This is the 3rd posting from my old blog. I'm moving those items I believe are still significant.

Dr. King had a dream... (originally posted 1/17/06)

Much is made in this country about the Rev. Dr. Matin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech. Somehow, the meaning of his dream has been usurped by those who want to use it for political gain.
Let's look at the real words of Dr. King's speech...
"...I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. (My italic emphasis)
So where do we stand with these dreams? Back in the 1960's, government tried to placate those of color who were poor with "The Great Society". These programs accomplished just the opposite of what was needed. The poorest among us have been turned into unmarried mothers with fathers who cannot live with them for fear of losing the meager sustanance our country provides these people. Those of color who have made it out of the worst, have some black leaders trying to tell them they have abandoned others of color. Yet they have achieved what Dr. King desired.. a place where they are looked upon for the content of their character, not the color of their skin.
Because of those who demand "Equality", the color of someone's skin rather than the content of their character has become the determining factor in more, not less, decisions. We have a greater divide than ever because of those who did not understand what Dr. King wanted.
He was looking for skin color to be just that, a different pigmentation, not the determining factor of a person's life. The wedges driven between those of color and those of lighter skin tone have created greater, not less resentment on both sides.
We need to look to his statement later in the speech to see what is needed to really make his dream happen. Here is the missing piece...
and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together As we come together with our eyes on the Lord, skin color differences disappear. Men and women of color will stand beside men and women of lighter skin praising God. When this happens, the issues of race will disappear.
As a conservative, I desire nothing more than seeing those of color reach the "American Dream" and Dr. King's dreams. Let's support bringing the poor into the workplace by creating more jobs, not force them to live in fear of the government's largesse being taken from them. Only then can they be free.

The American Serviceman (originally posted (12/5/05)

Who is the American serviceman and why does he join the military? Is he the poor man or woman that sees the Military as a way out? There are some of those to be sure, but the majority of serviceman are the boy next door. He went to an average school, got average grades and lives in an average town. According to the Heritage Foundation, they are more affulent and come from middle and upper middle class families.
In a recent blog posting, Tucker Carlson, the host of MSNBC's "The Situation", tried to give some reasons for why these men join the service. He said, "So if enlistees aren't driven to the military by poverty and hopelessness, why do they join? For the adventure, maybe. Possibly for the experience. Maybe even because they believe in the cause." Mr. Carlson missed the most common and most important reason that these brave men join the Service. They join, not because the believe in "the cause", but because they believe in America and freedom. They are men that understand that our freedom has a price. They are willing to pay that price for the rest of us. Those of the WWII generation understood that price. As John F. Kennedy once said we must "pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty."
The brave men and women in our Military knew this when they joined the Armed Forces. They are not looking for "our pity for their suffering" as Mr. Carlson puts it. They are looking for us to back their fight against injustice, and those who would take freedom from Americans or anyone else in the world. "Supporting the Troops" is a cliche that is being thrown back and forth like a hot potato, but supporting our troops mean to understand the reasons they were willing to go fight and, in some cases, die for our freedom.

slam, France and Barbra Streisand (originally posted 11/10/05)

Liberty and responsibility are inseparable (originally posted 10/26/05)

"Liberty not only means that the individual has both the opportunity and the burden of choice; it also means that he must bear the consequences of his actions... Liberty and responsibility are inseparable." (From "The Constitution of Liberty" (1960))Friedrich von Hayek

von Hayek has expressed in these few sentences the key to democracy. Citizens of a democracy must be willing to face the consquences of their actions if they wish to have liberty. You cannot be free without it. If the government tells you they will provide everything you need, what is your motivation to participate in the provision of your own sustanance? What then occurs to the society? When everyone recieves all they need without responsibility, they will not participate fully in its provision. This is the basic flaw of socialism and communism. If people are free to do as they want, they will not work to the best of their ability. They will need to be forced by government to work, losing the liberties of choice.
When one has responsibility for their survival, they will work to the utmost to provide what they feel they need. (See Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs ).
Only a careful balance between liberty and responsibility can make people truly free.
Several years ago, when my daughter was in middle school, the principal used to tell the kids, "Everything has a consquence". If you study and work hard, you will be better prepared to succeed. If you goof off and spend all your time at the local hangout, you are preparing to fail. If you hit someone, you will be punished. If you speak badly about someone, people will react.
We are often told about supposed 'rights' that people think exist... the 'right' to health care, the 'right' to housing. These are not rights. These are things that people receive when they have been responsible enough to work to the best of their abilities to achieve.
The Founders were very careful in the wording of the Constitution. We are not told that we have the right to life, liberty and happiness, we are told we have the right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Happiness is a result of responsibilty and liberty.

Whose Government is it? (originally posted 4/6/06)

Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania was a guest this morning on the Michael Smerconish show, a Philadelphia based talk show. When asked about his pending immigration legislation, the senator made 2 comments that expressed how he and some of his colleagues see illegal aliens. Sen. Specter said that "The people have the right to petition their government." (my emphasis) This is not THEIR government! Aliens, legal or illegal do not have a say in the governance of this country. They are citizens of other countries. If they wish to petition the United States government, they have embassies for that purpose. They don't have the right to vote. They are NOT constituents of the local representatives. Senator Specter is not THEIR representative in Congress, he is MINE!
Does Mr. Specter think these people are already someone's constituents? He exposed his mindset that these people are potential votes to keep him in power.

He also stated that we cannot arrest all these people because it will cost too much money. The amount he gave was about $25,000 per person.
What will it cost to provide training, teaching and to give health care to all these people if they are given citizen or legal alien status? I guarantee it will be far more than $25,000 per person. What will be the cost of all the new people flooding across the border each day?
I pray that this "future constituent" mindset will be overcome by respect for the law of the land. At the rate they are entering, we will be their constituents before long. Welcome to the Socialist State of Nuevo Latino.

An Open Letter to Congress about Immigration (originally posted 3/29/06)

An Open Letter to Congress,

This country has a motto, E Pluribus Unum; From Many, One. This occurs when people accept the complete American Dream with all its responsibilities as well as its privileges.

As the son of LEGAL immigrants, I fully understand the desire of people to come to our great nation. My father and mother worked hard to make a good life for themselves, my sister and me in this great nation of opportunity. The key is that they came in legally and from Day 1 were respectful of American Law. They understood that to reap the rewards of this country, they needed to adapt to the American culture. They knew they needed to learn English from the start, they needed to pay taxes and they needed to educate their children in the greatness of this nation. They needed to respect the American Way of Life. They were not looking to be hyphenated Americans, they wanted to be American.

The time has come for Congress to stop pandering to illegal immigrant pressure groups and stand up for the laws of our nation. Illegal immigration HAS to be stopped and those who are here illegally need to be returned to their homelands. Many of the illegal immigrants (please don't call them undocumented) have no desire to learn English. They have no desire to pay for our schools and roads and military and our many other services through participation in taxation. They want our jobs and our privileges without participating in the cost and responsibilities that come with them. They use the security nets that our society has built to take care of our own people. These people do not seek the American Dream, they seek the American Handout. This is not an issue of "diversity". This is an issue of survival of our country.

There is a cost to this immigration. The Southwest has become overwhelmed with poor immigrants. Gangs have entered and terrorized or citizens. Our border guards are under attack. Our own unemployed lose the opportunity to do the jobs that these illegal immigrants are taking because they will do them without paying taxes. Employers feel that they need to hire these people under the table to compete, eroding the tax bases of these states.

If people do not assimilate into the "American Dream", the dream will be just that, a dream. It is only in accepting our way of life that America's "Grand Experiment" will survive. We already have great strife occurring because of the lack of responsibility to the United States. As more people come, the strains will be even greater. We have seen the issues that occur over language, morals and religion in 20th Century Europe. They same can and will occur here if the American Dream as we know it dies.

As the demonstrations this past weekend showed, some of these people want nothing less than the takeover of the Southwest of our country. Don't tell me that they are a "small minority". This is a movement that has taken hold in the Mexican community. The Aztlan movement states that the Southwest and California was "stolen" from Mexico in the 19th Century, and it should be returned to Mexican rule. There was even a banner at the LA demonstrations that read "THIS IS STOLEN LAND". One of the candidates in the recent California gubernatorial elections, Cruz Bustamante, is a supporter of this movement. When will it stop?

Congressmen are the only ones that have the power to end this destruction of the American Dream. Simply accepting illegals into the country will not address the underlying issue. The illegals have no faith in the American Dream. They have not been told that to remain, they must support and defend the American Way of Life with all their hearts and souls. They have not been taught the responsibilities that create the opportunities. They must spilt from the old country and accept that to make their lives better, they must participate in our land "Of the People". Only if these issues are addressed, can the destruction that is occurring in the Southwest be stopped. Think carefully where you should stand on this issue. Will this Congress be the ones that rule over the collapse of the American Dream?

He that giveth, taketh (originally posted 2/1/06)

How often have you heard someone say, "The Congress wants to give more to the rich and take away money (or some service) from the poor"? Or a business's tax break is the government giving more money to that business (usually for some vague, nefarious reason). The government isn't "giving money" to these people, they are no longer taking it from them to give to somebody else.

Without the rich and the businesses, THE GOVERNMENT HAS NO MONEY!!!! Nada , none, zero, zilch. The government programs don't exist without these people working their tails off to receive gain. All government programs, including the military, don't happen without the people's contributions. We saw what happened in the USSR when the government pretended to have all the money and handed it out to whoever they wanted to. The government collapsed.
Liberals (and some others) seem to think all money belongs to the government and by the government's grace, they let individuals or companies keep some of it. This is how the Communists think. In a capitalistic society like ours, the person or company that earned the money gets to keep it. We as a people have thrived because government was kept out of our pockets.
Stop begging your government for handouts. You do not have a right to health care. You do not have a right to live off welfare because you would rather go to the local bar every night. You do not have a right to get child care from the government because you don't have a husband for your illegitimate child. You do not have a right to stop paying for your kids because you left their mother, thinking that the government will take care of them.

If you continue to take from those who earn capital and give it to others, those who earn it will
a) find a way to hide their gains (black/gray markets)
b) stop trying so hard to create new and more products and services because there is no value in it for them.
... and there won't be any left for you and the government to take!
This means they won't spend that money so others can make their money. It's common sense.
Let's stop portraying those who create new businesses, work their tails off and risk everything to make more money. The government doesn't have a right to our money. It's only by our votes that they can take it.
The rich and the businesses are the ones that let the rest of us work and live comfortably in , as Michael Medved puts it, "this greatest nation on God's green earth".

I used to post on another well known site and decided to bring some of my old posts that i consider relevant onto this site. Over the next few days, I will be posting a few of those here. To see all my older posts, you can go to http://pittdaddy.blogspot.com/

The First Amendment Revisted, Part 1 (originally published 10/8/05)

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Let's look at this amazing statement and what it means to the American way of life. The very first statement in the Amendments, that were designed to speak about our rights, was that Congress can't pass a law to establish a religion or, and this is key, prohibit the free excercise of religion.
What does that mean? I know I don't see any statment about a separation of church and state in that statement. It just says Congress can't establish a State religion or stop us from worshiping. It also limits the statement to CONGRESS, not the states! The states are given the ability to speak of God; as the framers understood that there is a place for God in the public arena.
Does it say anything about Ten Commandment displays in State government centers? NO Does it say anything about using the words "Under God" in public statements? NO Do we at any time use the names Jesus or YHWH or Allah or Vishnu or any other establishment? NO.
Use of the word God does NOT establish any religion over another. How about the atheists? Their religion is belief in man as God, which is what they are trying (and in some cases succeeding) in establishing. So for them it would mean "Under man." What's wrong with that? The real reason they fear the word God, is that deep inside, they KNOW He is real, but they want to be Him.
It's time for our society to get back to what it does best. Allow people the freedom to find God, and in our everyday lives, allow God's presence to announced everywhere. We are free to speak about Him in any public setting.

Next time... How the freedom of speech clause is being usurped.

The First Amendment Revisited, Part 2 (originally published 10/9/05)

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

In a previous post I talked about the establishment of religion clause. Nowhere in this clause does it comment on the "separation of church and state". That statement was from the writings of Thomas Jefferson, and his personal opinion, not the Constitution signed by and agreed to by the 13 colonies and their representatives. For more information about Jefferson's views, I would recommend the book "Adams vs Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800 (Pivotal Moments in American History)" by John Ferling.
Let's now look at the next clause, the "freedom of speech" clause. Growing up I was always taught, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me". Now we know that names do hurt emotionally, but the real meaning was if someone has an opinion about you that is wrong or cruel, that is their issue, not yours. Somehow in the past 20-25 years, we have twisted this around. These days if anyone is "offended" by speech or "dissed" by someone, people think a crime has been committed. IT HASN"T!!!
Read the Constitution. It doesn't say anything about political speech only. It doesn't say you can't call me a "Kraut" (which I heard from time to time growing up) or "Whitie" or "Hater" or "@#$@# Christian" or any other name. Other than inciting a riot, we have the RIGHT to say whatever we want. Those who oppose us have the RIGHT to say whatever they want.
Some are complaining about things that are said and written that disagree with current liberal philosophies of race and social standing and religion and homosexuality. We have the RIGHT, given to us by the Constitution of the United States, to say what we want. If someone wants to call me evil because I state that, according to the Bible, God says homosexuality is sin, they also have that right. But I haven't committed a crime and neither have they. By the way, that statement does not come with the caveat "Not that there is anything wrong with it"... There is something wrong with homosexuality and it should once again be illegal.
The concept of "Hate Crimes" seems good on paper, but now it is being used to stop discourse within our society about what is right and wrong. Not everything in this society revolves around race and sex.
Part of living in a free society is to have responsibility for your words and actions. If your words and actions are not acceptable within our society, you should expect to have people call you on the carpet for it. This is how a free society works.

I just wanted to post a quotation from John Adams in a letter to his wife Abigail. He is talking about the Declaration of Independence, on the day before it was made public.
The quotation comes from today's quote for the day from the PatriotPost.com. If you do not already subscribe to this great site, you should do so today. It's a constant reminder of the struggles of our founding fathers.
For those who have never done so, I would also recommend coming to Philadelphia to see Indepence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Valley Forge, Brandywine Battlefield and the many other historical sites where our founding fathers walked and died for our freedoms.
Here's the quotation:
"The Patriot Post
Founders' Quote Daily

"It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not."

-- John Adams (letter to Abigail Adams, 3 July 1776)

Reference: Our Sacred Honor, Bennett (64)"
(http://www.PatriotPost.com)

May the God in which we trust continue to bless this nation and its people.

Communism is dead! So we declared when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. This insidious type of government had failed we thought. Well, let's see where we stand.
China, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, VietNam, and Laos are those that come to mind. These are the most prominent nations that profess this economic system. Let's see where they stand on the issues... we'll save China for last.
North Korea ... Kim Il Sung.... Nuclear weapons.. part of the "Axis of Evil"... supplier of terrorists.
Cuba... fomentor of revolutions throughout the world for decades... ex-puppet of the old USSR... current leader of the "non-aligned" nations (i.e., countries that hate modern capitalism)... a country that has to use 1950s technologies because of the intransigence of their dictator.
VietNam... puppet of the Chinese... a country that has used the feelings of their ex-patriots to gain business.. a country that is finally trying to loosen the government's control over all economic decision making becuase of the devistation that communism has wreaked.
Venezuela... Hugo Chavez, the leader that seeks to take over the non-aligned nations' leadership position upon Castro's demise. The man that came to the US and called the President of the United States "The Devil". ...The country that seeks to overthrow duly elected governments throughout Latin America.  The country that uses the oil revenues of CITGO to attack our country. 7-Eleven recently decided to discontinue its association with Citgo at its 2,100 convenience stores.
This country had democratically elected governments from 1959 until recently. Their leader, Mr. Chavez, has vowed to try and destroy our country.
Finally, the Chinese... ahh the Chinese. The most communist of all these countries. The country that has supressed communication with the outside world among their people. China is building overproduction of manufacturing to the point that factories are making goods that are not needed. They are paying their people slave wages, give them no rights and then dump these goods onto the world market. China has vowed to depose the United States as the only super power in the world, Why? Because they still haven't gvien up their desire to spread communism throughout the world. Walmart is cheap, because Chinese slave labor makes the goods. 80% of the goods sold in Wal-Mart come from China. American manufacturing has been decimated because we want to pay our people a living wage. Levi Strauss was forced by Wal-Mart to move their manufacturing to China to compete.
It is virtually impossible to walk into a store and pick up an item that isnt made in China. You want cheap goods? You got it. You want a job? Well you stopped buying American, so those jobs went away. Our deficit with China gives them incredible power over our economy.
Don't be fooled, the Communists never went away. They are patient. The continue to nibble away at our personal freedoms here in this country. Making you rely on the government for more and more basic necessities. Taking away your rights to spend your earnings as you see fit.
So, what are the constructive things to do? Don't support these regimes. Stop buying at Wal-Mart until they admit their purchasing policies are bad for the US and change them. Don't buy Citgo gas. Use an American company's station if you can. If you must buy foreign goods, buy those from countries that support ours. Support the Latin American countries that Venezuela is trying to destroy.
Stop supporting internal socialism. The government is not your mama. They are supposed to be there to protect and defend us, to give us the opportunity to succeed and to provide a system of justice, period. Check to see what your children are being taught in school. Be sure that utopian values are tempered with reality. The desire to better yourself (what the Communists call greed) is a virtute, not something to be destroyed. It's what made this country great.
Finally, Remind others that Communism isnt dead, it's just gotten better at propaganda.