I would like to encourage all families  to speak out boldly for religious freedom and practice it each day wherever you go.  Pray in public, share the gospel in public, wear your cross, write to the editor of your paper and do all you can to use the religious freedom that we have before we lose it.  Our “representatives” are changing the language from      ” freedom of religion” to” freedom of worship.”  This way it can be restricted to  once a week meeting where we can hear “preaching” from the pulpit that has been approved by the government and call it our freedom of worship.

George Weigal  from the Denver Catholic Register hit the nail on the head when he said:

“Religious freedom, rightly understood, cannot be reduced to freedom of worship. Religious freedom includes the right to preach and evangelize, to make religiously informed moral arguments in the public square and to conduct the affairs of one’s religious community without undue interference from the state. If religious freedom only involves the freedom to worship, then, as noted above, there is “religious freedom” in Saudi Arabia, where Bibles and evangelism are forbidden but expatriate Filipino laborers can attend Mass in the U.S. embassy compound in Riyadh.”

For one who was born and grew up in the small towns of the Midwest, there is a special kind of nostalgia about the Fourth of July.

I remember it as a day almost as long-anticipated as Christmas. This was helped along by the appearance in store windows of all kinds of fireworks and colorful posters advertising them with vivid pictures.

No later than the third of July — sometimes earlier — Dad would bring home what he felt he could afford to see go up in smoke and flame. We’d count and recount the number of firecrackers, display pieces and other things and go to bed determined to be up with the sun so as to offer the first, thunderous notice of the Fourth of July.

I’m afraid we didn’t give too much thought to the meaning of the day. And, yes, there were tragic accidents to mar it, resulting from careless handling of the fireworks. I’m sure we’re better off today with fireworks largely handled by professionals. Yet there was a thrill never to be forgotten in seeing a tin can blown 30 feet in the air by a giant “cracker” — giant meaning it was about 4 inches long. But enough of nostalgia.

Somewhere in our growing up we began to be aware of the meaning of days and with that awareness came the birth of patriotism. July Fourth is the birthday of our nation. I believed as a boy, and believe even more today, that it is the birthday of the greatest nation on earth.  Read more...

O Lord our Heavenly Father, high and mighty King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires and Governments; look down in mercy, we beseech Thee, on these our American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee. To Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support, which Thou alone canst give. Take them, therefore, Heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing care; give them wisdom in Council and valor in the field; defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries; convince them of the unrighteousness of their Cause and if they persist in their sanguinary purposes, of own unerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain them to drop the weapons of war from their unnerved hands in the day of battle!

Be Thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the councils of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation. That the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that order, harmony and peace may be effectually restored, and truth and justice, religion and piety, prevail and flourish amongst the people. Preserve the health of their bodies and vigor of their minds; shower down on them and the millions they here represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world and crown them with everlasting glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Savior.  Read more...

If I had accomplished my goals since 1963, I would have run a marathon, got a degree in music,  bought my home in the country and much more!!  I have not completed my list yet but unfortunately  the Communists have.. unbelievable.  Read more...

1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.
2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.
3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament by the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.
4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.
5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.
6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.
7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.
8. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.
9. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If it’s charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces.
10. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
11. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts forsocialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers’ associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
12. Gain control of all student newspapers.
13. Use student riots to ferment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

I found this quote from Chief Justice Earl Warren and it reminded me of the quote from our current President,  Barack Obama ; “We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation, or a Muslim nation, but rather, a nation of citizens who are, uh, bound by a set of values.” I thought the contrast was quite striking.

“I believe no one can read the history of our country without realizing that the Good  Book and the spirit of the Savior have from the beginning been our guiding geniuses….Whether we look to the the first Charter of Virginia or to the Charter of New England or the the Charter of Massachusetts Bay or to the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, the same objective is present….a Christian land governed by Christian principles.  I believe that the entire Bill of Rights came into being because of the knowledge our forefathers had of the Bible and their belief in it: Freedom of belief, of expression, of assembly, of petition, the dignity of the individual, the sanctity of the home, equal justice under law, and the reservation of powers to the people.  I like to believe we are living today in  the spirit of the Christian religion.  I also like to believe that as long as we do so, no great harm can come to our country.”

My dear Daddy was born in Massachusetts in 1924.  I’m missing him today as I celebrate Father’s Day with my children and husband.  I’m remembering things about him on this day that are not only unique to him but also to his generation.  I’m sad that the men from the era of the great depression, and  WWII are mostly gone now. The difficult years that they endured, the simple living without the conveniences we have today, and  the poverty that many knew,  carved out a different sort of man. Perhaps a simpler man….not a “renaissance” man for sure, but a strong, wise and more masculine man.  A “get-‘er-done” sort of guy.   I’m grieving this loss today.  I don’t want them to go….I like the way they talk,  I like their values for the most part,  and wish I could keep their stories alive.  I don’t even mind if they smoke a cigarette or two  as they recall their stories.  Perhaps that’s because my dad always had a cigarette in his hands when he talked to us children.

My Dad worked hard and seldom missed a day from his job even if he was ill. His strong work ethic probably came from the fact that having a job was considered a blessing rather than a curse. He never believed in welfare and considered it a shameful thing for an able bodied man to accept.  He grew up in a poor family with 6 children and no father.  He worked for Western Union as a boy delivering telegrams, he worked in factories, he studied chemistry and then became a plater at Cambridge Plating Company and even had his own business for a while.  He was a bugle player for the United States Marine Corps.  My Dad and Mom were married over 50 years, raised 5 children and did the best they could with what they knew.  Read more...

Today while we enjoyed our lunchtime meal we watched another  history lesson from American Heritage Series by David Barton. We discovered all of the Black Americans who were members of Congress in 1872.  Did you know that they were all Republicans and were responsible for passing many civil rights laws? Because this episode was so interesting, and the information was something I was never taught in school,  I’m going to watch it several more times. We found out that many of our Black founding fathers were devout Christians and pastors.  We learned that President Woodrow Wilson did not support Civil Rights legislation and also fired the blacks who had positions in government? He also was a KKK member!  Did you know that Teddy Roosevelt did just the opposite and chose Booker T. Washington to work with him?  I find it ironic that there are over a dozen schools named after Woodrow Wilson. Why would we give him so much honor…perhaps we did not read our history books.  Perhaps we’ve been taught revisionist history? We were blessed to hear  about a Godly founder named Frederic Douglass who reminded us of the proverb Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.

Well, I’m ashamed to admit that I am just learning these truths.  I’m on a mission though to keep on learning and telling others of our forgotten history.  Won’t you join me?  Blessings,  Anne

Failed in business in 1831         

Defeated for Legislature in 1832

Second failure in business in 1833

Suffers nervous breakdown in 1836

Defeated for Speaker in 1838

Defeated for Congress in 1843

Defeated for Congress in 1848

Defeated for Senate in 1855

Defeated for Vice President in 1856

Defeated for Senate in 1858

Elected President in 1860!!!