In a drama my family and I perform the opening words of a young lady, as she rings a bell are, " The Convention is over." The question is then asked, "what have you given us a republic or a monarchy?" To which I, as Benjamin Franklin, reply, "A republic, ma'am, if you can keep it" (critics will challenge the authenticity of the previous statement, but the principle is valid). The convention to which she is referring is the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
As I read the Ashe Mountain Times of April 14, 2011 I was treated to a summary of another convention. That jewel was the "Ashe County Democratic Party Convention." Now it needs to be understood that, as Americans, we have the right to assemble. But what comes out for public consumption is fair game.
According to the Times the keynote speaker Rev. John Duvall "...goes on the attack..." and the tea parties were his target of choice. Fair enough. Yea First Amendment. However, Rev. Duvall is a little lean on the facts. He accused the, "GOP-TEA Parties," as being, ....."hell bent on wrecking this nation." He continued, "Trust me, I am in my eighth decade and I have never seen or heard of anything like we have going on in North Carolina, in Ashe County and in every state."
There you have it folks. The GOP-TEA Parties are the Bogey-Man and our country had better beware.
As Rev. Duvall stated, he is either an octogenarian or working on it and as such he should certainly know about FDR, who tried to pack the Supreme Court, LBJ who ushered in a boondoggle "Great Society," Jimmy "Trust Me" (where have I heard that?) Carter who grew great peanuts, Bill Clinton, who didn't know the meaning of "IS", and Obama, well he can sure read a teleprompter.
Rev. Duvall has "...never seen or heard..." well, I have. It happened in the mid to latter half of the eighteenth century and was an uprising against a tyrannical King and Parliament. And now it's time again.
And, by the way, the next time Duvall wants "50 black folks" to attend his convention, let me know, the tea party has 100s of thousands and I'm sure 50 would pop in for a chat as long as they aren't required to stay.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Tea Parties....going, going........?
Those in the left wing progressive arena are floating the propaganda that the tea party movement is on the way out and will shortly be ineffective. To quote a guest on Chris Matthew's "Hard Ball", "the tea party balloon is deflating." Is it true or are the nay-sayers just "whistling through the graveyard?"
There has been a resting period for those who worked so hard to insure that the American dream is back on track and that's OK as long as the rest does not become complacency. With tired folks the possibility does exist. As a former runner if I rested too much between races it was difficult getting ready for the next.
How do we stay in sharp? First, we keep our relationship with other patriots active and viable, even if there are no major projects on the table. Next, we never let the cause of liberty leave our lips. Additionally, be ready , willing, and able to move quickly to take on the nay sayers in policy, legislature, debate, and activism. "Be instant in season; out of season." Also, it is imperative to let our legislators know we are watching.
Liberty and freedom are not, nor ever have been instruments of the lazy or static. They are for the energetic and dynamic. Let our guard down and it is parry-thrust with us on the business end of the sword.
There has been a resting period for those who worked so hard to insure that the American dream is back on track and that's OK as long as the rest does not become complacency. With tired folks the possibility does exist. As a former runner if I rested too much between races it was difficult getting ready for the next.
How do we stay in sharp? First, we keep our relationship with other patriots active and viable, even if there are no major projects on the table. Next, we never let the cause of liberty leave our lips. Additionally, be ready , willing, and able to move quickly to take on the nay sayers in policy, legislature, debate, and activism. "Be instant in season; out of season." Also, it is imperative to let our legislators know we are watching.
Liberty and freedom are not, nor ever have been instruments of the lazy or static. They are for the energetic and dynamic. Let our guard down and it is parry-thrust with us on the business end of the sword.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Sappy and Sickening
While sitting peacefully on my sofa eating popcorn and channel surfing I landed in the backwash of a wave I rarely see...MSNBC. What made me stay in this wilderness of sap I will never know but there I was. The program I was watching was The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell or Let's Slobber Over Keith Olbermann.
O'Donnell droned on about how Olbermann was a wonderful purveyor of truth and his sacrificial mentor. It got so sappy there for a while I picked my feet up from the floor to avoid ..... well you know what.
Now, it's admirable to love your friends no matter their proclivity toward absurdity, but it would be wise to keep it in the family. On the other hand I guess those who regularly watch MSNBC are family, all ten of them. I was just an uninvited intruder.
The point is, Keith Olbermann was a vendor of unbridled hatred. His Op-Ed pieces were so filled with vitriol that he makes Sen Steven Cohen look mild and Hannity look like a choir boy. O'Donnell picked up the mantel with great enthusiasm.
Even when O'Donnell digressed from his journalistic obituary and attempted the news it was the attitudinal shadow of Olbermann and very little commentary worth enduring. Then it was back to the ramblings about Keith O.
Oh well, I'm sure MSNBC, if such a poll were taken, would come in behind Peewee Herman marries Yvonne.
O'Donnell while gasping for air did mention West Wing and how it has run for 8 (?) seasons and is highly rated. Duh..what does that have to do with the MSNBC debacle?
Then came Rachel Maddow sloshing through mire with her comment about the "Republicans in disarray." Maddow did you miss November 2, 2010?
I headed for bed and decided to leave a night light on in case I had nightmares.
O'Donnell droned on about how Olbermann was a wonderful purveyor of truth and his sacrificial mentor. It got so sappy there for a while I picked my feet up from the floor to avoid ..... well you know what.
Now, it's admirable to love your friends no matter their proclivity toward absurdity, but it would be wise to keep it in the family. On the other hand I guess those who regularly watch MSNBC are family, all ten of them. I was just an uninvited intruder.
The point is, Keith Olbermann was a vendor of unbridled hatred. His Op-Ed pieces were so filled with vitriol that he makes Sen Steven Cohen look mild and Hannity look like a choir boy. O'Donnell picked up the mantel with great enthusiasm.
Even when O'Donnell digressed from his journalistic obituary and attempted the news it was the attitudinal shadow of Olbermann and very little commentary worth enduring. Then it was back to the ramblings about Keith O.
Oh well, I'm sure MSNBC, if such a poll were taken, would come in behind Peewee Herman marries Yvonne.
O'Donnell while gasping for air did mention West Wing and how it has run for 8 (?) seasons and is highly rated. Duh..what does that have to do with the MSNBC debacle?
Then came Rachel Maddow sloshing through mire with her comment about the "Republicans in disarray." Maddow did you miss November 2, 2010?
I headed for bed and decided to leave a night light on in case I had nightmares.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Simmer Down so says the Editor
The following is a letter a friend, Cynthia Wadsworth, sent to our local paper:
Dear Editor,
Response to Simmer Down
Politicizing a Tragedy
Mr. Adamson is politicizing a horrible, senseless tragedy. This is the far left blaming the far right. Has the liberal left become so desperate that they must engage in shameful finger pointing at the conservative right? The finger pointing was immediate and it was totally irresponsible and Mr. Adamson is engaging in this finger pointing.
Jared Loughner, the shooter, had shown a tendency toward mental illness for years. His friend stated that he engaged Senator Giffords in a previous public meeting 3 years ago, by asking her a question that made no sense. He was known for rambling outbursts in math class and in the school library. His you tube video showed very little connections in his thoughts. He showed signs of paranoia. He admits to drug use. He failed an exam to join the Army because of his drug use. Does this explain his violent behavior? Perhaps the combination of drugs and mental illness will be to blame; we do not have that answer. It certainly does not excuse his behavior. It does not appear that he ever had an evaluation by a mental health professional even though his mental instability had been questioned by many who knew him.
What is missed is that in his ramblings posted on the internet and in some of his writings, is that he never mentions current political issues. He does not mention the vitriol that we have had crammed down our throats the last few days. There is no mention of the health care debate, or gun control issues. In my opinion he was so far out of touch with reality that he was not aware of these issues. His target could have been anyone from any political party. He just had access to Giffords over the last several years based on location. Had he lived in Alaska, it could have been Sarah Palin if he had access to her and was able to engage her in his ramblings. It could have been any politician in any state. Jared Loughner happened to live in Arizona.
We should question, instead, how this man fell through the cracks. We should question what is wrong with our mental health system when someone has had symptoms for years and no one pushed for this young man to get help as a teenager or young adult? He was dismissed by the college he attended and told not to return until he had received a mental health evaluation. He did not get one.
The words “simmer down” I have never heard used by grandparents or parents. I have only heard it used on Saturday Night Live. This is not the time to “simmer down.” Locally, some of us are having our property rights taken away by the town of West Jefferson without our permission. We must speak up or we will continue to lose our rights. I am sure “simmer down” is what many on the far left want those of us who are outspoken to do. I am sure that was the message given to us by the West Jefferson town aldermen in June when they paraded the police officers out the back door and then in the front door of town hall at the ETJ meeting. They wanted to be sure we “simmer down now” quoting the Saturday Night live version.
Giffords is outspoken and a trailblazer and I hope that she is able to recover from this senseless violence. We need more just like her. She would not want us to “simmer down.” I am also a traumatic brain injury survivor, and it is a long, long road to recovery and that road may have to be measured in years. Recovery is possible and I will pray that she is blessed with skilled caregivers and a loving family. This was a horrible tragedy and we must recognize it as such.
Cynthia Hardy Wadsworth RNC, BSN, CNNP
Neonatal Practitioner
West Jefferson, NC
Dear Editor,
Response to Simmer Down
Politicizing a Tragedy
Mr. Adamson is politicizing a horrible, senseless tragedy. This is the far left blaming the far right. Has the liberal left become so desperate that they must engage in shameful finger pointing at the conservative right? The finger pointing was immediate and it was totally irresponsible and Mr. Adamson is engaging in this finger pointing.
Jared Loughner, the shooter, had shown a tendency toward mental illness for years. His friend stated that he engaged Senator Giffords in a previous public meeting 3 years ago, by asking her a question that made no sense. He was known for rambling outbursts in math class and in the school library. His you tube video showed very little connections in his thoughts. He showed signs of paranoia. He admits to drug use. He failed an exam to join the Army because of his drug use. Does this explain his violent behavior? Perhaps the combination of drugs and mental illness will be to blame; we do not have that answer. It certainly does not excuse his behavior. It does not appear that he ever had an evaluation by a mental health professional even though his mental instability had been questioned by many who knew him.
What is missed is that in his ramblings posted on the internet and in some of his writings, is that he never mentions current political issues. He does not mention the vitriol that we have had crammed down our throats the last few days. There is no mention of the health care debate, or gun control issues. In my opinion he was so far out of touch with reality that he was not aware of these issues. His target could have been anyone from any political party. He just had access to Giffords over the last several years based on location. Had he lived in Alaska, it could have been Sarah Palin if he had access to her and was able to engage her in his ramblings. It could have been any politician in any state. Jared Loughner happened to live in Arizona.
We should question, instead, how this man fell through the cracks. We should question what is wrong with our mental health system when someone has had symptoms for years and no one pushed for this young man to get help as a teenager or young adult? He was dismissed by the college he attended and told not to return until he had received a mental health evaluation. He did not get one.
The words “simmer down” I have never heard used by grandparents or parents. I have only heard it used on Saturday Night Live. This is not the time to “simmer down.” Locally, some of us are having our property rights taken away by the town of West Jefferson without our permission. We must speak up or we will continue to lose our rights. I am sure “simmer down” is what many on the far left want those of us who are outspoken to do. I am sure that was the message given to us by the West Jefferson town aldermen in June when they paraded the police officers out the back door and then in the front door of town hall at the ETJ meeting. They wanted to be sure we “simmer down now” quoting the Saturday Night live version.
Giffords is outspoken and a trailblazer and I hope that she is able to recover from this senseless violence. We need more just like her. She would not want us to “simmer down.” I am also a traumatic brain injury survivor, and it is a long, long road to recovery and that road may have to be measured in years. Recovery is possible and I will pray that she is blessed with skilled caregivers and a loving family. This was a horrible tragedy and we must recognize it as such.
Cynthia Hardy Wadsworth RNC, BSN, CNNP
Neonatal Practitioner
West Jefferson, NC
The Motive of a Mad Man???
We knew it was going to happen but that does not make it any less disgusting.
Tucson, Arizona was the scene where a piece of garbage carrying a weapon shot and killed many innocent people and wounded many others. It was a violent act by a crazy man with a leftest past, but that did not stop the progressive pseudo-journalist, such those at CNN, MSNBC, Daily COS, moveon.org and others, from blaming the tea party activists and specifically Sarah Palin. As was said by President Obama's former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel "you never want a serious crisis to go to waste," and believe me the liberals wasted no time in capitalizing on this crisis.
As the co-founder of the tea party movement in Ashe County, "We The People Of Ashe County," I am angered and offended by the relentless barrage of unfounded accusations cast at the conservative movement. Not one act of violence has ever been linked to our movement and our leadership will ensure that it never does.
Tea partiers are God fearing, America loving, and devoted to family citizens who want only the best for our county, state, and nation. However, those who champion the socialist agenda of the left care nothing about our republic and Constitution, and will place the Arizona tragedy well into the Ban-the-Guns mantra leaving our citizens helpless and at the mercy of such maniacs like the one in Tucson and pleading with an increasingly corrupt government to do what it cannot do--- protect us.
I am well acquainted with many tea party movements around the state and nation and I know the last thing we want is a nut-case in our midst and we will do everything we can to disassociated ourselves from such leaven.
The left's greatest fear is an educated society and our nation, thanks in large part to the tea party movement, is becoming increasingly more educated on matters of government and the Constitution and there is nothing more terrifying to the oligarchy than the subjects becoming informed.
"We The People of Ashe County" is the needed clarion call to liberty and freedom in our comunnity and if the people will listen we will see the fruit of our efforts in the education of our children as well as our adults and once again the knowledge of being an American will swell our hearts with pride and patriotism.
Kershaw Getty
Tucson, Arizona was the scene where a piece of garbage carrying a weapon shot and killed many innocent people and wounded many others. It was a violent act by a crazy man with a leftest past, but that did not stop the progressive pseudo-journalist, such those at CNN, MSNBC, Daily COS, moveon.org and others, from blaming the tea party activists and specifically Sarah Palin. As was said by President Obama's former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel "you never want a serious crisis to go to waste," and believe me the liberals wasted no time in capitalizing on this crisis.
As the co-founder of the tea party movement in Ashe County, "We The People Of Ashe County," I am angered and offended by the relentless barrage of unfounded accusations cast at the conservative movement. Not one act of violence has ever been linked to our movement and our leadership will ensure that it never does.
Tea partiers are God fearing, America loving, and devoted to family citizens who want only the best for our county, state, and nation. However, those who champion the socialist agenda of the left care nothing about our republic and Constitution, and will place the Arizona tragedy well into the Ban-the-Guns mantra leaving our citizens helpless and at the mercy of such maniacs like the one in Tucson and pleading with an increasingly corrupt government to do what it cannot do--- protect us.
I am well acquainted with many tea party movements around the state and nation and I know the last thing we want is a nut-case in our midst and we will do everything we can to disassociated ourselves from such leaven.
The left's greatest fear is an educated society and our nation, thanks in large part to the tea party movement, is becoming increasingly more educated on matters of government and the Constitution and there is nothing more terrifying to the oligarchy than the subjects becoming informed.
"We The People of Ashe County" is the needed clarion call to liberty and freedom in our comunnity and if the people will listen we will see the fruit of our efforts in the education of our children as well as our adults and once again the knowledge of being an American will swell our hearts with pride and patriotism.
Kershaw Getty
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Death by union strangulation
The news from New York is not good. But then it rarely is. The major networks reported that New York city workers deliberately slowed down the clearing of snow from the streets of the "Big Apple" in order to protest budget cuts. The result (allegedly) was the death of an infant because the ambulance could not get to the hospital due to snow covered roads.
There has been an outcry from the union bosses that no employee would do, or be ordered to do, such at thing, to which I say balderdash. I was a member of a union spanning 30 plus years and I can stand four square on the knowledge that such can happen does happen and will happen in the future if the unions are allowed to continue unfettered and out of control.
I have no problem with collected bargaining for wages and benefits within corporations as long as reasonable limits are placed on such negotiations by scrupulous union officials and sensible corporate leaders. However, public service employees should not be unionized.
Teacher's unions are another problem. If our dear readers keep up with my writings they know that I greatly respect our teachers and the difficult job they have. My issue is not with them it is with the national and state unions that gridlock our education system and steal that precious commodity called knowledge from our children. With political correctness, global warming, recycling, touchy-feely indoctrination, and identity glorification, most supported by teacher's unions, little time is left for meaningful instructions and our children are being intellectually robbed.
Additionally, the regulations on unions should be a state issue and not a federal one, unless irrefutable evidence can be shown that the interstate commerce clause is solidly in play.
Unions had their place in America but I believe their time has passed.
There has been an outcry from the union bosses that no employee would do, or be ordered to do, such at thing, to which I say balderdash. I was a member of a union spanning 30 plus years and I can stand four square on the knowledge that such can happen does happen and will happen in the future if the unions are allowed to continue unfettered and out of control.
I have no problem with collected bargaining for wages and benefits within corporations as long as reasonable limits are placed on such negotiations by scrupulous union officials and sensible corporate leaders. However, public service employees should not be unionized.
Teacher's unions are another problem. If our dear readers keep up with my writings they know that I greatly respect our teachers and the difficult job they have. My issue is not with them it is with the national and state unions that gridlock our education system and steal that precious commodity called knowledge from our children. With political correctness, global warming, recycling, touchy-feely indoctrination, and identity glorification, most supported by teacher's unions, little time is left for meaningful instructions and our children are being intellectually robbed.
Additionally, the regulations on unions should be a state issue and not a federal one, unless irrefutable evidence can be shown that the interstate commerce clause is solidly in play.
Unions had their place in America but I believe their time has passed.
Friday, December 31, 2010
WHAT IS PATRIOTISM?
Dear fellow lovers of liberty: I was just thinking.
Patriotism is not a flag that is flown on a day that few realize the significance. Nor, is it the recitation of a pledge to that flag, for, there is an obligatory desire to participate. Patriotism is not necessarily the fighting in wars that support the maintenance of freedom or even dying in those wars, for, conscription can carry a warrior to battle. Patriotism is not the apple pie that Mom makes nor the gathering around the family table at Thanksgiving to consume that pie, for, the hearth of home is a draw to any occasion. Patriotism is not any of the symbolic gestures that we as Americans celebrate or laud.
No, patriotism is not a thing to be celebrated only, rather the feeling of love for liberty and freedom and that intangible that can only be understood by those who embrace that which our founders, with the blessings of God, gave us. A feeling that transcends physical feelings of good health, national security, or food on the table. Patriotism is a feeling that only the grateful can relish and celebrate. Not with flags, fireworks, or frivolity, though those activities are part of the American persona, but with a deep appreciation for what we have inherited and a desire to pass to our posterity that which we have received.
Patriotism is also our responsibility to ensure that the American dream never dies but shines as a beacon to a world in despair. Patriotism was forged with the words of our founders when they pledged: "....our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."
Kershaw Getty
Patriotism is not a flag that is flown on a day that few realize the significance. Nor, is it the recitation of a pledge to that flag, for, there is an obligatory desire to participate. Patriotism is not necessarily the fighting in wars that support the maintenance of freedom or even dying in those wars, for, conscription can carry a warrior to battle. Patriotism is not the apple pie that Mom makes nor the gathering around the family table at Thanksgiving to consume that pie, for, the hearth of home is a draw to any occasion. Patriotism is not any of the symbolic gestures that we as Americans celebrate or laud.
No, patriotism is not a thing to be celebrated only, rather the feeling of love for liberty and freedom and that intangible that can only be understood by those who embrace that which our founders, with the blessings of God, gave us. A feeling that transcends physical feelings of good health, national security, or food on the table. Patriotism is a feeling that only the grateful can relish and celebrate. Not with flags, fireworks, or frivolity, though those activities are part of the American persona, but with a deep appreciation for what we have inherited and a desire to pass to our posterity that which we have received.
Patriotism is also our responsibility to ensure that the American dream never dies but shines as a beacon to a world in despair. Patriotism was forged with the words of our founders when they pledged: "....our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."
Kershaw Getty
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