It's The Short Bus For The "One"

Friday night "Zero" took the stage on Johnny Carson's... um, Jay Leno's show to show us all that he is just one of us. A normal guy, who just happens to have a very demanding job. I have to admit, the man is memorizing. He commands attention, he is an eloquent speaker but he needs his TelePrompter near by at all times. In his 45 minute twirl in the Hollywood Spotlight, he managed to insult the Special Olympics. When Jay tossed him the softball question about his bowling progress, he said that he had bowled a 129. Jay commented that, "that's very good, Mr President" with an obvious tone of sarcasm, Blammo replied, "It's like the Special Olympics or something".

Alright, he made a joke. Not a very good one but it was a joke. However, the folks at the Special Olympics were on the phone with him toot sweet, reading him the Wright Act. He apologized and said he will be a good boy and not offend the window licking set any more.

What if, lets say, W would have uttered those hateful words? Or better yet, what if it were Rush Limbaugh who crossed that dreadful line? Every news outlet in America would have been camped on their doorstep demanding an apology. But this little faux pa has basically been dismissed, forgiven and swept under the rug by his admirers in the Main Stream Media.

Well, there is a long line of us folks out here who believe that restitution is in order and penance has to be paid. I suggest that he be required to don the headgear of choice of our offended brethren and wear a helmet anytime he leaves the White House, whether in his limo, Marine One or Air Force One. He needs to protect his little noggin' so he don't put his foot in his mouth in public again... but that's just My 2 Pennies.

Pirates of the Potomac

It has been a very long time since I have sat down to share my thoughts here on the 2 Pennies, but there have been some good reasons. Number one: DEPRESSION! Since the day after the inauguration, I have been in sort of a denial about where our country is headed. It saddens me deeply to see the truths that our forefathers fought and died for be so carelessly tossed aside as so much garbage. I am afraid that we have lost our moral compass and have settled for change just for change sake.





The following is a brief narrative on my feelings. I encourage you to share your thoughts about mine with with me, maybe you can show me where the "Hope" really lies in this current venture that we have embarked on.








PIRATES OF THE POTOMAC


Monday, March 16, 2009


by: Marty Renfro





The Armada has been gathering in the depths of the Chesapeake Bay for several months now, as battle plans are being draw up for the big assault. The crews are battle proven and more than ready to begin storming the beach, but as always in the throws of battle, a preliminary bombardment of the defenses is necessary to soften the will of the defenders until it is seen advantageous to send in the first waves of pirates to begin the looting and pillaging.





The winds of change began blowing a few years back, as the crusty old sea dogs began smelling a little blood in the water. Captain "Nasty" Nancy took control of the House of Representatives, putting Congress under the control of a woman and a left coast liberal to boot, for the first time in history. The woman part is not what makes her nasty, no, it is the left coast liberalism that smells like opening a barrel of fish that have been allowed to sit dockside a couple of months too long. Her trusty Henchmen, "Flaming" Barney Franks and "Devious" Dennis Stroyer, have been busy twisting arms pushing through legislation that would be sure to weaken the foundations that the unassuming public were jumping up and down on screaming, "what about me?"





Meanwhile, in the Senate, "Terrible, one more for the road" Teddy and "Dingy Harry" Reid were busy undermining the credibility of the Republican Party by conning them into supporting their agenda in the name of "Precious Unity".





All the while, we were being commanded by a man who allowed himself to be painted as a halfwit by the "Main Stream" media at every turn. Although he had some good programs to offer and intentions that were upstanding and moral, he lacked the intestinal fire to take a stand and force the rabid dogs biting at his heals to back down. I was a definite supporter of our President and his policies (for the most part) but was left perplexed by his inability to stand up against those who would cast the biggest stones at him. Maybe, he would have been more apt to take a stand if he could have had confidence that he was not standing alone on his end of Pennsylvania Avenue. But alone he was. Members of his own party had turned their backs on his authority to govern, by supporting ream after ream of opposition legislation and by lining their political nests with pork fat from the projects earmarked for their districts. And to top it all off, the Party of Lincoln bent over backwards to run a candidate who spent so much time in the beds of the members from across the aisle, that he was seriously considering a party jump during the last election cycle just to get elected.





Which leads us where we are now, watching our tax dollars and possibly our personal freedom being tossed out the window like yesterdays bathwater. The American public had grown weary of the political theatre that was played out daily on their television screens. So much that they chose the team that seemed to be ready to make a change in the way the game was being played. However, one important ingredient was missing, a clear definition on what change actually is.





Couple this lack confidence in our government with the lackluster performance of a politician who is out of step with the core principles of the Republican Party and you had the prefect recipe for "Change". Add to that a charismatic speaker and a media complex dead set on driving the American political experience and it is not a far fetched notion to expect the degradation of the American Experiment to the point that it just becomes another lackluster ingredient in the septic stew that has become the Global Community.



The Pirates have been very busy during their hiatus from power over the past decade. They have been laying the groundwork for a total overhaul of the Constitutional American system of
life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness and are ready to replace it with culture of death, bondage to bureaucrats and the pursuit of catering to the whims of the political elite.



Arrgh, we Americans have demanded "Change", I'm just afraid that we are about to get it...but that's just my 2 pennies.



Stay tuned for my ideas for a revival of sanity in the USA.

Hey, it's just parinoia, isn't it?

As the election kicks into overdrive in it's final days, we are being treated to attack ads, fiery stump speeches and, depending which network you are watching, an unvarnished politically biased coverage for one candidate or the other. Whether it is Sarah Palin's expensive wardrobe or Obama's "Muslim" heritage or, there is enough political hyperbole on display this election cycle to keep our national blood pressure in the danger zone for the next decade. Political grandstanding aside, there are some issues that need to be brought out into the light, sooner than later. The number one issue is character and the candidates desire to uphold the Constitution. To question Barack Obama's character and his associations with those in our country who apparently do not cherish American way of life has apparently become taboo and earns the curious the label of racist, right wing conspiracy nut job or both.

My parents taught me that you are judged by the company you keep and it appears to me that this may be a good place to start looking at Barrack’s fitness to lead the greatest country in the world. Be it his apparent connections to ACORN, the Reverend Wright or Minister Louis Farrakhan, Obama has left us with a number of reasons to question his character.
In one of my earlier blog posts, Troubled Sleep , I explored the troubling Satanic text of Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals" (the Bible of Community Organizers) and the fact that Obama used the teachings of this deranged man to build his "career of service" upon. Earlier this year we were treated to the video of his Pastor and mentor, Jeremiah Wright, damning America during one of his "sermons". We have heard how he made alliances with the sleazy Chicago political machine which is famous for raising the dead to vote in elections, his connections with ACORN which apparently is attempting to spread the Chicago style of politics across the nation and his personal friendships with the likes of the leader of the Nation of Islam. Is it no wonder that the man has raised the ire of his political adversaries.

All of these points are reason enough, for me, to say that I don't trust the man. He is either lying to the Nation about his true convictions or he has some serious problems when it comes to choosing his friends. But there is one friend that puts the rest of these Yahoos to shame, William Ayers. This is a man who has tried, as founder of the 1970's terrorist orginization the Weather Underground, to overthrow the United States of America and replace it with Anarchy and socialism. This man lives in the same neighborhood as Barrack (and Minister Farrakhan) and was one of the first people in Chicago to befriend Barrack and help him establish his burgeoning political career. As the news of his former alliance with this renowned terrorist began to leak out, we were told that there was no connection between Ayers former terroristic ways and his alliance with Barrack. After all, Barrack was only 8 years old when the Weather Underground was going around blowing up stuff. But if you read the Ruels for Radicals, listen to the sermons of the Reverend Wright and Minister Farrakhan or read the reports of voter fraud being thrust upon our Nation right now by members of ACORN, it is not a far stretch of the imagination to believe that Obama and Ayers relationship may have undertones that run a little deeper than we are being led to believe.

I came across this video clip of the 1982 documentary "No Place To Hide" about the Weather Underground and their plot to overthrow the US Government and replace it with a socialistic, no, a communist regime. This clip is of an interview with Larry Grathwohl, an FBI informant who had infiltrated the movement and was in a unique position to learn of their diabolical plans for our way of life.

Call me a right wing nut job, but I think that befriending a terrorist who had made plans to exterminate 25 million Americans warrants a red flag. I tend to think that displaying treasonous tendencies is a fairly good reason to stay away from a man, not to mention accepting his help establishing my political career as a fund raiser. Now it seems that we are being told not to look at the man behind the curtain. We are told that this is the Messiah and that we should all bow and worship at his benevolent feet as he helps us "share the wealth".

Well, my friends, I smell a rat and I am afraid that we will all come to regret ever letting this man into our House on Pennsylvania Avenue. While I won't even try to hide my disdain for John McCain, I have no doubt that he is a true patriot and would fight to his last drop of blood dripped from his veins to protect the American way of life that our forefathers died for. I wish, with every fiber in my body, that I held the same convictions about Barrack Obama, but my instincts tell me that it is really time to start praying... and that's my 2 pennies.

It's Not Theirs To Give

As I watch in amazement, at the bone headed move that the US Congress and President Bush have made this past week by implementing the largest government bailout in history, and I am reminded of a story that I read several years ago by Colonel David Crockett.

Davey was a true American Hero, whether he was blazing new trails in the settlement of the Western territories of his time, nobly serving as a member of the US House of Representatives or laying down his life for the Texas cause, he has become one of my favorite people in history.

This story is one of the cornerstones of truth that I have built my conservative beliefs upon. I hope that it resonates with your spirit the way it has with mine and it provides a firm foundation block for you to build on.

Warning: This is an extremly long story, but it is well worth the time.

Not Yours to Give

by

Colonel David Crockett;

Compiled by Edward S. Ellis



One day in the House of Representatives, a bill was taken up appropriating money for the benefit of a widow of a distinguished naval officer. Several beautiful speeches had been made in its support. The Speaker was just about to put the question when Crockett arose:

"Mr. Speaker--I have as much respect for the memory of the deceased, and as much sympathy for the sufferings of the living, if suffering there be, as any man in this House, but we must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for a part of the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living. I will not go into an argument to prove that Congress has no power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this floor knows it. We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money. Some eloquent appeals have been made to us upon the ground that it is a debt due the deceased. Mr. Speaker, the deceased lived long after the close of the war; he was in office to the day of his death, and I have never heard that the government was in arrears to him.

Every man in this House knows it is not a debt. We cannot, without the grossest corruption, appropriate this money as the payment of a debt. We have not the semblance of authority to appropriate it as a charity. Mr. Speaker, I have said we have the right to give as much money of our own as we please. I am the poorest man on this floor. I cannot vote for this bill, but I will give one week's pay to the object, and if every member of Congress will do the same, it will amount to more than the bill asks."

He took his seat. Nobody replied. The bill was put upon its passage, and, instead of passing unanimously, as was generally supposed, and as, no doubt, it would, but for that speech, it received but few votes, and, of course, was lost.

Later, when asked by a friend why he had opposed the appropriation, Crockett gave this explanation:

"Several years ago I was one evening standing on the steps of the Capitol with some other members of Congress, when our attention was attracted by a great light over in Georgetown . It was evidently a large fire. We jumped into a hack and drove over as fast as we could. In spite of all that could be done, many houses were burned and many families made homeless, and, besides, some of them had lost all but the clothes they had on. The weather was very cold, and when I saw so many women and children suffering, I felt that something ought to be done for them. The next morning a bill was introduced appropriating $20,000 for their relief. We put aside all other business and rushed it through as soon as it could be done.

"The next summer, when it began to be time to think about the election, I concluded I would take a scout around among the boys of my district. I had no opposition there, but, as the election was some time off, I did not know what might turn up. When riding one day in a part of my district in which I was more of a stranger than any other, I saw a man in a field plowing and coming toward the road. I gauged my gait so that we should meet as he came to the fence. As he came up, I spoke to the man. He replied politely, but, as I thought, rather coldly.

"I began: 'Well, friend, I am one of those unfortunate beings called candidates, and--'

"'Yes, I know you; you are Colonel Crockett, I have seen you once before, and voted for you the last time you were elected. I suppose you are out electioneering now, but you had better not waste your time or mine. I shall not vote for you again.'

"This was a sockdolager . . . I begged him to tell me what was the matter.

"'Well, Colonel, it is hardly worth-while to waste time or words upon it. I do not see how it can be mended, but you gave a vote last winter which shows that either you have not capacity to understand the Constitution, or that you are wanting in the honesty and firmness to be guided by it. In either case you are not the man to represent me. But I beg your pardon for expressing it in that way. I did not intend to avail myself of the privilege of the constituent to speak plainly to a candidate for the purpose of insulting or wounding you. I intend by it only to say that your understanding of the Constitution is very different from mine; and I will say to you what, but for my rudeness, I should not have said, that I believe you to be honest. . . . But an understanding of the Constitution different from mine I cannot overlook, because the Constitution, to be worth anything, must be held sacred, and rigidly observed in all its provisions. The man who wields power and misinterprets it is the more dangerous the more honest he is.'

"'I admit the truth of all you say, but there must be some mistake about it, for I do not remember that I gave any vote last winter upon any constitutional question.'

"'No, Colonel, there's no mistake. Though I live here in the backwoods and seldom go from home, I take the papers from Washington and read very carefully all the proceedings of Congress. My papers say that last winter you voted for a bill to appropriate $20,000 to some sufferers by a fire in Georgetown . Is that true?'

"'Well, my friend; I may as well own up. You have got me there. But certainly nobody will complain that a great and rich country like ours should give the insignificant sum of $20,000 to relieve its suffering women and children, particularly with a full and overflowing Treasury, and I am sure, if you had been there, you would have done just as I did.'

"'It is not the amount, Colonel, that I complain of; it is the principle. In the first place, the government ought to have in the Treasury no more than enough for its legitimate purposes. But that has nothing to do with the question. The power of collecting and disbursing money at pleasure is the most dangerous power that can be intrusted to man, particularly under our system of collecting revenue by a tariff, which reaches every man in the country, no matter how poor he may be, and the poorer he is the more he pays in proportion to his means. What is worse, it presses upon him without his knowledge where the weight centers, for there is not a man in the United States who can ever guess how much he pays to the government. So you see, that while you are contributing to relieve one, you are drawing it from thousands who are even worse off than he. If you had the right to give anything, the amount was simply a matter of discretion with you, and you had as much right to give $20,000,000 as $20,000. If you have the right to give to one, you have the right to give to all; and, as the Constitution neither defines charity nor stipulates the amount, you are at liberty to give to any and everything which you may believe, or profess to believe, is a charity, and to any amount you may think proper. You will very easily perceive what a wide door this would open for fraud and corruption and favoritism, on the one hand, and for robbing the people on the other. No, Colonel, Congress has no right to give charity. Individual members may give as much of their own money as they please, but they have no right to touch a dollar of the public money for that purpose. If twice as many houses had been burned in this county as in Georgetown , neither you nor any other member of Congress would have thought of appropriating a dollar for our relief. There are about two hundred and forty members of Congress. If they had shown their sympathy for the sufferers by contributing each one week's pay, it would have made over $13,000. There are plenty of wealthy men in and around Washington who could have given $20,000 without depriving themselves of even a luxury of life. The congressmen chose to keep their own money, which, if reports be true, some of them spend not very creditably; and the people about Washington , no doubt, applauded you for relieving them from the necessity of giving by giving what was not yours to give. The people have delegated to Congress, by the Constitution, the power to do certain things. To do these, it is authorized to collect and pay moneys, and for nothing else. Everything beyond this is usurpation, and a violation of the Constitution.

"'So you see, Colonel, you have violated the Constitution in what I consider a vital point. It is a precedent fraught with danger to the country, for when Congress once begins to stretch its power beyond the limits of the Constitution, there is no limit to it, and no security for the people. I have no doubt you acted honestly, but that does not make it any better, except as far as you are personally concerned, and you see that I cannot vote for you.'

"I tell you I felt streaked. I saw if I should have opposition, and this man should go to talking, he would set others to talking, and in that district I was a gone fawn-skin. I could not answer him, and the fact is, I was so fully convinced that he was right, I did not want to. But I must satisfy him, and I said to him:

"'Well, my friend, you hit the nail upon the head when you said I had not sense enough to understand the Constitution. I intended to be guided by it, and thought I had studied it fully. I have heard many speeches in Congress about the powers of Congress, but what you have said here at your plow has got more hard, sound sense in it than all the fine speeches I ever heard. If I had ever taken the view of it that you have, I would have put my head into the fire before I would have given that vote; and if you will forgive me and vote for me again, if I ever vote for another unconstitutional law I wish I may be shot.'

"He laughingly replied: 'Yes, Colonel, you have sworn to that once before, but I will trust you again upon one condition. You say that you are convinced that your vote was wrong. Your acknowledgment of it will do more good than beating you for it. If, as you go around the district, you will tell people about this vote, and that you are satisfied it was wrong, I will not only vote for you, but will do what I can to keep down opposition, and, perhaps, I may exert some little influence in that way.'

"'If I don't,' said I, 'I wish I may be shot; and to convince you that I am in earnest in what I say I will come back this way in a week or ten days, and if you will get up a gathering of the people, I will make a speech to them. Get up a barbecue, and I will pay for it.'

"'No, Colonel, we are not rich people in this section, but we have plenty of provisions to contribute for a barbecue, and some to spare for those who have none. The push of crops will be over in a few days, and we can then afford a day for a barbecue. This is Thursday; I will see to getting it up on Saturday week. Come to my house on Friday, and we will go together, and I promise you a very respectable crowd to see and hear you.'

"'Well, I will be here. But one thing more before I say good-by. I must know your name.'

"'My name is Bunce.'

"'Not Horatio Bunce?'

"'Yes.'

"'Well, Mr. Bunce, I never saw you before, though you say you have seen me, but I know you very well. I am glad I have met you, and very proud that I may hope to have you for my friend.'

"It was one of the luckiest hits of my life that I met him. He mingled but little with the public, but was widely known for his remarkable intelligence and incorruptible integrity, and for a heart brimful and running over with kindness and benevolence, which showed themselves not only in words but in acts. He was the oracle of the whole country around him, and his fame had extended far beyond the circle of his immediate acquaintance. Though I had never met him before, I had heard much of him, and but for this meeting it is very likely I should have had opposition, and had been beaten. One thing is very certain, no man could now stand up in that district under such a vote.

"At the appointed time I was at his house, having told our conversation to every crowd I had met, and to every man I stayed all night with, and I found that it gave the people an interest and a confidence in me stronger than I had every seen manifested before.

"Though I was considerably fatigued when I reached his house, and, under ordinary circumstances, should have gone early to bed, I kept him up until midnight, talking about the principles and affairs of government, and got more real, true knowledge of them than I had got all my life before.

"I have known and seen much of him since, for I respect him--no, that is not the word--I reverence and love him more than any living man, and I go to see him two or three times every year; and I will tell you, sir, if every one who professes to be a Christian lived and acted and enjoyed it as he does, the religion of Christ would take the world by storm.

"But to return to my story. The next morning we went to the barbecue, and, to my surprise, found about a thousand men there. I met a good many whom I had not known before, and they and my friend introduced me around until I had got pretty well acquainted--at least, they all knew me.

"In due time notice was given that I would speak to them. They gathered up around a stand that had been erected. I opened my speech by saying:

"'Fellow-citizens--I present myself before you today feeling like a new man. My eyes have lately been opened to truths which ignorance or prejudice, or both, had heretofore hidden from my view. I feel that I can today offer you the ability to render you more valuable service than I have ever been able to render before. I am here today more for the purpose of acknowledging my error than to seek your votes. That I should make this acknowledgment is due to myself as well as to you. Whether you will vote for me is a matter for your consideration only.'

"I went on to tell them about the fire and my vote for the appropriation and then told them why I was satisfied it was wrong. I closed by saying:

"'And now, fellow-citizens, it remains only for me to tell you that the most of the speech you have listened to with so much interest was simply a repetition of the arguments by which your neighbor, Mr. Bunce, convinced me of my error.

"'It is the best speech I ever made in my life, but he is entitled to the credit for it. And now I hope he is satisfied with his convert and that he will get up here and tell you so.'

"He came upon the stand and said:

"'Fellow-citizens--It affords me great pleasure to comply with the request of Colonel Crockett. I have always considered him a thoroughly honest man, and I am satisfied that he will faithfully perform all that he has promised you today.'

"He went down, and there went up from that crowd such a shout for Davy Crockett as his name never called forth before.

"I am not much given to tears, but I was taken with a choking then and felt some big drops rolling down my cheeks. And I tell you now that the remembrance of those few words spoken by such a man, and the honest, hearty shout they produced, is worth more to me than all the honors I have received and all the reputation I have ever made, or ever shall make, as a member of Congress.

"Now, sir," concluded Crockett, "you know why I made that speech yesterday.

"There is one thing now to which I will call your attention. You remember that I proposed to give a week's pay. There are in that House many very wealthy men--men who think nothing of spending a week's pay, or a dozen of them, for a dinner or a wine party when they have something to accomplish by it. Some of those same men made beautiful speeches upon the great debt of gratitude which the country owed the deceased--a debt which could not be paid by money--and the insignificance and worthlessness of money, particularly so insignificant a sum as $10,000, when weighted against the honor of the nation. Yet not one of them responded to my proposition. Money with them is nothing but trash when it is to come out of the people. But it is the one great thing for which most of them are striving, and many of them sacrifice honor, integrity, and justice to obtain it."

Holders of political office are but reflections of the dominant leadership--good or bad--among the electorate.

Horatio Bunce is a striking example of responsible citizenship. Were his kind to multiply, we would see many new faces in public office; or, as in the case of Davy Crockett, a new Crockett.

For either the new faces or the new Crocketts, we must look to the Horatio in ourselves!

-Leonard E. Read

Great Rock N Roll And A Hot Cup Of Joe

Tonight, well, last night as I am writing this, my son’s band, Planning Yesterday, played an exciting concert at Seekers Coffee House in Hurst. These guys are, without a doubt, my favorite new band, even without my obvious bias as the father of the drummer. Over the past 18 months, I have watched these four young men gel together to become a monster Rock N Roll machine. Sure, they are a “Christian Rock” band, but they have not been cast in the mold of the typical grab some no-doze, oh no, it’s another KLTY sleeper band… these boys absolutely KICK TAIL!!! They can give any 70’s or 80’s hard rock band a good run for their money. Their energy level is right up there with the likes of Van Halen or Aerosmith.

Right now they are finishing up their very first 4 song EP, which will hopefully be out before the beginning of the year, and they are ready to start the job of attracting a record label to pick them up and cut their first Album. It is extremely exciting to watch an up and coming band begin their climb and to know that your child has a major part of that process.

My son, Cody, has had the desire to be in a “real” rock band for several years now and has made personal sacrifices to ensure that when lightning strikes that he is positioned to jump on and take the ride. I am so proud of his commitment, not only to his walk as a Christian man, but also to his love of playing music. To watch him on stage, playing his heart out, is one of the most gratifying moments that I get to have as a father.

The thought of them hitting the “Big Time” and being able to go full time is both exciting and a little bit scary. However, I know that they have their priorities straight and their heads on right so I have no doubt at all that they will be able to do what they have been called to do, honor God, while they rock as many peoples faces off as they can.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to listen to their music or catch them in concert, you owe it to yourself to visit their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/planningyesterdaytheband to check them out. They play a lot of free concerts throughout the Metroplex so be sure to catch one, it won’t cost you anything but your time and I can guarantee that you will have a great time in the process, or I will make sure you get your money back… and that’s my two pennies.

25 Years In The Making

In 1983, two very young 17 year old kids decided that they loved each other so much that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Their life together was not so easy, but they managed to fill it with love and happiness. They always knew that they had each other and that nothing would ever change that. They managed to raise two wonderful sons and have enjoyed watching them grow into fine young men. Although theirs was never a life of financial success, they considered themselves to be the richest people on earth because they had each other, and that was always more than enough to sustain them.

Today marks the 25th year we have spent together as husband and wife and I am just as excited today about my bride as I was in 1983. Joyce has been my very best friend, whom I can tell my deepest secrets to. She has always stood by my side and has helped to carry me through the rough times that I have had to suffer through. She does not demand anything of me and is so free when it comes to showering me with her love.

I was taught many years ago that when God was creating the Universe, He finished His work in 6 days. He created every mountain, tree and every human spirit that would inhabit a body in the future. During the time before these little spirits took off on their respective assignments, they were all together, in His presence and bonds were made with each other. I am absolutly sure, without a doubt that Joyce and I were destined, from the beginning of time, to be together for eternity. The draw of our spiritual connection was so great that her parents were led to bring her to Texas from New York to be with me. I know it sounds sappy, but our relationship goes so much deeper than any other relationship I have ever been in, this belief resonates deeply within my spirit.

I thank God every day for Joyce, even though I fail miserably to show her how much I appreciate her. I hope that she knows that my love for her goes deeper than my need for breath. I would absolutely lay my life down for her, without reservation. I am so proud that we have not only stay together for the past 25 years but have managed to become more as one in the process. I look forward to our journey as we start the next 25 years.

Joyce, I love you so much… and that’s my 2 pennies!
~marty

Troubled Sleep

As I was sleeping last night, I began to think about what a “Community Organizer”(CO) is. I know, I’m weird, why on earth would I wonder such a thing and why in the world would I even care enough to wake up at 3 in the morning thinking about it? Common sense would tell me that a “Community Organizer’ is a person who organizes the community to do stuff, duh, but it seems that there may be more to it than it‘s obvious connotation.

We are being told, on a daily basis, that this is a very important job, which endows it’s practitioners with that oh so necessary executive experience that is the prerequisite to assume the office of President of the United States. But the question that still has me puzzled is, what in the name of Fred is a “Community Organizer“? Well, here I sit in the wee hours of the blessed AM researching the subject, and what an eye opener it is. First of all, it is not such a magnanimous position, born out of the sole desire to improve the lives of our fellow men, it actually has an ulterior motive that we all need to be aware of. That motivation is the propagation of socialist ideas aimed at the destruction of the foundation that this nation was built upon.

With a statement like that, a little history of the movement may be in order here.

While many in the CO movement would like to include the American Revolution as one of their triumphs, I disagree so I will begin with the actual emergence of the movement as it morphed into the organization it is today. During the industrial revolution from the late 1800’s to the middle of the 20th century, living conditions were abysmal ,to say the least, for Americans who lived in the industrial centers of the nation. During this tumultuous period of change from a placid agrarian society to an industrial juggernaut, there was a huge push, world wide, to reclaim the independence lost to the large corporations that wielded such a considerable influence on the daily lives of the people who made the cogs of capitalism turn.


In America, trades unions were formed and blood was shed to secure the rights of the worker to be treated fairly. In Europe, the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia and the fascist movements began to sweep Germany and it’s surrounding neighbors. After the defeat of fascism during World War II and the ensuing prosperity that followed, more and more people were moving off of the farm, drawn by the better lifestyle that being a member of the industrial workforce promised. However, the seeds of socialism and anarchy had been planted and began to take root within the CO movement.

Under the leadership of Dorothy Day, an American journalist turned anarchist, social activist and a devout member of the Catholic Church, the Catholic Worker Movement was established which organized workers and tended to the social needs of the improvised downtrodden masses in depression era New York. Her work helped establish many communal farms designed to provide for poor people to live on and share their existence with one another. Over 100 of these communes are still in existence today and Dorothy Day was declared a Servant of God by Pope John Paul II and her case has been opened up to be considered for canonization as a saint.

Saul Alinsky, a Chicago Marxist, actually originated the term "community organizer". Alinksy is the author of two books, "Rules for Radicals," and "Reveille for Radicals." "Rules" was published in 1971, has been the bible of the radical CO movement since the 1970s. In his Rules for Radicals, Alinsky outlines his strategy in organizing, writing,

"There's another reason for working inside the system. Dostoevsky said that taking a new step is what people fear most. Any revolutionary change must be preceded by a passive, affirmative, non-challenging attitude toward change among the mass of our people. They must feel so frustrated, so defeated, so lost, so futureless in the prevailing system that they are willing to let go of the past and change the future. This acceptance is the reformation essential to any revolution. To bring on this reformation requires that the organizer work inside the system, among not only the middle class but the 40 per cent of American families - more than seventy million people - whose income range from $5,000 to $10,000 a year [in 1971]. They cannot be dismissed by labeling them blue collar or hard hat. They will not continue to be relatively passive and slightly challenging. If we fail to communicate with them, if we don't encourage them to form alliances with us, they will move to the right. Maybe they will anyway, but let's not let it happen by default.."

In his dedication to his own book, Rules for Radicals Alinsky stated:

"Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history (and who is to know where mythology leaves off and history begins -- or which is which), the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom -- Lucifer."


Alinsky is often credited with laying the foundation for the grassroots political organizing that dominated the 1960s. The American Civil Rights Movement, the Global Warming (Green) movement, the anti-war movements, the Chicano, Feminist and Gay Rights movements all influenced and were influenced by the ideas of Community Organization. Famous community organizers include: Jane Addams, César Chávez, Samuel Gompers, Martin Luther King, Jr., John L. Lewis, Ralph Nader, Barack Obama and Paul Wellstone.


Alinsky was the subject of Hillary Rodham’s senior honors thesis at Wellesley College, “There Is Only The Fight…”, An Analysis of the Alinsky Model. In her 2003 biography, Living History, Clinton notes that although she agreed with some of his ideas, "particularly the value of empowering people to help themselves" they had a fundamental disagreement: "He believed you could change the system only from the outside. I didn't." Once Hillary Rodham Clinton became First Lady, the White House asked Wellesley College to restrict access to the thesis for fear of being associated too closely with Alinsky's ideas.

Thirteen years after Alinsky died, some of his former students hired Barack Obama for a $13,000 a year job as a community organizer in South Chicago. In a few years he became very proficient in the Alinsky Method of community organizing and became an instructor and teacher of the Alinsky Method to other community organizers. When several speakers at the 2008 Republican National Convention questioned the value of Obama’s CO service, the main stream media was quick to come to his aid with scathing rebukes of the “insensitive remarks“.

So, my conclusion about CO Movement is that it is an attempt by socialists, currently championed by Barack Obama, to dismantle the fabric of Judeo-Christian values which this nation was built upon and replace it with a system that has been dedicated to the “first radical“, Lucifer.

My friends, we are in a war. It is a war of the principalities of the air, a battle between righteousness and evil. To allow this movement to gain complete control of our Government will have grave consequences for our Nation. I fear that we will see our Constitutional Rights shredded as the new American Politburo takes it's place on Capitol Hill.

I, for one don’t think we can afford to enter into a partnership with a movement dedicated to Lucifer. I don’t care how slick the front man is packaged. I am not impressed with the fear mongering and class envy tactics they employ. We cannot allow this evil to come into our Halls of Democracy, we need to take a stand this November and rebut their attempt to destroy what our forefathers built with the sweat of their brow and the blood of their hearts.

If you are as concerned about this issue as I am, I ask you to join hands with us in this battle against evil. This is the year that your vote really counts... but that's just my two pennies.