THYME Magazine: Special Senate Race Edition

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume VII, Issue XXVIII

Restoring Senate Representation

We must elect Ed Gillespie to the United States Senate; here's why. Most Virginians are NOT represented by the two Senators presently in office. Though many of us trekked to his office and made phone calls, pleas to Senator Mark Warner to vote against OBAMACARE fell on deaf ears. I went there with a large group opposed to this terribly bungled legislation. We were herded into a conference room and lectured by staffers on why we "had to pass it." We can ill-afford the effects of this poorly crafted legislation in our current fragile economy. We need leadership, not men who blindly follow the President. Please consider the following statements by Mr. Gillespie himself. I'm sure you will find him a welcome alternative to the present one-party representation in our Senate. Mark Warner [click to read] has been the subject of previous THYME pieces, so we will not discuss his positions at length here. Mr Gillespie helped to craft the Contract with America in 1994, which was instrumental in the election of a Republican majority to Congress for the first time in forty years.

Ed Gillespie Has a Plan for Jobs and the Economy

"By moving us away from our Constitutional principles of limited government and personal liberty, President Obama, Harry Reid and Mark Warner have enacted policies that have killed jobs, reduced take-home pay, and increased health care and energy costs. We can do better.

Conservative, pro-growth policies promoting lower taxes, less government spending, and ending excessive regulation create jobs, raise take-home pay, and reduce health care and energy costs by unleashing private investment and allowing working Americans rather than political appointees in Washington to make decisions about the best way to allocate their resources. Americans want and deserve intelligent policies to promote job creation, expand opportunities for recent high school and college graduates, and make career advancement a reality again for the many Virginians who have found themselves trapped in a weak economy.

The Obama-Reid-Warner economic policies are not only destroying jobs; they are undermining the American work ethic. There is not just economic value in labor, there is human dignity in work. We must enable more people to have that dignity. If elected I will promote a pro-growth economic agenda to create good-paying jobs for families, foster upward mobility, help those currently employed to keep more of what they earn, and enable people to lift themselves out of poverty.

Too many Virginians are living paycheck-to-paycheck—if they’re fortunate enough to have a paycheck. The U.S. labor force participation rate is at its lowest level in more than three decades, hovering somewhere around 63%. The Congressional Budget Office reported in February that the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) will mean millions fewer in the fulltime workforce. More people will be working only part-time and we will see the equivalent of 2.3 million fewer jobs over the next decade (nearly 64,000 in Virginia alone).

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 92 million people are out of the labor force entirely, and 7 million Americans are working two or more jobs to make ends meet. That’s wrong, and policymakers must make a top priority of solving this problem, which I would do as our senator."

Priorities for All Levels of Education

"K-12

Every child deserves a high quality education, and I believe parents should be empowered to make the educational choices that are in their children’s best interests. Opportunity is enhanced by competition and choice, which is why I support public schools, charter schools, private and parochial schools, magnet schools, and home schooling. All Virginia children should have an opportunity to receive a world-class education, and no child should be forced to remain in a failing or unsafe school by the constraints of his or her zip code. That is why I support school choice programs that help ensure that all families have access to meaningful and accountable educational options.

Education policies and curriculum are state and local prerogatives. Virginia is rightly among a handful of states that have not adopted Common Core standards. We know that a one-size-fits-all approach will not work, and I will always support efforts to empower students, families and teachers, not political appointees at the Department of Education, to make these important educational decisions.

Higher Education

A. Virginia boasts some of the best public colleges and universities in the nation, and a strong system of community colleges, but for many Virginians, college tuition remains out of reach. There is work to do in making higher education more accessible and affordable. Higher education is an economic engine for the Commonwealth. The business community has documented the value of higher education through the “Grow By Degrees” effort, estimating that one dollar of investment produces over seventeen dollars in increased GDP and returns more than a dollar in new tax revenue to the Commonwealth.

I support the empowerment of higher education students by increasing transparency of higher education programs with information on earnings of graduates, by institution and degree, to be readily available to all potential students as they make choices to pursue their studies. Working Virginians require the resources to tailor their skills to the changes of a dynamic economy. That is why I applaud Virginia’s efforts to turn our community colleges into engines of workforce development, and why I will support intelligent workforce investment policies in the Senate, like those embodied in the SKILLS Act. There is no better program of social welfare than a good-paying job, so I will advance policies to help Virginians, and all Americans, develop the skills and expertise they need to compete in a global economy."

Supporting Basic Tenets of the Bill of Rights

"As Virginia’s senator, I will oppose efforts to infringe upon our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms, which is an individual right. I would not vote in favor of treaties that would cede firearm regulation to international bodies like the United Nations, in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

Senator Warner voted against the Senate rejection of the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty, which could undermine our Second Amendment rights and infringe on U.S. sovereignty. I would have voted for the amendment."

Repeal and Replacement of OBAMACARE, a Priority

"Virginians are concerned about having access to quality, affordable health care—and they know that Obamacare is making things worse. Everywhere I go, I hear from Virginians who face skyrocketing insurance premiums and stand to lose the coverage they like and the doctors they trust. We understand that Obamacare is not the solution, and that the problem with it is a lot more than just “a failed website launch.” It is harmful legislation that must be replaced with policies that make insurance more affordable, let us keep our doctors and insurance, and allows businesses to grow and hire.

Virginians know that a quality health care system empowers doctors and patients, not politicians and political appointees. We know that the way to reform health care isn’t to kill jobs, reduce wages, deny us our choice of doctors and cancel health care plans that Virginians like, cut $700 billion from Medicare, impose new taxes, and increase our deficit.

Sadly, Obamacare would not be the law today if Senator Warner had voted in the interests of Virginians instead of with his party line. As Virginia’s Senator, I would vote to replace Obamacare with policies that put patients first, provide more affordable options, and do not include a mandate. We need health care reform that works—and that means repealing Obamacare and replacing it with market-based reforms that take health care decisions out of the hands of political appointees.

We also need to focus on ways to keep Virginians healthy, not just treat them when they are sick. As Senator I will focus on medical innovations and finding cures for diseases, reforms that will produce more jobs, and keep America first in health care research. In the course of our campaign, I’ll outline policies in line with these principles."

A Plan to Spur Domestic Energy Production

"With the right policies, Virginia can be the East Coast’s energy leader, creating high-paying jobs here in the Commonwealth, bringing down costs for home heating in the Winter and prices at the gas pump in the Summer, and helping to move our nation closer to energy independence. We need a Senator who shares that vision and will support the growth of a vibrant, responsible energy sector.

Virginia’s energy sector directly employs more than 30,000 workers and indirectly supports as many as 200,000 jobs, making it a crucial component of our economy. With our natural resources, geographic location, and port access, Virginia can and should be a more integral part of America’s energy supply. From clean coal to wind energy to offshore oil and natural gas, Virginia is blessed with abundant natural resources, but efforts to develop these resources are often thwarted by an overreaching Federal Government.

I believe in an energy approach that embraces both traditional and alternative energy resources. I support oil and natural gas production—including responsible deep sea drilling off our coast—because we can protect our environment while ensuring access to the domestic energy resources we need to create new jobs, lower prices at the pump, and keep utility bills affordable.

As Senator, I’ll fight to protect coal jobs, because I understand how important coal is both to our economy right here in Virginia and to our nation’s energy independence, and I’ll stand up to the EPA’s failed policies that are driving up energy costs and imposing unnecessary regulatory burdens on our homes and businesses. Protecting public health and safety does not require duplicative regulations, needlessly complex and costly compliance requirements, or bureaucratic inefficiency. We need to make use of our abundant natural resources to create jobs and lower energy costs for Virginians. I will work to give Virginia the opportunity to lead on American energy independence.

Unfortunately, Mark Warner has voted in lockstep with the Obama Administration’s war on coal. He stood with Barbara Boxer and John Kerry when they released the Senate version of Cap and Trade in 2009, and has said, “The most significant thing we can do is send the market signal that either directly through a carbon tax or indirectly through cap and trade, we are going to put a price on carbon.”

Last year, Mark Warner voted against creating a 60-vote point of order against any budget resolution that includes a tax or fee on carbon emissions. According to the National Association of Manufacturers, a carbon tax could cost up to 21,000 jobs in Virginia. Five Senate Democrats broke ranks to protect their constituents from these job-killing policies—but Mark Warner toed the party line.

Mark Warner voted against an amendment that would have moved the Keystone pipeline project forward over President Obama’s opposition, and the amendment was defeated. He later backed a “non-binding resolution” supporting the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline in an effort to cover his tracks on the binding amendment. When it mattered, he voted against the Keystone pipeline, and when it didn’t matter he voted for it. That’s political posturing, not real leadership. I will work to get the Keystone XL pipeline approved.

As Senator, I’ll not just focus on developing energy resources, I’ll also work to remove the federal red-tape that slows down the development of energy infrastructure and limits the development of our energy sector and the creation of jobs. Energy projects, like building new pipelines and refineries, are a critical link between production and lower prices for consumers. Unfortunately, Senator Warner and President Obama, have shown no leadership in removing the barriers to job-creating, cost-reducing, energy infrastructure projects."

A Pro-Life Voice for Virginia's Citizens

"I am pro-life, and believe we should foster a culture that respects human life. This means that as a civil society, we must respect and protect the most vulnerable among us, including the unborn, the sick, those with disabilities, and the elderly.

I would oppose taxpayer funding of abortion, and believe it was a mistake to abandon the explicit prohibition in federal law against it, as Mark Warner voted to do with Obamacare.

I understand that women facing an unplanned pregnancy need compassion and support, not judgment or condemnation. I support education and health care to help women avoid unplanned pregnancies, and believe we must offer life-affirming alternatives to women facing difficult decisions, ensuring that they have the opportunity to choose life. I support adoption and believe that government should help both women and children by making it easier, more affordable, and more accessible for both newborns and those in foster care."

A Firm Supporter of a Balanced Budget Amendment

"Mark Warner once endorsed a Balanced Budget Amendment, but when he had a chance to vote for one in the Senate, he voted against it. As your Senator, I will not only support a Balanced Budget Amendment, I will introduce one. I will make it a priority to reduce wasteful, inefficient, and duplicative federal government spending.

At a time when millions of Americans have been forced to make due with less, it is an outrage that government continues to spend taxpayer dollars in such a reckless manner—particularly when profligate government spending is at the root of our economic problems. Deficit spending on the part of government sucks money out of the productive sector, impedes growth, and is a drag on our economy.

Raising taxes on American families and businesses that are already too high would only impede economic growth and make the problem worse. We do not have deficits because taxes aren’t high enough, we have deficits because Federal spending is out of control and our economy is not creating enough jobs. I promise my fellow Virginians I will fight and vote against any efforts to increase marginal income tax rates on individuals and businesses, and oppose any net reduction or elimination of tax deductions and credits unless they are matched by equal reductions in tax rates. Growing our economy and getting spending under control are the keys to resolving our burgeoning federal debt, not further adding to the tax burden on American families and businesses.

Mark Warner has voted to increase taxes by nearly $1 Trillion, and to increase our debt by $7 Trillion. An $18 trillion debt is simply unacceptable, and we cannot afford the consequences of continued inaction. We’re saddling our children with debt to pay for promises made in the past, and new promises President Obama and Mark Warner made in Obamacare.

It’s time we stop spending money we just don’t have."

Secure the Borders, Reform Our Visa System

"I am proud to be the son of an immigrant. My father came to this country through Ellis Island from Ireland as a boy, because his father found work as a janitor. I appreciate the opportunities provided to my father — and by extension to me and my children — by the greatest country ever to grace the face of the earth.

When it comes to immigration reform, I believe we have not only a right but a responsibility to secure our borders. We must also enforce our existing laws. The steps we take to secure our borders would not only enable us to keep out those we don’t want coming into our country illegally, but to allow in legally those we want to welcome here.

An estimated 40% of those in our country illegally now have overstayed their visas, so we clearly need to reform our visa system. If this were a private sector problem, it would have been fixed by now, and our Federal Government needs to fix it. I also believe we can improve the E-Verify program to help employers be sure that anyone they hire is a citizen or a legal resident.

While steps like these would help stop illegal immigration going forward, they do not address the 10-12 million people here illegally now. I do not support amnesty, and oppose granting citizenship to them, which would be unfair to those who have come here legally and played by the rules. And I don’t believe we should give one of the greatest privileges in the world—American citizenship—to those who are here by virtue of having broken our laws.

At the same time, I do not believe that our nation will implement the mass deportation of 10-12 million people, so we need to come to terms with those who are here illegally now. It would be in the interest of both American citizens and those here illegally to be able to come forward and, after a series of processes (i.e., criminal background checks, payment of back taxes, assimilation, demonstration of self sufficiency), be issued new visas to be here legally." [1.]

Time to Awaken a Sleeping Giant

Looking at the percentage of eligible voters who actually vote, and even the percentage of REGISTERED voters who actually vote, one thing stands clear; I believe that if we could motivate substantial participation in the Great Valley of Virginia, we could overcome rampant voter fraud and the "Northern Virginia" blue vote. In the last few elections, we watched the results come in and saw a fairly representative victory for more Conservative candidates... until Northern Virginia precincts reported. They always came in last and suddenly skewed the results to the left. Most Virginians were left without representation!

Another thing to remember is that even though some of us really want to see more candidates like Shak Hill and Jamie Radtke, we dare not sit out any election at this point. We dare not remain unrepresented in the times we cannot support our 'ideal' candidates. The Left knows our tendency to 'sit out' elections and have advanced their agenda through our apathy! Yes, we have every reason to be frustrated at the treatment given a candidate like Mike Farris in the past by the party establishment. Here Jamie Radtke Talks About Cantor's Defeat [click to view]. Now is NOT the time to step back from the process. Now is the time to honestly address the business of representing the people! We can achieve that goal!

THYME Magazine: Essential Knowledge III

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume VII, Issue XXVII

Essential  Knowledge III

Does the human condition indeed require Faith to sustain it? I write from that perspective in this essay, but there are those who would disagree. Indeed there is fresh argument to the effect that human compassion  can (and indeed DOES) exist apart from Faith. Leaving the Sciences vs science arguements of the past, a new study from the University of California, Berkley, suggests that Compassion Moves the Non-Religious [click to read] more than the people of Faith. A closer look would not necessarily discredit the compassion of the faithful, but identify the top motivator in the life of a person who's life is not characterized by Faith.

"Overall, we find that for less religious people, the strength of their emotional connection to another person is critical to whether they will help that person or not," explained Robb Willer, co-author of the study and UC Berkeley social psychologist. "The more religious, on the other hand, may ground their generosity less in emotion, and more in other factors such as doctrine, a communal identity, or reputational concerns." -- Laura Saslow, Researcher

Saslow goes on to say that it is more likely that the person of Faith will cite Religious teaching as the reason for his or her actions. The person who professes NO belief will indeed cite compassion by default. Atheists often cite the observed lack or compassion they see in religious people as one reason they chose not to believe. For me the study has deeper implications. I remember Bertrand Russell's wrestling with the meaning of life:

That Man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms; that no fire, no heroism, no intensity of thought and feeling, can preserve an individual life beyond the grave; that all the labours of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system, and that the whole temple of Man’s achievement must inevitably be buried beneath the debris of a universe in ruins—all these things, if not quite beyond dispute, are yet so nearly certain, that no philosophy which rejects them can hope to stand. Only within the scaffolding of these truths, only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair can the soul’s habitation be safely built. -- Bertrand Russell (from A Free Man's Worship, 1903)

In despair, one still reaches out to find an anchor. A soul adrift still seeks safe harbor. Conscience still leads us to the safe waters of compassion... even as we dismiss it as a simple evolution necessary for the survival of the species, that anchor becomes MORE important because we find nothing else to tie our rope to. The first irony implicit in the role of despair is that for many of us this was the point where we began our discipleship IN the Faith. Though those who want to deny Faith will undoubtedly reference obscure similarities to now extinct ancient religions to obfuscate the beacon that I follow, I humbly offer that compassion finds its roots in some very clearly marked repositories. Winston Churchill said it best: "There is no better hope than Christ's principles in the Sermon on the Mount!" Wallace Henley [click to read] writes:

"Everyone on the planet has a worldview. Those who understand reality through a biblical view know transformation is the fundamental issue. "Where do wars come from?" asks James, rhetorically. They come from our lusts and passions. We desire power and possessions, and we enter conflicts to satisfy those perceived needs.

Biblically formed thinkers are the ultimate realists. While many in the world try to find other explanations for "irrational" human behavior whether in the form of nations or individuals, those who embrace the Bible's worldview know the bottom line: "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

Then follows the question: What worldview can really bring human transformation that benefits the rest of the world? Certainly not a belief system that advocates intimidation, manipulation, condemnation, and domination to force global allegiance.

Suddenly the Christ towers in our precarious moment: the Christ who taught us to love our enemies, to be harmless as doves but simultaneously wise as serpents, to lead as servants, the Christ who renews the human mind, and who gives us a whole new way of seeing and living."

Alvin Schmidt concurs with Henley. In his book: Under the Influence [click to read], Schmidt documents well the roots of much of what the world today calls "Compassion," in the revelation of the Divine. The Berkley study first referenced finds two reasons for action: compassion (usually for those one feels empathy with), and doctrine. What if pure doctrine expands compassion? Consider those early Christians who pulled discarded babies out of the Tiber River and cared for them. What about the Righteous Gentiles who risked their own lives to protect their Jewish Neighbors from the Holocaust?

In fact Jesus once asked: "Who is my neighbor?" in Luke chapter 10. The lesson he proceeded to teach did just that... EXPANDED the reach of compassion! Jesus was always embracing lepers and talking with people he wasn't supposed to... like WOMEN. In a world where the (self) righteous man would pray, thanking the Divine that he had not been born a Gentile, a Slave or a Woman, Jesus brought the message of promise to all three, as well as to the House of Israel. IMAGO DEI was a non-negotiable concept  for the carpenter from Gallilee.

A very sad story was seen in the Washington Post recently. It was about a 19th Century home for unwed mothers where the bodies of hundreds of discarded children had been buried. The story went on to explain the distain the surrounding community had for the "home babies." They mainly died from neglect. The picture of the building's exterior bore a chilling resemblance to a Müller home, but here the resemblance ends. Where Müller saw IMAGO DEI, the administrators of this facility saw only the children's unwantedness. Today the household of Faith extends compassion in ministry to unwed mothers and their unborn babies.

Expanding compassion might well take the same reporter who investigated this home to shudder at the case of Kermit Gosnell's abortion clinic in Pennsylvania. Where Gosnell saw only unwantedness, we are challenged to see IMAGO DEI! That is the challenge, and the destination we have arrived at... a personal challenge to expand the vision of compassion, directed by the Divine!

THYME Magazine: Essential Knowledge II

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume VII, Issue XXVI

Essential Knowledge II

Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:

And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your G-d into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:

That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?

Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day. -- Joshua 4:5-9

The importance of passing foundational truth from generation to generation is seen not only in the prescribed feasts, but in the history of the people of Israel as well. Add to that the fact that most young people were taught their trade by their parents and you see a pattern that only recent centuries have diverted from. One of my relatives opined recently that we, the Church, do youth ministry wrong. "We create a separate space designed to woo them with 'their' music and amusement." Consider that last word for a minute: A-muse! It could be translated: "without thinking." Are we trying to entertain our children into the Church rather than inviting them into the Sacred Wonders? Last week we saw Maggie transformed as she learned the old hymns. The unique fellowship she found did acknowledge her world, but expanded upon it. Maggie found herself enriched by the depth of Sam's circle of friends.

Young people need to know that the sacred things are theirs as well. They are not the "Church of the Future," they are a part of what G-d is doing now. They need to participate in our worship and ministry now. I love it when young people are able to help take up the offering, sing special music and even share there testimonies in the midst of the congregation. Our culture offers so much AMUSEMENT. In fact, if we major in offering amusement to our youth, they will graduate from the Church as they graduate from high school... and will seek out better AMUSEMENT. But consider for a moment the church full of older Mennonites we looked at last week. They did not offer amusement; instead they offered extended family and that was what the youth in their neighborhood longed for.

It is a well documented phenomenon that young men join gangs because they need family. Their initiation cements a bond with others that is otherwise lacking in their culture. Drugs and violence simply are an extension of this identification with their new brethren. How sad that this exists as such a counterfeit of what is available in the house of Faith! Yet it is obvious that the Church does not seem to do too well at creating such family. Some ignore it all together, but it seems that many churches simply create a program. They may fail miserably in this, or have horrible experiences, concluding that such ministry is not for them. Conversely, they may create a dynamic program that attracts large numbers (at least for a time) and go on to write the book on how they do it better. But there is, perhaps, a better way.

The elderly congregation we looked at last week started with earnest prayer. When G-d seemed to be speaking to them they listened. Then they looked to see what G-d might be doing in their own neighborhoods. When they saw Divine appointments they responded, having prepared themselves with prayer and an understanding of those they sought to minister to. They watched G-d build relationships and the ministry flowed out of that. It was such a work of the Divine that they couldn't write a 'how to' manual. (They COULD, of course, share much information on some of the practical aspects such as maintaining safety and trust).

(to be continued).

The Longest Day

Remembering June 6, 1944

One of my favorite movies is "The Longest Day." My favorite scene in the movie is where General Theodore Roosevelt Jr., Son of the 'Rough Rider' President, pleads to be allowed to accompany his men in the invasion. If you love heroes, the scene will bring you to tears. Finally Roosevelt hears his commander say "permission reluctantly granted. Oh, by the way, how's your arthritis?" "Hasn't Bothered me in months," replies Roosevelt. As he leaves, you see him retrieve the cane he has hidden in some pipes as he heads off down the ship's passageway.

The true story of General Roosevelt is one all of us should know. He repeatedly led groups of men off the beach and achieved an impressively low casualty rate in the beginning of the invasion. He had trained these men and wanted to be with them when they faced the hard test.


General Roosevelt in France

He was the only general to come ashore in the first wave of the invasion, leading the men out of his landing craft. No doubt his leadership under fire saved many lives.

After battling their way ashore, the troops discover that they have drifted a mile from where they should have landed. It was then that General Roosevelt personally scouted their situation and uttered these famous words: "We'll start the war from right here!"

"Ted Roosevelt on Utah Beach"

Those were the words of Omar Bradley when asked to name the single most heroic action he had ever seen in combat. Major General "Tubby" Barton had reluctantly assented to this plea from Roosevelt:

"The force and skill with which the first elements hit the beach and proceed may determine the ultimate success of the operation... With troops engaged for the first time, the behavior pattern of all is apt to be set by those first engaments. [It is] considered that accurate information of the existing situation should be available for each succeeding element as it lands. You should have when you get to shore an overall picture in which you can place confidence. I believe I can contribute materially on all of the above by going in with the assault companies. Furthermore I personally know both officers and men of these advance units and believe that it will steady them to know that I am with them."

Barton thought he would never see Roosevelt in this life again when he cut those fateful orders. When Barton later came ashore and met up with Roosevelt, he had this to say: "while I was mentally framing [orders], Ted Roosevelt came up. He had landed with the first wave, had put my troops across the beach, and had a perfect picture (just as Roosevelt had earlier promised if allowed to go ashore with the first wave) of the entire situation. I loved Ted. When I finally agreed to his landing with the first wave, I felt sure he would be killed. When I had bade him goodbye, I never expected to see him alive. You can imagine then the emotion with which I greeted him when he came out to meet me [near La Grande Dune]. He was bursting with information."

A month after the invasion, Ted Roosevelt died of a heart condition which would have disqualified him from leading in the first wave. He was buried in France alongside his brother Quenton who had died in World War I. His Medal of Honor citation reads as follows:

"For gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 6 June 1944, in France. After 2 verbal requests to accompany the leading assault elements in the Normandy invasion had been denied, Brig. Gen. Roosevelt's written request for this mission was approved and he landed with the first wave of the forces assaulting the enemy-held beaches. He repeatedly led groups from the beach, over the seawall and established them inland. His valor, courage, and presence in the very front of the attack and his complete unconcern at being under heavy fire inspired the troops to heights of enthusiasm and self-sacrifice. Although the enemy had the beach under constant direct fire, Brig. Gen. Roosevelt moved from one locality to another, rallying men around him, directed and personally led them against the enemy. Under his seasoned, precise, calm, and unfaltering leadership, assault troops reduced beach strong points and rapidly moved inland with minimum casualties. He thus contributed substantially to the successful establishment of the beachhead in France."

Remembering Theodore Roosevelt Jr.

It is worth noting that Roosevelt, while a very effective officer, was not liked by everyone he met. Serving in the North Africa Campaign in 1942 under Major General Terry Allen he drew the ire of George S. Patton. Both Allen and Roosevelt went against Patton's spit-and-polish mentality and were seldom seen in dress uniform. Roosevelt was too much of a "hands on" type of guy to strut around avoiding the hard stuff. Patton relieved both Allen and Roosevelt of their commands. Roosevelt went on to fight in Sicily and Italy. He became chief liaison officer to the French Army in Italy for General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Great men have often struggled in the process of becoming the heroes we remember and that is worth remembering along with their mighty deeds.

The Wind Talkers, Their Code Couldn't Be Cracked

The Last of the Navajo Code Talkers Has Passed Away


The last of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers of World War II has died. Chester Nez, died this morning at the age of 93. ht/John Pembroke

The story of the Navajo Code Talkers begins in 1940 when a small group of Chippewas and Oneidas became a part of the radio communications 32nd Infantry Division. Soon after, Sac and Fox tribes joined in the ranks as combat radiomen. The complexity of Navajo linguistics allowed it to become an ideal choice to be used in code due to the lack of documentation made available for learning to speak the language and ability for the same words to mean multiple things based on sound. The Japanese were unable to crack this code for those very reasons.

Exiting the Backside of the Trojan Horse...

What the Bowe Bergdahl Prisoner Exchange Means


The 'Trojan Horse's Rear' as seen on a recent trip to Washington. It is an actual sculpture in the Federal Triangle.

Five dangerous Taliban commanders released in exchange for a deserter... but more likely a TRAITOR. The United States gained NOTHING in that exchange and severely compromised the safety of our troops in Afghanistan in the process! But consider the strange nature of this case more closely. Bergdahl, a United States Army soldier, was held captive by the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network in Afghanistan from June 2009 until his release on May 31, 2014. These people usually behead their captives. Bergdahl's longevity suggests he was at least a useful pawn for obtaining a prisoner release, but his personal history suggests he actively sought to JOIN the Taliban.

Now consider the surrealistic scene where Bergdahl's father stands with the President of the United States and says in Arabic:

“In the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate.”

The father proceeded to speak in Pashtu, also known as Afghani, because he said his son might have difficulty understanding English after five years in captivity. After learning of how the inmates of the infamous 'Hanoi Hilton' prison in Vietnam used their MINDS to stay focused on who they were, I find that just a little too incredible. Bergdahl's platoon leader spoke to Sean Hannity and painted a picture of a troubled young man who stepped out looking for trouble. Six men died trying to find him after he deserted his post.

But the platoon leader went on to consider the lives lost capturing the five dangerous Taliban! Many in the Mainstream Media were no doubt scratching their heads! But had they studied the man who would be President, they would have known who his Communist mentors were. They would have noted the Anti-colonialism of his Kenyan Father. They would have seen all too well that the 'Gift,' brought into the city in the guise of "Hope and Change," had indeed opened up to reveal a force intent on destroying the America we love! For my low-literature readers (if I have any), I reference the famous Trojan Horse.

"The Wooden Horse, a device resorted to by the Greeks, after the death of Achilles, was used to capture Troy. The story is known to Homer and is referred to in the Odyssey as well as being part of the cycle of stories about Troy, but the Iliad ends well before this event. Epēius, a skilful craftsman, constructed a very large wooden horse inside which picked Greek warriors, including Odysseus, were concealed. Then the Greek army sailed out of sight, leaving Sinon, one of their number, behind. He pretended to the Trojans that he was a deserter and that the horse was an offering to Athena; if brought within the city it would render it impregnable. In spite of the warning given to the Trojans by Lāocǒon (a priest of Apollo) not to trust ‘Greek gifts’, the Trojans dragged the horse into the city, convinced that the destruction of Laocoon and his sons by two serpents after he had given his warning was a punishment for impiety. Cassandra too prophesied disaster but was disbelieved. At night the Greeks came out of the horse and the city was taken. In Homer's Odyssey (book 4) Menelaus reminds Helen how, when the horse was inside the walls of Troy, she had walked round it calling out the names of the men she suspected might be inside, and Odysseus had prevented anyone from answering. In book 8 Odysseus at the court of Alcinous asks the bard to sing the story of the Wooden Horse. Virgil tells the story of the horse in Aeneid 2." -- Ask.com

Erick Erickson writes: "Barack Obama is not a stupid man. One does not win the Presidency twice by being stupid. Looking at all of his foreign policy and national security blunders and pronouncements, I think there is only one rationale way to explain his foreign and national security policy without relying on him being stupid. Barack Obama has decided the best way to make the world a safer place is to make America a less safe place. If we must be worried about the shadows and random dictatorships with nukes, we will be less bold in pursuing our own interests. To Barack Obama that’s a good thing." [2.]

The scene at the White House is in keeping with what many of us know the President to be. It is time, dear reader, to take action. Overpasses for America and Operation American Spring have sounded the warning. We MUST register our friends to vote and inform them. This year we MUST gain Conservative seats in the Senate so that we may effectively fight the enemy inside our gates. If you are one inclined to ignore politics, be assured that politics WON'T ignore you!

THYME Magazine: Essential Knowledge

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume VII, Issue XXV

Essential Knowledge

Never before in history have we been surrounded by more information. Never before have we wanted so severely for essential knowledge!

It is easy and simplistic to lament the replacement of  "old" communications technology with new. In a way that misses the real point. Yes, I can use a search engine to find just about any published fact I want to know. Yes I can search for and look at thousands of news stories. Still a friend of mine lamented that real investigative journalism is sorely lacking these days. Very little 'reporting' gets very far beneath the surface. "There's not the money for it;" he opined. We are likely to hear over and over again what a handful of 'experts' think happened to a missing Malaysian airliner while no one bothers to lay out the background of the situation in Ukrania. In fact, on election night in 2008, we hear reporters celebrate the election of 'their' candidate, Obama, and almost in the same breath they admit: "We know very little about him.!"

There is no excuse for that. Bill Ayers helped him write a book and if you really wanted to understand the man who would be President, all you had to do was read it. Read in the context of who his parents and mentors were, it would tell you exactly what anti-colonial principles drove him. Vetting a Presidential candidate, even one who did NOT have an average American childhood, going instead to a Muslim school in Indonesia, is not rocket science. [1.]

But even more disturbing than the inability to investigate a candidate is the inability to pass along to our next generation the foundational truths our society and our great nation were built on.

I watched a little movie this past weekend that nicely packaged a bit of very important truth in an unlikely medium. It spoke of how the Divine is able to speak into a life through a simple interaction between two human beings. The movie, The Letter Writer shows how one person can speak the truth of Imago Dei into the life of another.


The Letter Writer (2011) puts essential knowledge in a new perspective using a most traditional medium.

Lessons from The Letter Writer

I use modern technology for a lot of my communications. This is no Luddite rant against it. The printing press was once new technology and it put the Bible in the hands of the people. I can read the Holy Scriptures on my Iphone now. I also communicate with family using it. FaceTime with my granddaughter is a great blessing. Facebook helps me pray for those close to me. Smugmug is the family photo album we can all share. Yet, when my young friend and colleague and her fiancee graduated from college recently, I felt a REAL card was in order. Clicking the 'LIKE' button does lack the personal touch that paper and ink provide.

This is the wonderful discovery that Maggie Fuller makes as she receives a mysterious letter from someone she does not know. Tracking down the source brings Maggie into a wonderful journey discovering how her life can serve as a beacon to others. The young singer tracks down the letter writer and finds an unlikely community of mentorship in love and servanthood. Her Epiphany comes about as she joins her new friends in singing Henry Alford's famous hymn: Come Ye Thankful People, Come [click to read more]. The story speaks of how truth and values can and should be passed from one generation to another. Unrealistic? A lot of secular critics dismissed the film and its message, but think of how Jewish culture places the transferal of great truth in the context of the Passover Meal. Think of the Redemptive message of the celebration of the Eucharist.

Walking with my little granddaughter on the tree shaded campus of the nearby college, I find myself humming the tune of Come Ye Thankful People, Come. She smiles as I show her squirrels and bright flowers. Is the message of the movie really so unrealistic? Our Pastor shared with us the story of a little church in our denomination (Mennonite) that prayed for a vision of what G-d might do through them... not a program that THEY would do, but the true seeking of an opportunity to allow G-d to work through them. Through much prayer they felt drawn to minister to the youth of their community. There was a problem, however, as the YOUNGEST member of the congregation was in her sixties!

They shared the vision with their Pastor and continued to pray. There was NO WAY this congregation was ever going to pull off the youth coffee house type of outreach or anything of the kind! But a funny thing happened. The older people, now with enlarged vision for the young people in their neighborhoods, found themselves building relationships where once they might have been saying: "Keep off my grass!" Kids started conversing with older neighbors. Gradually they ventured onto the front porch. Eventually they were enjoying warm cookies and milk in the kitchen. These kids didn't need another youth-centered event, they needed some FAMILY!... and that is just what the church was able to give them.

(to be continued)

THYME Magazine: A Culture of Life Matters

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume VII, Issue XIV

A Culture of Life, Why it Matters

Often touted as an example of a government run healthcare system that works, the VA system does indeed have some good people in it, and they do perform their mission to care for our elderly and wounded warriors in a professional manner. But it is likely that cost-saving directives and management level decisions have kept many from getting the care they need. This is simply unacceptable! These are men and women who swore an oath and put themselves in harm's way for their country. They deserve to be cared for. The news that up to forty people may have died waiting for necessary procedures in Arizona VA hospitals is a dark chapter in our history. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki is understandably on the carpet right now, and though the President claims he didn't know, that excuse is wearing pretty thin. Reports show that he WAS briefed about this problem long ago. Denied care, stories of secret "wait lists" and a general sense of betrayal weigh heavily right now. I think we need quite a few questions answered.

The issue is not one that can be simplified. Between 2000 and 2012 the total number of veterans decreased 16.5% while resources to care for them have risen steadily over the past decade. Some Veterans benefit spending is 'mandiatory,' or set by a statuatory formula. This includes the GI Bill, vocational rehabilitation, disability payments, pensions and survivor benefits. VA Health system spending, however, is considered 'discretionary' spending and is under the purview of Congress. Congress has NOT "slashed" funding for the system. Actual figures show that the VA budget has risen from $47.8 Billion in 2009 to $63.4 Billion in 2014. That is a 30% increase in the last three years. The situation is complicated by ageing VA facilities and other factors, but claims that the VA has been denied resources are simply not accurate. The problem is very likely to be blameable on administrative decisions. Politicians tend to ask for inflated budget requests, knowing full well they will have to settle for smaller increases, then they tend to blame insufficient funding anyway when their costs exceed planned expenditures. When it comes to assigning blame, administrators are indeed a pass-through entity!

But if administrators are redirecting discretianary funds and denying care, that begs a larger discussion. It involves the value of human life, and the danger in arbitrarily deciding who is worthy to live and who isn't. While Liberal commentators often present their arguments in the context of "doing what is best for you," they gravitate toward providing more benefits for young healthy people and rationing care to the elderly and overlooking the unborn. That is why you will see a push to provide free contaceptives while encouraging easy access to abortion and measures such as the "death panels" in the so-called "Affordable" Care Act. Benefits tend to concentrate for those who are likely to keep voting for those who provide them. Unborn babies cannot vote at all and older people are more likely to strive for self-sufficiency, making them less likely to vote for Liberal benefactors. The media, however, continues to drone on about the relative "compassion" of Liberal policies. One is hard pressed to make the argument for free and vital markets, which not only provide more and better services to more people, but often are the fertile ground for new and better methods to be created in. Markets just aren't "fair."

You may complain that new procedures are not universally available, but the fact that they exist at all is due to innovation. Given time these new innovations may become more readily available and come down in cost. A healthy marketplace often corrects its own discrepancies as doctors and hospitals provide care on a sliding fee scale or write off some care for indigents. This requires an efficient system that brings profits to those who administer it. Profit is what provides money that may be used more creatively or is the source for tax revenues that may be used to provide coverage for those who cannot afford it. While this illustration is indeed simplified, it does make the case for tort reform, insurance portability and a host of reforms that might allow more and better healthcare to be delivered more efficiently. These issues can be addressed as stand-alone reforms and do not require 2000 page "outline" legislation. But there IS an overriding source of guidance that is sadly missing, and that would be the valuation of all individuals seen in the concept of IMAGO DEI.

If a person's value is indeed a product of Divine investment, his or her rights are indeed INALIENABLE! You cannot arbitrarily decide "viability" or who is "too old" if you have no basis for it. A higher court has affirmed the dignity of men and women. You cannot make some arbitrary relativistic judgement. Indeed it is worth remembering that when governments decide who is worthy and who is not, you get forced sterilization in institutions like Virginia's Western State Hospital during the first half of the Twentieth Century and you get a whole slate of "undesireables" in regimes such as that of the National Socialists in 1930's Germany where Jews, Gypsies, Jehovas Witnesses, Homosexuals and Italians were all sorted and identified with a system of colored triangles. Almost seven million people were eliminated because the government decided to. When anything is permissible, ANYTHING is permissible. Yet most historians would agree that the holocaust was EVIL. How can anything be evil if anything is permissable? Indeed it seems to some easier to rewrite history and say the holocaust didn't happen than to wrap one's mind around its evil. Yet holocaust is verified history, as is the extermination of ten million Ukranians by Stalin and the killing of untold millions in Mao's China.

In the end one must come to terms with the unique value of every man, woman and child on the planet... even if we stand on the opposite sides of an armed conflict! We all are moved by those stories of cease-fire, like the time English and German soldiers sang "Silent Night" together on Christmas in 1914, or during our Civil War, when troops of the opposing armies sometimes exchanged coffee and sugar for tobacco. In fact, in the Winter of 1862, opposing troops near Fredericksburg, Virginia floated little, sailboats back and forth across the Rappahannock River with items they wanted to trade. Today Israeli Defense Force medical teams care for the wounded they receive without regard for their status or nationality. These moments in history need to serve as a benchmark. Those who champion the rights of the unborn, or the rights of forgotten elderly veterans also enlarge the vision of IMAGO DEI. Just as William Wilberforce extended compassion to the slaves of England, so these modern men and women who follow in his footsteps elevate the entire human condition.

For many of us, the mistreatment of our veterans is a travesty we cannot allow in its own right, but it begs to be resolved in terms of the high principles laid down by Locke and Jefferson which are ultimately founded in Divine Revelation!

Spacecraft Testing in the 1960's

My Father at the Console of the Launch Phase Simulator


In this 1968 NASA Photograph, my Father, Ed Kirchman puts the Launch Phase Simulator through its paces.

Those of us who grew up in the 1960s will never forget the challenge of President John F. Kennedy to put a man on the moon and return him safely to earth. We lived it. What many tend to forget is the daunting size of the challenge. We were using ICBMs that had been hastily developed in the face of the unfolding "Cold War." They had a pretty poor failure rate and we were just beginning to study the effects of hostile space environments to our hardware. Ed Kirchman had helped build the seaplanes that fought in the Pacific. Now he brought his knowledge to the problems of space flight. His engineer mind took him to explore the combinations of stresses that actually were present in a launch and one of his crowning achievements was designing the Launch Phase Simulator.

He started with a giant centrifuge. It was HUGE! One Summer I worked on the crew that cleaned it. I gained a great respect for the scale of Dad's Magnum Opus. He mounted a vacuum chamber on the end of the centrifuge arm to simulate the change of atmospheric pressure. Then he mounted a "shaker," or a giant vibration machine under the attachment where the spacecraft was bolted. This simulated the merciless vibration present in a launch.

Then Dad put in a cryogenic system to cool the spacecraft and heat lamps to bake it. By testing prototypes this way he was able to find out exactly how stresses occur in spacecraft as they lift out of the atmosphere. Dad wrote a number of reports on spacecraft testing and on the behavior of materials under stress during launch. His work was invaluable in increasing the reliability of spacecraft. But Dad almost did not become an engineer. He struggled in school. His high school guidance counselor even wrote a letter advising that Dad NOT pursue a career in engineering. Dad framed the letter.

He went to a Junior College for his basic courses, then he transferred to Notre Dame in South Bend Indiana. He was always a staunch fan of the 'Fightin' Irish,' even as he was part of the Vanguard of relatively new immigrants from Bavaria and Eastern Europe taking their place in the American experience. His Grandfather had fled Bavaria during Bismark, and muttered curses about the man as he sat on the porch of their home in Bay City. His Grandson would go on to develop new technologies to take us to the stars.

Sunset Over the North Mountain Range

Evening Light Plays Across the Folds of the Great Valley


Photo by Kristina Elaine Riley

The heavens declare the glory of G-d; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. -- Psalm 19

Memorial Day Reflections: Mothers' Sons

By Melanie Jeschke, Republished with Permission


"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

Memorial Day has changed for me since my nephew Gunnery Sgt. Ryan Jeschke, USMC, was killed in Afghanistan in August 2012. In the past, I honored the memory of my husband’s Marine Corps family members who had faithfully served our country, but who died in their beds after living a full life. Now Memorial Day is not only a day of remembrance; it is a day of mourning.

While most Americans play and picnic and mark the beginning of summer fun, I know Ryan’s young wife, mom and dad, sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, and friends are marking another reminder of his ultimate sacrifice to enable all of us to enjoy the freedom to play and picnic.

In another conflict, one hundred and fifty years ago, Unions and Confederate troops clashed on the rolling fields of the Shenandoah Valley near New Market, Virginia. Among them were teenaged cadets sent up as reserves from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), ten of whom lost their young lives. Although the South’s struggle to uphold slavery was morally indefensible and rightly defeated, these boys were fighting to protect their homeland, families, and friends. They were all, on both sides, mothers’ sons.

With the 150th anniversary of many Civil War battles, my husband and I have been visiting battlefields: Gettysburg as well as Manassas/Bull Run and Bristow Station, which are near where we live. A month ago we decided to walk the New Market battlefield with our son, who was graduating from nearby Eastern Mennonite University. We had heard the tragic story of the fallen cadets back in the fall when we had toured VMI, my father-in-law’s alma mater. We walked through the meadow, named the “Field of Lost Shoes” because torrential rains had turned the field into a muddy bog, which pulled off the boys’ boots and shoes as they charged barefoot up the long hill. Walking a battlefield is a moving and sobering experience. One can easily imagine the flying bullets and the falling men—all mothers’ sons.

In one of those amazing providences, on our return from this excursion, we received an invitation to the premiere of a new feature film, Field of Lost Shoes, which opened the 8th annual GI Film Festival held in conjunction with Memorial Day observances here in the nation’s capital. A dear friend from college and one of my husband’s groomsmen, David M. Kennedy, wrote and produced the film. Dave is an Irish-Catholic genius, who was the President of the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia, a Commander in the Navy, a top-gun pilot, and the military consultant for films like Pearl Harbor and Behind Enemy Lines. We had last seen Dave at Arlington National Cemetery for the burial of his brother alongside his oldest brother, a hero killed in action in Vietnam. While there, Dave took the time to visit Ryan’s grave with us, where he and his son Sam, a ROTC student at UVA, gave Ryan an honor salute. Needless to say, we were very touched by their tribute.

For many years, Dave had dreamed of making a feature film about the VMI cadets who fought and died at New Market. What a thrill to be invited as his “honored guests” to the premiere of this dream fulfilled. We hope Field of Lost Shoes will get the attention and distribution it deserves. I’m pleased to say that the film is excellent and a moving tribute to these mothers’ sons.

This weekend I trust we will all take the time to pause and remember the many men and women (sons and daughters all) in countless conflicts, who have laid down their lives to protect our homeland and our freedom. And while we remember and honor the fallen, please pray for their families who are also remembering---and mourning.

In Honor of Sgt. Ryan Jeschke [click to read]



Field of Lost Shoes [click to view]

Memorial Day in Washington and Arlington

Remembering Those Who Died Defending Liberty


The World War II Memorial.


Vietnam Memorial...


...and a hero remembered.


This is the view of Arlington Cemetery from the Old Post Chapel at Ft. Meyer.


Spring buds in Arlington National Cemetery.

THYME Magazine: Portrait of a Movement

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume VII, Issue XIII

Portrait of a Movement

Perhaps the best way to interview great men and women is to actually spend time with them. Even the standard journalistic questions do not give you their full measure. One has to walk with them and observe their lives. What a person actually does says far more than the words they speak. And so I found myself at the base of the Washington Monument on a raw and rainy morning with Colonel Harry Riley, organizer of Operation American Spring. As Colonel Riley began by asking us to all kneel in prayer at the foot of the great obelisk, I knew that this was no ordinary protest movement. We began with obedience to 2 Chronicles 7:14:

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

Colonel Riley says of the last few days: "Our Mission, our commitment is as strong as ever....the lawless leadership replacement remains our goal, all the oath breakers, and those that fail to honor their commitment to the US Constitution are being challenged. We will be visting Congress this coming week. A question will be "do you support our Constitution?" The answer can only be yes, but our response will be, "then why are you not doing your job? Why are you allowing Barack Obama to destroy America? We have been assembling early each morning at the Washington Monument and then moving to a location nearer the US Capitol. We have patriots in D.C. with a heart for our nation, for our chldren, grandchildren, great grandchildren and are determined to see our mission through until G-d pulls us off. I think every State is represented except perhaps Alaska......those of you that can't be with us are well in our midst.....your State patriots are standing up for you. Our first day May 16, 2014 was our best day....even though G-d got our attention early by drenching us with rain...He reminded us of His power but showered us with sunshine later in the day.........thousands in our midst......some in the cradle, young people with one our PFA members, Marty Church who is 84...the beautiful part is the sacrifical nature of all our participants...I could go into individual sacrifices but I don't want to give the impression there is criticism of anyone who can't be with us...there are many reasons and we know many are doing work behind the scenes, prayers, and the like."

District Park Police, mounted on their fine horses, stood at the perimeter that first day, chatting with us as we patted their mounts. One, a big Draft named "Louie" was quite impressive. His rider told us that there were three other horses his size... the "Front Four," who often worked together with hostile crowds. Colonel Riley's own security detail took care of many things these fine officers often had to attend to. From the standpoint of the police, this was a peaceful protest.

Rumors and news reports to the contrary had already made the rounds... obviously the work of people who did not actually attend the rally. Even Glenn Beck, who has a reputation for truthful reporting, repeated the erroneous reports without vetting their sources. So, here we were, doing exactly what he told us we should do, and being excoriated for it! Here was a citizen presence in Washington that was put there entirely by grassroots efforts and even media figures who should have been rejoicing were panning it.

Colonel Riley in the next few days would conduct a silent vigil at the White House in memory of the four dead in the Benghazi Attack. Marchers walked four abreast to the White House in silence and stood for a silent vigil. They then returned in the same way they came. It was a moving tribute to the sacrifice of those four Americans. Sunday saw a prayer service at the Lincoln Memorial. Monday began with protesters actually making their way to contact their representatives.

I spent some time with Fred Schneider, organizer of Overpasses for America. I watched him stop what he was doing to offer to photograph an African-American family in front of one of the museums. He spent over an hour helping an Armenian lady named Anna who had lost her telephone. His actions told me far more about him than his passionate articulation of his desire to restore the Republic.

Though the numbers of protesters are not the same as those commanded by big media personalities, they are impressive when you remember that the media did nothing to help. In fact, they only insinuated that this was not a peaceful protest. The people who came did so because friend invited friend, and they represent many who are very concerned about the way the county is being destroyed by those who purport to represent us in Washington. When I returned from Washington my wife wanted to watch Amazing Grace, the story of William Wilberforce. [1.]

For decades, Wilberforce worked to eliminate the slave trade. His enemies circulated all sorts of rumors about him and accused him of sedition. Though he sacrificed his health in the process, he never gave up. In the end he was instrumental in the elimination of the trade in human beings, as well as reform in healthcare and humane treatment of animals. Wilberforce should serve as an inspiration to all of us who look to restore the soul of our own country today.


Colonel Harry Riley, about to lead prayer at the base of the Washington Monument.


Fred Schneider, Overpasses for America organizer.


The Mason Family from Delaware. They are descendants of Caesar Rodney, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

THYME Magazine: Rebuilding the Dream II

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume VII, Issue XXII

Restoration Begins in the Heart

The story is told of a man who sat down on a weekend afternoon to watch a football game. His wife had left him in charge of his small son, who eagerly sought to engage his father in play. Seeking to divert the boy's attention for a bit, the father came up with a game. He found a world map on one page of the newspaper and cut it into an impromptu jigsaw puzzle. "Hey son, put this together and bring it back to me, then we'll play some more!" The father was astounded at how fast the boy returned... map taped together perfectly! "How did you do this?" the amazed father asked. "It was simple," the boy replied, "On the other side of the page there was a picture of a man. I just put the man together and the world was together!" The father hugged his boy, touched by the truth that often comes "from the mouths of babes!"

I set out to write this week about revitalizing American technology. Then tragedy hit our small city as police discovered the body of Julian Parrot in a city park. He was my son's age. He was well known to many Staunton Braves fans as he often helped out at the ballpark. He walked people's dogs for them and though he was mentally disabled, he was known as a kind and friendly person. A sixteen year old juvenile was charged in the apparent murder.

It was time to step away from trying to put the world together.

The technology we used to go to the moon was originally built to blow us up. German scientists at Peenemünde created the ICBM to dominate the world. In a stroke of brilliance, Americans created the civilian space agency with the V2 Rockets they had captured along with their designer, Dr. Wernher von Braun, and reached for new heights. We went to the moon! The inventive Germans created the highways Eisinhower would eventually model the Interstate system after. Clearly the technology for an amazing new world was at hand... and almost led to the domination of the world by the darkest regime in modern history. Was there something in the American character that added discipline to the great march forward?

In the nineteen seventies, journalists from National Geographic went to Leningrad in the Soviet Union. They were not prepared for the welcome that greeted them. Arriving to photograph a dreary Soviet-style factory they were met by the drably-clothed elderly women who worked there. When the women realized that these were Americans, their countenances brightened. They smiled warmly and embraced the startled journalists with many tears. You must remember that after the terrible siege of Leningrad was broken in World War II, the American GIs arrived and were remembered for their kindness to the people. They shared their food and genuinely looked out for their well being. Decades later, the gratitude had not diminished!

So what is it that exists in our national spirit that creates such acts? What might there be to temper the violence of the warrior? The testimony of these Russian women, lectured by their leaders for three decades about the 'evils' of America, who rushed to embrace Americans nonetheless speaks volumes! And have we lost it? A cruel senseless murder and a growing sense that many youths have lost respect for life do not speak well of our national culture today. America's character was formed in the taming of hostile frontiers and adjusting to a new world (as my Bavarian ancestors had to). It was tested on the battlefields of Europe and the Pacific. But now, have we lost it in our luxury? Have we cast off as 'archaic' those values that once guided us to higher deeds on distant shores?

It was time to put the man together.

In the dark turmoil of our Civil War, Evangelist Dwight L. Moody reached out to scores of troops, giving them the hope of the Gospel. Lives were changed, just as lives had been changed in the Great Awakenings prior to this time. Faith gave hope and direction. Faith had a part in the forging of our national character. But Moody almost didn't get a chance to be the agent of the Divine that he surely became.

It is well-known history that in April 1855 Moody embraced Faith when his Sunday school teacher, Edward Kimball, explained how much G-d loved him. He would go on to become a great evangelist, yet it is not so well known that his first application for church membership, in May 1855, was rejected. He was not received as a church member until May 4, 1856. His teacher, Edward Kimball, stated:

"I can truly say, and in saying it I magnify the infinite grace of God as bestowed upon him, that I have seen few persons whose minds were spiritually darker than was his when he came into my Sunday School class; and I think that the committee of the Mount Vernon Church seldom met an applicant for membership more unlikely ever to become a Christian of clear and decided views of Gospel truth, still less to fill any extended sphere of public usefulness."

"The first meeting I ever saw him at was in a little old shanty that had been abandoned by a saloon-keeper. Mr. Moody had got the place to hold the meetings in at night. I went there a little late; and the first thing I saw was a man standing up with a few tallow candles around him, holding a negro boy, and trying to read to him the story of the Prodigal Son and a great many words he could not read out, and had to skip. I thought, 'If the Lord can ever use such an instrument as that for His honor and glory, it will astonish me.' As a result of his tireless labor, within a year the average attendance at his school was 650, while 60 volunteers from various churches served as teachers. It became so well known that the just-elected President Lincoln visited and spoke at a Sunday School meeting on November 25, 1860." [1.]

The rest is history, as they say. But it is more than that. It should serve as a challenge to us. We dare not leave it to our great institutions to identify greatness... we must seek for it around us and nurture it, fully prepared to be astonished!

Redeeming Restoration

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal spoke last weekend at Liberty University's commencement. He pointed out that those in power now actively stand in the way of the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom to exercise religious faith. He referenced the case of Hobby Lobby and the government's desire to mandate abortificants trumping conscience. The case is going to the Supreme Court. Secularists want to relegate faith to the level of a personal hobby, according to Jindal. Hillary Clinton's carefully crafted statements on "freedom of religion" bear this out. Secularists use the 'Establishment Clause' to exclude as much religious expression as they can from the public square. Jindal remarked:

“It is said that College is an intellectual pursuit, involving reason and logic. I went to Brown University in the Ivy League, a place that prides itself in intellectual reasoning. One of the good things about going to Brown is that I was able to become the President of the College Republicans on campus almost immediately. The other Republican student at Brown was the Vice President.

Some kids go off to college and lose their way, they become convinced that their faith is not an intellectual pursuit.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Reason and logic lead to truth…which means that reason and logic lead to G-d.

There is a general view among many of the elites in America that truly enlightened folks realize that all this faith and religion stuff is just quaint and antiquated thinking from an earlier era. Or that it is a nice restful place for those who are not as bright or as intellectually curious as they are.

Again, nothing could be further from the truth. True intellectual curiosity will inevitably lead to an understanding of the Creator.

I always noticed examples of this elitist view of faith when national political reporters, usually from places like Boston, New York, or Washington, would come down to Baton Rouge to interview me in my first years as Governor.

Inevitably during these interviews they say something like this – “you are a smart guy, we know you went to Brown and were a Rhodes Scholar, so tell me, how is it that you call yourself pro-life, and you say that you oppose gay marriage, and you say that you oppose gun control? You just say that stuff to get elected in the Deep South right?”

So of course, l liked to have a little fun with it, so I would lean over the desk, and in hushed tones, pretending to confide in him or her, I would say – well…just between us, do me a favor, go tell your editors the bad news, tell them that I absolutely believe everything I say. As you can imagine, those interviews ended rather abruptly.” [2.]

I know a university professor of great integrity, who says to his students who are possibly struggling with what they believe, that "someone, somewhere has wrestled with this question before." He points out that scholars like C. S. Lewis and Tolkien have likely struggled with it to the point of writing about it. Professors like him are truly an inspiration to young scholars.

This professor operates within what I would call: The Mapmaker's Ethic. Simply expressed, the Mapmaker's Ethic acknowledges the fact that people must rely on maps to safely navigate and avoid dangers as they proceed to their destination. Known conditions must be clearly and accurately rendered. To do less is to unnecessarily endanger the traveler!

On November 10th, 1975, the Great Lakes Freighter Edmund Fitzgerald sunk in a violent storm on Lake Superior. Captain Ernest M. McSorley decided to hug the Northern shore of the lake, hoping to gain protection from the raging tempest. Normally the 729 foot Fitzgerald would stay in the shipping lanes in the center of the lake. Surprised by the sudden November gale, the captain plotted a new course that would take him very close to Caribou Island. In all likelihood, the large vessel bottomed out on the treacherous Six-fathom Shoal, which jutted out from the island. Examination of the charts of the day showed that Six-fathom shoal was incorrectly placed. It was a half-mile off! We may never know, but it is quite likely that a small error on a map contributed to the deaths of 29 good men!

Those who would assert that reason and logic cannot coexist with faith would to well to pull out the old charts... the ones that provide plenty of evidence for the Divine. The people of old were exhorted to pile up stones and teach their children of the mighty acts of the Divine. We ignore such landmarks at our own... and our childrens' peril.

THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume VII, Issue XXI

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." -- American Declaration of Independence.

The Divine Design
In Defense of 'Self Evident Truth'

There is in nature an element of beauty that transcends functionality. Observation of the created world leads us to see something of the nature of the Creator. Thus it is significant that the framers of our original documents saw the dignity and significance of individual men as rooted in the concept of Imago Dei -- that mankind was created in the image of the Divine. Consider the impact that observation has had on the affairs of mankind. Two hundred years ago these principles were invoked as the foundations for our nation. No, slavery was not immediately abolished and sin was not obliterated... but that such principles were laid as foundation for our revolution led to a place where they formed a clear and unmistakable map for our future direction.

Indeed these principles predate the American experiment, finding expression in the work of men such as John Locke. England's own move from absolute monarchy to Parliamentary government, as seen in her 'Glorious Revolution,' gave wind to the sails of representative government and individual dignity. William Wilberforce's faith led him to fight for decades to abolish slavery. He is most remembered for this but he also championed reform of the culture and humane treatment of animals. History shows us time and time again, that conviction and passion lead to action. What a person truly believes will direct his steps. That is why we should indeed ask our leaders what they believe. It affects their leadership!

Well into the Twentieth Century, we still find faith directed persons in conflict with the degrading of humanity. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a prime example. The Lutheran theologian could not keep his faith 'personal' as the National Socialists oppressed the Jews. He spoke out against it. Then he joined in an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Many 'modern thinkers' will likely be repelled by the thought that a Christian's faith could be reconciled with the assassination plot. But consider this: Hitler's 'beliefs' in a superior race led to the deaths of millions of people. Hitler implemented HIS beliefs unashamedly. When the smoke had cleared over six million Jews, scores of Gypsies and other 'undesirables,' homosexuals and "Righteous Gentiles" lay dead!

Why do we universally condemn Hitler? 'Self Evident Truth' tells us to. In fact, without such self evident truth, we can actually argue for the elimination of those 'not like us' with some authority. This is the frightening dark side of Relativism. If nothing is 'right' or 'wrong,' then NOTHING is 'right' or 'wrong!' Pro-choice arguments for abortion reside here. Locke is careful to temper the reality of human freedom with the moral obligation to respect the freedoms of others. This underlying concern leads us to condemn slavery, leads to the actions of the 'Righteous Gentiles' and now leads us to plead the cause of the unseen unborn!

So, what do we do when modern leaders insist that we not question their beliefs? I think history tells us to question them anyway! What a man truly believes will indeed shape his actions. Simple due diligence requires that we ask our leaders to share the basis upon which they will act. To be fair, Barack Hussein Obama did so in his book: Dreams of My Father. The Obamas occassionally attend St. John’s Church, an Episcopalian church in Washington, but when he was a young Chicago politician he freely chose to attend the church of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, a disciple of Black Liberation Theologian James Cone. This association with Liberation Theology would be in keeping with his father's stated Anti-colonialism.

Of course, privately held beliefs have no effect on public policy, right? If you consider Obama's policies carefully, you will find a Justice Department that overlooks VOTER INTIMIDATION by the New Black Panther Party while Obama's State Department virtually ignores the plight of evangelical Pastor Saeed Abedini, an American imprisoned in Iran! Obama's boyhood is remarkably removed from that of a typical American who would have experienced church picnics, Fourth of July celebrations and such. He studied at a Muslim school in Indonesia and was introduced to Hanuman the Monkey God by his stepfather Lolo.

While the American experience is quite tolerant of diversity, it is not at all unreasonable to ask a PRESIDENT what he believes. When Obama made a quite contorted and subservient bow to the Saudi King, Americans are right to ask what this means? If I am disturbed that Eric Holder's acceptance of voter intimidation seems similar to the 'righting of wrongs' between tribes in post-colonial Africa, is it unreasonable for me as a citizen journalist to draw comparisons to the ideals of Dreams of My Father? One only has to look at Uganda and Rwanda to see the results when settling the score for the oppressed peoples of the world becomes the goal rather than elevating the human condition.

The American experiment, rooted in a sense of Divinely ordained principle, created unprecedented opportunity for scores of people. Contrast that with the wreckage of a slew of Socialist 'utopias' that descended all too rapidly into dystopia. It would seem to me that America's founding, based on Divine insight into the nature of man, has produced far more good than subsequent attempts to 'reform' institutions with NO regard for Divine insight. That is at the heart of why I must be in Washington on May 16 to stand against those who would 'fundamentally change' that nation based on self evident truths.

Standing for Truth [click to listen], Some thoughts from Eric Metaxas, New York Times bestselling author of Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery.

How Do You Kill 11 Million People [click to listen], Are there really similarities between Nazi Germany and the government of the United States?  NY Times Best-selling author Andy Andrews answers that very question, while also helping us discover a way to turn our country back to the truth on which it was founded.

National Day of Prayer, May 1st, 2014

In Times of Crisis Our Leaders Have Always Sought G-d...


Oak leaves.

Washington at Valley Forge, Lincoln when our nation's survival was at stake, and even FDR, when enemies across the great oceans stood ready to test our greatness, all sought prayer for our country. Today, faced with the threats of global jihad, economic upheaval and the destruction of our national sovereignty, can we honestly say we should do less.

Jim McCloskey of the Staunton News Leader once questioned the need for a national day of prayer in his McCloskey Monday. Jim, take a hard look at the problems facing us today and see if you don't want to rethink this.

A Friend of mine wrote this letter to the editor in response:

In regard to Jim McCloskey's article in today's paper, May 3, 2010, on The National Day of Prayer, I have a few comments:

Jim claims to be a church going person so I wonder why he is so concerned about having a National Day of Prayer?

I hope that he realizes that this is a time...
a day set apart for ALL faiths not just for the Christian or Jewish faiths.

It is a day set apart and the churches have this wonderful opportunity to have special services apart from Sunday.

There are prayer breakfasts, prayer in the park, prayer at noon, prayer called at different times ALL DAY throughout the United States...

We have extreme National concerns. We are a nation bordering on bankruptcy, threats of terrorism, immorality throughout our schools, government control of all or our lives i.e. National Health Care---there are bank failures, etc. There is MUCH to pray about. So, think of it as wonderful, that a day is set apart for ALL people, of ALL faiths, to join together to pray. I and my family look forward to participating in it together every year.

All faiths are called to prayer on this National Day of Prayer...I hope all of us realize that.

I do hope that he will not be so sensitive to a day that means so much to all of us and if he does not want to participate in it, he certainly does not have to---just give us the freedom to continue participating in this, our NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER.

Nancy Summers,
Staunton, Virginia

An Urgent Call to Seek Divine Intervention...

On May 1st that year, a number of Christian and Jewish leaders called for urgent prayer for our nation. I was not able to be in Washington but I joined in the prayer and repentance as I helped my lovely wife do a craft show in Middlebrook. Surrounded by Civil War reenacters it wasn't too hard to get in the mood. Across the aisle from us was a Confederate camp and they were cooking a rather delicious smelling meal on their campfire. When I remarked that that was richer fare than my Great Grandfather would have eaten in camp they pulled out the hardtack and cracked corn that most of the men actually ate. "I don't think there are many of us who could live like that today," the reenactor remarked. He was camping there with his family.

Our first challenge, I fear, is to learn to PRAY like our forefathers. [1.] [2.] [3.]

Learn More About the National Day of Prayer [click to read].

THYME Magazine: Rebuilding the Dream!

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume VII, Issue XX

Overpasses for America

In the days that followed the attacks on America of September 11, 2001, American flags appeared on the overpasses leading into Washington DC. Slowly the flags faded and disappeared as the country sank into a period of what can only be called denial. The news media went into a full-court press to discredit the Presidency of George W. Bush as he sought to push back a dangerous enemy overseas. Never mind that they beheaded their captives, we had Guantanamo and the daily reports of troop deaths did little to help flagging support for Middle-East conflict. The mortgage crisis in 2006 created a new wave of panic. Many failed to realize that these bad mortgages resulted from implementation of the Fair Housing Act where government required banks to extend credit in situations where it was not prudent for them to do so. Though some in Congress raised the warning flag, the party in power effectively silenced much needed discussion of the problem which might have resulted in corrective action.

The media became willing accomplices in creating what became one-party rule. Blaming Bush for all ills, they installed the most unvetted President in American History. As fuel prices rose, the administration blocked projects like the Keystone Pipeline, which would have resulted in more economical energy. As America struggled to regain employment, the President rolled out his destructive takeover of American Healthcare. Insurance costs went up. People LOST coverage, and new mandates strangled companies that might have hired more workers. The country has not had such a slump in real estate and construction activity since the Second World War! What is despicable is that the unemployment numbers, public debt and uninsured BEFORE Obama seem pretty good in retrospect. In our last issue we addressed the problem of a Senate where party loyalists represent the interests of their leaders rather than the people. Now we must look at the problem of a media that fails to ask the hard questions. Remember how they were all saying: "We know very little about him," concerning Obama AFTER he was elected.

As people did learn more about the plans Barack Hussein Obama had to 'fundamentally transform' our great nation, many came to Washington to protest. On September 12, 2009 a great gathering occurred on the National Mall. TIME Magazine buried two pages of coverage in an issue who's cover proclaimed organizer Glenn Beck a 'Mad Man.' The great gathering DID begin the popular wave that swept a number of Conservatives into office in 2010. Still, the movement has undergone a deliberate and somewhat effective attempt to marginalize it by old guard politicians and media 'experts.' Clearly the media was NOT going to tell our story.

On March 28th, 29th, 2014 Overpasses For America (formerly named Overpasses for Obama's Impeachment) stepped out to the overpasses and street corners of America for their 11th national protest. Here at the Official Overpasses for America Site [click to read] there is plenty of good reporting. Founder James Neighbors is not afraid of a little honest news, especially if it helps restore the principles upon which our republic was founded. That involves direct opposition to some very UN-Constitutional things going on in our government right now.

Patriot Wave 11, dubbed by the group as Spring Break Out was the first major event of 2014, and thousands of Overpasses members across America participated in the protests. The group, founded in June 2013, is openly calling for the removal of Mr Obama from the White House for many reasons, among them his ineligibility for office, crimes committed during his tenure in the White House, and multiple violations of the Constitution.The full list makes Richard Nixon's alleged infractions look insignificant in comparison.

Signs and banners carried during the rallies cite things such as Benghazi, Extortion 17, ObamaCare, fake birth certificate, voter fraud and much more. Overpasses For America Founder, James Neighbors states the need for Obama's removal from office extends well beyond his criminal actions, that Mr Obama and his collaborators must be made an example of for future generations of Americans, and as a warning to future politicians that the American people are awake, and are none too pleased with politics as usual across the nation. Again, if the prosecution of Nixon was to serve as a warning to future office holders, we do the country a grave disservice by not prosecuting the well-documented abuses by the current administration and its subservient agencies.

On April 15, 2010 I was back in Washington myself. We were in the city to protest the President's Healthcare legislation and when we got to Virginia Senator Mark Warner's office we were herded into a conference room by Warner's staff and basically were lectured to as to why we "had to" pass this flawed legislation. The staffers really had nothing better than Nancy Pelosi's famous statement to give us though. I made the comment: "If the car needs a tune-up, you don't pull the engine!" and was rebuked for it. The protest was a failure as Warner was one of the deciding votes that gave us the ObamaCare legislation. Overpasses for America plans on going the route of Ronald Reagan, who politely but firmly stuck to his relatively simple message. Repeat, repeat and repeat so that if the press wants a quote they get you saying what you want to. Overpasses has big plans now to hold their ground.

The movement has teamed up with Colonel Harry Riley and Operation American Spring, and members are carrying signs and banners about the Washington DC event which begins on May 16th. Organizers for OAS (Operation American Spring) state that over 5 million people have made commitments to be in Washington for the peaceful demand that Obama and many members of Congress step down from their positions, and the return to a Constitution based government in our nations' capitol.Note that I've underlined begins. This is more than a one-day blitz. This is nothing less than great communication of time-tested principle. Neighbors also states that the Overpasses movement is highly encouraging members to find their way to Washington DC for American Spring. He also emphasized that many members of the movement are in dire financial straits due to the failing economy, and those members will be rallying in their area, so the nation is aware of the events occurring in Washington DC.

Neighbors continued by saying that those who will be in Washington for American Spring expect a media blackout as is common by the mainstream media when disgruntled Americans protest to express their discontent and the group believes the protesters across the nation will raise enough questions by the public to media outlets, that they will either report the event or further lose trust of viewers and readers. Never forget the power of those flags waving above Interstate 66. The message will be spread! The people will be heard!

On April 19th, 2014, Overpasses For America held their 12th national event, the Patriots Day Patriot Wave with many more planned for the entire year.