Sugar Creek Publishing

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

“Labor Day”

September 2, 2013

Every time I hear that the government is about to release the latest “jobs report,” I cringe. It’s not that I expect too much, it’s that I’m not surprised when they are less than expected. By that, I don’t mean an actual jobs figure. It goes deeper than that. A recent article in The Huffington Post confirmed my worries. That publication’s reporters put a different slant on the jobs numbers.

You see, jobs numbers are far more serious than the government would have us believe.

Yes, jobs are added as the months go by. In many instances, they are less than expected. Pundits jockey for position to put a bright face on this, but they do not tell what Paul Harvey termed as “the rest of the story.”
While millions are out of work, they are not completely counted in the government’s monthly jobs reports. Why? Well, the core of the problem is that the job claims are only for those currently looking for work.
Consider what Huffington reporters had to say.
“The number of Americans in the labor force — those who have a job or are looking for one — fell by nearly half a million people from February to March, the government said Friday. And the percentage of working-age adults in the labor force — what’s called the participation rate — fell to 63.3 percent last month. It’s the lowest such figure since May 1979.
The falling participation rate tarnished the only apparent good news in the jobs report the Labor Department released Friday: The unemployment rate dropped to a four-year low of 7.6 percent in March from 7.7 in February.
People without a job who stop looking for one are no longer counted as unemployed. That’s why the U.S. unemployment rate dropped in March despite weak hiring. If the 496,000 who left the labor force last month had still been looking for jobs, the unemployment rate would have risen to 7.9 percent in March.”
Do you see where we are going here? The economy depends on the labor force. The smaller the force, the smaller the tax revenues. We are spending $200 million an hour of money we do not have. Borrowed money. That’s not good news, folks. It’s hard to wrap your mind around a figure like that. Sadly, we are between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
Unions came into existence due to worker injuries, worker exploitation, child labor, sweat shops…. The list goes on and on. In that light, there is nothing negative about a union. The trades include many talented union workers across the country and we are grateful for them.
The problem comes when we look at how union higher-ups have squandered the hard-earned dues of the everyday Jane and Joe. The most serious cases have soared to astronomical amounts of money. In addition, the difficulty in terminating a poor worker only makes it harder for everybody else in the workplace.
Couple that with stories that defy common sense illustrating how an entire assembly line must shut down because an operator is banned from opening a door on his or her machine to replace a fuse or part (a electrician must do it!), and you can see why union reputation has suffered over the past several decades.
There is room for everyone in America’s workplace, union and non-union. Overseas job losses are more than numbers. We are fast becoming an information-based workforce. Manufacturing, especially heavy manufacturing, is a shadow of what it has been in the past. American ingenuity and work ethic built a nation that led the world in nearly every area. Now, there are millions looking for work.
The Middle East is ready to boil over, and we sit on huge amounts of energy here. Cut off the candy to those oil-rich states. We don’t need them if we tap our own resources. Take a look at North Dakota. Jobs open up daily and the economy is soaring. At the core? Fracking.

I wonder how many of the people who come out to protest tapping our oil reserves can curb our dependence on foreign oil. Don’t scream solar or wind. Both are heavily subsidized. The only reason to subsidize anything is to offset its losses. Electric cars? Ever hear how many miles you can go between charges? Not too far.
Today, as we honor the American worker, take a moment to think about the basics. Businesses must clear a profit to employ anyone. When the cost of doing business rises, there is less money for payroll. Looming health care costs impact the workweek.
James Hoffa claims that the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) will end the 40-hour workweek. I know of several people who were fired from full-time jobs only to replaced by two part-timers.
Here is a good comparison of how the cure is worse than the disease. It is easy to demand more money, but there is just so much money to go around. True, huge businesses report huge profits, but when expressed in percentage, many business owners only clear 2-4 percent profit for a year. That is not a lot of money.
Why do you think that gas stations began to stock food services and small merchandise? It’s because they need to make more money than their margin on fuel. And so it goes…
Getting back to the cost of doing business, especially for the small business owner, get behind the push for a rewrite of the job-killing health care legislation. Among its strong points is the coverage for pre-existing conditions. But, something else doesn’t ring true. It defies commons sense that an 18-year-old is considered an adult — able to vote or serve in the military — yet that same 18-year-old is relegated to “child status” when allowed to remain on parents’ health care insurance until age 26.
So now, we are children until age 26? A hundred years ago, 26 was considered middle age. After all, life expectancy was around 50. And what of my own family? At age 26, my grandparents owned their own homes and took care of themselves. By age 26, my parents had two children and were well on their way to owning their home.
Young people need to step up and take personal responsibility. They should expect work to be hard, and not shy away from the hard jobs. Sadly, most are not taught to have that “fire in the belly” once synonymous with Americans on the job. The “trades” are the heart of America, yet they are roundly ignored. In fact, many high schools abandoned industrial arts and home economics in favor of computer classes.
Take a current example. We have Caterpillar equipment on our farm, yet this summer we spoke with a Caterpillar dealer that serviced the oil fields in North Dakota and he and other Caterpillar dealers cannot find enough qualified mechanics. These are good jobs that pay well. And this situation is replicated in many other large companies.
What’s more, I don’t see a plumber or an electrician standing at an intersection with a sign reading “will work for food.” We cannot all sit in front a computer screen. Our society generates a lot of information, but it also needs to produce tangible, useful items. America needs to regain its spot as the best manufacturing nation in the world. We can start with a government that is “business friendly.”
Moreover, there is nothing wrong with getting your hands dirty at work. Many people do it every day to the benefit of each and every one of us. At this point, and at my age, I risk climbing up onto my well-known soapbox. Therefore, I close on a positive note.
Let’s make a promise to do what each of us can do to help the American worker. He or she is as precious as gold. Whenever you have a chance, take a moment to thank the person serving you. Nothing brings a smile to someone’s face faster than a compliment.
Every time you pick up an item marked “Made in USA”, give thanks for the jobs behind that product. Commend the serviceman or delivery woman who comes to your home or business. Remember that every food purchase in a grocery store represents the work of the farmer, rancher, dairyman, processor, packaging company, trucking company, railroad — and in the case of many perishables — the airline company.
We owe the American worker thanks in so many ways. Thanks to the guys and gals who get up, go to work, show up on time, step up and volunteer for the hard tasks, stay late if necessary and smile. It works!
Push for your representatives in Congress to move toward more energy here at home. It creates jobs. Be willing to spend a little more on large purchases and buy “American.” Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 157

August 13, 2013

“Where the heart is…”

I admit it. I’m a real pushover for a movie with a plot that wraps around faith and family. Recently, we have been watching a cable channel with the acronym of PIXL. Evidently, the producers remember what the world once saw as the America of opportunity, hard work, perseverance neighborliness, and basic hometown values.

That America still exists, but media moguls rarely use it as a centerpiece for their multi-million dollar spectacles of greed, speed, and bleed. Yes, our children are exposed to violence, heinous plots and fast-moving action heroes who defy any interpretation of military or law enforcement personnel. Death has no real impact, because the movie heroes and villains resurface in their next films.

And what has this spawned? Well, the recent beating on a Florida school bus is the most recent of countless wake-up calls over the past decades. Have we reached the tipping point? Who knows? Desensitizing children to violence has no good end.

Parents who actually monitor what their children watch must do all they can to block the channels that air inappropriate films, but it doesn’t stop there.
If you begin to really listen to the commercials these days and really pay attention, you may hear more than you want. A recent one of note is peppered with “Don’t tell Mom” and “Don’t tell Dad.” Now isn’t that nice?

Sins of omission are sins nonetheless. Several years ago I wrote to McDonald Corporation complaining about an ad that had children blackmailing Dad over a broken item belonging to Mom.

It doesn’t end there, either. Consider billboards, magazine advertisements, store windows, and clothing. The messages are not subtle. Sex and infidelity is out there in the open for all to see, whether they really comprehend what they see or not. I shudder to think what modern parents must try to explain after their children see or hear unsuitable advertisements. You don’t see ads affirming commitment and the merits of marriage.

Throw in the “…if you have taken this drug, call us” or “if you had this operation and experienced any of these complications, call us” genre coupled with the pharmaceutical ads touting remedies for incontinence, impotence, and depression, and the mix is toxic. The blatant lying and cheating is awful.

Years ago, parents and the school worked for the child. Today, in far too many instances, the tables have turned and it is the parent and child against the school. Not a pretty picture, is it? The kids know it, and they taunt teachers and administrators and threaten lawsuits. Nice, huh?

When you see one of these objectionable commercials, jot down the name of the company advertised. Tell them you will not patronize their businesses or buy their products. Talk is cheap, but money shouts. Don’t let them get away with their poison. It may be chic in their eyes, but it is disgusting to a great many of us. The messages influence the children who watch these ads. Don’t allow it.

Like any institutions, schools do better when they compete against one another. School uniforms do wonders. Studies show that behavior problems drop precipitously within weeks of adopting uniforms. Rules bring security to children. Setting limits tells a child that he or she has value.

Curriculum doesn’t need to be dumbed down, either. Consider West Side Prep, Marva Collins’ marvelous school in Chicago. It has awed people for decades. She has elementary school children reading the classics and taking Latin. The children are enthusiastic. They can hardly wait to get to school. They learn that education is the key to success and a real future.

It makes me sick to think what the future may hold. Too many children fall through the cracks, especially in poor neighborhoods. Parents of children in failing schools clamor for vouchers. They are desperate to give their children a chance. And what do we hear from the mass media? School choice is bad. You must go to cable and really listen to the nuts and bolts of the situation to realize the wisdom of vouchers and the stupidity of the anti-voucher arguments.

Well, it might be bad, but not for the families who value education more than victimization. We need to go after the merchants of evil — the rap music industry, the violence video-game companies, and the moviemakers who flaunt violence and wrap it in fast-paced action to attract our youth.

We have fewer people working today than in decades. The workforce is small, and the job openings for qualified workers go begging. It is not a secret that many of our children graduate from high school and can hardly read. Their math skills are abysmal. We cannot rebuild this nation without reliable, qualified workers. The situation cannot be changed immediately, but we can push for change — meaningful, real change in our schools.

Demand to see textbooks. Demand that standards be raised. Demand that passing children from one grade level to the next is only done when achievement merits promotion.

Help struggling parents. They need a forum. They, too, need training.
Home is where the heart is… and the home is suffering. God bless those single parents who struggle to rear good kids. Judgment on those who not only condone, but also encourage, sex before marriage and having children out of wedlock. It is no secret that if a couple gets an education, waits to have children until after they are married and avoid drugs have an excellent chance at the American dream.

Now, too many face the American nightmare — poor schools, little emphasis put on math and science, and history edited to the point that nobody could recognize a dangerous political situation if it were right in front of them.

I wish I had a better attitude about what may be coming, but we have turned out more than two generations of people who are dependent upon the government, put little or no value on getting a good education, and view drug use as normal.

Who knows how many scientists and engineers we lose when these budding professionals have never known what it feels like to be loved, to dream, to strive, and to succeed. A nation that graduates more lawyers than engineers is in trouble. America is there.

America launched the world into industrial manufacturing. But, as the rest of the planet caught up, instead of upgrading and building anew, America sat back on her backside, pocketed profits and let everything else slide. You can see this driving by abandoned or razed mills and factories across the nation
— especially in the eastern region.

Let’s face it; had Edison and Tesla faced folks like those against tapping our own energy when they were bringing power to America, electricity would have been labeled far too dangerous. There might be a fire. Someone might be hurt. It would have doomed the spark that built this country, the same spark that is sputtering today.

Surely you see just how nonsensical these “ban everything promising” groups are today.

Common sense is a rare quality today. Sad, but true…. And what of our country? It took a long time to disintegrate to this point, and it will take years to regain its former glory. That resurgence requires patriotism, loyalty, honesty, determination, and the good old-fashioned work ethic that built her in the first place. Demand leaders that exemplify all, not just some of these qualities. They fuel passion to rebuild America.

Don’t settle for the viewpoint that the government is the answer to all problems. In truth, it is the cause of most of them.

Home is where the heart is… Our American home is in trouble. The heart of America is in peril. Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 156

“Crying Wolf”

August 5, 2013

We’ve all heard the story — a little boy cried, “Wolf!” just to get attention. Then, when a real wolf came, nobody paid any attention to the boy.

There is no way to know what the current threat from Al-Qaeda means. I wonder, however, if it is a new rendition of the “test pattern” aired by early television networks. You remember it if you are over 60. A target shape, in black and white of course, aired with no sound just to discern if a station signal was being broadcast.

What better way to (1) assess just how many of your cohorts are being monitored by the message uncovered by your enemy and (2) to judge the level of reaction to the purported threat deliberately “leaked” through known channels.

Ah, yes. There was chatter before the onslaught of terrorists on September 11, 2001. Men like FBI Special Agent John O’Neill saw the danger, but he left the FBI. Known as a “maverick”, he didn’t toe the line of his establishment supervisors. A “Front Line” piece run shortly after 9/11 explained the whole situation in detail. O’Neill’s superiors made sure he would not be promoted to a position he clearly had earned. One of the people quoted was Fran Townsend, who worked for several administrations. During some of John O’Neill’s travails, she worked closely with Attorney General Janet Reno.

Townsend works for the current administration bringing a lot of experience to an undoubtedly thankless job. John O’Neill and Townsend were good friends and understood the underpinnings of the FBI as an organization.

O’Neill knew that something was up. He knew something “big” was coming and mentioned it to a friend the night of September 10th. The next morning he went back to work at his new job — a job he took after leaving the FBI during the summer of 2001. The job? Chief of Security at The World Trade Center. He died in the South Tower on 9/11, and all his knowledge and expertise died with him.

A very knowledgeable figure, O’Neill had studied Osama Bin Laden in depth over years and knew more about the “Saudi terrorist financier” than any other person in the FBI. O’Neill, in the FBI’s New York Office under James Kalstrom, headed the investigative unit that probed the bombing of the USS Kohl in Yemen. When he wanted to return to Yemen after a brief trip home for Thanksgiving, Ambassador Barbara Bodine refused his Visa. Why? She said his presence might have upset some of the Yemeni politicians.

So, let’s get that one straight. The feelings of foreign nationals in a country where terrorists attacked a US Naval Vessel and killed servicemen took precedence over lives lost and the possibility of uncovering plots yet unhatched. “Front Line” explained that O’Neill earned the respect of locals. They called him “the brother”. “Front Line” intimated that O’Neill was determined to see if there was more afoot in the area than bombing the Kohl. Those close to him knew he would have been relentless in that effort.

And what of his intense devotion to duty? It was thwarted. To take “Front Line’s view, it looked as if woman put her own job as an ambassador ahead of her country’s security. While she denied the claim in a newspaper article, she would not grant “Front Line” an interview.

If you have followed my column over the years, you know that I’m no fan of woman’s liberation. If you are a woman, you’re a woman — not a man. There are differences, despite what some wish you to believe. More than physical or mental gender differences, there are cultural considerations. I’ve never understood why any administration, Republican or Democrat, would appoint a woman as either a Secretary or State or a Middle Eastern Ambassador. It flies in the face of common sense.

Those cultures have no respect for women. What’s more, I’m not so sure that the leaders in the Middle East don’t consider the appointment of a woman to either of these slots as an insult. If they cannot respect a woman in any equal role within their own culture, how can they respect a Western woman in a position of authority?

And just where did the current threat information originate? Did it come from “our” official sources, or theirs?

Forewarned is forearmed. You can take that for a fact, but what if this is simply a trial run to see if they have a leak on their end that is not plugged? If this is a true leak from the terrorists, woe be it to the person responsible. I’m sure they will be read their rights and provided ethnically or religiously appropriate meals while awaiting trial. Right….

Only time will tell if we slip through unscathed. Remember, it only took 19 men to wreak havoc on the USA when they flew those planes into The World Trade Center and The Pentagon. Folks on Flight 93 spared some other target in the nation’s capitol and gave their lives in the process. The fact that several Middle Eastern men scurried from other grounded flights without being questioned should prompt some reflection, too. Just how many planes WERE highjacked that day? The sad answer is that we will never know.

Ingest this. (InSerbia News – July 22, 2013):
“Hakim Abbas Mousa al-Zamili, member of the security committee in Iraqi parliament, said at the press conference in Baghdad on Monday that between 500 to 1000 prisoners escaped the Baghdad Central Prison after gunmen opened fire at the facility on Sunday night (July 21, 2013).
Most of the escaped were al-Qaeda linked detainees, Zamili said.
Gunmen attacked two prisons near Baghdad – Taji and Baghdad Central Prison, killing at least 25 members of the security forces.
The prison attacks were launched at about 9:30 pm local time (1830 GMT) on Sunday night. Gunmen fired mortar rounds at Taji prison, 20 km north of Baghdad, and a suicide car bomber then attacked the main gate. Similar attack was made on the Central Prison in Baghdad.
Fighting continued throughout the night, and the military deployed aircraft around the two prisons.”
We know what 19 did. What could hundreds do?
It will be interesting to see how time sorts out the serious, specific threat that closed our embassies and consulates. Meanwhile, we are left to mull over precisely how this administration continues to omit the words Muslim terrorist from its vocabulary. How can we fight an undefined enemy?
The answer, far from a moot point, is not in sight. The leaked information regarding this imminent threat may be “crying wolf” or it may be a very well orchestrated test of terrorist communication channels and our foreign intelligence capabilities.
As for me, I have a real problem with the constant reportage of anything discovered just to get a headline. That could cost more than getting “one up on the competition,” it could cost us our heads. This threat may be the “dry run.” If it is, we had better prepared for the real thing. Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

July 23, 2013

# 155

“Trust and Government – Today’s Chasm”

These past few years have seeded a very uncomfortable thought among many of us. We question if we can trust our government. The nagging thought is not relegated to a solitary event, either. Instead, this skepticism links to both events and legislation. What’s more, the source of our concerns appears endemic to the political arena within the Washington, D.C. beltway.

What happens in the halls of Congress today should make those who revere the U.S. Constitution cringe. The outline for proper government has taken a back seat to agenda-driven legislation and that should worry you.

Many keep a dictionary in the house. I do too, but I am partial to the Constitution as a good reference guide. Not only do I carry a copy of the Constitution in my vehicle but I also have another one within reach in the evenings, too. That particular, well-worn copy travels with me. I like to be able to pick it up whenever I like. The Constitution is not only our guide. Oh, not it is so much more. It is a discipline all its own.

I see history as a roadmap, not a dull recitation of names, dates, and events. When applied to this marvelous document, it is easy to lose track of the fine minds that created it.

How wise those men were… how concise… how aware… how distrustful of power….

Much to my chagrin, they foresaw just what we face today.
I watched a bit of a John Stossel special the other night. It focused on the striking parallel between ancient Rome thousands of years ago and the United States today. It was thrilling to hear a discussion of the two civilizations.

While I do not proscribe to agree with every libertarian “take” on all subjects, they do offer a meaty topic in this case.
Why? Because I’ve drawn a similar comparison in a number of columns over the past ten years — homing in on the growing near-obsession with leisure and sports. Oh, the workweek still exists –- for those fortunate enough to have full-time jobs — but the basic tenets of work before play blurs before our eyes and continues to wane. Applicants are more apt to ask about “time off” than overtime. Go figure….
Recently, a large group of libertarian-minded people gathered in Las Vegas at “Freedom Fest”. Over a thousand debated the question: “Are We Rome?” Read the following text from the FOX News Channel website.
“Matt Kibbe, Freedomworks CEO, says America is following in the footsteps of Rome. Carl Richard, University of Louisiana History Professor, cites America’s blatant disregard for the Constitution. Steve Forbes, Forbes Media Editor-in-Chief, believes that Americans are now more aware and involved, and things like the tea party movement may prevent us from collapsing like Rome.”
Many of the contributing thinkers reflected on an old theme — Bread and Circuses. Unlike the overused guns and butter comparison in beginning economics classes, this appraisal roots in the fact that Rome gave its people entertainment in lieu of leadership, frivolity and sport instead of ethical
Government. The Roman leaders distracted its people with inconsequential crises and allowed entertainment to trump incentive. Once it had the populace within its control without fanfare, it could rule without challenge.

There is an old story about feeding hogs. Begin with one section of fence placed near the trough. Little by little, add more sections until one side is complete. Day by day, the hogs still go to eat, all the while ignoring the growing enclosure. Over time, three sides are complete. The fourth goes slowly, and then — with that final section is in place — the hogs find themselves without a way out. That is precisely what will happen to us if we don’t pay attention to what is going on these days.

Soon the government will hold every piece of information about each and every one of us. The huge database within the Affordable Care Act will identify each of us from cradle to grave. What’s more, if a committee yet to be named deems us unworthy of care, it may be an earlier grave than we deserve. Grim? You bet it is.

Every time a citizen with genuine concern — and often armed with facts — challenges government, that citizen runs the risk of being labeled a “conspiracy theorist.” How convenient. Emotion again over facts… if they cannot refute facts, they call names and attack ad hominem.

Where will all this end? Will we find ourselves in a real mess and not know how we got there? We certainly are hogs at the trough right now, but at what stage is the fence?

Drones now fly over our nation. All phones and computer data are available to persons unknown. Data mining is likely far worse than we think. And, if that’s not enough to scare the pants off you, then the specter of what our president calls “a national police force” should.

The best government is small. The best government is closest to the people. A local law enforcement complement fulfills that description beautifully. When you begin to layer levels of enforcement, you end up in a bureaucratic spiral that never seems to end. Why on earth do we need a national police force, unless — of course — the architects of such a group wants to control everyone in the nation and not just the criminals?

We need to dedicate ourselves to the task and educate our children and grandchildren to recognize the tremendous value and resource of personal freedom. These young people take it for granted. They have never known anything else. Perhaps they need to heed those who have survived foreign despots and lived the dream of coming to the United States to achieve their long-sought freedom.

Ask anyone who lived in a divided Germany how it felt to be walled off from prosperity and opportunity, from family and friends.

You never miss something until you lose it. We cannot afford to lose our freedom. We cannot fail to see that it is under attack today.

Freedom stands as a compilation of many facets. Recently, the facets have been disappearing, leaving the brilliance of the country’s founders dulled. Instead of polishing a rough rock into a gorgeous diamond, we are witnessing the opposite. Today, there are those who, gleefully, aim to destroy a true gem one scrape at a time… one regulation at a time… one law at a time… one restriction at a time… one ban at a time. Sound familiar?

Speak out. Don’t believe for one moment that a groundswell of people cannot begin in your community. When you question decisions of your elected representatives, call them on the carpet. Demand explanations. Demand they follow the U. S. Constitution. Demand logical and sensible answers. Although, sadly, both logic and common sense are rare attributes among today’s leaders at the federal level.

We need to restore our nation. Adopt a new ancronym: T R U S T.

Time to
Restore the
United
States
To Greatness.

I am not at ease with the federal government. Old-fashioned trust is gone. I feel more and more threatened and worry about the youngest among us. If we do not move to set this straight, what will they inherit from us? Let’s steer another course. Set your sights on hard work and achievement. Set the ship of state back on the firm course of the past.

It is possible. It’s not a pipe dream. Time has not yet run out. But it will take all of us. The silent majority must rise up and do something.

It triumphs one person at a time. It takes courage. Will you help?

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 154

July 20, 2013

“Don’t you just love it?”

Don’t you just love it when people claim that the Bible is fantasy? Never mind that merely looking at a small insect or inspecting the myriad veins in a leaf all lead to the Creator.

Heaven forbid. Although, I must admit, that if these naysayers really believe that they evolved from slime, I concur with their assessment.
According to the British Newspaper, The Daily Mail, a group of archaeologists have discovered something truly amazing. The initial line of the piece dated July 19th is not only intriguing, but also begs a discussion. Read on, please.
King David’s palace ‘found’ in the city where he’s said to have battled Goliath. The discovery of what is thought to be King David’s palace, measuring 1,000 square meters, was made by Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Over the past seven years the teams have also uncovered a huge storehouse containing pots and artifacts that they believe proves the existence of a ruler in Judah in the tenth century BCE.
Researchers believe they have discovered the palace of King David as well as a large storeroom of pots and ancient artifacts.
• Archeologists claim the ruins are the best example to date of the uncovered fortress city of Shaarayim in Israel.
• The artifacts found are described as evidence that David ruled the region during the tenth century BCE.
The experts claim that the ruins they have found are the two largest buildings known to have existed at the time of King David in Jerusalem. So, King David is in the news?

It’s too bad that good old-fashioned Biblical judgment isn’t in the news, too. Sometimes I feel as if I’m living in a bizarre updated version of George Orwell’s 1984. When you consider what we are greeted with in terms of entertainment, it’s a wonder that we haven’t been visited with some sort of sign.
Or have we?
In a mere two hundred plus years we have come from a group of pilgrims who prayed once their feet were on the shores of what would be the United States to a society largely ignorant of its own history.
Only two nations on this planet were founded upon faith — the United States July 4, 1776, and Israel May 14, 1948. We have more in common than the number four of the actual day. We have a foundation that, when applied to our daily lives, proves unshakable.
Getting back to King David…. The Western peoples have long admired and extolled the accomplishments of the ancient Egyptians. The Pyramids and the Sphinx awe visitors and intrigue those of us who glimpse them on film. With all the hype about the ruins that inspired cinematographers from “The Egyptian” to The Indian Jones genre of film, we cannot forget the Bible inspired works including “Ben Hur”, “The Robe”, and “The Ten Commandments”.
Because so little of it has been unearthed, Biblical archaeology tends to emerge in small discoveries here and there. Consequently, many judge it much less spectacular — at least, until now. If this discovery proves to be equal to its initial reports, we may greet a day with a discussion of how the Bible is not fiction but fact.
Sundays find many of us in a house of worship. Still others view a ministry on line or on television or study their Bibles or prayer books in their own homes. No matter the venue, public or private, religion and faith play a large role in the majority of our lives.
Estimates are that 9 in 10 of us believe in God. Not a bad percentage, is it? Why is it, then, that Americans are constantly bombarded with secular messages that range across the spectrum of entertainment and music?

There is an old adage that if you say something often enough, people internalize it to the point that they actually believe it. Take a critical look at the messages aimed at our youth. It is an amalgam of what some of us remember from the turbulent 1960s merged with the unbridled gall of a small, well-funded group that anchor the music and film industries.
Listen carefully to the seemingly innocent commercials aired on the mainstream networks. Then, if you can stomach them, watch the commercials for some of the shows on television.
A good example is “Pregnant and Dating”. Now, as The Church Lady would have said, “Now isn’t THAT special?” Good grief, what have we come to when we throw away the sanctity of marriage and laud pre-marital sex as if it were a handshake?
Let’s hope that we find more in the Middle East than a few relics. Let’s hope that we find our hearts there. Have the courage to stand for what you believe. Have the heart to life what you have been taught.
It isn’t an easy road. Encourage young families to go to church. There are plenty of choices out there. Given the scope of both the national and independent churches and synagogues, there is a seat out there for everyone.
The ruins in the Israeli countryside only underscore what we should see every time we look into the mirror. Life itself is a miracle and it comes from God. If David fought Goliath and won, then there’s hope for us as we fight against the forces that tempt us to aberrant lifestyles and sloth… that claim to know what is “best for our children”… that wish our moral compass to fail….
Facing the future is not bleak if we aren’t alone. And we aren’t. Don’t you just love it?

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 153

July 12, 2013

“Too late?”

Turning one’s head to danger doesn’t avoid danger — it supports it. As we lay our heads down on soft pillows or cuddle in sleeping bags, tens of thousands of our service men and women billet in inhospitable conditions on hot sand or rocky terrain devoid of the human comforts we take for granted.

They pledge to honor freedom in the hope that those needy people they defend from harm and despotic rule will one day live in the peace that we have and that they — for the first time in many cases — will have a voice in their own destiny.

Power is a cruel master. Demanding, unrelenting and tempting, it warps man into control freaks and thoroughly decimates common sense.

It makes no sense whatsoever to kill one’s own people, yet despots must do so in order to wield uncontested power over their populations. It makes no sense to teach bias and lies, yet societies do it. In doing so they systematically obliterate objectivity and replace it with pure hatred. Hateful people use no judgment. They simply follow leaders with one agenda: control everyone and everything.

It is a sad commentary on the human condition, this push to force upon others a viewpoint and belief system rooted in anger and — quite sadly — espoused in the name of God.

As I recall, God’s wrath fell on those who

• ignored God’s commandments
• turned away from Him (as a nation)
• killed their own children

If any of these actions sound familiar, you should shudder. We are at a critical juncture in our history, and yet most go about their daily activities as if nothing is wrong at all. They are more informed about current entertainment and sports than what is happening to the country.

Many of you join me in prayers for our blessed America. Every day the shadow of secularism falls further across our lives and darkens our hopes for the future. It blurs the senses. Its pretty trimmings and empty promises twist otherwise easy decisions. Its claim of ease belies its deeper motive — destroying the core upon which this country is built — the American spirit.

I wonder if we have gone much too far down that slippery slope. Too few of us are truly informed citizens and voters. Too many of our countrymen want someone else to carry the load and find government dependency their “easy street.”

When only one of a two-horse team pulls, the wagon goes in a circle and the ruts grow deeper, eventually miring it down to the point that it cannot move.

Are we still able to pull out of the ruts? I worry that the voices of the few will fall on the deaf ears of the many.

Urge your political representatives to take a stand for core American values that date back to the founding. Don’t be a passive constituent. Be active.

I pray that we still have the chance to turn things around and chart a safe course. All each of us can do is to make sure one voice is heard — yours! Don’t sit back and do nothing. Each American has the power to change all this. Part of that power belongs to you.

Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

“On and No”

July 3, 2013

“The Fourth of July Column”

This is the celebration of our nation’s birth. I know that the men who laid the foundation for America would be appalled at the conditions we face today. Instead of looking ahead to expansion and progress, the American people see a weak economy only bolstered by indices that ignore the vast numbers of people who have given up hope and stopped looking for work.

Every day we see the faith of the founders cast aside and replaced by an unrelenting push for self-interest and prurient behavior. And what of the ten rules that held forth as the premier guidelines for mankind over millennia? They are labeled passé and unnecessary.

Delaware refuses to allow church services on public beaches and defends the decision by a ban to link church and state. I am reminded of the location of a beautiful Presbyterian Church in Champaign, Illinois. Where is it? It’s at the intersection of Church and State. Not so subtle, right?

How long will we put up with this? We should have firm defenders when it comes to the onslaught of government control and snooping.

The traditional vanguard of truth that finds its origins in little hand-run printing presses of the colonists in the 1770s that opposed King George. It evolved into a historically active public watchdog. Time was when the worst day of a politician’s life was when a reporter dug into his activities and exposed the ugly underbelly of supposedly acceptable behavior. The press informed us and protected us in the past. It was our “junk yard dog” but we may never have realized its true value.

Today, all but a handful of those attack dogs are neutered and toothless — in short, the majority of the national media are feckless.

Those who claim to know what is “best for America” clamor for “natural foods” but support and defend “unnatural lifestyles and behaviors”. In nature, one will not find males pursuing other males unless they mean to kill them. So much for using their use of the term “natural.”

We have dumbed down education for decades and now the bitter fruit is about to dump on us like a load of bricks. Oh, I am sorry for that reference. The activists pushing all this wouldn’t recognize phrases or names associated with hard work done with hands. Their idea of handwork is to see Americans asking for handouts — government freebies.

It is extremely hard to control people of independent means. Every time another person goes on the government dole, we chip away at the legs of independence upon which Americans not only built this great nation but also look to for its future. Once the majority income status is low, then elites can control the population without check. Forget balance.

You can see the whole situation as an extension of the old saying, “There is no free lunch.” What is the new saying? “You’re about to get your lunch!”

What will happen to young people who average about $800 seeing a hit of $5500 when Obamacare is fully implemented? We don’t get fewer uninsured. The CBO estimates that no fewer than 30 million will be uninsured even after all these Draconian changes drown what is left of our economy.

Jobs “fueled” by petroleum and allied industries are in the crosshairs —- not to mention the coal industry. China opens a new coal-fired plant every week and observes no emission controls. Tundra emits tons of carbon dioxide and man has absolutely nothing to do with that. What do our leaders do? They hobble the industry that spawned this great nation and allow nations around the globe to do as they wish. Coal, as few people mention, exports to other countries. Not only do the “greenies” seek to ban coal here, but they also want to ban exporting it to other countries. I remember when to be “green” was to know little or nothing. Hmmm…. That really hasn’t changed, has it?

Nuclear still holds forth as our best option. The French purchase our nuclear waste to reprocess for their electricity. Fusion may be just around the corner, yet there hasn’t been a nuclear plant built here for many years. It is still the safest form of energy production. What worries me is that our leaders continue to believe that Iran is using uranium for peaceful means. Oh, sure….

In this digital age, we have forgotten the old switch. You know it, the ON-OFF switch. What can we do? We reverse ON to NO. It’s a simple concept, but it will be very hard to do. It will take all of us.

• NO to accepting media and activist groups to market homosexuality as a legitimate lifestyle option to our children.
• NO to children before marriage
• NO to vacuous education from K-college
• NO to low expectations
• NO to limits on free speech
• NO to name calling in lieu of factual argument
• NO to ad hominem attacks
• NO to greed over need

Instead, do this.

• ON to God and faith
• ON to honesty in business — small and large
• ON to ethics in government
• ON to truthful campaign promises
• ON to parents with firm but fair rules
• ON to ending regulations that hobble entrepreneurs
• ON to dreaming — dreams spawn invention — invention spawns progress

Take the on RAMP

• R Responsibility
• A Ambition
• M Mettle
• P Patience

We must push responsibility undergirded by reason and thought. Instill ambition in our youth. Everyone should believe he or she could achieve in life. Adopt the old fashioned work ethic. Metal is important, but mettle is critical. Nothing worthwhile comes easy. Patience is the byword for all of us. We need to be consistent but patient.

And what of the other switch position?

• Turn OFF political correctness. It is ridiculous and insulting.
• Turn OFF disincentive
• Turn OFF elitist doctrine that seek to diminish all others

In response to these offensive behaviors, use this version of the switch. Adopt OFF and

Switch to:

• OUR
• FOUNDERS’
• FAITH

Embrace OFF. It’s our only hope.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 151

June 23, 2013

“From Tara to Terror…”

Shades of Margaret Mitchell, folks. It’s not Big Sam, but Uncle Sam.

It’s not Twelve Oaks’ neighboring plantation, but it does have a big white house — just not among cotton fields. Oh, no. This one sits among the most famous buildings in our nation. It sits at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Tara is terror, from the standpoint of those of us who revere the U. S. Constitution and fear its consistent erosion and assault through courts that legislate from the bench.

I had a marvelous professor at Butler University. Her field was named, but not correctly. She deemed it African-American history. It is not. It is Black history in America.

Eight years ago, I wrote a column entitled “The Tragedy of a Hyphenated America.” We see it coming full circle today. Any dissention from the administration view is labeled racist, yet federal policies have affected the black community far more deeply than any other sector of our society.

No matter what ethnicity is plugged into the hyphenated form, it is wrong. An American is an American — period. No matter his or her country of origin. We value every person equally, despite what the social justice screamers claim.

By the way, if the Democratic Party has done so much for the blacks in this country, why have we spent trillions of dollars on the War on Poverty and never won a battle. More people live in poverty than ever before and the statistics show that the disparity among the races is not only stark but also very deadly.

Consider this. The unemployment rate among young blacks is 50%, and that may be low in some areas. Schools are in decay and there is little real effort to change that. Why? A subservient and dependent population is easy to control. Keep telling folks that they can’t do without you and keep handing them just enough to survive and the recipe is not gourmet — it is grimy.

Control is the name of the game, people. It is not simply core politics. It is abhorrent. To even talk about bringing in more than 30 million guest workers into a population awash in unemployment is insulting to anyone with common sense. To err is human. To forgive is divine. But to give in order to dehumanize is akin to insanity.

Tell me that none among the poorest of our kids will not thrive with discipline tempered with love… that they won’t feel better about themselves with a healthy dose of Scripture… that they can’t appreciate success if they are encouraged to expect it….

To not raise expectations is to destroy a generation. I’ve watched this slippery slope since I graduated from high school at age 16 in 1961. The turbulent, drug-laced 60s did nothing to instill pride in our young people. Artificial experience crushed the work ethic and morals dug into a pit that now seems bottomless.

The change is up to every one of us. We need to get out and talk with our fellow citizens and not leave all the talk up to elected officials. They seem to lose track of their moral compass once they find that their high ideals fall on deaf ears and the undergirding bureaucracy that considers all elected persons “part time help” continues its rigid hold on the movers and shakers at the federal level of government.

When departments are rewarded for poor or non-performance, when nobody worries about how much money they spend (It’s not their money, however!), and when the younger generation disregards all this misbehavior and goes its merry way playing with cell phones and video games or watching sporting events. How sad, how incredibly sad…

Now the feds want an end to Catholic or Jewish schools. Why? They are a threat to the agenda. They put God first. Secularists fear those who follow God. God trumps all. No sports hero, no comedian, no singer, no moviemaker can compete with the Ten Rules that will save mankind.

Where is Tara? It’s become Terror. Not the Islamic terror that the main stream press roundly ignores, but the terror of central control that is creeping into our lives more and more every day.

The new plantation is not a pretty place. If we don’t put a stop to it now, I fear what our grandchildren must face. It has spread across the nation like the plague and yet the populace stands aside and watches without great complaint. The future is in our children, yet even their lives are at risk. The laws allow a woman to kill an unborn baby and call the death “choice.” Whose choice? Not the child’s — that is for sure.

Failing schools are commonplace. They should be the exception rather than the rule. What on earth do we need with a Department of Education? When I grew up, that was the home. The fact that 80% of black children grew up in two-parent homes in the 1960s and that 70% of today’s black children grow up in a home without a father should tell us a lot.

It takes two parents to make a baby and it takes two parents to rear that baby. Granted, some parents die early and lose the chance to see their children grow up, but others are alive and yet completely detached from their progeny. So many of those children do not even know the identity of their fathers. Also, some divorced couples make concerted efforts to see that their children grow and mature with good guidance from a mother and a father. But, for those who grow up in poor conditions, the schools have the opportunity to guide them on the right path.

That path does not end at the welfare office. That path ends with goals set, education under the belt and a work ethic that is not easily dissuaded by setback. The old-fashioned term “sticktoitiveness” applies perfectly.

We are the observers of an artificial division. We are artificially divided by gender, race, and — of all things — sexual preferences. Divide and conquer? Well, we are divided. We cannot allow ourselves to be conquered.

Parents and students should pour into the streets and demand school choice. Options encourage competition. Competition fosters excellence. Excellence builds self-esteem. The human condition is fragile. The human soul is the strength of this nation.

The soul thrives on faith. Faith supports even the most downtrodden or mistreated person. Faith gives rules that point people toward a better life. Everything I see today more than hints that a movement is afoot to dismantle religious institutions and marginalize the faithful.

There are groups that need to be dismantled and the biggest is big government. Strike fear into the masters at the new plantation. So is this current version of Tara promoting terror? It is if you worry about losing your freedoms.

Please don’t let this country go to waste. Don’t sit back and do nothing. Make sure your voice is heard. Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

#151 “Ringer”

June 18, 2013

Once, it was common to listen to the telephone ring carefully. One ring could have been your ring or someone else sharing that number. Alas, private lines were unusual for private homes. Businesses, on the other hand, had private lines to insure good rapport with customers and vendors alike.

To pick up the phone and hear “Number, please?” was an everyday experience for Americans as telephone service was in its infancy. When more widespread exchanges ranged across the nation, private lines became the rule rather than the exception.

Never did we think that the village practice of listening in on someone else’s phone calls morph into a program targeting millions of citizens and run by the National Security Agency.

I realize that the events of 9/11 precipitated many changes in our federal government. In the explosions that topped the World Trade Center, ravaged a section of the Pentagon and spun a jet into a Pennsylvania farm field, we found ourselves more at risk than any time in our history.

The War of 1812, Nazi U-boats spotted along the eastern seaboard and the threat of Japanese ground forces coming ashore from California to Washington State dissolved as ancient history as we realized that just 19 Islamic terrorists men took down three commercial airliners and wreaked havoc on the US economy in the name of their “holy war.”

Looking down the road, we don’t know what to expect. Thanks to a high school dropout who managed to land a job at the NSA, our enemies now have insight into methods designed to thwart planned attacks.

Should we be afraid? I am not sure on that one. Officials tell us that unless we have been in touch with a foreign terrorist or have frequent contacts with known terrorist sympathizers by phone, we have nothing to fear. That sounds reasonable, but the fact that the government had private cell phone companies comply with an order to release information is worrisome in itself.

In an age where technology reigns and hackers are able to dismantle security at banks, government agencies or private companies, we have reason to worry. It has been said that every legitimate business practice or valuable law enforcement tactic presents a tantalizing opportunity for some ne’er do well to go at it and figure a way around it.

So where are we in this new world disorder? That’s the big question. It would be better if we had leadership at the helm. It seems, instead, that we have what I term “weedership” — deep-rooted ideologies that inspire plans that quite often go against the grain of not only the people affected but also the U.S. Constitution that affords basic freedoms to all.

It will be a dicey proposition to see how all this sorts itself out. Despite what I might think of the program, it probably had — at its core — the belief that intercepting terror plots trumps a total scope of privacy for the average citizen. It is sad that we have come to this place.

Would that we faced identifiable enemies as we have in the past. However, with the porous borders and lax U.S Visa enforcement today, the government finds itself is in a tough spot.

We tread on shaky ground when we feel that our government continues its grasp of our lives and expands intrusion to a level never envisioned by The Founders. I wish I had an answer; but, in essence, there is no good answer to all this.

I leave you with one more question, “Could this NSA program be termed the 2013 version of The Party Line?” I hope not, but I’m not at all sure. All I can do at this point is ask you to think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 149

June 3, 2013

“In Between…”

Do you feel the squeeze? No, I don’t mean that affectionate hug from your spouse, significant other, parent, child, grandchild, or friend. What I mean is the subtle squeezing of freedoms that, like slow erosion by water, portends to make a Grand Canyon of a once level playing field.

Unequal treatment under the law…. Now that’s a novel idea. Where is it NOT these days? It is certainly among the targeted groups audited and harassed by the IRS. It isn’t only dangerous when sponsored by one particular party, but it fuels massive distrust of a federal government seen as impeding normal business and daily life for any American signals. Recent events showcase a new low in the administration’s arrogance.

While a new low in terms of ethics, it is also a new high in the unbalanced tug of war between the “average Joe” and “Uncle Sam.” What clout does the average citizen have against a bureaucracy with virtually unlimited power through the DOJ and the IRS?

Moving into the next news cycle may bring yet more trouble. Seldom does such a stretch of power end with two or three things. Hidden agendas or limited successes rarely defuse the push to do more.

A push for a special prosecutor to look into the IRS debacle should make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. These investigations take months — or years. Do the upcoming mid-term elections come to mind? How convenient to not reveal damning information until after those elections.

It is not just a matter of egg on one’s face among the US House and US Senate membership. It is a matter of respect for the law. Right now, if a law stands in the way, people skirt it. As the Church Lady would say, “Now isn’t THAT special?”

If it weren’t so frightening, it would be funny. But funny it is not, folks. It is deadly serious and affects not only you but also your children and grandchildren.

I am reminded of a comment classic to this president. “If the Congress will not do it, I will do it by Executive Order.” The precedent of such actions runs deep and has been used for a variety of actions and often result in harsh criticism of the chief executive doing them from not only the opposition party but also his own.

I do not wish any man or woman ill, but I do expect those in high office to do those offices proud and see America as far more important than self. If underlings mess things up, ask them to step aside. If they will not, fire them. We all see the disparity between job security in the private sector and that in government. This should not be. We pay these people, yet I wonder if they feel any responsibility to us at all.

Sometimes, I feel as if we need to ally with Star Trek crew. Scotty needs to beam us up, because there is no intelligent life down here!

Deeper analysis is futile at this point. Sometimes, brevity is the soul of wisdom. Readers, we find ourselves in a very uncomfortable and tenuous position — literally between Barack and a Hard Place. Think about it.