Grassroot Americans

I keep hearing there are only two candidates running this fall for the position of US President, but it’s not true. Yes, there will be one Democrat and one Republican on the ballot, but those are not our only choices. If there are more candidates legally vying for the position, then why are we not hearing about them from the mainstream media?

Bob Barr is running as a Libertarian. The Libertarian party has been around for a while but not many people give it much credence. Why? Some say a third party just splits the vote of the other two parties…that he/she’s the spoiler in the race. But that doesn’t make sense to me.

The purpose of having more than one candidate on the ballot is to give people a choice. If the people don’t want the Democratic candidate or the Republican candidate, why not have an opportunity to vote for someone else…especially if they are legally on the ballot?

This year there’s a fourth candidate in the race. His name is Chuck Baldwin and he is running on behalf of the Constitution party. That’s four choices the American people have that I’m aware of.

OnTheIssues.org provides some good information about each of these candidate’s positions on the issues in a format that is easier to wade through than each of the candidate’s campaign sites. Read more here:

Bob Barr - Chuck Baldwin - Barack Obama - John McCain

I encourage you to do your homework and vote for the candidate of your choice. I will not encourage you to vote for a political party. It is not the “political party” who sits in the oval office and acts as the Commander in Chief, it’s the individual. Take your job as an American citizen seriously. People died so that you can vote. Vote as if your life and the lives of your family are hanging in the balance…because they are.

“We have heard of the impious doctrine in the old world, that the people were made for kings, not kings for the people. Is the same doctrine to be revived in the new, in another shape - that the solid happiness of the people is to be sacrificed to the views of political institutions of a different form? It is too early for politicians to presume on our forgetting that the public good, the real welfare of the great body of the people, is the supreme object to be pursued; and that no form of government whatever has any other value than as it may be fitted for the attainment of this object.”

– James Madison (Federalist No. 45)

SOURCE: Federalist No. 45.

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Yesterday marked the fourth anniversary of President Ronald Wilson Reagan’s death, 1911-2004. The Patriot has developed the most comprehensive resource on, and tribute to, Ronald Reagan, and I personally found it fascinating.

In this presidential election year, I believe the following statement to be as true today as it was when first spoken in 1964 in support of Barry Goldwater’s presidential campaign:

“This is the issue of this election: Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves.” [SOURCE]

I personally believe we can self-govern, but that means Americans need to wake up. We need to tackle issues head on. If the government is not doing what we want, then we need to change it!

Read more »

In his State of the Union Address on December 1, 1796 America’s first President, George Washington indicated the need for a national university. He stated:

“Amongst the motives to such an institution, the assimilation of the principles, opinions, and manners of our country-men by the common education of a portion of our youth from every quarter well deserves attention.

“The more homogenous our citizens can be made in these particulars the greater will be our prospect of permanent union; and a primary object of such a national institution should be the education of our youth in the science of government.

In a republic what species of knowledge can be equally important and what duty more pressing on its legislature than to patronize a plan for communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?”

He recognized the importance of imparting an education about the way our country was run so that the country will remain united and free.

Well, it is evident in this political season, now more than ever, that we as a nation are not united, and our freedom is being stripped away from us on a daily basis.

As I keep hearing about the kinds of laws/decisions being made and actions taken by our elected (& unelected) officials at the federal, state and local levels against the will of the people, it not only makes me ill, it enrages me. And, I am not alone.

Unfortunately, many of my fellow Americans don’t know how to make their voice heard. They don’t know how to wade through the political waters to get to the other side. They are so disgusted with the direction this country is headed but have no clue on how to get it back on track.

I believe that if we learn how to properly navigate our way through the political process and make informed choices in selecting our leaders, we can restore our government to be more reflective of we, the people…all of us…not just the political savvy or vocal few.

Join me on this journey of restoring government to being of, by and for the people once again by learning more about the science of our government and participating in such a way that our voices get heard. Subscribe to “We the People“, a weekly ezine dedicated to educating and empowering Grassroot Americans nationwide.

CELEBRATING MEMORIAL DAY

In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress to honor those who have died in all American wars. Its origins lie in “Decoration Day”, a time established by the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers.

In years past, we spent our Memorial Days cooking out with the family…while it was a day to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in battle for our Country, we never really did any physical act to recognize them. We prayed and my father hung the American Flag in the front of the house, but as far as I can remember that’s all we did. We didn’t decorate any graves with flowers.

Yesterday at church, my children’s Sunday School teacher took the kids around the cemetery and stopped at every tombstone that bore an American flag. She encouraged us along with the rest of the congregation at the end of the church service to remember the fallen soldiers on this special day.

This year, I’m starting a new tradition with my family. We have fields of yellow buttercups on our property and our family is going to go out and pick baskets full to take with us to our local cemetery. And we are going to decorate the graves of those who died for our freedom.

THE BUDDY POPPY

If you don’t have a family tradition for this National Holiday, I encourage you to start one like the one I mentioned above. If you don’t have fields of flowers in your yard, then consider seeking out some veterans who will be distributing artificial poppies in recognition of their fallen comrades.

“In 1924, a poppy factory was built in Pittsburgh, Pa., providing a reliable source of poppies and a practical means of assistance to veterans. Today, veterans at Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities and veterans homes help assemble the poppies, which are distributed by veterans service organizations throughout the country.

“Donations received in return for these artificial poppies have helped countless veterans and their widows, widowers and orphans over the years. The poppy itself continues to serve as a perpetual tribute to those who have given their lives for the nation’s freedom.”

NATIONAL MOMENT OF REMEMBRANCE

“To ensure the sacrifices of America ’s fallen heroes are never forgotten, in December 2000, the U.S. Congress passed and the president signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106-579, creating the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance. The commission’s charter is to “encourage the people of the United States to give something back to their country, which provides them so much freedom and opportunity” by encouraging and coordinating commemorations in the United States of Memorial Day and the National Moment of Remembrance.

“The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation. As Moment of Remembrance founder Carmella LaSpada states: “It’s a way we can all help put the memorial back in Memorial Day.”

We plan on being at my parents’ house, cooking out at that time, but I will be sure to make certain we all stop precisely at 3PM for a moment of silence and remember as an extended family the price paid for us to gather freely on this beautiful spring day.

God bless you and your family, and may God continue to bless America.

SOURCE: US DEPT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS