainly should know better!

Yes, I realize that President Obama has since apologized, but that doesn't change that the fact that the night before he thought it was funny to disparage himself by comparing him with people who have special needs and challenges! While he did not "intend to humiliate this population" the fact is that he did just that.

The True Story of Patrick

2009-03-15T13:53:00.000-07:00

With Tuesday being Saint Patrick's Day, I had to share a book I read last year titled Let Me Die in Ireland - The True Story of Patrick by David W. Bercot.

Throwing aside all the myths we hear about Patrick, Bercot has reconstructed the story of Patrick based upon Patrick's own writings. While he admits to using some artisitic license to creat a dialogue within the book, he always notes which writings of Patrick each bit of information came from and he does a great job at keeping it historically accurate. At the end of the book he explains each character and tells you whether they were "(1) historical persons directly described by Patrick or Bede, (2) figures described in ancient traditions about Patrick or (3) true-to-life literary figures created to embody persons who are briefly mentioned or intimated in Patrick's works."

The book reads as a novel, and is the beatiful, heartwarming story about a young man who is taken prisoner and turned into a slave. You follow him through his spiritual struggle and see him as he begins to seek God who eventually miraculously frees him from his captivity. That, however, is not the end of this man's story. As he returns to his former way of life Patrick begins to have a change of heart and wants to return to Ireland to serve those who once enslaved him. He works long and hard and finally realizes his dream as he travels to Ireland to spread the good news of Jesus Christ with the pagans the he had left behind so many years ago. Never complaining about having given up a life of relative comfort to go and live in poverty, suffering and danger, he lived out his dream to die in Ireland, doing the work of God all the rest of the days of his life.

So on March 17th many people will be celebrating a holiday they know little about and will often be doing so in a manner that would grieve the man for who it is named. March 17th was the day Patrick died. He died doing the work of the Lord telling the people of Ireland how to have eternal life. His passion for these people is clear. In Patrick's last confession he writes about his love for the Irish people and the work he was doing.

"Therefore may it never befall me to be separated by my God from his people whom he has won in this most remote land. I pray God that he gives me perseverance, and that he will deign that I should be a faithful witness for his sake right up to the time of my passing...
But I entreat those who believe in and fear God, whoever deigns to examine or receive this document composed by the obviously unlearned sinner Patrick in Ireland, that nobody shall ever ascribe to my ignorance any trivial thing that I achieved or may have expounded that was pleasing to God, but accept and truly believe that it would have been the gift of God. And this is my confession before I die."

On March 17th he died among the very people he never wanted to be separated from in this life and he wanted God to have all the glory for anything he had done. That is what we should remember as we celebrate March 17th, that we should strive to be like this man, willing to spend our lives sharing the gospel and giving God, not ourselves all the glory.

Finding a balance

2009-03-04T07:28:00.000-08:00

I think one of the greatest challenges in my Christian walk is to find the balance between Bible study and prayer. While I find that many Christian women seem to spend lots of time in prayer and struggle with studying God's Word, it is just the opposite with me. I can always make time to read and Study God's Word. I enjoy learning and reading and so that has never been much of a challenge for me. What I have trouble doing is finding the time and desire to spend in prayer. Sure, I find lots of time to talk to God throughout my day, but I never seem to make the time to sit and really pour my heart out to Him. So right now, I am really working on trying to have a healthy balance of both in my life.

For those who struggle with Bible study we must remember that praying is a one way conversation. While many will pray and sit and wait for God to answer their prayers they often forget that God has probably already written down the answer for them in His Word. That is primarily how God speaks to us today. Yet so many people are thinking that God is refusing to answer them when in reality He sent a letter to them (The Bible) before they even bothered asking Him for help. We must read and study God's Word to hear what God has to say to us. Otherwise we are basically telling God to shut up and listen to us without ever extending to Him that same courtesy.

2 Tim 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

But there is a place for prayer as well. While God is not a genie that we can pray to and use to manipulate the world to our wants and desires, he does care about us and wants to know our hearts. While we can never get God to do anything outside of His will, I believe He will sometimes withhold blessings from us until we come to him and ask. I never used to understand why it would be that way, but now that I have a daughter with special needs I understand a whole lot more.

While most kids learn to talk easily, speech has been a real challenge for my daughter. However, for her to function well in society it is imperative that she learn to communicate well. Therefore we had to train her not only in what words to say, but when and where to say them. When she wanted a drink of water it was important that she learn how to communicate this need to me. In order for her to understand this we often had to refrain from giving her certain items until she specifically asked for them. We did not do this to be mean, spiteful or because we had some sort of power trip over her, we did it because she needed to learn how important it was to communicate her needs.

Well, the same holds true in our spiritual life. We need to learn that we must communicate our needs to our heavenly Father. Prayer is not just about asking for something, it is about understanding that God deserves to be asked and that only He has the real authority to answer. We must not only pray to Him, but we must trust Him to answer in His own way and His own time.

Phil 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Col 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer , being watchful and thankful.

12 American Solutions

2009-02-18T12:37:00.000-08:00

This is from American Solutions, an organization that was formed to help find real solutions to America's problems. I endorse this plan and hope that others will at least listen to these ideas. It certainly is the better than the "Spendulous" bill that just passed.

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Washington solutions of more money for more government, more power for politicians, more debt, and more bureaucrats will not lead to real growth in jobs and prosperity.

We need a clear and decisive alternative that creates jobs and rewards work, saving, and investment.

1. Payroll Tax Stimulus. With a temporary new tax credit to offset 50% of the payroll tax, every small business would have more money, and all Americans would take home more of what they earn.

2. Real Middle-Income Tax Relief. Reduce the marginal tax rate of 25% down to 15%, in effect establishing a flat-rate tax of 15% for close to 9 out of 10 American workers.

3. Reduce the Business Tax Rate. Match Ireland’s rate of 12.5% to keep more jobs in America.

4. Homeowner’s Assistance. Provide tax credit incentives to responsible home buyers so they can keep their homes.

5. Control Spending So We Can Move to a Balanced Budget. This begins with eliminating Congressional earmarks and wasteful pork-barrel spending.

6. No State Aid Without Protection From Fraud. Require state governments to adopt anti-fraud and anti-theft policies before giving them more money.

7. More American Energy Now. Explore for more American oil and gas and invest in affordable energy for the future, including clean coal, ethanol, nuclear power and renewable fuels.

8. Abolish Taxes on Capital Gains. Match China, Singapore and many other competitors. More investment in America means more jobs in America.

9. Protect the Rights of American Workers. We must protect a worker’s right to decide by secret ballot whether to join a union, and the worker’s right to freely negotiate. Forced unionism will kill jobs in America at a time when we can’t afford to lose them.

10. Replace Sarbanes-Oxley. This failed law is crippling entrepreneurial startups. Replace it with affordable rules that help create jobs, not destroy them.

11. Abolish the Death Tax. Americans should work for their families, not for Washington.

12. Invest in Energy and Transportation Infrastructure. This includes a new, expanded electric power grid and a 21st century air traffic control system that will reduce delays in air travel and save passengers, employees and airlines billions of dollars per year

To endorse this plan or learn more go to AmericanSolutions.com

On the right track ... er should I say treadmill

2009-02-13T11:32:00.000-08:00

Last year was simply not my year for weight loss, in fact it was not my year for a lot of things. It was prefaced by my father's stroke in October '07 which was followed by his passing on November 17. Then in December my mother's knee collapsed and she had her surgery in January of '09. After the surgery she recovered at our house and I assisted in getting her to therapy and shopping and whatever she needed. The next few months weren't as hectic, but my mother continued to have other appointments as her other knee would be having surgery the following summer. That was also the time we buried my father (who had been cremated) and had all my family in to visit. All this happened during my first year of really homeschooling my daughter (then in Kindergarten).

When this all started I had been losing weight and somewhat successfully. I was over halfway to my goal and had lost 35 pounds. I attempted to continue to take the pounds off during all of this but was not successful at all. Instead I managed to put on most, but not all of what I had already lost.

I had also tried to go off soda limiting myself to one a day and also tried to refrain from using any artificial sweeteners. I am not sure if it was the stress or lack of sweetening options that kept me struggling but I simply went up and down the entire year. I would lose some and then gain some, lose some and then gain some but at the end of the year I ultimately had a gain. So after Christmas, I said, NO MORE. I am at it again and so far I have lost over 10 pounds.

What am I doing? Well, a couple of things. I am a member of TOPS but follow the Weight Watcher's diet plan. Yeah, WW is expensive and the closest meeting is 25 minutes away which is very inconvenient for me. I already have all the tools to work the plan and with TOPS I get the support and accountability for $2.00 a month instead of $13.00 a week.

I have also started exercising again which means that treadmill we bought with your taxes last year is starting to get some use again. I also have some exercise videos that I do. When the weather gets nicer we will start heading out the track again. We love that. Gess runs around and plays while my husband and I take turns doing our laps around the track. Its a great way to get some family time and good exercise in. We will also start taking some walks to visit friends and relatives. Some will actually take a bit longer to get to since we moved, but thats all the more reason to go. I also like that I am closer to the cemetery so we can take some walks and visit my daddy's grave and share some memories with my daughter who really didn't know him well.

So that is where I am at. I am sharing it here to have even more accountability and hopefully be an inspiration to others who are doing the same. Reading the blogs of some friends who are publicly sharing their commitment has given me the courage to do the same. Hopefully by supporting one another we will all be successful. To see where I am at any given time you can follow my tracker. I haven't been good at updating it, but I plan to be better at that starting today as well. My goal is to reach my goal by the end of this year, lets see how I do!

Fireproof - Never Leave Your Partner Behind

2009-02-02T07:38:00.001-08:00

Fireproof is a Christian movie that played in theaters all around America. It released last week on DVD and if you have not seen it yet, I highly recommend that you do, especially those of you who are married. The movie not only teaches strong biblical principles and encourages marriages to stay together but it offers real insights about how to do it. The gospel is also shared in a very respectful and sincere manner, but it does not override or take away from the movie. It was really well done.

My husband took me to the theater to see it when it came out and I started to cry at the beginning when the credits began to roll. Just knowing that a true Christian movie was actually playing on the big screen really touched me. We were afraid it would be a bit cheesy and B rated but it turned out to be really good, especially considering since most of the actors and actresses had never acted before. That is right, not only did they make the movie portray true Christianity but they had real Christians representing it. Instead of looking for great "actors" they looked for dedicated Christians who wanted to share a special message, and they succeeded. Marriage is about real commitment and therefore you must "never leave your partner behind."

While the movie was touching it was also very entertaining. I laughed, cried and had moments of anticipation when the action was intense. It was everything a good movie should be, and more. Below is the trailer. I hope it will tempt you to give the movie a try.

In the words of Obama

2009-01-28T05:22:00.000-08:00

In Obama's inauguration speech he said:

"To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

Yet not even a week later he begins complaining about something Rush Limbaugh said. Obama calls together leaders of the Republican party acting as if he wants to work them but simply tells them they can't work with him unless they stop listening to dissenting points of views. He threatened party leaders by telling them them "you can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done" and when responding to alternative ideas he ultimately tells them they have no voice because "I won." (What grade are we in anyway?)

Now his party leaders have posted a petition against Rush based upon a comment he made and many of them already want to implement a policy called the "fairness doctrine" that is actually unfair and silences free speech. Just whose fists are clenched and just who seems to be wanting to silence dissent? Certainly not Rush or the Republicans! I certainly did not see all these petitions when people spoke out about George W. Bush. Is dissent only allowed against one party?

Just what did Rush say to get all this response? Who cares? It sounds to me like Obama is the one that needs to get on the right side of history. Yes, "you won" the election but you did not win the right to silence dissent and take away our right to free speech. Welcome to the real world Obama. People are going to continue to disagree with him and hope he fails at initiating his socialist agenda. That is OK. In fact, in America it is expected! Obama needs to get used to that fact and soon. Our country was founded on the basis that we allow dissent and his speech made it appear that he understood and believed in that. So, does Obama really think that people in power should not try to silence dissent or not? If only his actions matched his rhetoric, if only...

2009-01-24T11:28:00.000-08:00

Momma Young's @ Home has given me my first blog award! I am still new to this whole blogging thing and Momma Young has been a great teacher, helper and friend for me, and I am so glad I have met her! So in her honor, I accept the Honest Scrap Award. With this award I am supposed to tell you 10 honest things about myself. This has taken me some time to get around to doing because I guess I am just not used to writing personal stuff about myself. Well, anyway here, goes.

1.) I am dogmatic. While I am the first to admit a mistake when I make one, there are many things that I believe strongly in and about and I am not shy about stating what I believe are facts. From religion to politics there are just some areas in which I will not waver.

2.) I am a friend to many, but best friends to few. I seem to always be a person people like and can get along with well, but am seldom considered anyone's "best" friend. It was like that in school and seems to be that way still.

3.) My next truth seems to stem from the last one. Instead of always being a bridesmaid and never a bride, I have been a bride twice, but never a bridesmaid.

4.) I can't seem to accomplish house work unless I am listening to some sort of program that is feeding me information. This information usually consists of talk radio (Hannity and Rush mostly) and Christian radio programs (Return the Word, Berean Call, or Real Answers).

5.) The same goes in the car really. I more often prefer informational programming rather than music when traveling, but my choices tend to force me into listening to music. My mom and I loved it when we drove from Florida to Kansas with Sirius radio. We listened to talk radio the entire time!

6.) I could give a crap about what celebrities do, think or believe. I remember as a young child having posters of stars and/or musicians up in my room but by the time I hit puberty I thought to myself "why am I spending my time dreaming about someone I will never meet? Is it not better to invest that time into people I have the chance of dating?" Ever since then I have never been that interested in people I do not know, even if they are famous. It would be neat to meet a star I am sure, but I would not be "star struck" if that were to happen to me.

7.) I am fascinated with WWII and particularly the holocaust. I pray the world never forgets what happened, but I fear that it already has. I can't seem to read enough books or watch enough movies or documentaries about it. I will have to share some of my favorites in another blog!

8.) I have had 4 miscarriages. It is a topic women seldom talk about, mostly because it is so dang hard to. Society does not offer any means for respecting the fetus as a human being in such circumstances. It is heart wrenching to think about the fact that your baby who just died was "disposed" of rather than given a proper burial. Even now, remembering that brings tears to my eyes.

9.) My favorite thing to do is attend conferences! Yes, for a weekend getaway I would much rather go to a solid bible conference, homeschool convention or down syndrome workshop than go to some "vacation" hotspot! There is something about gathering information that I just love!

10.) One of my biggest dreams is to go to Europe someday, especially to visit places like Aushwitz and the home of Corrie Ten Boom, but also to just see some of the world, taste the cuisine and experience a life different from ours. I would hate to go all that way without also stopping off in Ireland!

Stimulus is not for White Construction Workers or "High Skilled" professionals

2009-01-23T09:09:00.000-08:00

I guess Robert Reich and Charlie Rangel thinks that we should create jobs by spending in infrastructure. However, they do not want our bridges and infrastructure to be built by people who are qualified but rather by others who are "not necessarily construction workers or high skilled professionals." What's the plan? To build unsafe crappy bridges and roads with people who do not know how so that they can keep their job because they never get done? Or is the plan to spend money on constant repair? I thought we wanted to "improve" our infrastructure? How do you do that with unqualified people building it????

So anyway, if you are a white construction worker and/or a high skilled professional, you just stay preoccupied feeding your kids and getting them to school and let the government take care of everyone else with the tax money YOU pay while doing it. If you lose that job, don't count on any stimulus package bailing you out. Only those "other" people are worthy of that.

And I thought the color of your skin was not supposed to matter anymore!!!

A great day in history

2009-01-20T07:07:00.000-08:00

Today is Barack Obama's inauguration. He will soon become the first man of color to be President of the United States. Even if we do not agree politically with the man, that does not mean that we should forget the significance of this day. Our country has gone from making a group of people slaves to being led by someone from that same group, and for that we should celebrate.

Will Barack be a good President? Only time will tell, but whether or not he fails or succeeds we will know that it will have nothing to do with the color of his skin. How absolutely wonderful is that? Our country has overcome racism and it is a time for celebration, praise and patriotism.

May God Bless America and may He give Barack Obama the wisdom he needs to lead our country and more importantly, may Obama listen.

The High Cost of Legislating Liberal Morality

2009-01-12T10:33:00.000-08:00

As a Christian conservative I tire of hearing how I am not supposed to legislate my morality. Supposedly I am not allowed a voice in the definition of marriage because that would be legislating my moral standard upon others. When I want to outlaw abortion because I believe it to be murder, I am told I can not do so because my religious or moral opinion can not be forced upon anyone else. There is even a large cry from the drug crowd to say that we should not be allowed to outlaw drug use or control those substances because that too would be forcing my morality on someone else. I am constantly told I have no business advocating for moral laws that tell other people what they can and can not do. Yet no one seems to be saying that to Barack Obama and his Democratic party and they are trying to legislate morality on a much greater scale than conservatives have ever wanted or tried to.

Lets face the facts, every law is based upon someone's definition of morality. Is it not a moral opinion that every person has a right to health care whether or not they can afford it and regardless of whether or not they took proper care of their health to begin with? It is a "moral" judgment to claim that government "must" provide certain things for it's people. But I thought we were not supposed to legislate our morality! When I try to have a voice in laws which reflect my morality I am told it is not allowed, yet when others try to mandate socialized health care it is championed as if morals played no role in it. Now I am not only told I must agree with their moral decision, I am also told I must foot the bill for it! Excuse me?

Lets look at another example. It was a moral decision that led to our current welfare system and those wanting to expand it do so because they feel it is the right (or moral) thing to do. No one wants to see a starving child, but to believe that it must be the role of "caring" government to offer assistance to the poor because we do not believe we can trust the private sector of society to meet those needs is a belief based upon a person's own definition of morality. This particular "moral" opinion believes that everyone deserves at least a small income regardless of their desire to work, make good choices or even want to give anything back to society. Again, this legislation of morality is for some reason acceptable while my definition is not and I am not only told that I must accept this moral decision but I also have to pay for it.

It was also decided that any moral society would protect its citizens from fraud and risk if they saved their money and later borrowed it from financial institutions. Now those institutions and other businesses are hurting and we have morally decided to help them out in order to save jobs etc. We want a sound economy and backing it up is really the right (or moral) thing to do. And as we can see this kind of morality also has a huge price tag attached.

Why is it that the only morality that is allowed to be legislated is a morality that costs money and requires no responsibility on the part of those who reap its benefits? Those of us who actually live a moral life end up supporting those who refuse to do so. While we have been on this campaign to keep social conservatives from legislating their morality we have kept people from having to take responsibility for their own actions and have in turn caused the need for the other more costly moral legislation that has been passed. In other words, if we had some truly moral laws that had no cost to any tax payer, the tax payers would not be forced to pass other moral laws that cost tons of money and are often used to pay for the results of immoral or unwise decisions. It basically pays people for making stupid choices.

If abortion were illegal than a person who got pregnant would have to face the responsibility for the action of having sexual intercourse (a shocking idea for some, I am sure). That means they would actually have think about having sex before actually doing it. Knowing there is a risk involved in an action is always the best deterrent to said action, why do you think we outlaw things like murder? It is a moral opinion that says a stopping a woman from risking an unsafe illegal abortion is more important than saving the life of unborn babies. Face it, to say abortion must be legal is legislating morality. I thought we couldn't do that!

Look again at welfare. If we did not have a system that guaranteed a person a certain amount of income and food just because they exist then people would actually be forced to do some kind of work for a living. This, like legalizing abortion, promotes sexual promiscuity and makes a woman not have to face the responsibility of having sex. Maybe women would stop having children outside of marriage if they realized they were financially obligated to support that child. Knowing you can't feed your children is the best incentive to get a job and knowing you can't afford to feed one is also the best incentive not to get pregnant in the first place. You hear stories in the news about young teenagers having babies thinking it is so great, but these teens also know they can sit at home and get free money, rent and food while doing it. If those options were not so readily available, they might not be so ready to commit to motherhood.

I also know of people who are on welfare who do drugs and claim they can't find a job when the truth is they can't find one that won't test them for drugs! I know of other people on welfare who can't keep a job because they won't actually show up to to work on time (if at all) and can't understand why they get let go. Of course there are those who can't stay sober long enough to hold a job either. Sorry, but these people do not deserve a free ride and those who work hard to earn money should not be forced to support their bad habits and poor choices. Yes, that's my definition of morality, but saying they deserve it regardless of their behavior and choices is yours. Face it, either way, we are legislating morality.

The same goes for health care. While they claim we need services to protect people who get a disease like cancer for no apparent reason, the truth of the matter is that most of our health care expenses come from diseases that were caused by poor choices. Obese people end up with many chronic illnesses as do smokers and people who drink a lot, etc. They then have to go to the doctor constantly which drives up the insurance costs for people who work hard to stay healthy and seldom see one at all. Why should I have to pay to treat someone else if they won't take the time and effort to take care of themselves first? There has to be a better way, and that way needs to encourage responsible behavior rather than subsidizing irresponsibility.

Every law is based upon someone's moral opinion, so please stop legislating your morality while telling me I can't legislate mine. What we need to do is an honest cost/benefit analysis of which moral laws are better for society both socially and economically. I bet you will find that the moral laws that demand personal responsibility are a lot less costly and provide a more enjoyable and safe environment to live in. We can't afford to keep bailing out people and businesses as if that is somehow benefiting anyone other than those who are in power.

Believe me, the new "moral" laws that are going to try to be enacted by the upcoming administration are not going to be about what is best for you, but rather what gives them more control. Making you feel that you need the government gives those in government power over you. If we keep on this path it will be the end of freedom as we know it. We need to stop this cycle soon, and to do that we need the return of moral laws that require a person to take responsibility for their actions rather than allowing them to financially benefit from making poor choices that cost other (more responsible) people money, freedom and safety. If we don't, it is going to end up costing us all a lot more than just money.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T18:57:00.000-08:00

It is obvious that I do not post here very often, but I hope to change that this year. This was my first attempt at exploring blogging and I didn't really get into it much. I pretty much gave it up and started hanging out on Myspace which I still tend to visit pretty regularly. While I was there I got involved in some homeschool groups who talked about blogging about school. While I thought the idea was a good one I felt that I might attack it from a different angle, one I do not feel is addressed very much: Homeschooling a child with special needs. So now I spend most of my online time blogging about that at my other blog Special Connection Homeschool. The name came from my categories list on Myspace. I had my friends sorted by real life friends and family, Christian friends, homeschooling friends, etc. Well I had several friends that were also parents of children with Down syndrome so I called that category my "special connection." When I started my homeschooling blog I decided to throw that in as my title.

I have several acquaintances from both the categories of homeschooling and parents of children with Down syndrome or other special needs, but seldom do I find people who belong to both. As I have gotten involved more online I have started to find several people who homeschool children with special needs. However, most of them seem to have children with some other special need, such as autism. Do not get me wrong, I do not feel like the needs of a child with DS are greater than any other condition, it is just simply a fact that their needs are often different.

Homeschooling is a great challenge under any circumstance. Finding what works for your child is not always an easy task. As the movement has grown, so have the options for curriculum and approaches. Homeschooling a child with special needs is often even more challenging because the needs of your child might not accomodate the materials or approaches you had once thought were idea. Because every child is different it is really difficult to determine what will work for your own. I have spent a lot of time and research finding what works for my daughter, so I thought that maybe if I shared what worked for her others might not have to work as hard to find some ideas for their own child.

It has been a blast and I am loving it. Still, I feel I am ready to expand my blogging and will try to find time to post my personal goings on here as well as keep that blog going. I also have an idea or two for a couple of more blogs. I think my next attempt might be about promoting open source software. While I already us a great deal of open source stuff such as Mozilla Firefox, Open Office, Gimp etc, I have not really used an open source OS as of yet. However, I soon plan on trying to install and run Linux on my machine and will blog about my experience doing both. I hope to be able to do this without my husband's help too. I figure if I can do it, then anyone can! There is a version out called Edubuntu that is geared for use in the classroom and I dying to see if it will be idea for a homeschool environment! So anyway, be looking for that someday as well.

So that is my goal, to do these blogs on top of actually homeschooling my daughter, taking care of my house and family, my church work, volunteering at the youth center, keeping up with my local DS and homeschooling groups, my TOPS group and my work at Guided By Truth (which has been lacking lately as well). Well, I am exhausted just typing all that, but surely I will be able to pull it all off, I just have to prioritize!! So here is to a New Year, may the year 2009 bring me the time and the desire to fulfill all my goals.

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/personal

Back off of Joe the Plummer!!

2008-10-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

The media needs to back off of Joe the Plummer! This is ridiculous. Since when do you have to give your income level, marital status and tax records in order to ask a question of a political candidate???? I know more about Joe than I do about Bob Shaefer who asked questions for an hour and half! What about all of those who asked questions at the town hall meeting? What do we know about them?

Remember, Obama came to Joe's neighborhood, Joe didn't go looking for Obama! The point is not what or who Joe is, its how Obama answered his question! He wants to redistribute the wealth! We are told to live the American dream but once you do they punish you for it. Joe the plummer is right. He may some day want to own his own business and Obama's tax plans will hurt him.

Journalism in America is DEAD!! They don't do honest reporting they do whatever they can to get who THEY want elected. They attack a guy who goes by his middle name claiming its not his real name and protect the one whose middle name they are afraid to say: Barack Hussein Obama who goes by 5 names!

Barack Hussein Obama
Barry Soetoro
Barry Obama
Barack Dunham
Barry Dunham

Lets get back to talking about the candidates and quit attacking an average American simply because he disagrees with Barack Hussein Obama, or whatever his name is. I guarantee you if Joe favored Obama this would have a different spin. Americans are going to start becoming afraid to ask the candidates questions if they think they will be followed around by the media and all their personal information and mistakes of their pasts might come back to haunt them. How can we ever get the truth if we are treated like this whenever we ask a question a candidate does not like??!! I am fed up! Report on who might be our next leader and give us a chance to make an educated choice!!!

You know the media is just ticked off because Joe the Plummer asked Obama questions than they have refused to ask and Obama let the truth slip out. He wants to spread the wealth around. For such a wealthy man who wants to spread the wealth around and says he won't mind paying more in taxes, why is it that he only spreads around about 1% of it to charities?

Many rich people already spread their wealth around by giving to the charities of their choice. They usually give more than Obama does at his measly 1%. See, Obama doesn't want to spread around HIS wealth, he wants to spread around YOURS! But you won't hear the media telling you that, they are too busy looking into Joe's tax records and work history so they can make you forget what THEIR candidate wants to do to you after he gets elected.

Sarah Palin, Mother a Child With Down Syndrome is McCains VP

2008-08-29T18:14:00.000-07:00

John McCain has chosen Sarah Palin the Governor of Alaska. She has 5 children and her youngest who is only 4 months old has Down Syndrome. I just can't help but think about how this will do so much to enhance Down Syndrome awareness! Some in the media actually seem shocked that she had the baby even though she knew it was going to have Downs. How sad that people do not realize the value and worth of certain individuals and what a joy and blessing they bring to our life, our society, and our world.

Now I am not saying or suggesting that anyone should vote for McCain because of this, I only bring it up because of the newsworthiness of it and to mention the impact it could have. Could you imagine if America got to watch a child with Down Syndrome grow up in and around the Oval Office? People just might start to realize that a person with Down Syndrome has just as much to offer society and our country as anyone else. We simply need to give them a chance.

I am excited for once about the election this year and can't help but note the positive impact it could have on my daughter's future! Now granted, no one should vote on one issue alone, and I do have many other reasons I am excited about Palin, mainly her stance against corruption and lobbyists, as well as her social conservative values. I know I still have more to learn about her this election cycle, but for today I am celebrating what I think was a great decision by McCain. I have been leaning towards voting for him but was waiting to see who he chose as VP. I believe he won me over today. It is just an added bonus that it may also have the opportunity to raise some much needed awareness to a very misunderstood condition.

Lori's Say On The Matter

Overruled: Docudrama exposing dangers to parental rights

ParentalRights.org Promotional Video

The R-Word

Parents of 50 Million U.S. Children Soon to Lose Parental Rights

UN's Latest Efforts to Attack Moral Foundations of Families

DS Awareness posters mocked on the web

Gesserine in DS Awareness Poster Contest

Scott Brown Wins Senate Seat!!

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Started Yet Another Blog!

Weight Loss Progress

Daily Bible Reading

Go Tell It On the Mountain

Joy To The World

My Weight Loss and Workout Plan

Insurance does NOT ration care, but the government will

Get your mammogram today!

Wordless Wednesday - Veteran's Day 2009

Mike Farris and Chuck Norris on Huckabee

Mike Farris to appear on Huckabee Sat November 7 at 8pm EST

Just two days prior to the U.S. Supreme Court hearings on life sentences for youth, Michael Farris, J.D., will appear on Fox News Channel’s Huckabee’s Opinion to discuss the issue.[more]

Gess' 8th Birthday!

Parental Rights Amendment - Video Contest Winner

Wordless Wednesday

More School for kids?

Beauty

Glenn Beck: Why is he so hated by the libs?

Playing Catch Up

May we never forget

Sad news

Wordless Wednesday

Vaccine Trials on Kids?

Aleternative Health Care Reform Bill

Everything the Government Runs is Bankrupt!

My Town Hall Meeting With Lynn Jenkins

Moving along

The Signs of Organization

Judge Napolitano's Verdict on Fishy White House Request

Why I Love My Current Health Care!

VBS 2009

What's Up With This Beer Fest?

Petition To Keep Gitmo Detainees Out of the US

All About Me

Health Care Bill Takes Effect 2013 - So What's the Rush?

Stop the Rush to Reforming Health Care!

That's a silly picture

Oppose The Hate Crime Amendment

Prenatal Testing for Down Syndrome

Thoughts on Sarah Palin

Gess on the 4th of July

Busy busy week

Call NOW To Stop UN Children's Treaty

Call Now to StopUN Children’s Treaty

Action

Wordless Wednesday - Remembering Dad

Darrell "Shifty" Powers

We have a moral obligation

Important Information Every Special Needs Parent Should Know

Civil War Days

My boy's first car!

The Nomination of Sonia Sotomayor

Wordless Wednesday

Down Syndrome Gene Might Help Fight Cancer!

Wordless Wednesday

Dance Recital

The Home Stretch

Wordless Wednesday

I miss Colmes

My Daughter's Heart

Wordless Wednesday

John and Abigail Adams

End of the year whirlwind

What's wrong with Mother's Day?

2009 Friend's Survey

It was just a matter of time...

Blogs Promoting Parental Rights

I don't get it

Can someone answer this question?

Blog Spotlight: Momma Young's @ Home

Just two days prior to the U.S. Supreme Court hearings on life sentences for youth, Michael Farris, J.D., will appear on Fox News Channel’s Huckabee’s Opinion to discuss the issue.
[more]

Call Now to Stop
UN Children’s Treaty