Five (5) lessons...

4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the
King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of
vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, thepeasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note
from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease.. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had
miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, 'Yes I'll do it if it will save her.' As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.

He looked up at the doctor and asked with a
trembling voice, 'Will I start to die right away'.

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her but he had chosen to save her anyway.

I Believe...

·         The life of the unborn must be protected and respected

·         The morning after pill is acceptable in cases of rape or incest

·         Condoms shouldn’t be condemned, but sex must be cherished and precious

·         The government does not know how to spend my money better than I do

·         I don’t owe anyone anything

·         Racism exists because minorities want it to

·         Affirmative action only hurts this country by emphasizing that minorities are in fact different

·         Racism should be condemned across the board and not used as a crutch

·         The American flag is much more than just a piece of cloth

·         The three branches of government are separate and must remain so

·         Military and defense spending take priority over preservation of the blue-green algae

·         A higher power exists and should be taught in schools

·         No one needs an AK-47 or uzi, but law abiding citizens should not pay a debt because of someone else’s wrong doing

·         Drug abuse is a choice, not a disease

·         Bailouts only reward bad decisions

·         Socialized medicine brings down quality

·         American life expectancy is more directly related to lifestyle and not our healthcare system

·         English should be America’s national language

·         Illegal immigrants are illegal and deserve no perks

·         Children of illegal immigrants are also illegal

·         Judges should not have term limits

·         Capital punishment is a deterrent

·         Murder is murder no matter the age or mental capacity of the assailant

·         Hate crimes legislation reinforces that minorities are in fact different

·         Americans should be concerned with strength and safety and not international popularity

·         9/11 was not an inside job

·         Saddam Hussein was a direct threat to the United States

·         If someone is wrong, they should be told so

·         The truth is not absolute

·         Individuals owe society, society does not owe individuals

·         Assistance means much more when given voluntarily, not when given out of governmental obligation

·         George W. Bush won the 2000 Presidential election thanks to the voters, not the Supreme Court

·         There is a time and place for political statements and an awards podium is not one of them

·         American issues supersede those of the rest of the world

·         Too many Americans believe America can do no right

·         Barack Obama was viewed as a symbol, not a Presidential candidate

·         George W. Bush was not the evil incarnate that so many labeled him as

·         Gay marriage is a state issue

·         Majority rules

·         Culture creates government

·         Criticism of government is a criticism of culture

·         Political correctness is censorship

·         Ronald Reagan was our greatest President and Jimmy Carter was our worst

·         Academia is liberal

·         Nationwide education standards hurt our children

·         No funding takes precedent over that for schools

·         Hollywood doesn’t represent America

·         John Edwards doesn’t speak for the poor

·         Lying to a Grand Jury about a blow job is perjury

·         International Law does not exist

·         The United Nations is nothing more than organized bickering

·         Little Boy and Fat Man were necessary and saved more lives than they claimed

·         No presidency is unblemished and national security is imperative

·         The victim mentality is a crutch

·         All issues are caused, and solved, by the individual

·         Mankind is greedy

·         No one does anything without wanting something in return

·         Jesus of Nazareth existed

·         The Truth is not absolute

·         Thomas More is the most admirable man in history

·         Thomas Hobbes was the most brilliant man in history

·         Machiavelli paved the way for both Hobbes and More

·         Re-incarnation is real

·         Israel has a right to exist as a free state and so does Palestine

·         War is inevitable but in the end good triumphs and rules

·         The truth is not absolute

I want America back!

Yes, that is exactly what I said; I want my country back.

Barack Obama's election was celebrated around the world like nothing I have ever seen before. People in third world countries were watching our election more than their own governments. I took that as a testament to the global impact that America has--we were still the leader of the world, unfortunately the last seven months have shown that we are anything but.

Barack Obama has become a follower, not a leader. His emphasis on universal health care being the prime example. If socialized medicine is fine and dandy, why did it fail so miserably during the Clinton Presidency and was never pursued by any other administration before or since? Our health care system was the best in the world for decades. Why else did nations, with socialized medicine, fly in American doctors, or send patients here? Because they didn't have the funds, research, or know how to cure the many ailments that plague the world. It was a compliment to us, but Obama has decided to bring American health care down a notch because it is the popular thing to do. We have always been a loner in many aspects, but Obama wants us to be a part of the mainstream. He wants us middle of the road and that is BS.

But, I should have expected giant steps backward. What else can one expect from a man who encourages racism toward whites, but cries foul when a friend is wronged? Barack Obama's election was supposed to symbolize an end to racism--though I believe it "survived" because minorities wanted it to--but his comments against the New Haven Fire Fighters and the Cambridge Police Department show that he is only saying that minorities need special attention and thus are in fact different. Does anyone else see the problems here? An historic election results in America's first "black" President, he calls this election a mandate and praises it in symbolizing so many changes in America. But what has truly changed? Race is now the biggest social issue in America; something I thought people wanted to put behind them.

So here we are: "America" 2009. While I'm not happy with the direction the nation has taken, I will say that I am fascinated by it from a political science point of view. What in fact are we? While many could say that we are Socialist due to the nationalization of the banks, God forbid medicine and most likely education, it is difficult to use that term across the board since if we were truly socialist the race card would not be nearly as prominent as it is; the race card seems to be a badge of honor now. The President is "Black" so all of us minorities are victims and can play this card because the President has our back--never mind the fact that he would have it anyway because we are still Americans. 

True that I don't know what kind of Government we are right now, I do know that I want America back. Gone are the times when merit was rewarded, and not questioned as are the times when I had the freedom to choose my health care provider and not be forced to pay for something that I want nothing to do with. It has only been 7 months and America is virtually unrecognizable. I cringe when thinking about what the next 3 1/2 years will bring.