Resolutions New Year and Otherwise

...the children [of men]...because that they are redeemed from the fall...they have become free...to act for themselves and not to be acted upon... portions of 2 Nephi 2:26

I am not a big believer in New Year's resolutions. I prefer to take stock of my life many times throughout the year and make necessary adjustments, but in the spirit of the New Year, I will share some of my current resolutions.

1. I will not let the media tell me for whom to vote. I am sick of the media stating a fact and then telling me what it means to me. For instance, "Rick Santorum is leading in the polls, this shows how undecided the Iowa voters are." Really! How! All it shows me is that Rick Santorum is leading in the polls. Similar "Fact-Fallacious Conclusion" techniques have been employed to undermine many a good campaign. I am going to sort through the facts and decide for myself what they mean to me.

I am already aware that I am going to vote for a sinner, because there was only one perfect human ever on the earth and he ain't running for office.

2. I will not let the government define who I am. Are you kidding me!?! Under the new government definitions, nearly half the population is poverty stricken. Really? Just think of the degradation inherent in that label. Not just poor, but stricken with it, as if the poor can't defend themselves from the pounding blows of capitalism. Of course, such a situation requires the protection of the Socialist leaning Federal Government.

That is in fact the point of these labels: black, hispanic, poor, elderly, female, you name it. Socialism requires the label, encourages the victim-hood and them swoops down to save them, but really it is just another form of slavery...enslaving us in a dependancy on the government. Suborning our will to theirs.

I will not be labled a victim, but I will determine for myself who I am and how I will proceed with my life.

3. I will quit believing that Federal Government agencies can protect me. The USDA, FDA, EPA, TSA do not protect us. In fact, if you talk to the TSA about why they pass their most recent restrictions, their response is "To make the public feel safe." Feel safe! Is that what we are paying the big bucks for? To feel safe? I'm only interested in being safe and if they can't do that then stop taking my money for nothing. If such agencies have any merit, they belong on the state or county level where they have a chance of making a difference, but even without the inherent corruption, graft a favortism that exists in such agencies, they are not doing enough to justify their existance.

Think about it. The FDA does not save us from unsafe drugs as millions are recalled every year, usually by manufacturers who have a capitalistic interest in not making us sicker. The USDA does not protect us from tainted food. How many incidents of deadly food poisoning occured just in the last year? The TSA does not protect us from terrorism, good intel gathering does. (Yes, I am for intel agencies because they fall in the Constitutionally mandated "Provide for the common defense.)

I will not hope that others will take care me, but I will decide for myself how best to cook my food, take my medicines, and protect my person.

In short, my resolution is to Act, not to be Acted upon.

Reflections of 9/11 2011

"We've all gone crazy, mourning all day and mourning all night, falling over ourselves to get all the misery right..."--Andrew Lloyd Webber

I know that a few may misunderstand me, so don't. I am not against all the memorials, 9/11 or other. (Although the number of memorials seems to be growing exponentially). I am not against the services either, but as I watched the never ending stream of 9/11 programs on the 10th anniversary, my mind kept coming back to the words of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita "falling over ourselves to get all the misery right."


Mayor Bloomberg was the poster child for getting all the misery right. So intent was he to get it right, he excluded two of the most requisite groups from the stand: the clergy and the first responders. On 9/11 2001, it was the first responders who showed true Christ-like service as they willingly walked into the breach and risked their lives to save total strangers. While no one could have imagined that those great towers would completely collapse, the rescue workers knew that they were putting themselves at great risk just to enter a burning high rise.

Then, and second only to the first responders, were the clergy. It was the clergy who helped us find some modicum of comfort as people flocked to churches in record numbers.

But when you are trying to get "all the misery right" the clergy and the first responders represent comfort and hope so clearly do not fit the miserable agenda. After all, the bottom line for big bureaucratic politicians is to keep the electorate focused on the misery so that the big bureaucratic politician can be the salvation.

There are a lots of good reasons to have memorials and services. It is vitally important to remember the events, not just as politcal opportunities, but as events of sacrifice, of caring, of resolution, of hope, of comfort and yes, of mourning...mourning but not misery.

We need to remember also the lessons of that day: that we were vulnerable to attack, and the lessons of the days that followed: that we could stand together against a common enemey.

On 9/11 2001, nearly 3000 people perished in a heretofore unimaginable attack. On 9/11 2011, hope, comfort, and resolve may have followed them into the grave.