George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor -- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be -- That we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks -- for His kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation -- for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of His Providence which we experienced in the tranquility [sic], union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed -- for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One [capital O] now lately instituted -- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which He hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions -- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually -- to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed -- to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn [sic] kindness onto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord -- To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease [sic] of science among them and us -- and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York
the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789
George Washington

The Real Story of Thanksgiving

"After eleven years, about forty of them agreed to make a perilous journey to the New World, where they would certainly face hardships, but could live and worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences. On August 1, 1620, the Mayflower set sail. It carried a total of 102 passengers, including forty Pilgrims led by William Bradford. On the journey, Bradford set up an agreement, a contract, that established just and equal laws for all members of the new community, irrespective of their religious beliefs. Where did the revolutionary ideas expressed in the Mayflower Compact come from? From the Bible. The Pilgrims were a people completely steeped in the lessons of the Old and New Testaments. They looked to the ancient Israelites for their example.

"And, because of the biblical precedents set forth in Scripture, they never doubted that their experiment would work. But this was no pleasure cruise, friends. The journey to the New World was a long and arduous one. And when the Pilgrims landed in New England in November, they found, according to Bradford's detailed journal, a cold, barren, desolate wilderness. There were no friends to greet them, he wrote. There were no houses to shelter them. There were no inns where they could refresh themselves. And the sacrifice they had made for freedom was just beginning. During the first winter, half the Pilgrims – including Bradford's own wife – died of either starvation, sickness or exposure. When spring finally came, Indians taught the settlers how to plant corn, fish for cod and skin beavers for coats.

"Life improved for the Pilgrims, but they did not yet prosper! This is important to understand because this is where modern American history lessons often end. Thanksgiving is actually explained in some textbooks as a holiday for which the Pilgrims gave thanks to the Indians for saving their lives, rather than as a devout expression of gratitude grounded in the tradition of both the Old and New Testaments. Here is the part that has been omitted: The original contract the Pilgrims had entered into with their merchant-sponsors in London called for everything they produced to go into a common store, and each member of the community was entitled to one common share. All of the land they cleared and the houses they built belong to the community as well. They were going to distribute it equally. All of the land they cleared and the houses they built belonged to the community as well.

"Nobody owned anything. They just had a share in it. It was a commune, folks. It was the forerunner to the communes we saw in the '60s and '70s out in California – and it was complete with organic vegetables, by the way. Bradford, who had become the new governor of the colony, recognized that this form of collectivism was as costly and destructive to the Pilgrims as that first harsh winter, which had taken so many lives. He decided to take bold action. Bradford assigned a plot of land to each family to work and manage, thus turning loose the power of the marketplace. That's right. Long before Karl Marx was even born, the Pilgrims had discovered and experimented with what could only be described as socialism. And what happened? It didn't work!"

"It never has worked! "What Bradford and his community found was that the most creative and industrious people had no incentive to work any harder than anyone else, unless they could utilize the power of personal motivation! But while most of the rest of the world has been experimenting with socialism for well over a hundred years – trying to refine it, perfect it, and re-invent it – the Pilgrims decided early on to scrap it permanently. What Bradford wrote about this social experiment should be in every schoolchild's history lesson. If it were, we might prevent much needless suffering in the future. 'The experience that we had in this common course and condition, tried sundry years...that by taking away property, and bringing community into a common wealth, would make them happy and flourishing – as if they were wiser than God,' Bradford wrote.

"'For this community [so far as it was] was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. For young men that were most able and fit for labor and service did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without any recompense ... that was thought injustice.' Why should you work for other people when you can't work for yourself? What's the point? Do you hear what he was saying, ladies and gentlemen? The Pilgrims found that people could not be expected to do their best work without incentive. So what did Bradford's community try next? They unharnessed the power of good old free enterprise by invoking the undergirding capitalistic principle of private property.

"Every family was assigned its own plot of land to work and permitted to market its own crops and products. And what was the result? 'This had very good success,' wrote Bradford, 'for it made all hands industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been.' Bradford doesn't sound like much of a Clintonite" I wrote then "does he? Is it possible that supply-side economics could have existed before the 1980s? Yes. Read the story of Joseph and Pharaoh in Genesis 41. Following Joseph's suggestion (Gen 41:34), Pharaoh reduced the tax on Egyptians to 20% during the 'seven years of plenty' and the 'Earth brought forth in heaps.' (Gen. 41:47) In no time, the Pilgrims found they had more food than they could eat themselves.

"Now, this is where it gets really good, folks, if you're laboring under the misconception that I was, as I was taught in school. So they set up trading posts and exchanged goods with the Indians. The profits allowed them to pay off their debts to the merchants in London. And the success and prosperity of the Plymouth settlement attracted more Europeans and began what came to be known as the 'Great Puritan Migration.'" But this story stops when the Indians taught the newly arrived suffering in socialism Pilgrims how to plant corn and fish for cod. That's where the story stops, and the story basically doesn't even begin there. The real story of Thanksgiving is William Bradford giving thanks to God for the guidance and the inspiration to set up a thriving colony. The bounty was shared with the Indians. They did sit down and they had dinner, and I think they had a turkey, but it was not the Indians who saved the day. It was capitalism and Scripture which saved the day." (Rush Limbaugh)

Glenn Beck reveals the Plan, A Must Read!

Friends,

What an amazing few days on the road this has been. Your spirits have been high, your faith strong and your spine unbendable. I ended my multiday book tour at The Villages with what had been billed as a rally but could be better described as a candid citizen-to-citizen chat.

Today, I have stopped looking for a leader to show us the way out because I have come to realize that the only one who can truly save our country...is us. To change America's course we need to change ourselves, our expectations and our willingness to accept the unacceptable. When we refuse to allow our children to receive a trophy for participation, we are on the road to restoring the meaning of merit in our Republic. When we insist that no one is too big to fail, we will be able to learn from our mistakes, and when we demand that we are self-reliant, we will ensure that others can rely on us, not the government.

There is much to do, much to learn and time is of the essence. While I will be explaining the entire Plan over the coming weeks and months, I did want to give you a preview of some of the highlights:

- Education is key, and not just for our children. To that end, we will be conducting a series of conventions. These will be full-day experiences where you will be immersed in learning about topics ranging from self-reliance, community organizing, the economy and how to be a political force in your own neighborhood and country. The first one will be in Orlando at UCF Arena on March 27th. You will also be able to vote to have a convention in your region by clicking here.

- I have begun meeting with some of the best minds in the country that believe in limited government, maximum freedom and the values of our Founders. I am developing a 100 year plan. I know that the bipartisan corruption in Washington that has brought us to this brink and it will not be defeated easily. It will require unconventional thinking and a radical plan to restore our nation to the maximum freedoms we were supposed to have been protecting, using only the battlefield of ideas.

- All of the above will culminate in The Plan, a book that will provide specific policies, principles and, most importantly, action steps that each of us can take to play a role in this Refounding.

- On August 28, 2010, I ask you, your family and neighbors to join me at the feet of Abraham Lincoln on the National Mall for the unveiling of The Plan and the birthday of a new national movement to restore our great country.

In or Out for Congress in 2010

Unless your congressman, congresswoman, or senator can't claim these 5 Pledges they are not worthy to represent you. Vote them out in 2010!

The Status of our Country

It took only 17 pages, from The U.S. Constitution, to create this great country of ours, and now it will be over 2,000 pages, from the New Health Care Bill in the Senate, to destroy it. Our President and many politicians in Washington D.C. want to create a fundamental transformation of America, that our Founding fathers fear the worse would happen. Our founding fathers created the U.S. Constitution to protect the people from the government. They originally created the Articles of Confederation, which had no centralized government with power. They created this first because of what they feared would happen when a government would have power over the people. Since the Articles of Confederation was to far as an anarchy, it fail. So then came the U.S. Constitution, which created a centralized government, but also included amendments that would stopped the government from taking away power from the people, and the people's power is freedom. With the New Health Care Bill being processed in the Senate right now and being pushed to be passed very soon, there is several things put in this bill that contradict what was put in our Constitution. Many of these politicians, including our President, were sworn into their positions by stating they would protect the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic. It is clear now they have no clue in what that means, they don't care what the Constitution says. Many of them would say it was written for the people back then, and today things need to be changed. There is so much corruption in Washington right now, if our founding fathers were alive they would be sick to their stomachs when they know what is happening to the nation they created.

I want to make something very clear. When they tell you of the importants of having health care for those who are not insured, that is their selling point. They say it is a right for the people to have health care; when you find that right in the U.S. Constitution let me know.

To help you understand better of why these people in Washington D.C. are pushing this Health Care Bill, you must first understand the mine of a Progressive. Most people when they hear someone is a progressive, it means they are a liberal, or a democrat, but they are not the same thing. Progressivism is not a party, it deals with the individual that seeks to redefine, reshape, and rebuild America. They what a country where individual liberties and personal property mean nothing. They want GOD out of the government and country, and want you to think they are your god.

The progressive movement began in the beginning of the 20th century. The core philosophy started as the role of government to be a Nanny State, where they believe all people are stupid and don't know what is best for them. The progressives then decided how you should live your life. The first waves came when they decided that we are drinking too much (they brought Prohibition), then they thought we were not praying enough taxes (they created the progressive income tax), and then they thought we were spending money on the wrong things (they produced redistribution through the tax code). I hope a lot of this is coming to light to you. They also hid themselves within both major parties, democrats and republicans. It is the reason when election time comes around, and you are left in deciding candidate A and candidate B. Most cases, you think to yourself you have to decide the lessor of two evils. For an example, this last election in 2008. You had Barack Obama, a radical left progressive, and then you had John McCain. John McCain was considered the "conservative" candidate, but he said that Theodore Roosevelt (one of the original progressives) was one of his favorite presidents. These two candidates may have appeared to come from two different political parties, but their philosophy of the role of government all came from the same corrupt place.

I will explain more about Progressivism in later posts to help you understand the battle we are embarked in now. But First, YOU must decided now, do you want freedom or bondage. Do you want the ability to fail and succeed, or do you want to be dependent on the government to decide for you. Do you want GOD to be a huge part in how you live your life, or do you want men and women in Washington D.C. be your gods.

I will conclude with some words from Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Adams. Franklin said, "only a virtuous people are capable of freedom." Samuel Adams said, "It is the greatest absurdity to suppose it would be in the power of one, or any number of men, at the entering into society, to renounce their essential natural rights, or the means of preserving those rights; when the grand end of civil government, from the very nature of its institution, is for the support, protection, and defense of those very rights; the principal of which...are life, liberty, and property. If men, through fear, fraud, or mistake, should in terms renounce or give up any essential natural right, the eternal law of reason and the grand end of society would absolutely vacate such renunciation. The right to freedom being the gift of God Almighty, it is not in the power of man to alienate this gift and voluntarily become a slave."

P.S. Do you want to know what new taxes are in this bill? Just download this link: WARNING!! MAKE SURE YOU HAVE DUCK TAPE TO WRAP YOUR HEAD, BECAUSE THIS INFORMATION MAY CAUSE YOUR HEAD TO EXPLODE! READ WITH CAUTION! http://www.atr.org/userfiles/111809pr-comptaxreid%282%29.pdf

Health Care to Die for!

Today's fact of the day is a fitting one for Friday the 13^th, since H.R. 3962 promises to deliver the grim reaper to any patient signed up for the government health plan. Under Section 240 of the bill, insurance companies are required to provide information on "end-of-life planning" to people who are looking to enroll in coverage offered by the health insurance exchange. In the final bill, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) decided to strip the broader protective language that was adopted in the Energy and Commerce Committee, which means that H.R. 3962 will mandate the distribution of end-of-life materials about assisted suicide options in Oregon and Washington. At the request of Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), the pro-euthanasia organization Compassion and Choices also added "advance care planning consultations" as a new optional Medicare-covered benefit. This would open the door for Medicare to pay for end-of-life consultations that include assisted suicide options in states where it is legal. Both provisions include language that claims these sections don't encourage the promotion of "suicide or assisted suicide." But in crafting their state laws, Oregon and Washington redefined the act of assisting in a suicide as "death with dignity," explicitly stating that such action is not legally considered assisted suicide-even though by medical definition that is exactly what it is. Think such rationing of care could never happen? It already has in Oregon, where patients were told their state provided insurance would not cover treatment but would gladly pick up the cost if they went the assisted suicide route. Just don't call them death panels...(FRC.org)

No Insurance? Go to Jail, Do Not Pass Go

Today's fact of the day on the recently passed health care bill, H.R. 3962 is don't have insurance? Pay a fine or go directly to jail. Under the House legislation "Americans who do not maintain acceptable health insurance coverage and who choose not to pay the bill's new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years." This is according to the non-partisan Congressional Joint Tax Committee, which also defines the penalties as a "tax." This applies to all American citizens, thus further breaking the President's promise of "[u]nder my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase." Additionally businesses could be fined up to 8 percent of their payroll if they fail to comply with the government mandate. There are also further penalties, or taxes, for underpayment or for "taking a frivolous position" on the government mandate. (FRC)

D.C. Tells Catholic Church: Comply or Bye Bye

The D.C. City Council took one step closer to allowing same sex "marriages" in the District of Columbia on Tuesday when they voted the legislation out of the Committee on Public Safety & Judiciary. The panel refused to include protections for religious organizations--putting at risk the numerous churches in the region that provide goods and services to the needy who would have to decide between their faith or compliance with the city's commands. One of the largest area provider of relief services, the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, took a stand yesterday, just as their counterparts in Massachusetts's had done in that state, and refused to back down to the D.C. Council's bullying tactics. The Catholic Church provides a wide range of direct services for those in need in our nation's capitol, including physical and mental health care, legal care, immigration, employment services, counseling, shelter, education, adoption, foster care and services for the developmentally disabled. During the committee proceedings many of the council members were openly mocking religious concerns and one councilman, David Catania, told those gathered that if people of faith refuse to comply with his demands, the city will find someone else to take over everything they do. That will be very difficult for the city to do for they will quickly find, without faith there is little good works. It is very telling of the priorities of these politicians who would put the desires of the homosexual community over the needs of the poor. (FRC)

Common Sense 101

It's Not the Money, It's the Rule of Law

The Progressive movement (which created the modern income tax under President Wilson) saw America as a democracy rather than what it really is: a Republic. The distinction is not subtle and our Founders were clear in the belief that a democracy always led to mob rule. But the Progressives (both Republican and Democrat) felt that democracy and socialism are twins since both ultimately had their power stem from the people. If the people felt that someone or some group made too much, they could level the playing field for the good of all.

The tax code has never really been about raising revenue as much as it is about punishing opponents, helping friends, or as President Obama says, instituting a system of "fairness." Government bailouts are similar. Did all of those companies really need that money, or was it in the government's interest to force it down their throats so they'd have some control over them?

Consider these examples of the Government seeking control:

• The U.S. House of Representatives used its power to target a group of AIG insurance executives who collected a bonus they were contractually and legally allowed to receive, by passing a bill that would have imposed a 90% retroactive tax on their bonus money.
• New York state attorney general Andrew Cuomo threatened to reveal the names of AIG employees who were paid a contractual bonus and wouldn't voluntarily return that money.
• GM was required to fire its CEO as a prerequisite to receiving any additional federal bailout money even though the CEO didn't engage in any criminal or corporate malfeasance.
• Banking executives were threatened to accept government bailout funds or risk increased scrutiny and audits.
• Government officials are seeking authority to seize any company that could pose---in their sole opinion---a "systemic" economic risk.
• The sacrosanct "secret ballot" is under assault by union leaders who feel it's more important to get new members than protect free elections.
• The government has suggested it will force states to accept federal stimulus money eve if they don't want it.
• The state of Connecticut has considered legislation that would retroactively raise the state income tax on high-wage earners.
• The rich are being vilified and targeted because they are rich. (Class warfare is always politically popular, but common sense tells us that people won't work if they can't keep what they earn. It also tells us that what starts as government taking on the "rich" always trickles down---remember, in 1913 the income tax was applied to only the wealthiest 1%).
• Executives at AIG, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac are all on the federal dole and have received billions in corporate welfare. Executives at all companies received bonuses, but while AIG executives were targeted by Congress and unions, executives at Fannie and Freddie received scant attention due to their ties to government.

Is any of this in accordance with the rule of law? These abuses must stop!

While our current president and political leaders repeatedly assure us that giving government more power is the only answer, George Washington calls out from the past to remind us that government itself is usually the problem: "Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action."

But an increasing number of Americans don't see it that way. A recent poll revealed that a slim 53% of Americans believe that "capitalism" is a better system than "socialism." A full 1/5 of Americans think that socialism is the better system and an embarrassing 27% are "not sure."

Wake up, America! You have bought into the lie that Capitalism is only about money, corporations, greedy businessmen, and corrupt politicians who cut backroom deals. Capitalism isn't about money, it's about Freedom---the freedom to try and fail that made the United States the richest industrial nation in the world by 1905 and the freedom that has kept us there ever since. (Glenn Beck, Common Sense) (photo: http://www.instantcreditapproval.com)