October 2, 2013

Got Boots?

By Tammy Derouin

Vacations or little get-a ways can be relaxing and much needed.  They take the mind off the daily routine.  I just returned from my yearly escape at Maranatha.  A writer’s conference is not a vacation.  It is however, a get-away with little resemblance to my daily routine. 

The week ended much too quickly.  When it was time to return to the real world, I took a deep breath as I prepared myself for the unknown.  I wasn’t sure what I was going to find.  There are no televisions in their rooms.  I’m not complaining.  Television has become junk entertainment.  The term idiot box couldn’t be more accurate in today’s world. 

I knew when I got home the world was going to hit hard, and it did.  I tried to delay reality by going to the beach.  A week without news was Utopian.  The progressives are trying to create their version of Utopia so not wanting to be swallowed up, I snapped out of it and got to work. 

The impact of each story I read was much greater having been out of the loop.  Not only is America lost, there seems to be no desire to pull over and ask for directions.  

We have a pretentious president who gives pompous, nose-in-the-air speeches.  He likes to belittle and dismiss the American people.  He uses his podium to talk down to us, while using late night comedy shows to soften the blow.  He knocks us down then tries to make nice with his version of flowers and chocolates.  We fall for it every time. 

How long will we continue to allow the president and his administration to destroy us?  We willingly allow our freedoms, our very rights to be shredded before our eyes.  Are the trinkets he dangles worth our liberties? 

Our president is a habitual liar.  Eventually, lies do catch up but how much damage will be done before we have the courage to call him on his actions?  How many worthless trinkets are we going to accept?  He paints a pretty picture and baits us with promises of “free stuff.”  When did Americans become sell-outs?

The New York Times had an eye popping headline.  “N.S.A. Gathers Data on Social Connections of U.S. Citizens.”  The article, which is more like a short story, goes on to explain how the NSA is gathering your personal information by way of social media.  They are using it to identify those you associate with as well as when and where you associate with people.   Once upon a time the agency had to take into consideration the privacy rights of American citizens, but not anymore.  The NSA can expand its communication data from public and commercial sources.  Facebook profiles, bank and property tax records, voter registration rolls and GPS locations are but a few sources they can use without restrictions.  Former Obama administration officials told the Times that the NSA used it for both U.S. citizens and foreigners.  Of course, the agency refused to indicate how many Americans were involved, including those who were not engaged in any wrongdoing.

There’s another threat of government shut down.  The progressives aren’t getting what they want so they’re threatening cuts.  As usual, they are going for the necessities.  Without some gridlock, it would be the will of one party or one person. 

The Washington Examiner provided, “SEIU unionists strike over Obamacare-related cuts.”  What?  Let me get this straight, the unions that support Obama, are upset that Obamacare is causing employers to cut jobs and hours?  I really hope union members begin to look at the facts.  Over 300 more employers are cutting hours due to Obamacare.  Obamacare will hurt everyone, except those in government.  They saw a train wreck coming so they are now exempt. 

It has been reported that Al Qaeda seized U.S. weapons and supplies from a warehouse in Syria.  The report indicated this particular group is extremely dangerous.  Is there an Al Qaeda group that isn’t extremely dangerous?  I digress; they threatened to “cleanse” towns of any secular Muslims and pro-western opposition groups.  Oh, that Al Qaeda group!  I’m glad they were more specific.  Wait, didn’t Obama recently say that the U.S. should go to war in support of Al Qaeda?  There’s no reason for concern.  They just picked up supplies they were going to receive from us anyway. Now our liaisons won’t have to flip a coin to differentiate between the good Al Qaeda groups and the bad. 

Americans smile and applaud as the government continues to produce the only thing it’s capable of manufacturing.  Once again, there’s a name for it and once again I’ll let you use your imagination.  Got boots?

“The contest for ages has been to rescue liberty from the grasp of executive power.”

Daniel Webster

 

September 25, 2013

What Have We Done?

By Tammy Derouin

Our country is lost.  The citizens of the United States have been turning a blind eye to the destructive actions of our President.  It’s beyond belief how so many Americans can support a president who shows nothing but disdain for our country.  They follow blindly without checking his actions. 

Our President has been undermining our principles and stripping us of our freedoms ever since he took the oath of office.  Prior to being elected, he boldly stated what he intended to do.  Nobody really thought he meant exactly what he said.  It was all political verbiage.  An American president wouldn’t willfully destroy our country, would he?

Will the act of treason move people?  This past week President Obama waived a federal law to prevent the supply of arms to terrorist. Now the good old U.S.A. will be able to provide military assistance to “vetted” terrorist fighting in Syria or anywhere else I suppose.  Some of these groups are radical Islamic terrorist who were responsible for the September 11, 2001 attack on the United States.

Our President is arming, aiding and abetting our enemy.  This is treason!  The Constitution clearly states, “Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.”  It also states, “No person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act…”  I think we have more than two witnesses. 

On the eve of the September 11 anniversary, the President went on television and told the American people that we have to go to war.  We have to fight with, and in support of Al-Qaeda.  The arrogance of this President knows no bounds.  Al-Qaeda attacked us.  They want to destroy the United States.  Our President wants to arm and fight with them, as an ally. 

President Obama waived a law that was put in place due to the September 11 attack.  By waiving the law he wouldn’t be breaking the law.  We couldn’t have a president in violation of a law now could we?  Eric Holder won’t prosecute him for continuously violating our Constitution.  Why should he be concerned about breaking a little law?  The fact that he waived the law is proof that he knows he’s arming terrorists, which is against the law or rather was against the law.  The fact that he is giving aid and comfort to our enemy is treason.

The President is given the ability to waive this law but only if he, “determines that the transaction is essential to the national security interests of the United States.”  On September 9, 2013 Obama said, “…But the notion that Mr. Assad could significantly threaten the United States is just not the case.”  So what is the case?  Why does the President want to partner with those who wish to destroy us?  Al-Qaeda’s current leader wants to “…bleed America economically.”  He also states, “…Americans, after all, are humans who can be defeated, felled and punished.”  Why does our president want to partner with Al-Qaeda?

The President has shown nothing but contempt for our Constitution.   He knows it limits his power.  He’s studied it.  He knows how to dismantle it.  The founders knew what they were doing when they established a government with checks and balances.  How many times have we heard the President state he will act on his own, that he won’t wait for Congress or he will go around Congress? 

If the President is simply going to write the law, which isn’t his job according to the Constitution, why bother having a Congress?  If the President is going to appoint people to rule in his favor and not prosecute him or those in his administration, why bother with the judicial branch?  If the President isn’t going to be checked, why have an election?  The president is slowly eliminating the need for the other two branches.  Without the other two branches, we are no longer free.   If we are no longer free, we have no need for a president.  We have a dictator.     

Our country is indeed lost.  If we don’t recognize the facts and see them for what they are, we will never be able to find our way back to being the exceptional nation we once were.

The Revolutionary War was fought because one person, a king, imposed his will and disregarded the will of the people.  The king could act as judge, jury and executioner.  What have we done America, what have we done?

“We must watch and wait to seize any opportunity to direct a large strike on (America), even if that takes years of patience to do it.”

Ayman al-Zawahri

Al-Qaeda Leader

 

 

 

September 18, 2013

Knock Out Punch

By Tammy Derouin

There was a time when Americans were not easily fooled.  We had a no-nonsense attitude.  Cut to the chase and don’t try to sell me something that isn’t true or just plain stupid.  We have a word for that but I’ll let you use your imagination.  We used to demand proof if we thought someone was trying to pull the wool over our eyes.  Now we look at a wolf and obediently say it’s a sheep.  We no longer control the fire, the fire controls us.

Our confidence was shaken on September 11, 2001.  We were the victim of heinous crime.  The strongest nation in the world with the best security money could buy became a victim on the global stage.  What went wrong?  Attacks of this magnitude only happened in other countries.  The days of feeling safe and secure at home were gone forever.  But that’s not all that went wrong.

We were violated and we wanted to feel safe and secure once again.  In our haste we began to disregard the Constitution.  When you or someone you love is violated, you immediately look for better ways to protect them.  But at what cost, independence and the ability to think for yourself?

All the locks you can install and all the cameras you can mount will not stop a determined individual from gaining access or causing harm.  It will however, make the person you’re trying to protect feel like a prisoner.  Eventually you won’t trust the one you are trying to protect.   You’ve decided they aren’t capable of making decisions.  You decide when they come and go, whom they associate with and what they say and do.  It’s for their protection.

When your personal rights and space are violated, you feel defenseless.  Has your space ever been ransacked?  Were your belongings and personal papers ever searched and read without your knowledge?  When you realized something so sinister had taken place, did you discover anything missing?  Were you told you couldn’t have what was rightfully yours?  Has your activity ever been secretly monitored?  Have you ever been followed or tracked?  Has your mail been opened or your email password compromised?  Have you ever been told that you were given the opportunity to explain your private thoughts, feelings and ideas but you weren’t actually told that’s what you were supposed to do?  Go ahead, read that last sentence again, but it doesn’t get any clearer. 

This is where the “I’m not doing anything wrong so what difference does it make if I’m being watched,” argument receives a knock-out punch.  The one watching makes the rules.  You are viewed as suspicious because you aren’t following rules that were changed or penciled in without your knowledge.  Were you asked to agree to such ridiculous terms? No!  No one would agree to such scrutiny.  To make matters worse, you’re now expected to “clear things up” for the one who trespassed?  The victim has become the criminal. 

Continuous monitoring makes you feel like you’re going crazy.  You don’t want to believe it’s even possible because it’s so outrageous.  When it’s confirmed, it’s a mixed bag of emotions.  You’re relieved that you weren’t making it up; you’re not crazy after all.  Then the reality of it hits you.  You were being watched.  Your personal space was violated.  You became a target, the enemy.  Why?  Because you didn’t comply with the one who was watching.

Welcome to the new United States of America, the land where you are guilty until proven innocent.  If you’ve never experienced privacy violations, you’re in for a real treat.  It will leave you questioning yourself and your sanity.  If you have experienced privacy violations, you never want to experience it again.

The NSA has the ability to listen to every phone conversation, read every email and every text message.  They have partnered with tech companies and can track your purchases and interests while you’re on line or whenever you use a credit card.  Cameras are everywhere.  Up to 30,000 drones are expected to be in the sky within the next 10 years.  There are over 4,400 federal crimes currently on the books with more being added.  The president now has the power to act as judge, jury and executioner.

You still say you aren’t doing anything wrong?  What about tomorrow when the rules change and your once legal activity is now in question?

Similar offenses are stated in the Declaration of Independence.   What we don’t learn, we will repeat. 

Hillsdale College offers a wonderful online lecture series on the study of the Constitution.  I want to thank Frank Cereska who informed me of these lectures.  They are free but please consider a donation.

“The truth is, all might be free if they valued freedom, and defended it as they ought.”

Samuel Adams

 

September 4, 2013

Expect the Unexpected

By Tammy Derouin

Life is surviving the unexpected.  We can plan and prepare for many situations but there’s always an unexpected factor that comes into play. We think we are headed in one direction when all of a sudden something happens and we end up on a different path.

I attend a yearly writers’ conference at Maranatha.  Each year I walk away with a feeling or theme that seemed to reoccur throughout the conference.  Last year it was, “Expect the Unexpected.” 

So what is the unexpected?  It’s everything you didn’t plan or didn’t think would happen.  On the large scale, it’s watching the United States fall apart.  I never expected that I would witness the end of the greatest country in the world.  I never expected that our country would go from super power status to insignificant in five short years.  I never expected the United States would go from the land of opportunities to the land of entitlements and handouts.  I would have never believed that the people would be willing to give up their liberties to be subsidized.

In my own little world, I never expected to be divorced with children.  I never expected to experience the circumstances that led to the divorce.  I never expected the opportunities that surfaced once that final piece of straw landed on my camel’s back crossing my line, causing a shot to be heard, a battle to be fought, which led to my independence.  My life was intact, my liberty was renewed.  I had the freedom to pursue my happiness. 

The unexpected also means change.  Change isn’t something that is always welcomed.  Even when we know the situation is in dire need of an adjustment, the adjustment that occurs may be completely unexpected.  When a situation, which is typically a problem, is ignored and allowed to fester, we end up dealing with a much bigger problem. We have the ability to turn things around.  We have the map.  It’s still readable.  It’s our guide, our compass that must be followed to steer our country back on track.  Are we going to decide where we go or will we let the government continue to steer us?   We will decide by determination or default, which direction we will go.

When I hear key words such as transform, turning things around or going in a different direction, I’m very cautious.  We, as individuals, have very different ideas as to what is implied when such words or phrases are spoken.  We want to assume it’s all for the best.  But our goals aren’t the same.  What is beneficial to one can be harmful to others. 

I have learned that sometimes things have to get worse before they get better.  To what degree depends on how long the problem goes unchecked.  There are too many people who still believe all is well, it can’t happen here.  They won’t realize how much of a transformation we have gone through until something affects them.  When it does, as situations always catch up to everyone, they will rely on what they assumed to be true.  That’s when the reality of the transformation will be realized.  The ideals we cling to will be gone.  The freedoms we took for granted will have slipped away.  One by one they will disappear if we continue to ignore the problem.  Why does it have to go to extremes to get people to wake up?  When did we become so complacent? 

I never expected the safe haven to be so broken and on the verge of collapse.  What was once a sanctuary is slowly becoming a prison.  The colorful dream, the place that gives hope has lost its way.  Its value has been diminished, its traditions made irrelevant.  If the past doesn’t support the transformation, it will simply be erased.

Life has been a little bit different these past several weeks.  I didn’t expect to go down this path.  I guess I should have expected the unexpected.  So on that note, let’s have a little fun in an unexpected direction.

Maybe next week I’ll come out swinging.  Maybe the news will have me seething.  I do not know what I’ll propose.  I do not know what the future holds.  One thing that I do now know, took many teachings to unfold.  Knowledge is what knowledge knows so what do you think you should suppose?   Suppose you plan but don’t expect to never know…what to expect.

“You have brains in your head.  You have feet in your shoes.  You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.  You’re on your own.  And you know what you know.  You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

Dr. Seuss

September 4, 2013

Expect the Unexpected

By Tammy Derouin

Life is surviving the unexpected.  We can plan and prepare for many situations but there’s always an unexpected factor that comes into play. We think we are headed in one direction when all of a sudden something happens and we end up on a different path.

I attend a yearly writers’ conference at Maranatha.  Each year I walk away with a feeling or theme that seemed to reoccur throughout the conference.  Last year it was, “Expect the Unexpected.” 

So what is the unexpected?  It’s everything you didn’t plan or didn’t think would happen.  On the large scale, it’s watching the United States fall apart.  I never expected that I would witness the end of the greatest country in the world.  I never expected that our country would go from super power status to insignificant in five short years.  I never expected the United States would go from the land of opportunities to the land of entitlements and handouts.  I would have never believed that the people would be willing to give up their liberties to be subsidized.

In my own little world, I never expected to be divorced with children.  I never expected to experience the circumstances that led to the divorce.  I never expected the opportunities that surfaced once that final piece of straw landed on my camel’s back crossing my line, causing a shot to be heard, a battle to be fought, which led to my independence.  My life was intact, my liberty was renewed.  I had the freedom to pursue my happiness. 

The unexpected also means change.  Change isn’t something that is always welcomed.  Even when we know the situation is in dire need of an adjustment, the adjustment that occurs may be completely unexpected.  When a situation, which is typically a problem, is ignored and allowed to fester, we end up dealing with a much bigger problem. We have the ability to turn things around.  We have the map.  It’s still readable.  It’s our guide, our compass that must be followed to steer our country back on track.  Are we going to decide where we go or will we let the government continue to steer us?   We will decide by determination or default, which direction we will go.

When I hear key words such as transform, turning things around or going in a different direction, I’m very cautious.  We, as individuals, have very different ideas as to what is implied when such words or phrases are spoken.  We want to assume it’s all for the best.  But our goals aren’t the same.  What is beneficial to one can be harmful to others. 

I have learned that sometimes things have to get worse before they get better.  To what degree depends on how long the problem goes unchecked.  There are too many people who still believe all is well, it can’t happen here.  They won’t realize how much of a transformation we have gone through until something affects them.  When it does, as situations always catch up to everyone, they will rely on what they assumed to be true.  That’s when the reality of the transformation will be realized.  The ideals we cling to will be gone.  The freedoms we took for granted will have slipped away.  One by one they will disappear if we continue to ignore the problem.  Why does it have to go to extremes to get people to wake up?  When did we become so complacent? 

I never expected the safe haven to be so broken and on the verge of collapse.  What was once a sanctuary is slowly becoming a prison.  The colorful dream, the place that gives hope has lost its way.  Its value has been diminished, its traditions made irrelevant.  If the past doesn’t support the transformation, it will simply be erased.

Life has been a little bit different these past several weeks.  I didn’t expect to go down this path.  I guess I should have expected the unexpected.  So on that note, let’s have a little fun in an unexpected direction.

Maybe next week I’ll come out swinging.  Maybe the news will have me seething.  I do not know what I’ll propose.  I do not know what the future holds.  One thing that I do now know, took many teachings to unfold.  Knowledge is what knowledge knows so what do you think you should suppose?   Suppose you plan but don’t expect to never know…what to expect.

“You have brains in your head.  You have feet in your shoes.  You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.  You’re on your own.  And you know what you know.  You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

Dr. Seuss

August 28, 2013

Irreversible Damage

By Tammy Derouin

Change is difficult.  Even the Declaration of Independence acknowledges by way of experience or history, “…that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”

Acknowledging a problem is the first step to resolving the issue.  We toss ideas around and try to figure out the best course of action.  The most difficult part is waiting.  Once you’ve identified the problem and have sorted through all your options a decision has to be made.  The higher the stakes the more thought it takes.  Eventually we get to a point when we realize we have to move but it’s still difficult.  What will be lost?  What will be gained?  Will I survive the battle?  How many will be affected and to what degree?

Change, even if we know it’s the right thing to do, is difficult.  But where would we be without it?  The Magna Carta was a very bold statement.  Life would be very different without the courage of those who supported such a revolutionary move.  The Declaration of Independence, another bold statement.  The colonists were going to go up against the British Empire? Who did they think they were?  Why did they think they could win?  When the prize is freedom, you fight to the bitter end.

The Bill of Rights is an exceptional statement within an extraordinary document.  The Bill of Rights was a compromise between the Federalist and the Anti-Federalists such as Thomas Jefferson.  Jefferson was concerned about the federal government taking too much power.  Our rights, by way of Natural Law, were spelled out in the form of the first ten amendments.  The Constitution would guarantee our individual rights.  The government cannot take away gifts which the government never gave.  We of course, are proving we can give up such precious gifts. I wonder what Jefferson would think about today’s government? 

Looking back, it’s easy to say “they” did what was right and what needed to be done.  We have the benefit of knowing the outcome, the colonists didn’t.  They had their convictions and beliefs to guide them.  When the event took place which overstepped the line they had drawn, a shot was heard around the world. 

We all deal with situations in our lives when the extent of what we are willing to put up with is pushed.  We have our individual lines.  Should one more piece of straw land on the back of our camel, we have outlined a course of action.   A shot will be heard in our own little world.  Something happened that caused us to act, to say enough is enough. There will be unrest and even chaos for a time.  Our little world will suffer some casualties and loss. 

When you do what you do because it’s the right thing to do, you find your true friends, your allies.  Benjamin Franklin said, “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”  The time comes when you have to make a decision.  Knowing your convictions and principles lets you know immediately where you stand, no matter the risk, which side of the line you will choose.

Once the smoke has cleared and the battle is over, change has occurred.  Even if your side of the line won, there will be losses.  Some damage may be repairable.  No matter how hard you fight a good fight, some damage is not repairable. Those are the consequence of bad decisions even if made with good intentions.  The sooner we realize bad decisions have made things worse, the sooner we can turn things around and make the much needed repairs.  Perhaps we can prevent irreversible damage. 

We have been fortunate to have the blessings we were given.  We must stand together against those who wish to fundamentally transform our way of life.  We’ve known for some time that something is wrong.  The system is breaking down.  How long are we going to ignore the problem?  It’s not always easy to know what to do or even who to trust.   The extent of what we stand to lose will not really be understood until it’s gone.   

If we can’t stand for what is right in our own little world, how will we be able to stand for God and country?

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

The Declaration of Independence

 

 

 

August 21, 2013

Total Breakdown

By Tammy Derouin

My nemesis kept me under surveillance through technology. This interesting piece of information was revealed only after our union was officially dissolved.  He chose to inform me of his activity face to face, with a smile.  He seemed quite pleased with himself.  I was told my life was boring and that I’d done nothing wrong.  Was he really expecting me to be grateful for his verdict?  I already knew I was innocent of all his charges.

I could feel my knees buckle as my heart sank into my stomach while I processed his revealing confession.  No, he didn’t apologize or ask for forgiveness.  I guess I wasn’t going crazy after all.  His actions and accusations however, made me question myself.  Was I doing something wrong?  No, I upheld my end of the contract.  His unlawful amendments were beyond my control or knowledge for that matter.  On a positive note, it only reinforced my decision to nullify the contract through legal procedures.

Towards the end going to the lake was becoming a crime, along with not answering my phone.  It didn’t matter why I didn’t answer; whether I didn’t hear it, it was left in the car or I was driving and didn’t want to try fishing it out of my purse.  At the time, I didn’t realize I had wandered outside of his imaginary fence.  I just knew it was irritating and very creepy.  I grew tired of the inquisitions so voicemail handled him.  Many scathing messages were left for me.  I was guilty of something by the time I got home.  The one spying makes the rules and amends them without notice.

My servitude provided him with the elite status he so desired.  Where did it get him?  He overstepped his position which is abuse of power.  He tried to control every aspect of my life, which is breach of contract.  He tried to rule with an iron fist by imposing his will and attempting to control through deviant behavior such as spying.  This eventually caused a collapse of the system, total breakdown.

Our Constitution is a contract between the federal government, the states and the people.  This contract has been severely violated.  The federal government ignores it.  The states don’t enforce it and the people no longer understand its importance.  Schools systems have been bribed to change their curriculum.  The Constitution is no longer significant.  The DOE has an agenda but more on Common Core in the future.

We have a president that makes laws.  Only Congress has the power to make laws.  The job of the executive is spelled out very clearly in our Constitution.  In Article 2, Section 2, the duties include Commander in Chief, the ability to make treaties with the consent of the Senate, nominate and appoint certain government officials, report to Congress the State of the Union and may recommend a course of action, shall receive ambassadors and other public officials, faithfully execute laws and commission officers.  That’s it.  I’d say there’s been some overstepping and abuse of power.

Article 5 of the Constitution states very clearly how amendments may be proposed and ratified.  It’s the responsibility of Congress or if two thirds of the states call for a convention to propose an amendment to the Constitution.  The amendment must be ratified by the legislatures or by the convention.  There’s absolutely no mention of the executive branch in regards to making amendments to the Constitution, yet we have a president that has apparently just added an amendment.  In Obama’s weekly address he’s pushing the Affordable Health Care Act.  Beyond the propaganda, it’s what he says at the very end that is extremely troubling. “Because in the United States of America, health insurance isn’t a privilege – it is your right.  And we’re going to keep it that way.”

No, Mr. President health insurance isn’t a right.  Read the Constitution!  You’re a Constitutional scholar.  You know the Constitution is Kryptonite to your social/communistic dream. Health insurance is not a right but neither is a job, home, car, cell phone, internet or anything else you and your progressive conspirators dream up.  There’s another one, The Dream Act.  Citizenship isn’t a right, unless you’re born here, it’s a privilege and you have devalued American citizenship.

We have a president that is overstepping his authority and abusing power.  He’s attempting to control every aspect of your life.  Threats and intimidation are tactics used to make you fear your government.  Your servitude will provide elite status to the one in control.  Eventually the system will collapse, total breakdown.  The contract will be dissolved.

Knowing and understanding our Constitution is the only way we can save ourselves from the European and Middle East nightmares. 

“The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending against all hazards:  And it is our duty to defend them against all attacks.”

Samuel Adams