TOWN HALL MEETING NOTICE

Do you live in Florida’s 24th Congressional District?

Do you believe that your voice is ignored by Rep. Suzanne Kosmas?

In fact, since her election, Suzanne Kosmas has not held a single town hall meeting providing any accountability to the people of the 24^th District.

Ok, what has she done since she was elected?

•  She has failed us miserably by voting for huge deficit spending that adds to our already   overwhelming National Debt, payable by us and our children.
•  She has failed us miserably by voting to increase the power and size of an already over-burdensome and non-accountable Federal Government.
•  She has failed us miserably by voting in favor of a failed and pork-filled stimulus scheme & a bloated, pork-filled budget.
•  She has failed us miserably by voting in favor of a “cap & trade” tax scheme that would increase cost of all produced goods, utilities and gasoline for everyone.
• She again failed us miserably by voting “yea” on a job killing, budget busting, liberty robbing, government growing, health care scheme opposed by the majority.
• Were all that not enough, unemployment in the state of Florida has risen 50% from an level in January 09 to over 12.2% in February 2010, all on her watch.

It’s time to hold her accountable for her votes, and since she

refuses to meet WITH us, we will be sure that she hears FROM us!

Come to the 24^th Congressional District Town Hall and be heard. Make comments and ask questions as you would in any typical town hall setting. We will feature an empty podium with Rep. Kosmas nameplate on it as a symbol of how she has turned a deaf ear to our district and our will. We will have the entire meeting recorded on video to share with Rep Kosmas and to post on “youtube” (and other sites). We believe it’s important to document how we feel about her  non-representation of us, and to share that with media outlets and the voters in our district between now and Election Day.

 WHEN:

Friday, April 9^th 2010 – 7PM to 9:15

WHERE:

Oviedo Memorial Building (Next to the Firehouse – Downtown Oviedo) 38 S. Central Avenue Oviedo, FL 32765

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A few days ago, as I sat at the computer trying to get a handle on the latest political pulse of America, I had a random thought and it gave me some real hope for taking our great Country back again. Often times random thoughts and feelings take a back burner to life, but for some reason I decided to write this one down. Happily, this random thought has been able to help a few good patriots and I sincerely hope it will continue to do so. Recently, several email exchanges came to my attention and I thought perhaps my random thought may help some of these patriots who are feeling bummed, scared, angry, etc.  So here goes my two cents for what it’s worth.

I think the Massachusetts Special Election taking place today, would have been very different in the recent past, mainly because it would not be receiving the attention it is getting today. The American People are finally doing their job, yes they are doing their job as citizens today much more so than yesterday. Yesterday, we the people would not have known about this special election…media would have perhaps mentioned it briefly, however it really would not have been thought about much by us folks, after all it’s not in “our State” what can we do???? We probably would have sat back and watched, not taking the bold steps we’re taking to help.  I see this as a true awaking for a lot of Americans. I have several liberal friends in the Boston area, and I personally sent emails to them asking for help with saving our Republic. I would have never done that a couple of years ago.  I am no longer a politically correct person, too much is on the line.

As Benjamin Franklin said so long ago in response to the question by Mrs. Powell in 1787,

“Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?”
With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded,
“A republic, if you can keep it.”

Perhaps the American people truly want to keep the Republic our Founding Fathers gave us, today much more so than yesterday!

Personally, I am thanking God for awakening the people. We have reached a turning point yet again in our great history.

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We Conservatives are virtually all angry that Congress doesn’t give a rat’s behind about us these days. The House passed their version of the unconstitutional health care bill and are enjoying gloating about it before our angry, red faces. We would all like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Louise ‘Slaughter-of-the-innocents,’  Charlie ‘Don’t-pay-my-taxes’ Rangel, Dingell, and not to mention Obama, to go away; or worse.

We know, the Republicans did their best to oppose this 2000-page behemoth but, they don’t get that passing ANY bill like this is still unconstitutional. The fact that we are out-numbered by the liberal socialists in Congress causes a feeling of helplessness among most of us. We’re itching to do something, but we don’t know what that is. Some of us are ready to “lock and load” and start “The Revolution.”  I understand completely! But the government hasn’t sent in the troops yet to collect our weapons as in the battle of Lexington and Concord. Hopefully, that day never comes. We are also scattered all over the country. It’s not like we are all located in one town where we are able to meet and devise a plan of action. We’re looking for that “one” leader who understands what life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness actually mean; knows the Founding Fathers; and will rise up so we can follow him or her—and patience is not one our virtues lately.

Now take a deep breath! After the anger passes and common sense and logic begin to kick in, there are still some things left we can do:

- Call your Senators and tell them that if they pass this or any unconstitutional health care bill and it is signed into law, you’re not going to follow it or comply with it. It is “unlawful” and they don’t have to power to pass such a law. The U.S. Government has been operating unconstitutionally for a hundred years and it’s time they stop! If you need help, go this site DownSizeDC.org where you’ll find all the tools you need to communicate to your senators and representatives.

- Boycott all companies who pander to liberal socialists and give them lots of lobbying money and bribes for their campaigns, and for persuading them to write unconstitutional laws. Check with OpenSecrets for information on who’s lobbying whom and how much money is being given to whom.

- Continue to participate in the protests whether that be with the Tea Party movement, Town Hall meetings, 9/12 Project, or just getting together with a large group to protest at your state capitol.

- Educate yourself on the Constitution and the Federalist Papers (which illustrate the original intent of the Founders in drafting the Constitution.) Don’t be ignorant when you’re faced with a Congressman or woman who asks you why the government’s health care plan is unconstitutional, and you stand there and say, “You are taking our rights away!”. They’re going to ask you “what rights are we taking away?” and if you can’t answer, how do you think that makes you look?  The prophet Isaiah wrote: “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” The left thinks you are a bunch of backwoods hicks in fly-over country clinging to your bibles and guns. Show them they are dead wrong!

- Continue to network with patriots on Twitter or other social networks.

- Don’t give up and never give in! We still have the elections of 2010!

Remember, we must give all men and women a chance to make things right first. When we’ve exhausted all possibilities, then be at inner peace with yourself that you’ve done everything you could do. Then wait patiently and see what happens next.

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The time no longer draws nigh… the time is upon us.  The future of our Country teeters on the fulcrum of freedom.

We’ve been going to Tea Parties, Townhalls, and Council meetings.  We’ve been writing on our blogs and venting our frustrations in blasts of 140 characters or less.  We’ve been calling, writing, faxing our Congress; talking to neighbors, friends, and family.  We’ve been protesting outside media outlets, local, State, and Federal offices.  We’ve been begging for our elected leaders to hear us.  And now, one of those leaders has not only heard us but has answered us by opening the door to the House and inviting us to enter.  If we don’t accept her invitation and cross that threshold we deserve exactly what we will get: an ObamaNation.

Few members of Congress have taken our pleas seriously.  We have been called tea baggers, astroturfers, radicals, and extremists.  If loving my Country and the freedom she stands for means I am all of those of things then so be it.  I wear those epithets proudly.

Our Country is being usurped and unless we take our stand now, she could be irretrievably abducted.  Michele Bachmann is right.  Speaker Pelosi’s Health Care bill is the crown jewel of socialism.  Progressives, aka Repressives, have always known that to take over a people it has to be done in the dark of night while they lay sleeping.  For too long Americans have slumbered in their freedom.  We became an apathetic people not wishing to see the light that was being snuffed out of our Constitution.  Pelosi’s Health Care bill has little to do with actual health and everything to do with socialism and the corruption it is founded on.  And this coming week, our freedom will slip from our grasp and onto the floor of the House of Representatives if we let it.

We can stop this.  But it will take more than phone calls, letter, and faxes.  We have to show up on the steps of the Capitol on Thursday, November 5, 2009 and storm thru the hallways of our elected officials.  We have to knock them from their self-erected thrones and show them we say what we mean and mean what we say.  Unless we heed Rep. Bachmann’s call to action then the freedoms we grew up with, the freedoms our fathers, grandfathers, and Founding Fathers fought hard to attain for us will be gone.  And unless we heed her call, we deserve what we get.

The time is now.  If we put this off because of our responsibilities at home, then we will lose the liberty to attend to those responsibilities.  We will no longer be working to provide for our families.  We will no longer be striving for our own goals.  We will no longer be free to follow the path of self-determination.  If we don’t heed the call, everything from here on out we will be doing for our government; not our Country… our government- and all the connotations that surround a socialized institution.

This is it.  This is our moment in time.  This is that point in history for which we will be judged by our children, grandchildren, and all who follow.  We can turn this bloodless revolution around and save our country now or we can risk time and wait until it is too late to save it peacefully.

I will be joining Rep. Bachmann on the Capitol steps and I will march thru the hallways of Congress.  I will also be taking copies of the 5 Pledges for each member of Congress to sign.  For those who refuse to sign, I will publish their names and their comments.

I will not let this country’s cornerstone – The Constitution – be destroyed by corrupt men and women whose only goal is greed and power over the very people who put them in office.  If you don’t stand up now, while standing up is still possible, when will you?

If you can’t go but these words ring true to you, please link to this article on every site you are a member of and email the link to every list you are on and to every person you know.  Spread the word!

UPDATE-11/02/09

If you are or you know of a group or site organizing  a trip to  Stand Up With Bachmann, please tell us in the comment section and provide a link if you have one.  Let everyone know!

UPDATE-11/01/09

In an effort to rally as many people as possible to Stand Up With Bachmann, members of several sites are organizing groups and getting the word out to be in DC on Nov 05.  If you or your site plans on attending the the rally please complete the form provided here and let us know who you are and what help you may need. Thanks!

UPDATE-10/31/09

Per Rep. Bachmann’s site:

Make a House Call on Congress on November 5th and Stop the Government Take Over of Health Care!

November 5th, 2009

Democrat leadership in the House wants to pass a government run health care bill before Veteran’s Day, and it’s up to us to make sure this prescription for socialized medicine doesn’t pass.

If you can come to Washington to look your Member straight in the eye and tell them to keep their hands off your heatlh care, do it. If you can’t make it to Washington, go to your Member’s district office. And, if you can’t do that at least call and email.

Also, Americans for Prosperity is organizing a House Call to legislators district offices on Thursday at noon, and I encourage you to check out their website at www.americansforprosperity.org to see how you can take part in their efforts if you can’t make it to D.C.

Thanks so much and let’s keep up the fight!

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On 09-12-09 our Country came together in Washington, D.C. to protest our government.  I came back with renewed hope for my Country; I’m sure I am not alone in this renewed hope. During the trip I met scores of people from all walks of life and every corner of  this land.  Many people arrived without a plan.  They heard of  the march and felt compelled to be there.  It was like a scene from Close Encounters where everyone was driven by an inexplicable force to meet at Devil’s Mountain.  Not knowing exactly what to expect didn’t prevent them from understanding they just  had to be there. 

                                            The march was to begin at Freedom Plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue.  

 The route was a mile long down the avenue to the Capital.  At 8:30 a.m., Freedom Plaza itself was packed and overflowing into the street.   Some of those with our group  and I took up space across the street at the Wilson Building to wait for the rest our group.  This side of the street, we were told by volunteers, was not part of the area which the permit was covered.  14th Street also continued to allow vehicles.  I’m not sure if was part of the D.C. Police’ plans or not, but it became increasingly evident that their attempts to keep 14th Street open to traffic were futile and they closed it to vehicles.  From the steps of the Wilson building, as far as the eye could see up and down both Penn Ave and 14th Street, the people were pouring in from all directions.

Those who have ever been to a championship game of their favorite home team know the feeling of being among thousands of like minded people.  I have been to such a game and although the electricity is incredible, it pales in comparison to the energy of thousands upon thousands, perhaps millions (the count still isn’t finalized) of people in one place and of one heart… love of Country. 

I was not expecting to be overwhelmed with emotion and the tears on my cheeks caught me off guard.  When I turned to those beside me and saw their moistened faces I could no longer contain my feelings.  Until this day, I had been filled with anger at my government and fear for my Country.  Anger so strong and bottled that I had been snapping at those closest to me.  Anger so strong that I was learning what it felt like to hate.  That anger collided with love on Saturday and together they healed my broken soul.  I wasn’t alone.

One by one at different moments during the march each of us became overwhelmed with the emotion and energy of the crowd. We wept tears of happiness and tears of sorrow for our Country.  Until you have cried tears of love for your Country and tears of loss for your freedom it is impossible to understand why we marched; why we are so passionate for our beliefs; why we feel remorse for the direction our Country is heading.

On that beautiful day in D.C., we marched.  Young and old, healthy and infirm… we marched.  Kids with signs, kids in strollers, kids in costume.  Parents and grandparents.  People with walkers, canes, and wheelchairs.  We marched.  All came to Pennslyvania Avenue and made the mile long trek past office building windows filled with onlookers.  We marched with one mind… to stand at the Capital and roar with one voice that we have had enough.

And roar we did! One of the most incredible moments of the entire event took place a couple of blocks into the march.  From far behind me in the crowd I could hear a rumbling.  I wasn’t sure what the eerie sound was but as it drew closer my spirit leaped in recognition.  I let the first wave wash over me and move forward through the crowd as I listened to thousands of people chant, “U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A.”  With the next wave I joined in as we yelled in one accord, “You Lie! You Lie! You Lie!”   The raw pure emotion experienced in wave after wave of ever increasing crescendos of chanting was a liberating experience.

If you were to ask the marchers why they were there you would likely get  just as many diverse answers as there were creative, hand made signs.  If you were to question them further and inquire as to whose fault it is that our government has gone so far awry, the vast majority would point to themselves for allowing it.  This is where Washington has underestimated us.  We are awake now and we are watching.  Things will NEVER be the same.

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I can’t sleep – usually it is because of the bad dreams, which have been with me since my time in Somalia. Tonight it’s less heavy.

I’m worried about the Brown Shirt squads.

I just don’t know what to do about them. When they come knocking on my door offering a nice big, framed photo of Big Brother (with its’ embedded wireless camera and microphone) do I just smile and invite them in? Do we all sit around the tiny suburban home with the smell from the bad city sewer lines ( also a potentially shovel-ready project) – or do I yell them down and loose the dogs and see who makes it to the fence-line faster; an overweight Obamanator or an overweight English Bulldog.

I’m betting on the dog. That’s because the Bulldog doesn’t care about the re-education programs. He doesn’t care if 2+2=4 or if it equals 5.

And should I join the “mobs” at the town hall meetings? Should I go and picket, yell down a few senators or other useless functionaries and assorted pieces of inanimate office furniture? Should I write angry notes, make angrier phone calls to congressmen, which will all go unanswered? Should I get the H1N1 virus immunization as soon as it is offered – so as to avoid the huge lines in front of the new government-run clinics? Or should I hope the Pig flu takes me out and spares me a world without Twinkies and potato chips and all the other stuff THEY want to take away from us?

And that last one is an interesting question, isn’t it? As I get older, I can appreciate the siren call of the brightly colored chip bags in the grocery store. I can appreciate the smell of pipe smoke and the taste of good rum, but it’s all going to be legislated away – so we can all be healthier. The president will continue to smoke and drink, but that behavior will be re-educated out of us. They’ll sign Richard Simmons on as the new aerobics czar, next. We’ll all be jiggling the sad remains of those sweets away in the park – endless rows of Orwellian Citizens, dancing to some old Lionel Richie songs or something. Yeah, we will be all “dancing on the ceiling,” because we will be so light, we will float there, like some forgotten helium balloons.

Yeah, we’ll be lighter, but we won’t be free. Big Brother will be watching from that painting on your wall. He will look suspiciously like President Obama. Weird, huh?

I’m no different from anyone else. I don’t like people screwing with our nation – I don’t like dumb congressmen – I don’t like dumber union people – and heavies who attack people exercising their rights at these rallies. I don’t like the tenets of organizations like the Black Panthers. I think haters are among the most lost in our society. I don’t like smears against our regular citizens, I don’t like environmental legislation, which does nothing more than line the pockets of the rich and powerful – the buddies of those same Congressmen – while it forces unionization on contractors who do not want to be unionized (this is basically another form of money and power grab – and it’s legal!)

I don’t like any of it.

But I do like the fact that America is coming alive. I like the fact that the Tea Parties are continuing to grow. I like the feeling I get when I see congressmen running for the door at some meeting, because they are becoming afraid of the people. They should be afraid – or maybe they should act like men instead of mice or worms – and stand their ground.

Got balls? Guess not.

It’s 3:15 a.m. This is a condition I came away with from my time in the service. But I would never trade it for a chance to have the slate wiped clean. I loved serving my country. I loved wearing the uniform. I loved the military – even on the hard days. And I don’t ever remember being released from my oath – “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

So, while I am a civilian now and as such, some of this may no longer apply to me (the UCMJ, chain of command, etc), I will defend this country still, against all enemies foreign and domestic.

I don’t know about you, but it seems like we’ve taken a lot of the foreign enemies out of the equation, lately. Our troops have hammered the foreign killers into the dust – and continue to do so. But it’s the domestic versions – mostly those trying to turn a free nation into some kind of socialist experiment… those are the ones we need to keep our eyes on. Like the bulldog, we have to try to figure out whether they are really our leaders – or just a different kind of enemy – or maybe like the bulldog, we should just not try to add 2+2, and just chase them to the fence-line and bite them on the butt.

I’m looking at the bulldog now – he’s eyeing me dubiously.

So seriously, what do we do with those who would make this the USSA?

Vote ‘em out. Vote ‘em all out.  In the meantime, keep yelling the maggots down at these town hall meetings. Verbally hammer them mercilessly. And for those who wish to meet us on a more personal footing – who wish to beat us down physically in the streets…

You are outnumbered. You are outclassed (way outclassed in this case). Remember this…
We are coming for you. We are coming for you all.

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Lifestyle choices, Yep. That’s top on my list of things to be concerned about.

Give me a break. Please. In fact, give yourself a break if you happen to be one of these food, environment or government health care NAZI types. Do yourself a favor. Don’t come out to the real world to talk about this. You won’t be well received.

I don’t know how many folks out there are tired of turning on the television only to see some 92-pound bleach-blonde telling us what we should buy at the grocery store, but I am well sick of it. In fact, I can feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about it. I don’t even need to develop high cholesterol or diabetes, or any other illness to put me at risk. All I need is another self-righteous, stick-person to get on TV and talk about how fat people are the “biggest” issue in America right now, and my head will probably explode.

The latest in this string of string-bikini types is MeMe Roth, President and Founder of the “National Action Against Obesity.” Through education, legislation, and parental action (according to their stated mission), MeMe and her group of cult-like foodies would like to control what people can buy or eat, what schools can distribute in the lunch-line, and what type of exercises everyone should participate in “across all ages.” Don’t images of long lines of dutiful citizens doing calisthenics in fields filled with alternative energy wind-turbines, just bring tears to your eyes?

According to NAAO’s website, “when the majority is overweight, America cannot be normal.” So we must conform. We must conform NOW!

But before we do, let’s just take stock of the liberties we are losing both with recent legislation and the push for further government interference by groups like Roth’s. Following is my “Basic List of Liberties Lost.” It’s a work-in-progress, kind of like my physique, so cut me some slack, OK?

Anyway, here they are:

1. You won’t be able to buy anything bigger than a clown car. The clown car must run on carefully collected Moose farts – or something like that.
2. More than half your income will be going to pay for the latest batch of government bailouts. More than half of your children’s and grandchildren’s and possibly great grandchildren’s income will go to paying off the debts the government is incurring today. Three generations down the road, if organizations like our current administration and NAAO have their way, we will all be skinny peasants working in volunteer government programs.
3. You will no longer be able to choose your own doctor or control your own health care. You will be part of a “community” care system. Marxist government officials will determine what care is appropriate for you and whether you live or die. The lives of your parents and children and grandchildren will also be controlled by these policies. The new U.S. version of KGB will observe and report any violators.
4. The intimate details of your medical data will be available to these same government officials.
5. You will be less able to get a job because there won’t be much other than government positions and “volunteer” positions to fill.
6. You won’t be able to spend your money on an item like tobacco or alcohol without Uncle Sam keeping knowing about those purchases – and using that data to possibly deny medical care in the future.
7. Taxes on goods will increase the cost of foodstuff and perhaps other items, which you buy day to day.
8. And of course, those items, which are not on some kind of “approved” list, will have some kind of surcharge placed upon them.

What’s next? Any guesses?
Thought-police anyone? Better control on the media – maybe only media who agree with the administration? Subdermal microchips, so we don’t get lost? Don’t think any of it is at all preposterous. It’s all on the table, now.

Does anyone else see the dangers involved here? Is anyone else outraged at the constant inane babbling of the lifestyle NAZIs?

As disgusted as MeMe obviously is over the over-weight among us, I for one, am disgusted with those like her, who would project their belief systems – indeed, seek to force their belief systems onto the rest of humanity.

Roth decided to single out the new Surgeon General appointee, Dr. Regina Benjamin, explaining that Dr. Benjamin should not have stepped forward at all because of her weight. Roth suggested that young women need a good-looking role-model … I guess that is more important than Benjamin being a qualified doctor. Oh, and don’t we already have a new, fit, role model for young women – Miss America? What about the new Miss California? Can we add that to her job description?

Here’s some suggestions for Roth and anyone else who wants to play fitness police over top-notch people like Benjamin:

Go to medical school, develop a resume that would allow you to compete with someone like Benjamin, have some kids, raise a family, live in the real world, and then feel free to criticize the rest of us.

Just don’t expect us to listen.

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I grew up in the liberally elite state of Connecticut, inundated with yacht clubs, country clubs, and various people suffering from the chronic condition of cranial rectal disorder. Connecticut was a cross between the cinematic masterpieces of Pretty in Pink, Mean Girls, and the Stepford wives. I never lived on the right side of the tracks, like Molly Ringwald, was never popular, nor did I want to conform to the rest of the “wives” living in the neighborhood. I was dead set to go against the grain, remaining true to my morals and beliefs. Growing up in Connecticut allowed me to see the superficial hollowness that becomes so prevalent in elite society.

To this day I’m still incredibly surprised that I made it out of that state with a wonderful education that didn’t turn me into a raging liberal, just a mild one. I was also fortunate enough to have a couple of teachers who had a significant impact on my life. I remember camping in the woods during a high school elective English class, studying poetry by Robert Frost, reading about Henry David Thoreau, analyzing short stories and human nature. Our opinions were never formulated for us, rather our teacher continuously asked questions of us when describing our own personal interpretation of what we had read or experienced. Through my experiences I became enamored by the human condition and sought to read literature that provided deeper insight into our humanness. One flattering moment, that should have clued me in, came later in the evening my Sophomore year in High School, where my English teacher called my Mother to let her know that he had never met anybody at such a young age who was so sensitive to the outside world and who was as insightful as friends of his in their early 60’s. As great as that moment was, there is only so much one can learn from books and listening to what others have to say, the greatest learning experience for me was real life.

I went onto college in Virginia, originally hoping to play soccer at a DII or DIII school, but “fell for” a larger one in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley; James Madison University. I tried out for the club soccer team, because there was too much I would miss, if I weren’t playing a team sport. I had a competitive edge, a drive, and a determination that needed to be squelched, and soccer was my outlet. As I studied and did well in school, I felt a deep nagging within me. There was something different, something missing, but within my first two years at JMU I wasn’t able to put my finger on it.

The first time I was able to vote, I was a Sophomore in college, leave it to a Utopian seeking, one-issue voter, who doesn’t know any better, to cast their ballot for Al Gore – believe me I’m still making amends for it today.

The second half of that year I spent a semester living abroad. I lived in Spain with a family for close to four months, unable to speak English with them, only the group of 25 that I went with. I was always an independent young woman – I was the only one from my high school graduating class to go to my college and didn’t know anybody when I left for Europe. I was immersed in a completely different culture, and don’t get me wrong, I had fun, probably too much fun, but I began becoming homesick more often than not. I started to realize what it was I had taken for granted in the United States, like having a computer in my dorm room. In Spain I had to walk a mile or so to an Internet café and pay to use an Internet connection that sometimes would not work. I had a roommate and our beds were so close together that I could reach my hand towards her and touch her arm. Showers could only be taken every other day and my jeans were always stiff after they came out of the wash, as if a box of starch was dumped on them. I lived on a small narrow floor in a tiny flat with 5 other people, no TV, no phone calls, unless they were made in the street via a payphone, and we couldn’t leave lights on for long periods of time. I took classes that were in a different language, had my wallet stolen, and stayed up all hours of the night. I slowly became more patriotic, even if it was very subtle.

I was a junior in college on 9/11. I had just gotten out of the shower and was eating breakfast with my roommates getting ready to drive over to campus for our early economics class. My hair was still wrapped in a towel when we sat on our couches watching the planes fly into the two towers and the pentagon. We screamed as the first tower came crashing to the ground, soon followed by the second. I tried to call my Mother to find out if anyone we knew or any family members working on Wall Street were injured, or worse yet, killed in the attack. I also needed to find out if she was ok. My mother worked in the Pentagon from time-to-time when on business travel to DC. All phone lines were busy and the only people we were left with were each other. That day was solemn, we wandered around like zombies, silent for hours, until it broke and the waters came cascading through. I bonded with people I never had contact with, or those whom never interested me as friends. Life had changed forever in that moment, that day, that year.

The problem that surfaces is our apathetic nature, our requirement for immediate gratification and results. The War on Terror dragged on and many forgot 9/11 – including myself. It’s not that I wasn’t patriotic and more so than I was previously, but that I became so consumed with me.

I graduated from college with a 3.58 GPA, which got me to Cum Laude status. I would be taking home a degree in International business, finance and a minor in Spanish. I just wasn’t taking a degree in humility, character, and a minor in honesty, home with me.

I left Virginia and headed to Baltimore for a job in the Defense Industry. Through my encounters with real war heroes and patriots, I was able to ascertain what it means to believe and fight for the constitution and the country. I tended to be a sponge of sorts when it came to one-on-one encounters; taking in not only my own experiences, but also others, and using them to form my opinions on life. My opinions started to change, however, I still didn’t know all that much about politics besides what my coworkers and boyfriend would tell me.

It was during this time in my early 20s that I faced some of the biggest struggles of my young life. What wasn’t mentioned above was the fact that I had an Irish curse, but unfortunately had no Irish ancestry. My life was clouded by drinking and partaking in things I was taught not to do. I lived to excess and became a belligerent, miserable human being. There came a point in time where my boyfriend of two years couldn’t deal with me, my family had cut me off, my job was in jeopardy, and I had several falling-outs with close friends. I was the most self-centered, egotistical, victim that walked the face of the earth. And I was alone in the world. I hit rock bottom… I looked into a mirror for the first time in years and scared myself to death. There was nothing looking back at me, just emptiness.

Something happens to an individual when she is left alone to look inside herself. After years of running from who I really was, and after years of blaming all my problems on everyone around me, I realized that I was the only common denominator in all them. I spent two years reading a book that was quite large and had a bluish tint. I spent two years being told to sit down, shut up, take the cotton out of my ears, and put it in my mouth from “old timers.” I knew the value of tough love, and the value of taking an inventory, following principles, traditions, and realizing that most of my problems can summarily be pinned on one thing: ME.

I, as much as I hated it, did not have control over everything. God, a power greater than myself, was the captain of the ship I had boarded. I had free will to roam around the vessel and make decisions upon which course I attempted to traverse, but ultimately the current was God’s. I had finally found faith, and the above-mentioned feeling of absence was just a gaping hole inside of me that just so happened to fit God perfectly.

Through a life changing process I was able to see the significance of common sense and logic. I had learned the definition of insanity a long time ago: “Doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.” What applies in our own personal lives, whether it’s attempting to relieve debt by creating more debt, or just repeating the same habits over again, hoping for a different outcome, all equates to insanity, and quite frankly makes no sense. In essence, I had lifted myself up by my bootstraps, been raised from the dead, and suddenly taken from the scrap heap of life to something better than I had known. I live life by two mottos: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.” ~ The Little Prince; “My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character, which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen.” ~ Bill W.

It has become harder to relate to friends my age who have never traveled outside the country, let alone their state. It’s harder conversing or debating with those who have never lived in an inner city seeing liberal philosophy play out first hand. It’s harder still finding common ground with those who have never known what it is like to suffer and overcome adversity, and recognize the value of life, and those intangible elements that fulfill each little moment of every day.

There is more to life than college degrees, great grades, titles, money, power, material goods, or using empty rhetoric well when staring at a teleprompter. I tend to believe that intellect may come from books and theories, but wisdom comes from life experience. Wisdom far outweighs intellect on any given day. I have come to realize in the last few years, that my personal strife and success has awakened me to things I would have been forever blinded to otherwise.

I believe that our values shape our political ideologies. What is important to me in life shapes how I view the outside world, and those aspects of life and people that I deem most important.

Values and traditions are imperative for a fruitful society and many of those traditions run in tandem with our morals and principals. This is why the constitution needs to be upheld; not merely because of the blood, sweat, and tears of our founding fathers, although that should be enough, but because it’s what made this country great in the first place. As they say, “Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.” The Constitution was a lessons’ learned document much like businesses have standard operating procedures to make companies as efficient as possible. Our founding fathers knew what they didn’t want after experiencing a soft tyranny first hand. They knew that by making a government less centralized and more federalized that constituents could be better represented. The founding fathers also felt that members of congress should hold real life jobs while working in the capitol so they would not lose sight of their peoples’ concerns and hardships. Sadly, our country continues to move further and further away from the true intentions of our founding documents. Lobbyists, special interests, “too-big-to-fail” corporations, media, political power, and elitism seep through the pores of our nation’s face, and there is no honest dermatologist in sight!

I am a skeptic of the highest order, and that is why I don’t give credence to either party. Both are as progressive and as power hungry as the other. I simply want regular people to wake up and realize who is supposed to be in charge, and who knows, maybe there is one honest politician on the horizon? One can hope.

Common sense tells me that staying true to the Constitution will make this country tick, that keeping firearms is not about hunting, but about defending freedom and liberty, that using our own natural resources and nuclear power would make us energy independent much faster than alternative energy for a propagandized crisis that is non-existent in reality. Common sense tells me that spending your way out of debt does not work, that saving, scrimping, and being fiscally responsible is what we should be doing in our own lives, so why not the government? Common sense tells me that tax cuts and supply side economics make sense during a recession to relieve economic woes, and that trying to fix the symptoms rather than the underlying disease will make the patient sicker. Common sense tells me that universal healthcare does not work, and there is no such thing as a free lunch, that cap and trade is just a power grab that will destroy many of our still thriving industries like coal, that big government equals big corruption, and that immigrants should come in the right and legal way, much like our ancestors. Common sense tells me much, much more, but I could go on forever about the many issues that I see emanating from Washington, D.C.

D.C. is making decisions for future generations and each and every American, rather than giving us that choice. It kills me to know that so many my age cannot see what’s coming, nor do they care. I have spent too much of my life pointing my finger blaming people for my wrongdoings and feeling entitled. I care more about individuals and the content of character, rather than the color of one’s skin, their religion, or ethnicity. If we were all created equal why don’t we start acting like it? It’s time to wean ourselves off the government dope that the bureaucrats continue to push. I would prefer to change my own diapers than have a nanny state change them for me.

The people of the United States are the only arbiters of change. It is up to us, as a society of regular folks to affect those around us and take up a cause that puts our country back on the right track. It’s time to stand up and be counted, it’s time to bring common sense back to Capitol Hill, and it’s time to put country before ourselves.

I am a 27 year-old conservative, and a federalist; I’m a believer in the constitution, liberty, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness, not the pursuit of a sub-prime loan. I’m a believer in honesty, integrity, and character, and above all else, I’m a believer in the American people.

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” ~ Helen Keller

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Yesterday was good news for those believing in freedom, small government, and democracy.  The Senate does not plan on voting for Cap and Tax until September.  This delay will certainly give  us more time to change minds,  write letters, send emails, and melt the phones of our representatives.  We must continue to do so, even whilst they are away for the month of August.  The beginning of the next session begins immediately after Labor Day in which the Senate plans on voting/passing an immigration reform bill.  September will be a very busy month for those of us fighting for our country.  Hopefully the impact of the 9/12 tea party protest will be felt far and wide.  I also hope that we do a little more – Since Congress begins the new session after Labor Day, which is the week of the massive 9/12 March on DC, why not take the week off as vacation time and engage in a sit-in on the steps of Capitol Hill as our Congress-critters come back to work for the first day after their summer vacation!?  It’s time to make them realize who they work for; a good government is one that fears its people.

Tell your congressman/woman that the EPA admits Cap and Tax will not work.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee began their hearings on the 1,500 page Waxman-Markey cap and trade legislation Tuesday, and ranking member Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) won a startling admission from Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson. Inhofe produced an EPA chart generated last year during the Senate’s debate of the Lieberman-Warner cap and trade legislation. The chart showed that the carbon reductions under that bill would not materially effect global carbon concentrations in the atmosphere. Inhofe then asked Jackson if she agreed with the chart’s conclusions. Jackson replied: “I believe that essential parts of the chart are that the U.S. action alone will not impact CO2 levels.”

Also at the hearing, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said he did not agree with chart which is interesting since all the best science confirms Inhofe’s and Jackson’s conclusions. For example, a recent study of cap and trade by MIT concluded: “The different U.S. policies have relatively small effects on the CO2 concentration if other regions do not follow the U.S. lead. … The Developed Only scenario cuts only about 0.5 °C of the warming from the reference, again illustrating the importance of developing country participation.”

Michelle Malkin and Nate Silver put some great information together regarding the “softies” on cap and tax in the Senate.  There is a chance to change several Democrat’s minds, especially those living in energy and coal producing states. (Don’t forget the liberal repubbies either)!

There is also some new and interesting data coming from those reading through the bill now that it has been posted.  One of those interesting tidbits is the amount of money going to ACORN in a CLIMATE CHANGE bill:

“The American people will see tax dollars go to so-called community development organizations like ACORN, to teach low-income residents how to live in accord with the worldview of the Environmental Left,” scowled a news release yesterday from Congressional critics of the Cap and Trade bill.

Sure enough, there are 19 mentions of the term “community development” in the bill, but nothing specific about ACORN.

Sec. 264 of the bill is on “Low Income Community Energy Efficiency Program,” which says the feds will dole out grant money to community development organizations “to provide financing to businesses and projects that improve energy efficiency” for low-income residents.

On page 561, the bill authorizes $50 million per year for six fiscal years, so that’s $300 million in all for these kind of programs.

“I just want to know if ACORN would qualify for these grants,” said House GOP Leader John Boehner, who was the only Republican to note the ACORN issue during debate on the House floor.

If you really want to make your blood boil and find the additional goodies that were hidden in the bill go here.

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Orwell is that you?  I know the 80′s are back in style but I was hoping it wasn’t 1984 – I was wrong.  In fact, maybe they should have named the bill H.R. 1984 instead of 1966!

Democrats scream bloody murder when progressive Republicans usurp the Constitution, but suddenly suffer from double standard glaucoma when their own progressives are running the show.

This is one insidious piece of legislation because it completely violates our first amendment rights.  It will now be considered a FELONY, yes, a felony, to say anything offensive over email, on the Internet, through a blog, or anywhere else over the web.  Any individual who may not be PC on any given day could face up to 2 years in prison.

This is pure thought/mind control and is the reason why the PC society we find ourselves in does more harm than good.  Here is a section from the bill:

a) Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication, with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to a person, using electronic means to support severe, repeated, and hostile behavior, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.

(b) As used in this section-

(1) the term ‘communication’ means the electronic transmission, between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user’s choosing, without change in the form or content of the information as sent and received;

(2) the term ‘electronic means’ means any equipment dependent on electrical power to access an information service, including email, instant messaging, blogs, websites, telephones, and text messages.

 We all know this is unconstitutional, but hypothetically speaking, if this section of the Hate Crimes bill passes, who will be in charge of deciding whether something was offensive to an individual or not?  I would make a wager that there will be an emotional distress czar appointed by Obama…unfortunately Stuart Smalley is currently working in Congress, but he’ll probably pick a liberal like Depak Chopra.  If Obama does in fact pick a czar for this – your freedom of speech will be politicized.  “Right wing extremist” talk, blogging, tweeting, and the like, will all be banned and we could all find ourselves in prison.  Emotional distress is so vague that a simple civil argument could possibly offend someone and cause, in their eyes, distress… Like all things in America, a policy like this would be used to excess. 

Wouldn’t one think that hate crimes would include every race, creed, religion, and sex? In a common sense world sure – but in DC, never.  Take for example the fact that a black teen mob attacked a white family in Ohio.  There was barely any mention of this in the news!  I know for a fact that there are racists in every group, so why wouldn’t this be a hate crime as well?  Why can’t white people be discriminated against?  Heck! I was when I lived in Baltimore! 

It came after a family night of celebrating America and freedom with a fireworks show at Firestone Stadium. Marshall, his family and two friends were gathered outside a friend’s home in South Akron.

Out of nowhere, the six were attacked by dozens of teenage boys, who shouted ”This is our world” and ”This is a black world” as they confronted Marshall and his family.

The Marshalls, who are white, say the crowd of teens who attacked them and two friends June 27 on Girard Street numbered close to 50. The teens were all black.

This could also be Obama’s back-door way to create an Internet czar to monitor the web, much like Russia, China, Iran, North Korea… getting the hint?  Remember the fairness doctrine and net neutrality?  I gaurantee that famous blogs will be taken down, conservative hashtags on twitter will give people away, and radio talk show hosts will be accussed of causing emotional distress.  

I better watch myself!  Here I was thinking I was an equal opportunity proponent by offending everyone – there goes my humor…

Here are the members of the House sponsoring this section of the bill:

Rep. Linda Sánchez [D, CA-39] (wrote the above section)
and 14 Co-Sponsors

* Rep. Timothy Bishop [D, NY-1]
* Rep. Bruce Braley [D, IA-1]
* Rep. Lois Capps [D, CA-23]
* Rep. William Clay [D, MO-1]
* Rep. Joe Courtney [D, CT-2]
* Rep. Danny Davis [D, IL-7]
* Rep. Raul Grijalva [D, AZ-7]
* Rep. Phil Hare [D, IL-17]
* Rep. Brian Higgins [D, NY-27]
* Rep. Marcy Kaptur [D, OH-9]
* Rep. Mark Kirk [R, IL-10] (he is not a Republican vote him out! – he voted for Cap and Trade too)
* Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard [D, CA-34]
* Rep. John Sarbanes [D, MD-3] (I would give my right arm to run against this man in Maryland)
* Rep. John Yarmuth [D, KY-3]

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