Liberty Bell

Wishing you a blessed Easter.

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
— Emma Lazarus, on the Statue of Liberty

America has been a country of freedom and hope for many years. And because of that, it has drawn and continues to draw people from other nations to it. Most are longing for a better life. They believe America will provide it.

They see America as a great nation. They hear people talk of a glorious land - possibly a paradise on earth. They hear job opportunities, not shortage of jobs. They hear about food and free health care - not about the American citizens with no health insurance, and others who struggle to provide for their families.

I know many didn’t realize the problems with America. I know because the people my Dad work with (Turks) viewed America as a great nation. And when they visited, and realize how much Katrina had affected people’s lives, they were shocked. They hadn’t heard of the homeless people, the starving people, the out-of-work people…

America! America!

Now America is facing problems regarding immigration. And we see people who are in the U.S. illegally (mostly Mexicans), take jobs and get health care where U.S. citizens can’t. And we hear people talking Spanish and wonder what they’re saying - realizing that because we can’t understand them, we might be the ones out of a job.

I know another family, who moved to Washington State from California. The dad’s an out-of-work white electrician. Not because he’s lazy - he tried very hard to find work. But because when he tried to find a job, he was rejected because he couldn’t speak Spanish.

God shed his grace on thee…

There was an article on Think and Ask, called Free Los Angeles, Go Fix Mexico. It’s copyrighted - “reproduction of any kind is not permitted without written consent” - which I don’t have. But it’s a good article and I wanted to use a few paragraphs:

What is wrong with Mexico? Gotta dictator? Can’t put food on the table? No jobs to be found? Well, join the club, for life is no better in the United States for poor and middle class blacks and whites.

The only difference is now we whites and blacks have to pay socially and financially for those Mexicans who enter this country and work for cash while they avoid paying income, property, and school taxes. But Mexicans get healthcare and public school education — for free. If we tried avoiding taxes the IRS would be on our door before you could say si si. If we show up at hospital expecting free assistance we’d die while waiting in the emergency room without health insurance.

Here is one possible all encompassing answer: Life is easy for the Mexicans. It is easy to enter the United States illegally and stay under the radar. It is easy to come to the United States and pop-out a baby to gain citizenship and apply for welfare. It is easy to work here for $8-per hour cash, pile-up 20 illegals in a one-bedroom apartment to save rent and split the cost of a beer keg on the weekends. It is easy to build political clout with the sheer influx of immigrants along with the baby boom that follows with each new family.

It seems ironic that illegal aliens gathered such steam in Los Angeles to march, considering they offer no intellectual exchange to advance innovation in this nation…other than halting laws that infringe upon their own special cause. Be proud of Mexico: Go home to build a life your children can boast was the effort of their parents’ hard work and reform. Meanwhile, rest assured, we are telling our children that there is no free ride in the United States…unless one is here illegally from Mexico.

And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

The Rune of St Patrick

At Tara today in this fateful hour
I place all Heaven with its power,
And the sun with its brightness,
And the snow with its whiteness,
And fire with all the strength it hath,
And lightning with its rapid wrath,
And the winds with their swiftness along their path,
And the sea with its deepness,
And the rocks with their steepness,
And the earth with its starkness
All these I place,
By God’s almighty help and grace,
Between myself and the powers of darkness.

The Rune of St. Patrick is a variation on the much longer Lorica. Tradition tells us that Patrick said this protection prayer as he walked from the Hill of Slane to Tara to confront the High King who he believed to be representing the powers of darkness. Also according to legend, St. Patrick and his followers were turned into deer when they were being pursued by the king’s men early one morning. As the Lorica of St. Patrick–a lorica being a type of prayer of protection (literally meaning “breastplate”), which was popular in Celtic countries–it is used not only as a morning prayer, but as a prayer of protection.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

“Deploying for Iraq in the middle of 2005 this soldier was in for a huge project dedicating to a 1 year long deployment. Not only had this soldier made a huge decision to protect his country but he also decided to dedicate his life in marriage to his high school sweet heart days before leaving on his mission… If you would like to contribute to “Operation: Honor A Hero,” please send emails of support to Honor_A_Hero@yahoo.com. The organizer will be collecting emails until April 2, 2006. The collection of emails will be arranged into a gift scrapbook, and given to the family.”

Read more…

Please support this family by sending an e-mail. It will take very little time. While you’re at it, don’t forget the Support a Military Family.

found at The Voice
I understand this is short notice, but thought I would include it in case any readers are from Southern CA, or nearby. There’s no way I can get there, so this is my way of “supporting” the rally.

This week anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan is in Southern California, where she will lead a number of events called “End the War in Iraq, NOW” - and you can bet that the TV cameras will capture Sheehan’s every move.

We’re fighting back by organizing our own counter event, and I want to invite you to attend.

As I write this to you, the staff at Move America Forward is busy at work organizing a patriotic, pro-American, “Support Our Troops AND Their Missions” counter rally.

The rally takes place this FRIDAY, March 3rd from 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM at Balboa Park in San Diego (across from the Veterans Memorial Center Museum at the corner of Presidents Way & Park Boulevard).

You can see a map of where the pro-troop rally will be held at our website: Move America Forward

I need people from all over California and the Southwestern U.S. to make the effort to attend this giant pro-American rally we will be conducting. I will be working feverishly to make sure the news media covers our event, but I need your help to ensure there is a big crowd.

Please, bring along your family, your kids, your co-workers and friends to this uplifting and positive tribute to the heroic men and women of the United States military.

Deborah Johns - who led the “You Don’t Speak for Me, Cindy” tour will be there. So too will Howard Kaloogian (who founded Move America Forward and traveled with me to Iraq to support our troops). The lovely singer Kaweah Angel will sing patriotic songs with her gorgeous, moving voice.

BUT WE NEED YOU THERE!

If you have any questions you can contact Move America Forward’s Executive Director, Robert Dixon here:

Robert Dixon

“Gevoelig:” A Cartoon

The maker of “Gevoelig,” Joep Bertrams, is a Danish political-cartoon author. While I can’t tell heads from tails with Dutch, this cartoon is affective in any language.

“Gevoelig” means “sensitive.”

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.
— Martin Luther King, Jr.

I don’t understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine’s Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.
— Unknown

Greater love hath no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
— John 15:26

If all my friends were to jump off a bridge I wouldn’t jump with them, I would be at the bottom to catch them.
— Unknown