Archive for January, 2017

The Psalm Before The Storm

Friday, January 6th, 2017

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 235

January 6, 2017

“The Psalm Before the Storm”

For the first time in twenty-plus years I have not filed a column in over eight weeks. The last column of record went on line in the days immediately following the recent Presidential Election of 2016.

I felt very humbled by the statements of Franklin Graham last week. He was speaking about the American public and how they responded to their civic duty to vote. He said that “God spoke.”

I know that many people claim to have prayed for a change in the course of this nation, but I actually did it. Every night. I do not announce it in any measure of braggadocio, but I am very proud of my prayers.

Now, storm clouds gather. They always do when elite leadership feels threatened. We see it in the venomous response to the election of one Donald J. Trump. It’s one thing to share the height of disappointment when your side loses. It’s quite another thing to refuse to allow the winner to even have a chance to succeed.

Sadly, we see that now. Even with all the verbal assaults launched between November 6 and January 1, I fear that — as in the words of the venerable Al Jolson — “You ain’t heard nothing yet!” To have that sentence reverberate in tandem with non-stop media coverage is to only forecast what we will see and hear over the next few months.

I was among a vast number of Americans who were unhappy with the election of our current president, but I do not recall opponents going after the incoming with such abject fury.

It is a fact that the current president had seven of his nominees confirmed within the first ten days. But what we witness now is a determined minority party hell bent on delaying or stopping what may be the most qualified group of men and women nominated for decades.

Let’s assess qualifications for a moment. To be a politician, you must convince voters that you can do the job and then immerse yourself not only to your job, but also devote years (two, if you are elected to the House of Representatives, or six for Senate) continually campaigning to retain your job. What a disgusting process…. no real progress and we live in the mess.

To run a successful business, you must execute a business plan, stick to a reasonable budget, meet deadlines, and deliver a quality product on time — all the time competing with like companies who would like nothing more than to see you fail so they can succeed.

Contrast the two and the result is mind-boggling. One group must operate within financial restraints. One group makes its own way. One group cannot fail to perform and retain its position. The other muddles through and assigns blame to someone else Kind of makes you yearn to see government run like a business, doesn’t it?

If our government had been run that way, we would not be nearly twenty trillion dollars in debt. All Social Security funds paid in since the program was begun would still be on deposit and not wasted by politicians who saw them as their piggy bank. Given that, it is incumbent on each of us, despite political allegiance, to pressure our representatives in both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate to make sure that they do not tolerate joyful obstruction.

Obstruct with joy? You bet. There are cretins — real losers — among us who take delight in making life miserable for a winner. A real catastrophe looms if the nation does not make a turn to financial stability and national security. The stakes are too high not to demand a modicum of devotion to one’s country.

Far too many elected officials take on the mantel of office and assume the titles only to forget that they are there to “serve.” And I do not mean serve themselves either. It has been said that even those among the most ideologically committed to make profound changes lose steam.

Suddenly what had seemed a calling morphs into a stalemate. The seniority system rules, so the prospect of never getting a decent committee assignment or moving up within the ranks stops novice men and women in their tracks. Such a sad reality….

This is why so many of us have become disenchanted when our “bottle rockets” elected to Congress fizzle like wet sparklers.

To deliberately sabotage a new president is unconscionable. Do not allow this to happen. I remember the day that the soon-to-be former president was sworn into office. We had friends in Michigan to snowmobile and I was holding their baby when the ceremony was aired. I watched him standing there with his family. I prayed that nothing would happen to him, even though I had never supported him.

I see that mindset, in and of itself, as the difference between the two parties. I do not see the pernicious venom among the vast majority of Republicans. The ongoing overture to expand the party is heartwarming. Oh, yes, there are RINOS (Republicans In Name Only) and the occasional whiner; but, overall, most within the GOP are able to stand aside and see the much larger picture.

And what is that picture? It is our nation first. America First. Do not sit back and let others speak for you. Speak up. Communicate. Take action for your family.

Without national security, there is no Social Security. We need strong borders, a protected electrical grid, cyber security, and a formidable military — all fueled by an expanded job base. Undergirding these goals is education that informs — not indoctrinates. Move education to the local level.

Washington, D.C. needs to concentrate on governing. It needs to stop spending money and quit printing it. And us? We need, prayerfully, to look toward the future. Any nation that can motivate an entire generation to defeat the Axis Powers and Japan and can land a man on the moon and return him safely can muster the “moxie” to put the big D.C. big spenders in their rightful place — out of business.

America stands alone as the apex of second chances. Let’s work to confirm that accolade. We can do this, together. Do not allow your voice to go silent once you complete your ballot or push that button on the voting machine. You need to speak up and demand that the new administration be given a chance.

History stands as a great teacher, if only men would listen. The Bible tells story after story of what happens when a nation turns its back on the Creator. Reviewing the decrease of morality witnessed over the last three decades, it is frightening to contemplate how close we are to what could be a terrible judgment. We have the chance to restore God to the public square, to instill pride in our nation and its military, and to demand fiscal balance. The time is now. The actors? You and I — all Americans. Silence is the true enemy.

David is acknowledged as the penman of most of the Psalms. This is apt, because when his country was at risk, David stepped forward to lead. We may witness another of those unexpected figures who steps forward to lead. A figure that nobody envisioned…. The Psalm before the storm? Yes — Donald J. Trump.

Do your best to support his man. He speaks truth to power and that is a unique ability we see rarely. He owes nothing to politicians. What better requisite trait? When you see biased forces martialing against him, do not stay quiet. Speak up. While you are at it, pause to remember our men and women in uniform. They man the line between us and virtual chaos. God bless them, every one.

Short and Sweet

Friday, January 6th, 2017

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 234

“Short, but sweet…”

November 9, 2016

For the first time in nearly 15 years, the title of this column has real clout. “In Defense of Common Sense” Americans took it to heart. They defended it. They voted it.

Common Sense won!

God Bless America and God’s speed to Donald Trump and Mike Pence.

Hetty

Do as I Say…

Friday, January 6th, 2017

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 233

October 9, 2016
8PM EST

“Do as I do, not as I say….”

In my book, deeds top rhetoric any day of the week. Let me begin by explaining that I have been around men all of my life. As a child, my father had a large shop full of working men. Growing up I was exposed to construction crews, plumbing crews, electricians and their helpers and a variety of others.

Men talk. They talk to one another. Often, they are full of braggadocio and tend to exaggerate when it comes to the opposite sex. Be honest. You and I both know that almost every man alive today has uttered terms far worse than the one attributed to Donald Trump in a brash release last Friday.

Why I do deem the release brash? You have heard the term “He talks a good game.” Guys stretch the truth when bantering back and forth among themselves. Getting down to brass tacks, just how many RVers have a live microphone on all the time? We certainly do not have recording equipment in our travel trailer; and, other than a computer, we have not seen that kind of equipment in anyone else’s trailer or motorhome either.

It is almost as if this Billy Bush was out to record his visitors on purpose. Why else would he have kept a recording that is eleven years old? Give me air. Do you smell something here?

So “The Donald” is crude. So what? I’ve known a lot of people who talk crudely, but they are not bad people. They just have a bad habit. Bragging. What is worse, folks, talking in trashy terms or breaking the law?

So Hillary is throwing rocks. Well, you know what they say about people who live in glass houses…. She claims to be such a champion for women, but it is she who tried to destroy the women who charged her husband with sexual assaults and rapes. As I recall, she called them “bimbos.” Rare term, huh? Add to that remarks made by those around her citing her cursing on a regular basis. Not the image she wants aired, no doubt.

She says that she is for equal pay for equal work when it comes to women, yet it is widely claimed that she does not pay the women who work for her equal to the men on her staff. How cost efficient for her….

Trump, on the other hand, hired the very first woman project manager in the city of New York. The first one! Over the years, he continued to hire women for high profile jobs and to promote many others to better jobs — with high pay. Words vs. actions yet again….

How does crude talk equate with the deliberate smearing of women wronged by Bill Clinton? It does not. Those groped, grabbed and raped by Bill Clinton were dragged through the mud. Their reputations were maligned their lives became a living hell thanks to the Great Enabler, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Face it folks, Donald may have insulted women, he may have engaged in wild and brash “man talk” with Billy Bush, but he falls far short of the record of one William Jefferson Clinton.

Clinton is known to have flown all over the world with a child molester known to have very young girls aboard for “entertainment.” Worse than talk? Yes.

Trump may have ruffled some feathers with the talk in that RV, but he did not break any laws. She signed a paper pledging she would abide by those rules, yet she did not. Hillary broke federal law by ignoring the rules of the State Department regarding her emails and the devices she carried with her. Yet she goes unpunished while a sailor who took a small photo inside a nuclear submarine languishes in jail.

Which crime is more dangerous, a photo in the hands of a girlfriend who might never show it to anyone or messages labeled Top Secret vulnerable to attack by a foreign government that would endanger our troops and put our nation at risk? Messages kept in someone’s closet in Colorado? Ask yourself that when those “holier than thou” GOP members come on TV and demand that Trump withdraw.

You think that no one among the men who are lambasting Trump has ever said a dirty word? You think that they haven’t said something as crude as that in jest among other men? Likely they have, but in a country steeped in political correctness that defies common sense, they crawl out from under their rocks and attack “The Donald” with zest. Rocks and glass houses again.

Building a great company certainly tops breaking rules. Oh, I forgot. Rules don’t apply to the Clintons.

I question the national polls as a whole. They are only as good as the questions asked and those asking the questions. I learned that in Doctoral Political Science classes at Indiana University.

If you repeat something often enough people will believe it. When it comes to the polls, that is what the media hopes. Trump does well face to face with people. Tonight will be interesting, three against one. One candidate and two biased media so called “moderators.” If nothing else, they are not moderate.

Do I care that Donald lacks decorum? Nope! Do I care that he may be a bit sold on himself? Nope. I wouldn’t give a fig for someone who lacks confidence. What’s more he exudes ability. Your vote underscores what you support. I support the Trump’s vision — an America with strong borders, known for good schools… a safe America where law enforcement receives the respect it is due… a resilient America, trustworthy to allies, feared by enemies, and put on a track to economic health and a solid future.

I will vote for Trump. And what about you? Will you vote for Donald’s VISION or Hillary’s VICE? God help us if is the latter.

Think about it.

232 – The Power We Need

Friday, January 6th, 2017

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 232

August 24, 2016

“The Power We Need”

Just the other evening, my husband settled down in front of the television to watch a movie roundly heralded as well worth the time. It was.

Entitled “The War Room,” this film comes from the producers of “Courageous” and other inspirational films aimed at both the stable Christian audience as well as non-believers.

Watching it, we found that it did not take long to recognize the power of this movie. Far too often individuals rely on material objects or possessions to define self — a car, jewelry, a house, season tickets to major sporting events — all empty, insufficient substitutions for what is really needed.

The genius of this film centers on a deeper level. No one of us exists in isolation. Oh, we interact with other people from birth, but we need more. Each of us needs to recognize that a higher power is in control. As much as we would like to feel that we are the masters of our own little universe, we are not. God created us. He sent his Son to die for us. He forgives us and He will receive us unto Himself if we live according to His word.

Seems like an easy plan, but it is not. Temptations abound and greed tops need as it has for millennia. Picking up the phone or using hand held computer technology does nothing to connect us to God.

There is only to reach him: prayer. Many of us have witnessed the power of prayer. Still more of us pray on a regular basis, not only at night before going to sleep but before meals to express thanks for the food that sustains us. We do so in restaurants. Even though it seems so normal to the two of us, we are a little taken back by the stares of other diners. It’s as if they had never even though of doing it.

Turning away from God is more than risky. It is deadly.

Over the past fifty years, our society has weakened and cracked — sliding toward an abyss of secular thought. Faith, labeled as a weakness and judged farcical by many in positions of authority, finds itself under constant attack.

When America took God out of the front door of its schools, Satan sprang in the back door with both feet flying. Criticism is so easy to sell. Commitment and self-sacrifice are not. Excuses eclipse responsibility and our youth despair of a better life.

Today, things have disintegrated to the degree that we teeter on the brink of losing all that our Founding Fathers sought to secure for us. The battle looms this coming November. The central question is a clear one, yet it comes with a price. Do we do for ourselves or depend on others to do for us?

Corruption at the highest levels is not new, but perhaps no time in history has it reared its ugly head as it does now. Mainstream media has an agenda, and the average voter suffers because of it. There is no objective reportage these days. There is only editorial opinion. And they use an old standard when it comes to ruining this country. Divide and conquer.

As Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Those words are seven in number, but far from lucky.

Basically, politicians hold citizenry in check by two methods. First, they mislead poor people, offering empty promises and handcuffing them with just enough financial support to strip them of their dignity and ambition. Add to that five decades of curricula taught in our failing schools deliberately edited and poisoned by a glaring lack of history, and the recipe heat up. Now the pot is ready to boil over.

The power we need is The Almighty, but He has not interceded to this point. What has He done? He armed us with free will. It is high time we used it. Pray for America. Pray we arm ourselves to take back our country and its honor, won by the blood sacrificed bravely over more than two hundred years. Beyond Prayer, is there an answer? Yes, there is.

The answer springs from the same four letters — an anagram of sorts — and it hinges on a single question. A sobering question to be sure, but the answer will not only determine our national character but also the future of generations unborn.

Do we vote for lies or VETO lies? Think about it.