Why I voted for Tom Graves

My country is in trouble.

Sure, we face terroristic threats from enemies abroad, but our greatest threats to the liberties I have been blessed to enjoy arise from our domestic enemies. I'm not talking about what the main stream media likes to refer to as home grown terrorists, but, rather, I'm concerned with the progressive movement that has swept up this country over the previous two years. I'm concerned because our government no longer resembles the government envisioned by our founders.

A Pastor of the Pilgrims wrote in a letter to them before they departed for the new country - (original spelling maintained):

Lastly, whereas you are become a body politik, using amongst your selves civill governmente, and are not furnished with any persons of spetiall eminencie above ye rest, to be chosen by you into office of government, let your wisdome & godlines appeare, not only in chusing shuch as doe entirely love and will promote ye comone good but also in yeelding unto them all due honour & obedience in their lawfull administrations; not behoulding in them ye ordinarinesse of their persons, but Gods ordinance for your good, not being like ye foolish multitud who more honour ye gay coate, then either ye vertuous minde of ye man, or glorious ordinance of ye Lord. But you know better things, & that ye image of ye Lords power & authoritie which ye magistrate beareth, is honourable, in how meane persons soever. And this dutie you both may ye more willingly and ought ye more conscionably to performe, because you are at least for ye present to have only them for your ordinarie governours, which your selves shall make choyse of for that worke.


From the Federalist Papers:

Government is, after all, the greatest of all reflections on human nature. If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels governed men, no controls on government would be necessary. But men govern men. So, security measures are necessary to control the abuses of government.

In framing a government, the great difficulty lies in this:
o first, the government must control the governed, and
o second, it must be forced to control itself.
The primary control on the government is its dependency on the people. But experience teaches us that more precautions are necessary.
Federalist Papers No. 10

The practical advice given in these writings is as important today as it was those centuries ago. The "consent of the governed" has been lost on the power structure of Washington. The power structure of Washington presents a class dichotomy - those in power, and those without. This is very similar to the "good ole boy" network that has existed for far too long inside the Gold Dome in Atlanta.

During his tenure there, Tom's leadership skills were recognized by many, including then speaker Richardson as he tapped Tom for one of his "hawk" positions. When Tom opposed Richardson on principle, refusing to believe politics is a "team sport", he was banished to office space across the street. Tom has the courage to face the challenges of Washington and will do so with a servant's heart.

I've heard Tom speak on many occasions, and I've heard many speak on his behalf - including his pastor. If you will allow me to borrow from the Bible in the book of Esther, I believe Tom is the right man for "such a time as this."

Comfortable in her own skin

Sarah Heath Palin has been in the news a lot lately. And, as usual, most of the coverage has not been very flattering. The continued bashing that this lady has taken got me to thinking. What is it about this woman that drives people crazy? Why does she set off liberals to a level never before seen? Just this week, Carl Cannon posted that the media had gone far beyond "normal" bias and had actually taken sides in the last election (see http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/07/08/sarah-barracuda-palin-and-the-piranhas-of-the-press/ ). Again I ask, what is it about this woman that causes pressure relief valves all over this nation to explode?

Before I get to my explanation, let's review some highlights from Sarah's biography. Sarah moved with her parents to Alaska in 1964 and graduated from Wasilla High School in 1982. She received a bachelor of science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987 and married Todd Palin on August 20th of the next year. Sarah worked for a brief time as a sportscaster at a local TV station - if you need a reminder of what 80's hair was all about, check out http://bit.ly/OVJJZ. The launch into politics began in 1992 with her election to the Wasilla city council. In 1996, she was able to win the Mayor's race and served until 2003. Her first political defeat came in 2002 via a failed run for the Lt. Governor's seat. Governor Sarah Palin made history on Dec. 4, 2006, when she took office as the 11th governor of Alaska - she is the first woman to hold the office. Which brings us to July 3rd of this year and the announcement that she was stepping down. Everyone has different opinions as to what will happen to Sarah and what will she do next. I think she'll be just fine, all because of the reasons she drives progressives crazy.

Sarah Palin does not fit the mold of a female politician, according to the model prescribed by feminists, progressives, and libs in general. Remember the jingle for Enjoli perfume, "I can bring home the bacon...fry it up in a pan...and never, ever let you forget you're a man, 'Cause I'm a Woman." Sarah Palin could have starred in that commercial. She has that 'Hollywood' look, and she epitomizes the lyrics - and that's where the problem starts.

From my perspective, and I've never met the lady, Sarah Palin is comfortable in her own skin - in whatever role she undertakes. She is comfortable as a mother, I see a woman that can embody both the nurturing love for her children and the vigilant guardianship of a mother Grizzly defending her cubs. From the time the nation was introduced to her, it became obvious to all of us that family was very important. We saw that her family accompanied her on many of the campaign stops, and you had a sense they were there for more than just a photo op.

She is comfortable in her faith - and has been for some time. In high school, she led the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes group, and multiple pastors testify to her faithfulness in attendance of both worship services and discipleship classes. This maturation of her faith would be tested in 2008 with her fifth (yes, another source of discomfort for some) pregnancy. The strong pro life conviction, rooted in faith, produced these words:

"Trig is beautiful and already adored by us. We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives. We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed."

Sarah is comfortable as an outdoors person. She actually enjoys hunting - and she goes after big game - Moose!! I've never gone moose hunting, but I can imagine you have to be a pretty good shot and that you would use a pretty powerful (more recoil) round to do the job. Most women don't want to get anywhere near a gun or rifle, much less a "high-power" gun. Not so with Sarah - whether hunting, fishing, or snowmobiling with her husband Todd, she is more than comfortable being outdoors.

Sarah is comfortable being on the point. Leading the pack is not a problem for her, I believe this is her preferred position. If you've heard her speak about why she got into local politics to begin with, you'll know she said no one was providing leadership! Sensing a vacuum of direction on the Wasilla city council, she entered the race and won her first election.

I admire this woman. I don't know enough about her to know if she would be a good presidential candidate or not. I do like that she is apt to "get all mavericky", but that also concerns me. I understand that her global worldview is probably her Achilles heel, and that she doesn't have all the answers. I would warn you with words again from my grandpa: "The man who says he has all the answers hasn't heard all the questions yet."

This much is obvious to me - from being a maternal rock to her children, to leading the state of Alaska during her term as the governor, to being a snuggle bunny for Todd - Sarah Palin appears comfortable in her own skin. That just drives some miserable people crazy because it looks like Sarah might just be getting ready to run.

Now Taking Applications

Mr. Smith goes to Washington

In case you haven't seen this classic, here is a synopsis:

Smith is an innocent, wide-eyed idealist who quotes Jefferson and Lincoln and idolizes Paine, who had known his crusading editor father. In Washington, after a humiliating introduction to the press corps, Smith threatens to resign, but Paine encourages him to stay and work on a bill for a national boy's camp. With the help of his cynical secretary Clarissa Sanders (Jean Arthur), Smith prepares to introduce his boy's camp bill to the Senate. But when he proposes to build the camp on the Willets Creek site, Taylor and Paine force him to drop the measure. Smith discovers Taylor and Paine want the Willets Creek site for graft and he attempts to expose them, but Paine deflects Smith's charges by accusing Smith of stealing money from the boy rangers. Defeated, Smith is ready to depart Washington, but Saunders, whose patriotic zeal has been renewed by Smith, exhorts him to stay and fight. Smith returns to the Senate chamber and, while Taylor musters the media forces in his state to destroy him, Smith engages in a climactic filibuster to speak his piece: "I've got a few things I want to say to this body. I tried to say them once before and I got stopped colder than a mackerel. Well, I'd like to get them said this time, sir. And as a matter of fact, I'm not gonna leave this body until I do get them said." ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

In both the movies, and in real life, Jimmy Stewart personified my idea of an American hero. In case you didn't know, he was the first movie star to enter the service for World War II, joining a year before Pearl Harbor was bombed. He was initially refused entry into the Air Force because he weighed 5 pounds less than the required 148 pounds, but he talked the recruitment officer into ignoring the test. He eventually became a Colonel, and earned the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Croix de Guerre and 7 battle stars. In 1959, he served in the Air Force Reserve, before retiring as a brigadier general.

His movie credits include my all-time favorite, "It's a Wonderful Life". I'm probably one of the very few people who could tell you the last name of Clarence-the angel sent to earn his wings by showing George the right path in life. The subject of this post is another of his movies, all of them classics, Mr. Smith goes to Washington.

In this movie, Smith is appointed to finish the term of the Senator Samuel Foley by Gov. Hubert "Happy" Hopper. He is chosen because of his reputation as an honorable man, but also Gov. Hopper wrongly interpreted his personality included a large dose of naivety. Smith did find Washington to be a bit overwhelming at first, and was amazed at the inner workings of the legislature. This movie opened in October of 1939 - imagine what a Mr. Washington would find today - almost 70 years later!

Somewhere along the way, we have lost our way with regard to our "citizen legislators". I suspect the major change came with the other intrusions that came with FDR. This was a time of major governmental expansion and encroachment upon the liberties enshrined in our founding documents. A time when Democrats would solidify their relationship with Big Government for decades to come. Looking back with the perspective of historical 20/20 vision, our response to the New Deal should have been "No Deal, Howie!!" (Deal or No Deal, Howie Mandel - they're never funny if you have to explain them!)

What has Congress done for (to) us within the past year?

• Remember TARP? That was the bill rushed thru the legislature to rescue those that "were too big to fail.
  
• Fannie and Freddie - To insure that everyone has a home mortgage (without any consideration of their ability to repay) legislation was passed that created the "sub-prime" fiasco. Just another example of the governments’ intrusion into the banking process.

• Because of union pressure, Congress bowed to the automakers and rescued (twice) GM and Chrysler by injecting dollars (borrowed dollars) and becoming the largest shareholder. We've also created "special" rules to allow these two companies an accelerated path thru bankruptcy proceedings.
  

• Stimulus package - Got to stimulate the economy now - remember that crisis? $284.9 billion has been spent as of 6/26/09 according to the official government tracking site, http://www.recovery.gov/. A couple of comments on this issue-

1. While the amount spent is a LARGE amount of money, it’s nowhere near the trillions that were authorized. The dirty secret is that the majority of the spending is targeted for future years – no doubt to assist with political campaigns by promoting home-town pork where needed.
   
2. Why would anyone in their right mind ever think that spending is what would is needed to revive an economy? Do that with your own personal depressed economy and let me know how it works out!

• Cap and Trade legislation – not the first bill passed that wasn’t read, but now the poster child for Congressional dereliction of duty. This was a total abrogation of Constitutional responsibility – both in the betrayal to the country by not reading the bill and allowing the passage of this destructive legislation – over 2 reams of paper filled with more favors to lobbyists.

With all of the above, and framed by the latest unemployment numbers that are the 2nd highest ever recorded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, did you realize that Congress voted themselves a pay raise at the end of last year? Between 1798 and 1901 the average number of terms served by House members was 2.18 compared to 4.86 terms for House members serving between 1901 and 2002, and since 1947 the average number of terms for a House member has increased to 5.84 terms. (from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/6/7/8/4/p67846_index.html ). The Senate is not immune to this malady, as they too have their share of "tenured" legislators. Robert Byrd holds the distinction of having cast the largest number of votes, 18,517, being first elected in 1959 and serving continuously since. I don't think this is what the founders intended.

What did they intend?

The founding revolution of this Republic was in response to the oppressive oligarchy of England. They opposed elitism, and considered themselves common citizens of the colonies, bound together by duty of service - service to fellow man and to God.

This Independence Day, I have been thinking a lot about the courage shown by these men. I have wondered how our leaders and the common citizenry would respond to the same challenges these men faced. I have come to the conclusion that the absence of leadership suggests that we are not prepared today to face such trials. Washington now marches to a different drumbeat than Main Street USA. We need to clean house (and Senate!).

There will be 36 US Senate Seats contested in the 2010 election. 18 are currently held by Republicans, and 18 are held by Democrats. 5 Republicans are retiring and not seeking re-election, as is 1 Democrat. Regardless of the label worn by these incumbents, We the People have the opportunity in this election to make a difference. We're taking applications now, experienced need not apply!!