MOTHER’S DAY 2012

Moms….especially mine

Fifty years ago today, my mother celebrated her 1st Mother’s Day.

I was 8 months old and still needed to be carried and fed and changed.  I was a babbling baby

of needs and wants.  And she was pregnant with my sister.

By the next Mother’s Day, i was a walking, talking toddler with a baby sister who needed

all the attention of being carried and fed and changed.

Many Mother’s Days have come and gone since then.  In total my mother had 4 children,

of which, i am the oldest.

Mom saw us through childhood shots and diseases, broken bones, scrapes, bruises and boo-boos.

She saw us through kindergarten, grade schools, high schools, colleges, and/or tech schools.

She dressed us for church, for school, and for graduations.

She fed us, our friends, and planned parties for celebrations.

She baked for birthdays, Christmases and bake sales.

She taught us to cook, to clean, to think, and to imagine.

She became a Camp Fire Girl leader.

She sewed clothes and costumes, and made impromptu instruments.

She played piano for us to sing or dance to.

She taught us Catholic catechism.

She helped with homework.

She read us books.

She took us shopping.

She taught us how to love and how to forgive.

She taught us the values of family and friendship.

And in time, she saw us through boyfriends and dating.

And then, of course, weddings and pregnancies and miscarriages.

She was there for births, first baths and all the firsts for not only her daughter as mother,

but for her grandchildren’s firsts.

And in all these things, she talked with us.  She was part of our lives.

She instilled values and morals in us to guide us throughout our lives–

whether she was there or not.

As I have told many people throughout my adult life:

My mother raised 4 very independent strong women.

And she is grandmother to 27 men and women, boys and girls.

So today, on Mother’s Day 2012, as my mother celebrates her 50th Mother’s Day–

I want to say, thank you Mom.

For everything you have done,

and all you still do

for your girls,

for your family

Thank You!

and most importantly,

I love you!

God bless and keep you always!

Regrets…I have a few (ok, maybe more than a few)

We have all done things in our lives that we rethink or look back and think, “gee, I could’ve” or “hmmmm, maybe i should’ve…”

The fact is as we get older we think of things we could’ve or should’ve done differently or better.  And usually we can forgive ourselves, change and move on.  But sometimes, there are those things that just fly up out of nowhere into our memories.  We dwell on them.  We again rethink them …..for the hundredth or thousandth time.  They just seem to haunt us….over and over.

So this time, I’m gonna just put it out there.  And hopefully this will quell this memory to stay where it belongs, a regret that I cannot change and that I truly wish I could make right….even after 33 years.

Back in high school, I met another student who I considered a friend.  I had taken choir (oh why did I do that!….like I could sing!)  But I loved the class–it was one of the few that had members from every class, freshmen to seniors.  It had the smart kids, the singers, athletes, and those just needing a class without homework. 

This student, Theresa, was in this class, and like me, an alto.  She had a strong sense of tone and I always seemed to be flat unless she was in my left ear.  So we made a deal that she’d always sit on my left side.  She also convinced me to join the smaller choir group that was limited to only about 15 students.  It was not a class, was not extra credit, just an extracurricular group that went to nursing homes during special seasons and competitions as a group. 

Theresa was a year ahead of me and was also in the ‘theatre’ group.  She was a performer, I was usually on the tech crew or box office.  And I admired her.  I came from what was (and is) considered a big family of 4 girls.  She came from a family of, I think, 7 kids. 

One cold November day, I saw Theresa coming out of one of the buildings as I was going in.  She had on a greenish coat with a fur collar.  It was a beautiful coat…and I truly liked it.  And I told her so.

She mistook my genuine comment as a cutting remark as she responded with, “It’s my mother’s coat! And I can’t believe you of all people would say something like that!” And something about money being tight.  I didn’t know their family had problems until that moment…and it didn’t matter.  I really liked that coat.  It was green…something different!  And I like things that are a little different. 

I tried to go after her, but she turned and told me not to follow her.  For the rest of the year, she avoided me.  She graduated and moved on with her life.  And to this day I still try to find her online–on the high school site, on Facebook (isn’t everyone there????), on MySpace, and just Google-ing her.  Because to this day is pains me that this was not settled all those years ago. 

It was not a put down….it was an honest comment.  And she looked good in that coat.  And yes, I know, it was just a coat.  And I have come up with hundreds of reasons of why ideas for her misunderstanding.  But none of that matters.  What matters is, I lost a friend.  Someone I valued and enjoyed being around.

I didn’t have a lot of friends in high school.  I was pretty much a loner, not always by choice.  I was in the Drama Club, I was in Girls Athletic Association, I was the manager of the basketball team and the Volleyball team (lettering in both!). I was in the Christian Life Community–going to Chronic Hospital once a month to entertain and to be part of a Mass for the residents.  I was part of organizations that fed into my interests, my beliefs, and who rounded out my persona.  And yet, I had no 1 group of friends or even 1 close friend.  But I had many that I enjoyed being with and participated in many activities with them.

So if anyone knows Theresa—or someone like her—let them know that they are still thought of. 

And of course, there are other regrets.  Such as, should i have tried to dated sooner?  Should I have tried harder to be whatever the men were looking for back then?  Should I have stayed in Florida when I left my job there or should I have gone home to Missouri like I did? 

OH the ‘what-if’s of life!  Was I right to move to where I am and buy a house?  Or should I have looked harder for a house to rent?

And now I am 50…and I say, right or wrong, good or bad….my life is my life.  I have a wonderful man in my life.  I have a wonderful house that is becoming a home….just need to get out of rent mode and start hanging pictures!  I have 3 dogs that love me and who make me laugh. 

And Theresa…if you read this….please know that I would never have ever intentionally hurt you emotionally like that.  I really did like that coat.  My mother had one like it in boring beige. 

A little of this….a dash of that…..

There is so much going on these days….in the world, in the country and in my life.

I have nieces and nephews graduating from high school and college…and I am so proud of them for their achievements and hope  all the best for them as they go onto the next journey in their lives

And then we have the Democrats and Republicans heating up to do battle over the next 5 months for votes.  They are arguing and misconstruing thoughts and ideas, realities and perceptions.

The funniest one to me so far is the argument about which is more for women than the other.  The Democrats say that the Republicans want to keep us girls in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant is my guess.  And yet the Democrats don’t want to pay women equal pay for equal work.   Ironically—I would love to stay home and take care of things while my husband worked.  Oh wait….sighs.  I’m not married.  So pay me what I am worth, not 18-25% less.

And then we have earthquakes, tremors, and tornadoes all over.  It is more than apparent that the Bible’s Book of Revelation is being expressed in nature.  The earth is as a woman in labor….the pangs coming faster and more frequent.

Then I read a truth in a cartoon—-waterboardiing is illegal and bad bad bad, but killing unborn children is quite alright.  We have gotten our priorities way out of whack!!   I sometimes wonder if those that laugh at God now will laugh on Judgement Day.

The biggy idea I heard this week…..Obama Care is not a right.  A right is something that does not burden another.  And yet Obama Care forces doctors, hospitals and other healthcare professionals to treat people for a set fee.  That is not a right, that is a service that is given to another, regulated by people who do not know the patient, can’t see the patient, but decides who will get what medicines, what tests, and what treatments.   It is not right.  It is not fair.  It is a travesty of our healthcare system.

And who is to say what is fair?  I don’t think it’s fair that our President and/or his family takes more vacations than those that work for a living day in and day out to support this country.  I don’t think it’s fair that while bad-mouthing those that built their fortunes are being demonized by the same idiots that are giving CEO’s of bankrupt companies millions of our taxpayer dollars in bonuses .

And is it fair that our taxpayer dollars are being given away to company after company for services and products that very few can afford and fewer want?

I am tired of a President that allows his Muslim brothers to run our country’s foreign policies.  He stated in his books that he would always stand by his Muslim brothers.  He also expressed his contempt for his white mother.  And his actions and policies here at home and abroad have proved that over and over.  But we can’t call him a racist….because only whites can be racist.

Anyhow….I just wanted to express a few thoughts and ideas that are in my world.

Have a great day!  and God bless our troops!!

 

Easter–

Easter…..

The day we celebrate the Risen Messiah…the Light of the World who died on a wooden cross and who was raised up on the third day.

It is celebrated in the midst of springtime…when the earth is renewing itself once again.  All that had died or hibernated comes to life and the earth is covered in greens and pinks, yellows and purples.

The day is celebrated with friends and family, and with food and fun.  After 6 weeks of reflection and prayer, Christians emerge

to celebrate the miraculous.

And in a way, it is a time that we–those who believe in the Christ, the Risen Lord, renew ourselves.  In many ways, it’s like New Year’s–we have changed.  We have been renewed.  We have been forgiven.  We have been reborn into the heart of God.

We profess our faith…that we believe in the one Lord, the one God.  We profess our belief in the Resurrection.   We thank the Lord for making us joint heirs with his Son to the Kingdom of Heaven.

I wish you all a very happy and blessed Easter.  May the blood of Christ wash away all your sins

and make you white as snow without blemish.

Storage Rooms and Closets vs Vacation

It’s that time of year when the boss flies off to go skiing amidst gaining CME’s for her license and we, the workers, get a week off over spring break.  And so great ideas abounded before and some actually happened.

Monday:  I opened the storage room door.  I closed it.  I just couldn’t…not now. Let’s do laundry and dishes.  Yes, that’s much easier.

Tuesday:  OK, can’t wait any longer, I opened the storage room door again.  Grabbed a couple boxes and started going through them.  I smiled. I laughed.  I shook my head.  And at times, held back a tear.  Those boxes held the memories of my life spanning a good 20 years. I started saving tidbits and things when I was about 14-15 and in high school, thinking that someday I would pass things on to my daughter or son.  But here I am at 50 with no children and no hopes of anyone to pass them on to.

There were letters and do-dads, and fun and sadness.  But most of all, I found bits and pieces of me from long ago.  I found ticket stubs from games gone by and ribbons from flowers and gifts long received.  I found my Sierra’s rabies dog tags from all of her life.  I found letters and cards from birthdays and holidays long ago sent by friends and family. I found letters from the many many prisoners I used to write and visit.  I found newspapers and clippings of stories and comics that were sent to me from places I used to live.  I found memories and thoughts of a me that has changed and moved on. I relocated key chains and baubles, wedding invitations and bubbles, funeral programs and prayer cards.

And a few hours later I had a handful of things to keep and full boxes of things that could be let go.  I realized that I had carried these memories in paper and glass and plastic and metal form for years.  I have moved many many times over the last 30 years and each time I carried some of these things with me.  Filing memories in a box that never got reopened unless it was in the hopes of finding a picture.  By storage room is a mess of things that I will never look at again and no longer need.

I tried to think of why I saved these things anyhow.  Was it to make me feel as though I mattered to someone at some point in my life?  Or perhaps that I just didn’t want to let go of the past?  Or could it be that right now, I am loved by a wonderful man and no longer need these things?  Or could it be something as mundane as I have no more room to put things and something must go?  Perhaps a bit of all of the above.

I am also in the process of creating my family tree.  And I see how important some pictures and papers and certificates can be.  So I did try to find as much as I could that could help in that…and then perhaps those will find their way to the garbage can as well (after being digitally preserved, of course).

It  was a tad hard to really give up all of the tangible evidence of my existence in those boxes, but in another way it was refreshing.  Like scabs being removed…it hurts, but then healing can begin.

So have you looked in your closets and storage areas lately?  What will you find?  A bit of yourself? Perhaps.  Or perhaps you’ll find a life well lived and well cherished.  You might even find old friends and long ago loves.  I did.

the Chevy Volt, Solyndra, and all the others

The era of bailouts….the American taxpayer has bailed out so many of Obama’s friends and cohorts, it’s no longer healthy for America.   We have become a toxic bank to the Obama cronies.

They cry that they are for the poor and disenchanted whilst taking funding and favors from those they consider rich…insert Republican…and give it to failing Obama enterprises.

Obama gave our paychecks to force Chevy to put their prototype, the Volt, into production.  The Volt was never meant to be put on the road this soon.   This so called energy saving car using electricity can barely go 26 miles without dying out and needing that which Obama wants to force us to stop using, gasoline.   So he wants us to use electricity…which needs sources such as coal to create.  And yet he has demanded more regulations–costing more money on coal producers– be placed so that the cost of that electricity is more expensive.

And then there is Solyndra who received hundreds of thousands of dollars of us working people’s money—all the time knowing that it was a failing business that would fail.  They ignored the former (Republican) President’s administration’s decision of not lending any money to them.  But then again, Solyndra gave money to Obama–so it was probably a favor returned.  Then Solyndra gave bonuses to their bigwigs and filed bankruptcy.

There have been banks and other so-called ‘green’ companies that Obama has helped by digging into our pocketbooks.  And most have closed their doors after getting their ‘fair share’.  Yes, Obama is all about being fair.  As long as you are Democrat, think he is some sort of a god,  and have drank from his poisoned well of words.

And the list goes on.  It’s like Obama and his cronies fail at business.  And we have more proof everyday that Obama fails as a representative of the USA.  Bowing to foreign leaders, apologizing for being American, showing disrespect to our flag, and most importantly, stating in his book his disdain for whites when Europeans are the majority of this country.

He has placed more regulations and taken more money out of the hands of working Americans since the Great Depression.   More Americans are out of work and needing jobs.  But companies can’t hire when they are now putting money that should be for salaries into more permits and more regulation compliance.

So what is Obama going to do when there are no more working Americans to take money from?  Where will he get his money to pay out to his cronies?  Where will he get his money for his version of healthcare….that everyone but politicos will be forced to have?

Yes, Obama is the Green President…he needs OUR green for his projects.   He needs OUR green for his cronies.  He needs OUR green for his failed poor excuse of a presidency.

We need a President….not a wannabe.  We need a leader, not an apologizer.  We need stability, not whims.  We need a hand up….not a handout!  We need ________________, not Obama!

 

 

Where did I come from? Who did I come from?

The age old question of children:  “Where did I come from? “  It’s our nature to what to know where we came from.  I think that is for many reasons.  Knowing where we came from explains our present and can guide our futures.  And in answering that question of where, we grow up wanting to know more about the ‘who’ behind that where.

We come from our parents, obviously.  We are the genetic makeup of our parents and their parents and so forth and so on back to Adam and Eve.   Of course, after Noah and the Great Flood, I guess we should say back to Noah and his family.

And then Abraham had Israel and Ishmael.  Ishmael being the son of Abraham’s wife’s servant Hannah was sent away and so the Arab world can trace its roots back to  him.  Israel was the father of the Jewish world which begat the Christian world, since Jesus was Jewish and the Christ whose followers are Christians.

And as these cultures spread throughout the world, they propagated and created countries and traditions and cultures that are handed down generation to generation.

I said all of that to say this:  I have been working on my family tree.  I have always been interested in my family members and who went where and who did what.  I loved listening to my paternal grandmother explaining what her sisters did and what her father built.  Or listening to my mother talk of her family’s farm.

We go to school and learn history and then as we get older to understand that our aunts, uncles, etc were in that war or were a part of that piece of history.

And then in the late 1970′s, Alex Haley wrote a book which became the first TV mini-series: Roots.  He had traced his family history back and then sparked an interest in the hearts of millions by sharing his story, his history, with the world.   One of those hearts that got sparked was my Aunt Janet.   She organized our family’s first reunion in the early 1980′s.  Her mother, my paternal grandmother, had died in 1980 and it was obvious that the family was beginning to lose touch with each other.  And so for years we met once a year to catch up with one another, share stories, embrace the new family members and remember those that had left us.

This is when my heart got sparked to start working on the family tree…in my own little way.  I did it all my hand and only concerned myself with my dad’s family from his parents down.  And our family has grown since those days.

Fast forward to March 2011 when my boyfriend gifted me with Family Tree Maker*.  Ok, this is NOT an ad for the program so don’t think that I’m trying to sell anything.  I mention it for one thing: it helped me organize my tree in a more consistent manner and it came with a 1 month subscription to Ancestry.com*.   And that is when my spark became a flame that became a wildfire.  I had to have a subscription!  And no I’m not selling Ancestry.com either.  But I will say it made this couch potato’s love of history come to life as I was able to find my family roots back to the arrival into the United States.  (I have my hands full enough with just this section of my family history–maybe one day I’ll try to trace the German and French and other foreign language records.)  But I do encourage you to find a way to organize your notes and papers.  And there are many many websites to help you along your journey…many of which are free.

I have enjoyed exploring not only my roots, but the roots of all those that are or have been a part of the family.  I have learned of family that registered or were drafted into World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.  There are members that only served in peace time, and those that are currently serving.  And although my direct roots did not come to America until the 1870-1880′s,  I found some Confederate States of America soldiers.

My father’s family came to this country from Germany  and landed in Baltimore on their way to St Louis, Missouri.   My mother’s family came from Germany and entered through the port of New Orleans on their way to Illinois.   Dad’s family were laborers.  Mom’s family were farmers.

Dad’s family stayed in and around St Louis, except for the women who followed their husbands to new homes out of state.  Mom’s family moved to Mississippi and Arkansas for farms.

And through this entire journey over the last year, I have come to understand a bit more about myself.  I come from strong German families that labored in factories and labored in the fields.  One side lived in the city and the other side in rural areas.   Although German, diversity came together in my parents.  Mom was raised in the South with its traditions and social differences.  Dad was raised in the North with its own identity.   Even their Catholicism was different.  I like to think that I have the best of both worlds.

Our family grew and spread throughout the United States and the next generation is carrying that on.  Each of us bringing the traditions and cultures we have learned with us, whether we realize it or not.   Our parents influence our speech, our walk, our values, our morals–we can’t escape it.  We might not agree, but their influence still affected us.

We each have a history inside of us.  And as we live our lives, and co-exist with the previous and future generations, we share that history with their history.   All I know is that I understand more about who I am, who I came from and where I want to go.

So if you are searching for who you are–try looking into your tree.  You just might be surprised.

 

* Family Tree Maker and Ancestry.com are from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, in Provo, Utah.

Contraception: UK Style

Contraception UK style seems to be what Obamacare would want for our children too…in secret out of the sight of parental rights and concerns.

After I read the article from the United Kingdom, my first question was: did the girls even understand what was happening? Did they understand that this implant would last for years? That this implant could cause other serious medical problems? Are 13 year old girls ready to take on the consequences that seem to be forced upon them from the government? And what about the possible problems when they do decide to have children?

But my biggest outrage was that the government made the decision for the girls, the parents and the future generations that these girls will bring forth….if they can.

This story reminded me of so many things that have happened and are slated to happen in the world and in our own USA. First, it reminded me of an article I read about the World Health Organization giving tetanus shots to girls in mostly Catholic countries such as the Philippines, Venezuela, and others. They told the woman and girls that it was a series of 3 injections that needed to be given at certain intervals.

a) Tetanus shots are a single injection given every 10 years
b) It was later learned that the WHO had decided that there was too much of a population explosion in those countries and so with lies and sterilizing medications, they pharmaceutically sterilized thousands of girls from 9 to 30.

So there’s a generation changed for a few countries. And those women had no clue what these outsiders had just done to their customs, their lives, their futures.

And then we have the universal health care of the Europe that the United States is salivating to have as well. A plan called the Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act also known as Obamacare. There is already controversy over many of the provisions….contraception for starters. PPACA wants those of faith to abandon or forget their morals and beliefs to bow down and accept a health plan that contradicts their beliefs.

Instead of backing off from forcing contraception coverage onto those whose beliefs or morals run counter to PPACA, President Obama opted to go with forcing insurance companies to get contraception to the people. That will just raise the rates of the insurance coverage and/or the taxpayer will once again be forced to pay for things that they do not believe in nor want.

Believe it or not there are some people who have morals, convictions and beliefs within and without of a religious community. There are those that are opposed to contraception, abortion, and laws that force them upon people, especially those that are not able to yet understand the consequences of those actions.

PPACA, Obamacare, Socialized Medicine, Universal Healthcare is all about controlling the lives of those it covers. They, those appointed by its controllers (the government), decide who will get what services and when. There have been hundreds of examples of how that works in other countries. Those countries have higher taxes and their people have more dependence on the government for their health. There are stories of doctors drinking through lunch with patients on the operating table waiting for their return. Normally, that would mean lawsuits and other such hazard warnings, but in Socialized countries, it IS the norm. Either way, I thought that the home of the free would mean that we could choose what doctor we saw and when.

We have social programs in place and perhaps they need to be beefed up to meet more needs of more people. But we the taxpayers are already screaming at the high taxes. Listen…it is going to get worse with Obamacare. We will be paying for every surgery–elective and not–when it is fully implemented. We will pay for those things that make sense and those things that don’t. Everyone wants to think that it will be wonderful and altruistic, but it will really be expensive, time consuming, and opens the door for all sorts of abuse.

And don’t forget–the ones shoving it down our throats are the very ones that will NOT be covered by it. Those Congressional Hillbillies will be sitting pretty with their Cadillac plan (as they like to call it) that will get them better doctors, hospitals and quicker service.

But for now ….just think about those 13 year old girls now protected against pregnancy for who know how long, and not knowing the side effects or if there will be any permanent damage to their future. It won’t stop the activity that could get them pregnant–in fact it might hasten it. And then think about your daughter, your niece, your friends…..

Is this what we want? ………………

……………………..
…………………..I say NO!

Land of the Drones? and I don’t mean bees……….

The United States of America, land of the free, home of the brave. Has it now become the Land of the Drone?

Drones are worker bees, serving their queen until she died and a new queen would begin her reign. And now our ever so clever Congress has decided that America should have drones of another sort serving her.

Drones: unmanned flying machines that are mainly used for military purposes during war to spy on the enemy and/or to carry attack weapons.
And it seems that the American people need to be spied on under the guise of the War on Terror, the War on Drugs, and whatever else they would like to throw into the pot. But the basic premise is to watch the activities of the people of America.

U.S. Skies Could See More Drones discusses the passage of the bill and the response of the pilots and their unions. Can you imagine the possible air collisions due to drones and aircraft?

Do we need more objects flying overhead, especially near busy or congested cities? Is this the next phase in becoming exactly what we despised in the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, and other communist countries like Cuba, East Germany, etc. We are no longer the Land of the Free—we are the Land of the Watched.

We wouldn’t need drones flying over our borders if we could just hire (what? make jobs available for Americans? wow…that might help the economy, so we can’t have that!) more border patrols. We could actually deport those that arrive illegally.

Why do we need these drones? To check traffic? To give better video to police chases? To be a bigger nuisance in our skies? Perhaps so…but it is still watching Americans. And who will control these flying objects of nuisance? The government.

The same people who are trying to tell us what to eat, what to buy, what to wear, what to drive, what to grow, where to live, how much we should be paid, and run by the very people who put themselves above all of the laws they write. We are forced to be guinea pigs in their social experiments and health advisories, and yet they give themselves the best of the best care while denying it to us. Do you think for one minute that if they or their loved one needed an MRI that they would have to beg the insurance company or the government to let them have one? Hell no!

Do you think that if their child was overweight that that child would be taken away by the courts? Hell no!
Do you think that if they didn’t pay their taxes that they would be fined and penalized? Hell no! (Look at Tim Geitner—he’s in charge and he didn’t pay taxes!)

But I digress. The fact is that Americans are being dumbed down through the school systems and the government is allowing it so that they can continue to take more and more freedoms away from us. We are becoming the socialized societies that control most of Europe and is spreading to other countries around us. Even Canada has socialized medicine.

Drones will be more nanny devices to see who is doing what and where so that laws and information can be formed and gathered to curtail the American people. We the people need to remember to VOTE in and VOTE out those that want to take our liberties away.

One of my biggest questions I had while I read this article was: how much did those Congressmen get in kickbacks for this bill?

I’m beginning to think that when deals like this are made, we the taxpayer should get a portion of that kickback. Instead we just get the bills to pay for it.

I hope the pilots win….afterall they will be the ones blamed when something goes wrong. We already have problems of planes of all shapes and sizes along with helicopters, hot air balloons and other things floating in the air. Not to mention the occasional SkyLab falling or UFO sighting.

I’m all for security….but I do think that drones are not the answer. Too many chances for overstepping personal privacy and spying on innocent Americans.

Obama: Muslim or Christian? does he even know?

Blending politics and religion, Obama says his policies are an extension of Christian faith

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/policy/obama-links-policies-to-faith-as-well-as-good-economic-sense/2012/02/02/gIQA062LkQ_story.html

By Associated Press, Published: February 2

WASHINGTON — Blending politics and religion, President Barack Obama said his Christian faith is a driving force behind his economic policies, from Wall Street reform to his calls for the wealthy to pay higher taxes.

Obama’s remarks Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast were his most explicit account of how his personal religious beliefs factor into his decision-making on the nation’s pressing problems. The comments came amid election-year criticism from Catholic groups and some Republicans that the president is waging a war on religion following his decision to require church-affiliated institutions to cover free birth control for employees.

Speaking to more than 3,000 people at the annual breakfast, Obama said “faith and values” should play as much as role in tackling the nation’s challenges as sound decision-making and smart policies.

He said, for example, that his own call for fairness in the tax code — a central tenet of his State of the Union address and his 2012 campaign — is both economically sound and consistent with the teachings of Jesus.
“If I’m willing to give something up as somebody who’s been extraordinarily blessed, and give up some of the tax breaks that I enjoy, I actually think that’s going to make economic sense,” he said. “But for me as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus’s teaching that ‘for unto whom much is given, much shall be required.’ It mirrors the Islamic belief that those who’ve been blessed have an obligation to use those blessings to help others, or the Jewish doctrine of moderation and consideration for others.”

[The Bible does not say: take from the rich and give to the poor. It says for each to give, which leaves it up to each individual. What is moral and right for one, does not mean it is moral and right for all.]

He also said the Wall Street reform he championed both “makes the economy stronger for everyone” and abides by God’s command to “love thy neighbor as thyself” because it helped people who had been hurt or treated unfairly by financial institutions.

And Obama said he believed in a “biblical call” to care for the poor and to follow “the responsibility we’re given in Proverbs to ‘Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.’”

The president’s remarks came one day after Mitt Romney, the front-runner for the Republican nomination, created a flap with clumsy comments about the poor.

Romney said wasn’t concerned about the “very poor” because they have a safety net. He also said he wasn’t concerned about the very rich and intended to focus his campaign on the middle class.

“You can focus on the very poor; that’s not my focus,” Romney said.

While the White House said the president’s remarks were not meant to be political, his comments did fit neatly into the Obama campaign’s effort to draw sharp contrasts between the president and Romney.

The former Massachusetts governor is among Republicans who have criticized the president for not exempting religious organizations from a requirement in the 2010 health care law that requires insurers to cover birth control for their employees. Romney said this week that the president was ordering “religious organizations to violate their conscience.”

GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said Obama has “declared war on the Catholic Church,” and House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday the mandate violates the Constitution.

Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum castigated the policy and Obama’s remarks during a campaign stop in rural Fallon, Nev.

“He made the claim that his policies of taxing the rich is authorized by the Bible, that he is doing what is biblically called for by taxing the rich, by having the government tax the rich. Now, I’ve read the Bible, and I must have missed that passage,” Santorum told reporters.  “This is an administration that attacks religion, and then tries to cloak itself in religion in order to take your money.”
Obama never mentioned the health care controversy in his remarks Thursday, nor did he reference his Republican rivals by name. But his broader defense of his policies was a rare interjection of politics into the annual prayer breakfast. The breakfast is organized by bipartisan congressional lawmakers, but speakers often avoid overt political references beyond calling for civility and respect in Washington.

While Obama speaks often about his faith, he prefers to worship in private. He said Thursday that he starts each morning with a brief prayer, then spends time reading scripture. Sometimes, he said, pastors come to the Oval Officer to pray with him, for his family and for the country.

He also described his own religious transformation in deeply personal language Thursday, from growing up in a non-religious home to finding Christ later in his life. He recalled a visit a few years ago with the evangelist Rev. Billy Graham, which ended with the president feeling compelled to pray for the aging Graham.

Obama said when he found himself at that moment not knowing what to say, the Holy Spirit interceded.

“I have fallen on my knees with great regularity since that moment, asking God for guidance not just in my personal life and my Christian walk, but in the life of this nation and in the values that hold us together and keep us strong,” he said.

 

 

 
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I heard this story on the news and then found the article online (link above). My first thought was of being ill that a man could write not one but two books celebrating his Muslim faith and then turn around and claim Christian beliefs and faith out. He usually snubs the annual Prayer breakfast –and honestly, a man who writes so much about his distaste for Christianity (except in election years), really should abstain from the activity.
In this election year, we compare his past to our future. We see his thoughts on his mother’s white race and her faith as being something to rebel against and rise above. We see his pandering to those that have stated repeatedly that they wish to kill us with his edicts to “stand with his Muslim brothers.”

A few quotes from his books:

From Dreams From My Father:
“I ceased to advertise my mother’s race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites.”

From Dreams From My Father :
“I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother’s race.”

From Dreams From My Father:
“There was something about her that made me wary, a little too sure of herself, maybe and white.”

From Dreams From My Father:
“It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names.”

From Dreams From My Father:
“I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn’t speak to my own. It was into my father’s image, the black man, son of Africa , that I’d packed all the attributes I sought in myself: the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBois and Mandela.”

And FINALLY ……….. and most scary:

From Audacity of Hope:
“I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.”

Our president, who is supposed to defend our constitution and promote the spirit and letter of the law in the land, seems to want to punish everyone in our country in order to achieve his agenda. He has lied to us. He has stolen our futures. He is turning us into a 2nd and 3rd class country on all fronts.

We are no longer the home of the free—we are the home of the taxed. I want to see Congress and the President have to live under the same rules they make for the rest of us. Let them have the Obamacare that they are pushing onto every American.

I received this e-mail today from a relative….and found it very interesting. Something for us all to think about as we suffer through more speeches and hot air over the next few months:

The per person Medicare Insurance Premium will increase from the present Monthly Fee of

$104.20 in 2012, rising to
$120.20 in 2013

and

$247.00 in 2014.

These are Provisions incorporated in the Obamacare Legislation, purposely
delayed so as not to confuse the 2012 Re-Election Campaigns. Send this
to all Seniors you know, so they will know who’s throwing them
under the bus.

REMEMBER THIS IN NOVEMBER 2012 AND VOTE!!!
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
From now through November 2012 this should be required weekly, or at least monthly, reading – BY ALL WHO VOTE!!!

Did you notice who Obama threatened when he wasn’t getting his way on raising the debt ceiling?
He threatened to not pay:
Social Security Retirees, Military Retirees, Social
Security disability and Federal Retirees.

Now… Let this sink in really good –

He did not threaten to stop payments to illegal aliens
He did not threatened to take frivolous benefits such as Internet access away from violent inmates
He did not offer to fire some of the thousands of unnecessary federal employees that he hired
He did not offer to cut down on his or his wife’s frivolous gallivanting around
He did not threaten to not pay the senators and representatives or any of their staff
He did not threaten to take benefits away from welfare recipients
He did not threaten the food stamp programs
He did not threaten to not pay foreign aid
He did not threaten to cut back on anything that involves his base voters

The list could go on and on. He is in full political re-election mode!
• Why are we allowing this person to destroy this wonderful country with his selfishness and his lies?
His type of change is killing our country. He needs to be stopped and only our votes can stop him.
• Do not forget about his tactics when it’s election time. Vote Obama out of the Presidency in 2012.

LET’S MAKE 2012 THE END OF AN ERROR!!
“Democracy… Is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty… Is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.” — Benjamin Franklin

ELECTION 2012 IS COMING!!!
A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves! Let’sTake a Stand!!!

Obama: Gone!
Borders: Closed!
Language: English!
Culture: Constitution, and the Bill of Rights!
Drug Free : Mandatory Drug Screening before Welfare!
NO freebies to: Non-Citizens!
We the people are coming

Only 86% will send this on. Should be 100%. What will you do?
By the way, I do NOT know who I am voting for in November, but I do know who I am not voting for. I want hope and change….but not the kind Obama brought with him.
I don’t care if you are black, white, purple or rainbow flavored….I want a leader.
I don’t care if you are Christian, Jewish or Muslim….I want freedom.
I don’t care if you male, female or transgendered….I want honor.
I don’t care if you are straight, gay, or asexual….I want integrity.

It’s about freedom, economy, and the pursuit of happiness. It’s about faith in country, state and self that makes this country what it can be.