Christian Principles

Facebook post from my son, Ethan, who feels I should reexamine my rhetoric:

"In my view, Christian politics means a candidate's wife publicly washes her husband's mouth out with soap as soon as he betrays his principles in order to "win." It means "political differences never justify hatred or ill will." It means respectfully disagreeing with others without inciting contention, anger, or fear. I've talked with you privately and your reasons for voting for Mr. Trump and refusing to vote for Mrs. Clinton or a third party candidate make sense to me. Given the options, I can see why you might still reluctantly vote for him. But I am surprised at you calling him God's miracle. We the American voters gave ourselves these options, and I don't think Christians should be blaming God for this mess. Abandoning Christian principles certainly isn't going to clean it up."

My response:
"I made a mistake by posting someone else's writing, and I'm sorry I did that.
I never referred to Donald Trump as 'God's miracle,' and I don't believe God is responsible in any way for the mess we now refer to as American politics.
I believe the American citizenry is fed up with; challenges to the rule of law, the economy, ever-increasing entitlements, the debt, weak military, ISIS, immigration issues, and on.
I believe Donald Trump was legitimately selected by members of the Republican party (what's left of it) and, according to the voters in this moment of history, he is the one they have chosen to act on behalf of The Constitution, which I revere as a divinely directed document. He wasn't my first choice, or even in the top ten for that matter. But he is the one of two candidates in this election who best aligns with my vision of America as it was and can be again.
We don't need four more years of corruption to learn our lesson.
I can still be true to Christian principles by speaking out for the preservation of The Constitution and The Declaration of Independence and defying the corruption and divisiveness created by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in America and around the world."

Choices

American citizens have three choices.

They can:
(a) opt out and not vote
(b) vote for an outlying candidate, or
(c) vote for Clinton or Trump.

Although each of these choices has consequences for the final outcome, I am invested in my responsibility to make my vote count by voting for one of the two candidates who has the possibility of becoming the president and the one who is most closely aligned to my own values and the values I cherish as an American citizen.

I can buck up and do this, and I will.

A Message for Christians

I didn't write this, but it's how I feel about the Nov 8, 2016 election:

A Message For Christians About Donald Trump

Here's a famous joke, about God and how he talks to us.

"A deeply faithful Christian man is stuck on his rooftop at home, with massive flooding up to the 2nd floor.  Rowboat comes; He says, "No, I'm waiting for God.  I prayed and I know he's coming."  2nd Rowboat. "No, I'm waiting for God."  3rd Rowboat.  "No, I'm waiting for God."

Water rises, the man drowns.  Now he's meeting God in heaven.  The religious man says, "Where were you God?  I prayed; I was faithful; I asked you to save me; Why would you abandon me?"

God says, "Hey, I sent you 3 rowboats!!!"

Did you ever consider Trump is our rowboat?

Maybe God is trying to tell us something important - - that now is not the time for a "nice Christian guy" or a "gentleman" or a typical Republican powder puff.  Maybe now is the time for a natural born killer, a ruthless fighter, a warrior.  Because right about now we need a miracle, or America is finished.  Maybe the rules of gentlemen don't apply here.  Maybe a gentleman and "all-around nice Christian" would lead us to slaughter.

Or do you want another Mitt Romney, Bob Dole, John McCain, Gerald Ford or Paul Ryan?  Did any of them win?  Did they lead the GOP to "the promised land?"  Did they change the direction of America?  No, because if you don't win, you have no say.

Paul Ryan couldn't even deliver his own state, Wisconsin!  And as leader of the House, Paul Ryan rolls over to Obama, like my dog rolls over for a scrap of food or a steak bone.  Nice, but obedient.  I mean Paul Ryan . . . not my dog.  My dog is actually a pretty good defender and loyal.

Maybe God is knocking on your door loudly, but you're not listening. Maybe God understands, we need a "war leader," at this moment in time.  Maybe God understands, if we don't win this election, America is dead.  It's over. The greatest nation in world history, will be gone. Finished.  Kaput.  Adios.

And with one last breath, maybe what we need to save us, at the last second, is someone different.  Someone, you haven't ever experienced before - - because you weren't raised in rough and tumble New York, where nothing good gets accomplished, unless you're combative, aggressive, outrageous, on offense at all times and maybe just a tad arrogant too.

Someone with a personality you've never seen on stage at your church. Maybe, just maybe, being a nice gentlemanly Christian would not beat Hillary and her billion dollars and her best friends in the media, who will unleash the dogs of hell upon the GOP nominee.

I guess you think God is only nice and gentlemanly.  Really?  Then you've missed the whole point of the Bible.  When necessary, God is pretty tough. When necessary, God strikes with pain, death and destruction.  When necessary, God inflicts vengeance.  Maybe you think God couldn't possibly be associated with someone like Trump.  Trump is too vicious, rude and crude. 

When we won WWII, was God "nice?"  Were we gentlemanly when,defeating Hitler?  Were we gentlemanly, when firebombing Germany? Were we gentlemanly when dropping atomic bombs on Japan?  Is God ever "nice" on the battlefield?  Or does he send us vicious SOB's like General George S. Patton, so the good guys can defeat evil?

It's pretty clear to me God sends unique people to be "war leaders." That's a different role than a pastor or church leader. God understands that.

And maybe it's time to re-define "nice."  Maybe Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan aren't nice at all - - because they led us to defeat.  And losing again, would mean the end of America.  And God can't allow that. Maybe Romney and Ryan mean well, but the road to hell, is paved with good intentions.  Or maybe they're just jealous; they had their chance and blew it.  Maybe they'd rather help elect Hillary, than allow a Trump victory, that would make them look Weak, Feckless and Incompetent.

"Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall; But those who wait on the Lord, Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary; They shall walk and not faint." (Isiah 40:30-31)

God is about miracles.  We don't need a "nice guy" or a "gentleman" right now.  It's the 4th quarter and we're losing 14-0. We need a miracle.

So let me repeat my message to Christians: "YOU'RE MISSING THE BOAT."

I believe Trump is our miracle!  I believe Trump is our rowboat!  Except he's more like a battleship!

No one is saying Trump is perfect.  No one is saying Trump is a perfect conservative.  But he is a patriot.  He is a warrior.  He is a capitalist.  He is the right man, at the right time.  Yes, he's a bit rude and crude and offensive. But that may make him the perfect warrior to save America;  AmericanExceptionalism, Capitalism and Judeo-Christian values. The choice should be easy for Christians.

It's Trump . . . or it's the end of the American Dream.

The Last Debate

Tonight is "the last debate" between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump before the presidential election of November 8, 2016.

As my children and grandchildren refer to the outcome of this election through the lens of history, I want them to know that when this ancestor cast her vote, her heart was fixed on the preservation of three founding documents; The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights.

Yesterday, while searching for peace of mind, I silenced my cell phone, nestled between a couple of pillows, and read those three documents. It took two hours and a heavy dose of concentration. And guess what. The peace of mind came!

Now I know again what my heart and the hearts of my own ancestors have known all along. The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights are worth fighting for, living for, praying for, even dying for.

Whatever happens in this election, I will continue to exercise my rights as a free citizen.
My beliefs will not be shredded by a biased media, compromised by oh-so-tired and tedious "politics as usual," or mowed down by a stacked Supreme Court.
If America falls, it will not be because I sat silent, shriveled and small in a corner.
I will never forget America's motto or discontinue my attempt to keep living it: In God We Trust.
I will think, speak and live with deep love for my country and what is in my heart.

The Constituion vs. Sharia Law

The scriptures teach us to "love our neighbors as ourselves" and to reach out as The Good Samaritan did to the beaten man who was left to die.

Loving others as ourselves does not mean we sacrifice our own welfare and safety to others without hesitation.

What about the kidnapping and subsequent horrors experienced by the young girl, Elizabeth Smart? It would be informative to get her take on how she protects and teaches her own children as they interact with strangers.

Several of my own immigrant ancestors left Missouri after the "Extermination Order" was ordered by Governor Boggs, and some are buried at Winter Quarters in Nebraska as a result. They were not welcome in the United States. I'm not bitter about that because it all turned out in the end.

I am opposed to allowing those who believe in or practice Sharia Law to emigrate to the United States because Sharia Law is a direct assault to The US Constitution and is not compatible with the laws of our nation. People who want to emigrate to the United States need to be vetted. This is common sense that isn't so common.

So there you go. History will surely reveal an answer to the question, "Will the US Constitution survive with or without Sharia Law?"

Preserve The Constitution

Here's a reminder from a dear friend of mine:

"I am voting to preserve the Constitution, not to verify anyone's righteousness." 
                                           -- Carol Erekson -- 

The Equality of Women

Hillary Clinton is for the equality of women:

• unless it is her husband who is the sexual predator,
• unless millions of dollars are accepted by her family foundation from countries who stone women for their "sins" and deny them the right to show their faces in public,
• unless "deplorable, irredeemable"members of her gender refuse to embrace her character,
• unless her political ambition interferes with the lives of millions of female fetuses who have no voice or vote,
• unless her shady record in government "service" and tedious trail of lies are challenged by an inconsequential woman like me.

If They Shall Serve God

Ether 2:7 "And the Lord would not suffer that they (Jared and his brother, and their families, and also the friends of Jared and his brother and their families) should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise (the American continent), which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people.
8. And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them.
9. And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.
10. For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off.
11. And this cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God--that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.
12. Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written."

How many ways are there to say it, and how many times do we have to be told?

*below is an excerpt from THE FAMILY: A Proclamation to the World 
by The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and presented by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society meeting September 23, 1995 in Salt Lake City, Utah

"We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God.
Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.
We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society."

Step Aside for Mike Pence

Dear Mr. Trump,

Thank you for starting the "Make America Great Again" movement.
I believe that behind all your bluster lies the heart of a man who loves his country.
But you no longer have a chance to win the presidency.
Only one American is poised to make the sacrifice for his country that is needed now.
Only one, and that is you.
Please show the character behind the "Make America Great Again" movement by
stepping aside and allowing Mike Pence to take us home.

Renee Hawkley Pecora

Can America Be Great Again?

Dear American Voter,
I am 70 years old.
Some of my friends say America can never be great again;
That the American Dream we knew and cherished is dead.
They believe the mainstream media, and say it's SO.
Please tell me the truth.
Can America really be great again?

Renee Hawkley Pecora

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes,_Virginia,_there_is_a_Santa_Claus#Legacy