Category: Topical Issues

Perchance to Dream? My Brain Says “Not Likely.”

It is hard to describe this noise, this sound. It’s a thud. Like the sound of a piece of furniture falling hard onto a carpeted floor. Or a child falling out of bed. It’s a thwap, like the sound of a bullet impacting the ground right next to you. It’s a whomp, like the sound of a heavy machine unexpectedly toppling over onto the earth. It’s not a sharp, clear sound. It’s muffled to me, here in my bed, but it is a loud sound. It’s big.  Is there someone in the living room? Did they stumble in the dark and knock over the bookcase? Was that a slamming door? Was that an accident outside? Is someone hurt? My muscles tense as I wait for the next sound that will tell me what I need to do. Call 911? Grab a weapon?

I cannot sleep. I cannot rest. The noise goes on around the clock. There is no break, it seems, just an intermittent thud, boom, thwap, at all hours.

“Get some ear plugs!” my concerned friend advises.

Ear plugs are not the answer, as each thud, whomp, thwap, sends vibrations through the air, through the earth, which resonates in my being. Each one reaching deeper into the core of my soul. The sound triggers visceral memories, telling my brain that danger is imminent, an emergency is looming, a crisis is coming. At the very least, there is something happening that will require a physical response from me. Stay alert! Don’t close your eyes! Don’t relax.

My brain tells me to prepare exit strategies, review locations of weapons and medical supplies. I must stand guard, be prepared to fight, defend, resist, respond.

I know the origin of the noise. There is no threat to my safety. I know this to be true. It does not matter. Some part of my brain will simply not accept that reality.

I cannot rest. I cannot sleep.

Long before the city workers finish building the new highway, I will be living somewhere more peaceful.

Trump In Saudi Arabia

There was a time when those who identified as Liberals and Democrats would chew you up and spit you out if you objected to Obama’s actions while in office. If you objected to his obvious affinity for Islam versus a love of America, citing his own words that he would side with Muslims over Americans, you would be verbally bashed in the head as a drooling, Fox News worshiping moron.

Thankfully, those days are gone. Um, kind of.

Now is the time when those who identify as Conservatives and Republicans will chew you up and spit you out if you object to Trump’s actions while in office. If you object to anything he does, then you must be a liberal, feminist, Hillary-loving, CNN worshiping, American hating moron.

I was reading my post about The Presidential Inauguration and remembered that I knew this was going to happen. I had hoped for the best, thinking that now would be the time people would focus more on principles, individual rights, and the fiscal policies that would be needed to make our country strong. But, instead, my fears that the worshiping of a President’s personality would be center stage are being realized.

In spite of what some may think, I’m perfectly capable of being happy about policies implemented and speeches made by a man I do not like. Just as I was unhappy with policies and speeches made by a man I did like. Because my love for freedom and rights isn’t predicated on my personal feelings about the person in the White House.

Trump shouldn’t have gone to Saudi Arabia, nor given a speech which downplayed their role in the attacks on our country on September 11, 2001.  He signed a multibillion dollar arms deal with a country that uses Sharia Law and doesn’t recognize rights of women or gays or…well, pretty much everyone but some men. In his speech there today, he called Saudi Arabia “home to the holiest sites in one of the world’s great faiths.” Sickening. Do you think he’s the first President I’ve detested for failing to recognize the threats to our country? Please! Go all the way back to Carter (just trying to stay in my lifetime here) and his horrible response to the hostage crisis. And, yes, I was cussing out my television when George W. Bush created another Cabinet to ‘combat terrorism.’  Those two, and every one in between, have been weak on this country’s safety while spending billions and stripping away American’s rights, never facing the real problem head on.

Let’s defend sound policy and real Constitutional law. Let’s defend rights and freedom. But, do not ever expect me to defend the indefensible simply because your guy is in office and might have been better than the alternative, or because he’s black or white or green or female or whatever! Principles, not personalities.

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Volunteering With US Forest Service

I put together a few highlights from my summer of volunteering with the U.S. Forest Service. It was a memorable time, for many reasons, not the least of which is that I fell deeply in love with Idaho. It broke my heart to leave.

I hope you enjoy the video 🙂 Don’t forget to click the Buy Coffee for Lisa button on the upper right 😉 Thanks!!

Missing: Individual Rights

Thomas Jefferson, on law and morality not always being the same:

“But rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ‘within the limits of the law,’ because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual.”
–Letter to Isaac H. Tiffany, April 4, 1819

America is in its infancy, and unlike other nations, has no one to look to for successful examples of protecting freedom and individual rights.  That is because the United States of America, and her Constitution, is unique in the history of mankind.  I’ve heard it said that America has no discernible culture, in the way of European or South American countries, for example.  It may be true we have no collective song, dance or particular clothing to define us.  But, we do have a culture; it’s a culture of individual rights.  A culture of freedom.

 

Our current political and economic conditions are proof that America needs leaders who understand our unique place in history.  We need leaders who are ready to stand and defend the Constitution, remembering that they are representatives of the people and not dictators.  Our elected officials exist to protect the individual rights of the citizens, so that they may live their life and pursue happiness.  But, the reality is that our elected officials have turned our country into a nation of laws which dictate mundane, day to day aspects of our lives, destroying our inalienable rights.  We spend most of our time trying to overcome the obstacles put in our way by the government itself.

 

Our country has been turned on its head:  self-serving tax laws which lead businessmen to move their companies out of the country, destroying our manufacturing base; elected officials giving monetary assistance to one business over another, destroying fair competition; allowing Islamic mandates to be used in our courts, making a mockery out of our judicial system; allowing our educational system to be used as institutes for anti-American indoctrination; allowing those same institutions to be used to force the sexualization of children, undermining moral and beneficial relationships.  Were you aware that teachers are given manuals instructing them on discussing HIV with kindergarten children? Kindergarten children are 5-6 years old, barely cognizant of their own bodies, but we have teachers discussing with them a sexually transmitted disease?  I hardly think our Founding Fathers and Patriots fought to establish this country so our children could put condoms on bananas.

We’ve lost the knowledge, and stopped the evolution of the knowledge, of what it means to be a free people. We must understand individual rights. Everything flows from there. Everything.

The Presidential Inauguration

On the eve of the inauguration of Donald Trump, there is something I think Americans need to be reminded of before they spend the next four years frustrated, confused and angry.

The United States of America is not a monarchy. The United States of America is not a constitutional monarchy. The United States of America is a constitutional republic.

One may think that this is common knowledge and does not need to be stated. I disagree.

Pres. John F. Kennedy’s tenure was described by his wife, after the assassination, as Camelot.

The country ate it up. Kennedy was the valiant knight, shining briefly, the worshiped golden boy. His family was wealthy and influential. Their kingdom was politics. Dissent was not allowed. How did that work out for us? And yet, the myth won’t die.

There are many who view our politicians as being more important human beings than us here average people. They view politicians as rulers, rather than representatives. Politicians view themselves as being more important, as well. After they are elected to office, rather than realizing that they work for the people, they feel powerful in their role and decide that they should tell us how to live. Suddenly, they know better. For God’s sake, they are, after all, a Senator!  Once they are in office they are treated as though they were royalty. People want to wine and dine them, curry their favor, have their pictures taken with them. These politicians are given special privileges, special treatment, and regardless of what kind of human being they are, we are told that we must respect them because we must respect the office. Bullshit. Politicians are human beings, no different than any other human being on this planet. They are not separate from the rest of us, no more important and no more deserving of respect than every other citizen. No matter the level of office they hold, every one of them should do nothing more than uphold individual and property rights. They can be leaders, but not rulers. There is a difference.

We should listen to those with great ideas and heed the advice of intelligent, experienced humans. Unfortunately, that description doesn’t apply to many of the elected officials of our time. Just listen to them as they state that they believe in climate change junk science or that an island might tip over because too much military equipment is on one end of it. How about the ‘we have to pass the bill to see what’s in it’ nonsense or the woman who doesn’t want to be called ma’am, because she wants to be addressed as Senator? Who ARE these people who think they are better than us little people?

It hasn’t been that long ago since we made the break from Great Britain. What an incredibly brave thing the Founders did: despite the Constitution’s shortcomings, it was the first time a government had been implemented based on the idea that all men are created equal and had individual rights. Equal. Individual Rights. What a crazy idea! Ben Franklin knew it was going to be a tough ideology to maintain when he said we had a republic…if we could keep it. Even John Adams, the second President, had a hard time dispensing with the idea of royalty. He wanted to be called ‘His Majesty, the President,’ or ‘His Highness.’ We are still having trouble separating ourselves from the idea of royalty and understanding who we are as Americans.

I know that many believe having Donald Trump in the White House is going to cure our country of a host of ills. Everything from health insurance and jobs, to the wait times at the VA hospitals. Will he make my coffee for me in the morning, too? When Obama was elected, Republicans cringed when his supporters danced in the streets because they believed Obama was going to magically make their lives great. Well, my fellow Americans, please don’t believe that Trump will make things great and that all your frustrations may now be laid to rest. He is not the King. He is not God. He is not Midas. He is a man who has been elected President. His feet need to be held to the fire, as well as every member of Congress. As American citizens, that is our job. Rational dissent is necessary. Because we hold in our hands the most incredible country in the history of mankind. Because we are a constitutional republic. Because we are not a monarchy.

Trump? Clinton? We The People?

My fellow Americans, it’s time we had a serious talk. I will state publicly now that I am not voting in this presidential election. Some may say that it’s your duty as an American citizen to cast a vote. A vote, in and of itself, is a mark on a ballot. What am I voting for? Does that matter anymore? I believe that as an American citizen it is my responsibility to fight for individual rights. I believe it is my responsibility to do my part to stop the insanity that we find ourselves in today. In this election for president a vote is not going to make a damn bit of difference to putting our country on the right course. I do not want that murdering Clinton in the White House. I didn’t want Obama in the White House. I knew the damage he would cause. But, you know who caused the most damage? CONGRESS. THEY abdicated the checks and balance system of our government. You know who else caused the most damage? WE THE PEOPLE.
There is no proper vetting of candidates. I’ve been to many vetting sessions of local/state offices. You know what people ask? “Are you pro-abortion? Are you pro-second amendment? What are you going to do about taxes?” The answers are usually No, Yes, I’ll fight to reduce them. Yep, total waste of time. I remember one time a doctor was running for Senate in New York. She sounded great, right up until the time she stated she believed in climate change catastrophes.(I’m talking about rights violating legislation, not about being stewards of our planet. Keep reading.) There was a veteran running for office, as well. He sounded ok, until I learned he thought unions were necessary and he’d keep those mean capitalists from harming me. Then he told me that he was the only one who would fight for my right to keep my guns. Dude. Really? Why are we wasting our time?!

These are all very important issues. But, we are treating them as sound bites. It’s nothing more than kissing babies on the campaign trail. What do all of these issues have at their foundation? Individual and property rights. These rights are the foundation of our government, our country, yet we give it less thought than we do our morning latte orders. No one ever asks these people WHY or HOW does their position mesh with the Constitution and individual rights.

There are a lot of ideas and vague notions of what our country is all about that are dead wrong. But, many have come to believe them and accept the never ending decimation of individual rights. There are things we just take for granted as having always existed, yet they have been slowly killing us. It’s time to have serious, reason-based, individual rights-promoting discussions before it is too late. It’s not just our country that is in peril. It is humanity.

I’m just getting started. If you want to help, email me at capitalisa@gmail.com, send money through paypal to help buy coffee for me so I can keep writing, and buy a T-shirt.

Thanks!

My Country, My Vote

My Facebook news feed has been filled with politics for the last seven years. People became more and more upset every year. They were calling for the American people to wake up, stop being sheep, and to turn off American Idol. They wanted a President who was intelligent, principled, loved America and respected the Constitution. They wanted a President who wouldn’t lie to them and would provide transparency in politics.  They said they weren’t being heard and no one in Congress was doing their job. They were sick of the main stream media’s bias for the liberal agenda. I agreed.

Today, we are in the midst of choosing the man who will be the Republican candidate for President. This is the time for American individuals to show they are responsible, capable, and deserving of being a free people.

I can’t lie about my disappointment in the number of people who would choose Donald Trump to be the Republican candidate. “Stop watching American Idol!” But, vote for a reality TV star. “Don’t lie to us!” But, vote for a man who stands on both sides of every issue to hedge his bets. “Love America and the Constitution!” But, vote for a man who has not been able to demonstrate a working knowledge of American government and throws money to politicians who actively work to destroy our rights. “The main stream media are a bunch of liars!” But, if they say Trump is great and unstoppable, quote them ad nauseam.

One man has consistently shown his intelligence, principles, love and respect for Americans and the Constitution. One man hasn’t lied. One man has provided the transparency. That man is Ted Cruz.I had my initial reservations about Ted. I was disappointed that he sided with Kim Davis in the gay marriage license debacle. He cited religious freedom. I’m for religious freedom. But, I don’t want a theocratic nation.  My knee-jerk reaction was to not support his candidacy. But, after researching further, I found that Ted is consistent in his beliefs and his actions concerning individual rights. Ted stood up in front of God and country to stop Obamacare. He stood up for us when he called out Mitch McConnell for being a liar, telling us about the backroom deals being negotiated by the Republican power brokers.  If I disagree with him about an issue, it will be much easier to argue it because I know exactly where he stands and why. He isn’t perfect. I do disagree with him about some things. But, I also know that he has what it takes to get this country to a place where we will be able to start tackling those things. It’s difficult to advance the civilization when we’re all just fighting for survival.

Treat your vote with the respect it and your fellow Americans deserve.

Trump for President?

I’m glad Donald Trump decided to run for President. He has helped me to finally understand how Obama was elected twice, how Hillary Clinton is still in the political arena and why the Republican party is dead. Thanks, Donnie, for embodying pragmatism and proving that principles are for sale.

As social media blossomed, making it easier to connect with others on political concerns, my friend requests on Facebook tripled and my news feed was mostly political commentary. The Tea Party groups, the ThreePercent, Patriot groups, and various politically minded Veterans groups were springing up all over the country. I thought, “wow, every day Americans willing to fight for Individual Rights, recognizing the power they held, coming together to save a country that is unique in the history of mankind.”

Then, a funny thing happened. Our rights were being violated on an almost daily basis, one ‘crisis’ after another happening so fast that we hardly had time to react and we were losing ground. People were losing heart. It seemed every time I went to meetings of these new politically interested groups, I left feeling more isolated from them and disheartened myself. I just couldn’t seem to figure out why. Really, I didn’t want to believe the reason.

People weren’t fighting for the Constitution and Individual Rights. They were arguing over who would be the next dictator in power. They were fighting for their own brand of religious or conservative edicts to be put in the form of legislation to rule everyone in the country. What happened to the Constitution and Individual Rights? “Shut up, Lisa, we’re a Judeo-Christian nation and if you don’t like it, LEAVE! Go join the Occupy people, you bleeding heart liberal!”

Here we are now, in the midst of picking another President, and I naively believed that reason would prevail. Surely, this time, people would realize it was time to be serious grown-ups and choose a real scholar, a Constitutionalist, and a gentleman. I am not shocked, but disappointed, to know how many Americans are willing to throw principles out the window, toss common sense and decency aside, make excuses for despicable behavior, all because they are angry. They are angry and Donald Trump speaks for them, they say. “So, he’s not really a nice guy, but damn it he’s going to make America great. Whatever he’s done, I’m sure it’s been for a good reason and the greater good. He’s rich, a wheeler-dealer, born in the US of freaking A. He’s going to build a wall and keep out those Muslims. And if you don’t like it, Lisa, then you’re just a feminazi, commie, Bernie Sanders supporter!” Oy.

When Donald Trump entered the race, I thought it was a joke. When I realized he was serious, I figured it was just a publicity stunt. Finally, realizing he meant to run a real campaign, I decided to hear him out and give him a chance to convince me. The more I heard from his own lips, the more disgusted I became. He’s a man who has become wealthy by being intelligent about how to play people and play the system. Fine. He’s a reality TV star. Fine. He parlays his wealth into playing politics that will benefit him. Not so fine. But, even taking all of that out of the picture, here’s what I’m left with to judge him:

  1. He calls women derogatory names, demeans them, dismisses them by virtue of their femininity. “So what?” you say, “I don’t like Rosie O’Donnell or Megyn Kelly, either.” Well, he did the same thing to Michelle Malkin and she’s one of the finest conservative women in the country. I’m a woman and I won’t put up with this kind of behavior from anyone. But, I’m supposed to overlook that because he’s going to make America great. Mmhmm.
  2. When he talked about Ted Cruz, he said nobody liked Cruz, nobody wanted to work with him, hell Ted wasn’t even born here! I couldn’t have been the only one who heard the school bully saying “nobody likes you, nobody wants to sit with you, why don’t you just go home?”
  3. He makes fun of a person’s physical disability. Really? Like an uninformed pre-adolescent, he mocks a disability. I can just see him making fun of people from around the world, not to mention our own citizens. How well would his ‘humor’ go over if he was pissed at a wounded vet? “Oh, Lisa, he’d never do that!” Right. I trust him.
  4. He has no solid plans to accomplish his goal of making America great. None. Nada. Zilch. I’ve researched until my fingers bled and listened to every recording I could until my ears bled. Everything out of his mouth is vague. He’s a circus barker.
  5. He refused to go to the last debate because he doesn’t think Megyn Kelly treats him nicely. His supporters say he’s got the backbone to stand up to mainstream media. Bull. He’s a bully and a narcissist who is throwing a temper tantrum. This is not the temperament of a United States President. Not the kind of President I would want, anyway.

Donald Trump is a man who is openly disrespectful to women, mocks those with a disability, and acts like a blustering school bully. As long as you are on his good side, you will find favor. If you disagree with him, he’ll find a way to make you pay. He has no problem trying to publicly humiliate anyone for any reason. This is a man I would not want in my personal circle nor would I hire him in my private sector business. This is a man I would not invite into my living room. Why the hell would I want to hire him to live in the White House and represent my country?

 

It Starts With YOU

lawbookpic

If you want to change a culture, you have to start with yourself. Is it possible for one person to really make a difference? Of course! Change always happens with one person at a time. How do you think socialism came to dominate the United States? Do you think half of the country woke up one morning and said “Hey! I’m really feeling like socialism is great today. Let’s do this!” Yeah…probably not.

So, what are you contributing to the promotion of reason and a culture of freedom? What are you doing to promote a more civilized society? Believe it or not, making posts on Facebook whining that the demise of our country is at hand or that the younger generations are a bunch of weak willed, lazy imbeciles, does NOT change things for the better. Arguing over minutiae while failing to address the philosophical foundations of this country (Individual Rights) does not advance our civilization one iota.

Take the time to educate yourself about this country. You may think you know enough, but trust me, you don’t. WE don’t. There is always more to learn. I recently took the Hillsdale College Constitution course. It’s not perfect, but it was enjoyable. I love history. I love this country. So do they. Check it out.

There are so many resources available for education, thanks to technology. It’s about damn time to use the internet for more than posting selfies. There is a world of knowledge at our fingertips and yet my Facebook news feed is filled with regurgitated Main Stream Media articles or worse, inflammatory articles from questionable and strange websites. Do your best to verify information. Use your best judgement to discern whether an article contains factual information before reposting it. We all make mistakes from time to time, just strive to do better in disseminating stories. Instead of just reposting a link to an article, try writing something about what YOU think of the content or write something without a link to an article! It’s a good way to exercise your brain and people really do want to know what you think. What YOU think matters.

Make the commitment today to start the change you wish to see. Make it start with you. Is it going to be easy? Hell no. You need courage and reinforcement daily. You can do it. I’ll be here for you when you’re weary, as others have been there for me. While it may feel like a lonely quest, the reality is you are not alone.